Bible Strands
Acts 17:13
But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Luke records this narrative moment as Paul shifts his ministry from Thessalonica to Berea following the initial reception of his preaching. The passage explicitly states that traveling Jews learned of Paul's new location and physically went there to agitate crowds.
The words — ἔγνωσαν (egnōsan) translates literally as "knew" or "learned," marking the precise trigger for the subsequent movement. Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) identifies the specific group originating from Thessalonica who initiate the confrontation.
The thread — This pattern of traveling opposition appears in 1 Thessalonians 2:14, where believers in Macedonia suffer from their own countrymen. The dynamic of agitators stirring crowds also echoes the warning in Proverbs 28:25 that a greedy man stirs up strife.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that geographical relocation does not neutralize organized opposition to the proclaimed message. It requires the reader to note that physical presence in a new location does not automatically guarantee safety from coordinated interference.
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
But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
Cross-references
- 1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews,
- Proverbs 28:25 A greedy man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
- Matthew 23:13 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
- Acts 6:12 So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,
- Acts 14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
- Acts 17:5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.
- Acts 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
- 1 Kings 21:25 (Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.
- Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
- Luke 12:51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.