Acts 14:11

New Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Acts 14:11 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
Acts 14:11 — American Standard Version

Context — Acts 14

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
11And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And when the people saw what Paul had done, etc.] In curing the lame man in so marvellous a manner, and concluding it to be a divine work, and what a mere creature could never perform: they lift up their voices; not in indignation and wrath, but as persons astonished: saying in the speech of Lycaonia; by which it should seem that Lystra was a city of Lycaonia, since the Lycaonian language was spoken in it; the Arabic version reads, “in their own tongue”; and the Syriac version, “in the dialect of the country”; very likely a dialect of the Greek tongue; the gods are come down to us in the likeness of men; they had a notion of deity, though a very wrong one; they thought there were more gods…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“in the speech of Lycaonia--whether a corruption of the Greek tongue, which was well enough understood in this region, or the remains of some older tongue, is not known. The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men--the language of an unsophisticated people. But "that which was a superstition in Lycaonia, and for which the whole "creation" groaned, became a reality at Bethlehem" [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“They lifted up their voices - They spoke with astonishment, such as might be expected when it was supposed that the gods had come down. In the speech of Lycaonia - What this language was has much perplexed commentators. It was probably a mixture of the Greek and Syriac. In that region generally the Greek was usually spoken with more or less purity; and from the fact that it was not far from the regions of Syria, it is probable that the Greek language was corrupted with this foreign admixture. The gods ... - All the region was idolatrous. The gods which were worshipped there were those which were worshipped throughout Greece. Are come down - The miracle which Paul had performed led them to…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“The gods are come down - Which the heathens supposed they frequently did; Jupiter especially. But how amazingly does the prince of darkness blind the minds of them that believe not! The Jews would not own Christ's Godhead, though they saw him work numberless miracles. On the other hand, the heathens seeing mere men work one miracle, were for deifying them immediately. Acts 14:13”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“14:11-13 Zeus was the patron god of Lystra, and the city had a temple in his honor. They associated Barnabas with Zeus, perhaps because he was the more impressive figure, and Hermes was identified with Paul . . . since he was the chief speaker. The native people of Lystra thought that they were being treated to a divine visitation similar to a past mythological appearance cited by the poet Ovid (in which the gods Zeus and Hermes came to visit the area but were unrecognized except by an old couple; see Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.616–724). So the people set out to honor these supposed gods.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“The gods: Act 8:10, Act 12:22, Act 28:6 Acts 14:12”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification