Bible Strands
Acts 14:14
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The text states that apostles Barnabas and Paul rushed into the crowd after learning of the priest's sacrifice. They interrupted the worship attempt to correct the crowd's misconception.
The words — The narrative records διαρρήξαντες (diarrēxantes), meaning "having torn," to describe their physical response to the reported event. This action immediately follows Ἀκούσαντες (Akousantes), literally "having heard," marking their direct reaction to the news.
The thread — The text notes tearing clothes as a documented cultural response in 2 Kings 5:7, 2 Kings 18:37, and Matthew 26:65. Paul and Barnabas employ the same gesture to signal that the proposed deity worship is fundamentally incorrect.
Why it lands — The verse demands immediate correction of false worship rather than passive acceptance. It requires readers to recognize that human messengers point only to the Creator, not to themselves.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
Cross-references
- Matthew 26:65 At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
- 2 Kings 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
- 2 Kings 18:37 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
- Ezra 9:3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.
- Jeremiah 36:24 Yet in hearing all these words, the king and his servants did not become frightened or tear their garments.
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
- Mark 14:63 At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses?
- Acts 14:4 The people of the city were divided. Some sided with the Jews, and others with the apostles.