Bible Strands
Acts 6:12
So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text describes unnamed accusers who mobilize the populace, religious leaders, and legal experts to confront Stephen. They then physically seize him and deliver him to the Sanhedrin for judgment.
The words — The Greek verb συνεκίνησεν (sunekinēsen) literally means "they stirred up" or "set in motion," describing the instigation of the crowd and officials. The particle τε (te) links the subsequent action of confronting Stephen to this initial agitation.
The thread — This pattern of instigation against faithful witnesses appears in Proverbs 15:18 regarding hot-tempered strife and Acts 14:2 where unbelieving Jews poison Gentile minds. The procedural seizure of a religious figure by scribes and elders mirrors the arrest narrative in Matthew 26:57.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to recognize how organized opposition systematically targets a speaker before delivering him to judicial review. It demands attention to the procedural steps of accusation, seizure, and transport to a ruling council.
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
And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,
Cross-references
- Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
- Acts 14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
- Matthew 26:57 Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered.
- Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
- Acts 4:1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
- Acts 5:18 and arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
- Acts 5:27 They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them.
- Acts 13:50 The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.
- Acts 16:19 When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.
- 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.