Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Acts 23:13

More than forty of them were involved in this plot.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Claudius Lysius;   Conspiracy;   Malice;   Minister, Christian;   Oath;   Paul;   Vows;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jerusalem;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Government;   Kill, Killing;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Lysias Claudius;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Ambush;   Crimes and Punishments;   Persecution in the Bible;   Sanhedrin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Caesarea;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Sanhedrin (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Claudius;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
There were more than forty who had formed this plot.
King James Version (1611)
And they were more then fourtie which had made this conspiracie.
King James Version
And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.
English Standard Version
There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.
New American Standard Bible
There were more than forty who formed this plot.
New Century Version
There were more than forty men who made this plan.
Amplified Bible
There were more than forty [men] who formed this plot [and swore this oath].
Legacy Standard Bible
And there were more than forty who formed this scheme.
Complete Jewish Bible
more than forty were involved in this plot.
Darby Translation
And they were more than forty who had joined together in this oath;
Easy-to-Read Version
There were more than 40 of them who made this plan.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they were more then fourtie, which had made this conspiracie.
George Lamsa Translation
And those who had sworn to this conspiracy were more than forty persons.
Good News Translation
There were more than forty who planned this together.
Lexham English Bible
Now there were more than forty who had made this conspiracy,
Literal Translation
And those making this plot were more than forty;
American Standard Version
And they were more than forty that made this conspiracy.
Bible in Basic English
And more than forty of them took this oath.
Hebrew Names Version
There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.
International Standard Version
More than forty men formed this conspiracy.
Etheridge Translation
But there were of those who established by oath this compact more than forty men.
Murdock Translation
And they who had established this compact by oath, were more than forty persons.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they were mo then fourtie men, which had made this conspiracie.
English Revised Version
And they were more than forty which made this conspiracy.
World English Bible
There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they were more than forty, who had made this confederacy.
Weymouth's New Testament
There were more than forty of them who bound themselves by this oath.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And there weren mo than fourti men, that maden this sweryng togider.
Update Bible Version
And there were more than forty that made this conspiracy.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they were more than forty who had made this conspiracy.
New English Translation
There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy.
New King James Version
Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.
New Living Translation
There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.
New Life Bible
There were more than forty of them who had made this promise.
New Revised Standard
There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they were, more than forty, who, this sworn-confederacy, had formed.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they were more than forty men that had made this conspiracy.
Revised Standard Version
There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
They were aboute .xl. which had made this conspiracio.
Young's Literal Translation
and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They were mo then fortye, which had made this conspyracion.
Mace New Testament (1729)
the conspirators, who were above forty in number,
Simplified Cowboy Version
Over forty people made this pledge.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
There were more than forty who formed this plot.

Contextual Overview

12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13More than forty of them were involved in this plot.14They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way." 16But when the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him." 18So the centurion took him to the commander and said, "Paul the prisoner sent and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you." 19The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside, and asked, "What do you need to tell me?" 20He answered, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, on the pretext of acquiring more information about him. 21Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

which: 2 Samuel 15:12, 2 Samuel 15:31, John 16:2

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 6:31 - if the head Nehemiah 4:8 - all Psalms 83:5 - For Mark 6:24 - The head Galatians 5:11 - why

Cross-References

Genesis 23:5
The Hittites replied to Abraham,
Genesis 23:8
"If you are willing for me to bury my dead," he said to them, "listen to me, and approach Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf
2 Samuel 24:24
"No," replied the king, "I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
Acts 20:35
In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Romans 13:8
Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Colossians 4:5
Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. Who met together, formed this resolution, entered into this scheme, and bound themselves with this oath; the word rendered "conspiracy", signifies an agreement by oath; such a number of them banded together, that they might have strength sufficient to take Paul out of the hands of the soldiers, as he was conducted by them from the castle to the temple.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which had made this conspiracy - This oath συνωμοσίαν sunōmosian, this agreement, or compact. This large number of desperate men, bound by so solemn an oath, would be likely to be successful, and the life of Paul was therefore in special danger. The manner in which they purposed to accomplish their design is stated in Acts 23:15.


 
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