RSV ~ Acts 14 Notes

Acts 14:1 | ISB Notes

Iconium: A city of southern Galatia, more than 80 miles southeast of Pisidian Antioch.

Acts 14:3 | ISB Notes

signs and wonders: Miracles are God’s way of authenticating the divine mission of his true apostles (2 Cor 12:12; Heb 2:4). See note on Acts 5:12.

Acts 14:4 | ISB Notes

the apostles: Barnabas and Paul (14:14). This is the first time Luke applies the apostolic title to men other than the original Twelve chosen by Jesus (Lk 6:13).

Acts 14:8 | ISB Notes

Lystra: A Roman colony of retired army veterans in southern Galatia, more than 100 miles from Pisidian Antioch. Neither this settlement nor the colony in Philippi had a Jewish synagogue (16:12-13).

Acts 14:11-18 | ISB Notes

The crowd’s reaction is based on a local legend preserved by the Roman poet Ovid. It was said that Greek deities once before had made a disguised visit to this region, but the natives had refused them hospitality and turned them away. Only a single devout couple had taken them in. In thanksgiving, the gods had turned the home of the couple into a beautiful temple, and in anger, they had destroyed the dwellings of the rest. Amazed by the healing of the cripple, the crowd thought the gods were revisiting them disguised as Paul and Barnabas (14:12) and hoped to avoid the tragic mistake of their ancestors.

Acts 14:11 | ISB Notes

in Lycaonian: The foreign dialect of the crowd explains why Paul and Barnabas did not immediately realize the gravity of the misunderstanding.

Acts 14:14 | ISB Notes

tore their garments: A sign of protest and extreme distress (Jud 14:16; Mk 14:63).

Acts 14:15 | ISB Notes

We also are men: Peter similarly refused divine honor in 10:26.

these vain things: A traditional Jewish critique of idolatry (1 Sam 12:21). Though for centuries God permitted the pagans to stumble in the darkness of mythology and false worship, the time to enlighten all nations has come with the gospel, which urges them to turn away from lifeless idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thess 1:9). Paul preaches this same message to Athens in 17:29-31.

Acts 14:17 | ISB Notes

witness: From the foundation of the world, God has made his deity and goodness known through the beauty and blessings of the natural order (Rom 1:20). This natural revelation was to prepare the human family for the supernatural revelation of the gospel (CCC 32, 1147).

Acts 14:19 | ISB Notes

they stoned Paul: What began as a deification of Paul (14:11) nearly ended with his death (2 Cor 11:25). Unlike the Jews, who staged executions outside the city gates (7:58), the heathen mob stoned Paul in the city streets, only afterward dragging him out.

Acts 14:20 | ISB Notes

Derbe: More than 60 miles from Lystra in southeastern Galatia.

Acts 14:22 | ISB Notes

many tribulations: Paul urges believers to brace themselves for the suffering and persecution that come with being a Christian (2 Tim 3:12). Far from being signs of God’s disapproval, earthly afflictions open the way to heavenly glory (Mt 5:10; Rom 8:17).

Acts 14:23 | ISB Notes

appointed: The Greek expression means “to stretch forth hands” and alludes to the rite of priestly ordination (1 Tim 4:14; Tit 1:5). The installation of elders provided guidance and stability to missionary communities while Paul continued to travel. Acts portrays this as a hierarchical procedure, not a democratic one, i.e., it is Paul and Barnabas who ordain the elders, not the lay assembly.

See word study: Elders at Jas 5:14.

Acts 14:26 | ISB Notes

sailed to Antioch: Paul’s first missionary journey ends where it began, in the Syrian city of Antioch (13:1-3).