Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 28:4
And when the barbarians saw the [venomous] beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
4. saw the venomous beast ] There is nothing in the Greek to represent “venomous,” though it was because the inhabitants knew that such was its character that they were so astonished at what happened.
Vengeance suffereth not to live ] [ R. V. “Justice hath not suffered to live”] This is an instance in which the A.V. expresses far more truly than the R. V. the sense of the Greek. The indefinite meaning of the Greek aorist is often more like what we call the English present than the perfect. “I eat” does not necessarily mean “I am eating” and covers more time than “I have eaten.” It may be present, but it can refer both to past and future time. What the people meant to say was that Justice, as her wont is, is finding out the wrong-doer.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The venomous beast – The English word beast we usually apply to an animal of larger size than a viper. But the original therion is applicable to animals of any kind, and was especially applied by Greek writers to serpents. See Schleusner.
No doubt – The fact that the viper had fastened on him; and that, as they supposed, he must now certainly die, was the proof from which they inferred his guilt.
Is a murderer – Why they thought he was a murderer rather than guilty of some other crime is not known. It might have been:
(1) Because they inferred that he must have been guilty of some very atrocious crime, and as murder was the highest crime that man could commit, they inferred that he had been guilty of this. Or,
(2) More probably, they had an opinion that when divine vengeance overtook a man, he would be punished in a manner similar to the offence; and as murder is committed usually with the hand, and as the viper had fastened on the hand of Paul, they inferred that he had been guilty of taking life. It was supposed among the ancients that persons were often punished by divine vengeance in that part of the body which had been the instrument of the sin.
Whom, though he hath escaped the sea – They supposed that vengeance and justice would still follow the guilty; that, though he might escape one form of punishment, yet he would be exposed to another. And this, to a certain extent, is true. These barbarians reasoned from great original principles, written on the hearts of all people by nature, that there is a God of justice, and that the guilty will be punished. They reasoned incorrectly, as many do, only because that they supposed that every calamity is a judgment for some particular sin. People often draw this conclusion, and suppose that suffering is to be traced to some particular crime, and to be regarded as a direct judgment from heaven. See the notes on Joh 9:1-3. The general proposition that all sin will be punished at some time is true, but we are not qualified to affirm of particular calamities always that they are direct judgments for sin. In some cases we may. In the case of the drunkard, the gambler, and the profligate, we cannot doubt that the loss of property, health, and reputation is the direct result of specific crime. In the ordinary calamities of life, however, it requires a more profound acquaintance with the principles of divine government than we possess to affirm of each instance of suffering that it is a particular judgment for some crime.
Yet vengeance – he dike. Justice was represented by the pagan as a goddess, the daughter of Jupiter, whose office it was to take vengeance, or to inflict punishment for crimes.
Suffereth not to live – They regarded him as already a dead man. They supposed the effect of the bite of the viper would be so certainly fatal that they might speak of him as already, in effect, dead (Beza).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 4. The venomous beast] , The venomous animal; for is a general name among the Greek writers for serpents, vipers, scorpions, wasps, and such like creatures. Though the viper fastened on Paul’s hand, it does not appear that it really bit him; but the Maltese supposed that it had, because they saw it fasten on his hand.
Vengeance suffereth not to live.] These heathens had a general knowledge of retributive justice; and they thought that the stinging of the serpent was a proof that Paul was a murderer. There is a passage in Bamidbar Rabba, fol. 239, that casts some light on this place. “Although the Sanhedrin is ceased, yet are not the four deaths ceased. For he that deserves stoning either falls from his house, or a wild beast tears and devours him. He that deserves burning either falls into the fire, or a serpent bites him. He that deserves cutting of with the sword is either betrayed into the power of a heathen kingdom, or the robbers break in upon him. He that deserves strangling is either suffocated in the water, or dies of a quinsy.” See Lightfoot.
As these people were heathens, it is not likely that they had any correct notion of the justice of the true God; and therefore it is most probable that they used the word , not to express the quality or attribute of any being, but the goddess Dik, or vindictive Justice, herself, who is represented as punishing the iniquities of men.
Hesiod makes a goddess of what the Maltese called , or Justice:-
, ,
‘ ,
‘ ‘ .
‘
Hesiod. Opera, ver. 254.
JUSTICE, unspotted maid, derived from Jove,
Renown’d and reverenced by the gods above:
When mortals violate her sacred laws,
When judges hear the bribe and not the cause,
Close by her parent god, behold her stand,
And urge the punishment their sins demand.
COKE.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Venomous; so the viper is called by that appellative word, from whence also comes theriaca, or treacle, which is made out of flesh, or trochusses, of vipers. And if men can make an antidote out of poison, much more can God bring good out of evil.
This man is a murderer; it is a strange sense that men by the light of nature had of Divine vengeance, especially of Gods revenging of murder. Hence they called one of their furies Tisiphone, as one that punished and revenged murder. Yet they were to blame in this case:
1. Because they confine the punishment of wicked men wholly unto this life.
2. In that they did not expect the event; they judged before they knew what would be the end of Paul afterwards.
3. They erred, in that they measured the goodness or badness of a mans state or cause by his prosperity or adversity.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4-6. No doubt this man is amurdererHis chains, which they would see, might strengthen theimpression.
whom . . . vengeancesuffereth not to liveThey believed in a Supreme,Resistless, Avenging Eye and Hand, however vague their notions ofwhere it resided.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast,…. The viper is called “Therion”, a beast, it being of the viviparous kind; and hence comes “Theriaca”, or “Venice treacle”, the foundation of which composition is vipers’ flesh; and it is called venomous, because it is of all serpents the most venomous: this when the country people saw
hang on his hand, having wrapped itself about it,
they said among themselves, no doubt this man is a murderer: they might see he was a prisoner by his chain, or might learn it from some of the company, and therefore took it for granted he had been guilty of some crime; and by the viper’s fastening on him, they concluded it was murder he was guilty of; for the same notion might obtain among them, as among the Jews, that a murderer that could not be legally convicted, was sometimes punished this way.
“Says R. Simeon ben Shetach l, may I never see the consolation, if I did not see one run after his friend into a desert place; and I ran after him, and I saw the sword in his hand, and the blood dropping, and he that was slain panting; and I said to him, O wicked man, who has slain this? either I or thou; but what shall I do? for thy blood is not delivered into my hand; “for the law says, by the mouth of two or three witnesses he shall surely die” (#De 17:6): may he that knows the thoughts take vengeance on that man that slew his friend; they say, they did not remove from thence, , “till a serpent came”, and bit him, and he died.”
So the Jews observe, that when the execution of capital punishments was taken away from them, yet such who deserved them were punished by God in a way equivalent to them: so for instance, if a man committed a crime, for which he deserved to be burnt, either he fell into the fire, or , “a serpent bit him” m; or if he deserved to be strangled, either he was drowned in a river, or died of a quinsy. There is a kind of an asp which the Egyptians call “Thermuthis”, which they reckon sacred, and worship: this they say will not hurt good men, but destroys the wicked; and if so, says the historian, then , “vengeance”, or justice has honoured this creature, to be so sharp sighted as to discern the good from the bad; and they say, Isis sends it to the most wicked n. Agreeably to which these men reason,
whom though he hath escaped the sea: has not been drowned there, when shipwrecked,
yet vengeance suffereth not to live. The Greek word “Dice” rendered “vengeance”, is the name of a goddess among the Heathens, said to be the daughter of Jupiter and Themis o. She is represented as sitting by her father Jupiter; and when anyone does injury to another, informs him of it p. She is painted sorrowful, and with a contracted forehead, a grave countenance, and a rough aspect, to strike terror in unrighteous persons, and give confidence to righteous ones q, agreeably to her name, which signifies “justice”. This deity the barbarians supposed pursued Paul; and though she let him escape the sea, she will not suffer him to live any longer; for they looked upon the viper’s fastening on him, as to be sent by her, so to be immediate death to him.
l T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 37. 2. & Shebuot, fol. 34. 1. m Bemidbar Rabba, fol. 214. 2. & T. Bab. Sanhedrin, ib. & Sota, fol. 8. 2. n Aelian de Animal l. 10. c. 31. o Apollodarus de Deorurn Origon. l. 1. p. 6. Phurnutus de Natura Deorum, p. 80. p Hesiod Opera, &c. v. 254, 255. q Chrysippus apud Geilium, l. 14. c. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The beast ( ). Diminutive of and so little beast. See on Mr 1:13. Aristotle and the medical writers apply the word to venomous serpents, the viper in particular (Knowling), as Luke does here. Vincent calls attention to the curious history of our word “treacle” for molasses (Latin theriaca) from , an antidote made from the flesh of vipers. Coverdale translates Jer 8:22: “There is no more treacle in Gilead.” Jeremy Taylor: “We kill the viper and make treacle of him.”
Hanging from his hand ( ). Vivid picture of the snake dangling from Paul’s hand. Present middle participle of , late form for , to hang up, to suspend (cf. Ga 3:13).
No doubt (). Literally, By all means, old adverb. Cf. Acts 21:22; Luke 4:23; 1Cor 9:22. Only by Luke and Paul in the N.T. “They knew that he was a prisoner being taken to Rome on some grave charge, and inferred that the charge was murder” (Page).
Though he hath escaped (). First aorist passive participle of (same verb used in Acts 24:43; Acts 24:44; Acts 28:1), so-called concessive use of the participle (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1129).
Yet Justice (). An abstraction personified like the Latin Justitia (Page). The natives speak of as a goddess, but we know nothing of such actual worship in Malta, though the Greeks worshipped abstractions as in Athens.
Hath not suffered ( ). Did not suffer. They look on Paul as a doomed man as good as dead. These people thought that calamity was proof of guilt, poor philosophy and worse theology.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Justice [] . Personified.
Suffereth not [ ] . The aorist tense : did not suffer. His death is regarded as fixed by the divine decree.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And when the barbarians saw,” (hos de eidon hoi barbaroi) “And when the barbarians (natives of the island) saw it,” realized what had happened.
2) “The venomous beast hang on his hand,” (kremamenon to therion ek tes cheiros autou) “Saw the beast-like-snake hanging from his hand,” either by its fangs in his hand, or coil around his hand, or both.
3) “They said among themselves,” (pros allelous elegon) “They concluded in their hasty speech, one to another, among themselves,” the Islanders, natives of the island who were referred to as barbarians.
4) “No doubt this man it a murderer,” (pantos phoneus estin hon anthropos houtos) “This man is in all likelihood a murderer,” to be sure this man is a murderer, an impression that may have been strengthened by seeing prison clothes on his body, or chains upon his hands.
5) “Whom though he hath escaped the sea,” (hon diasothenta ek tes thalasses) “Whom though he has been saved (from drowning) out of the sea,” at sea in the shipwreck. They believed in an eventual supreme payment for wrong, a just retribution for sin, a universal, divine truth, Gal 6:7-8.
6) “Yet vengeance suffereth not to live.” (he dike zen ouk eiasen) “The God of justice did not allow or permit to live,” to escape death by reason of his being a murderer. These heathen, like too many heathen in civilized society today, prejudged Paul, as guilty of a presumed capital crime that merited death. Their words indicate that the bite of the serpent had apparently marked him as good as dead already.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
−
4. So soon as the barbarians saw. This judgment was common in all ages, that those who were grievously punished had grievously offended. Neither was this persuasion conceived of nothing; but it came rather from a true feeling of godliness. For God, to the end he might make the world without excuse, would have this deeply rooted in the minds of all men, that calamity and adversity, and chiefly notable destruction, were testimonies and signs of his wrath and just vengeance against sins. Therefore, so often as we call to mind any notable calamity, we do also remember that God is sore offended, seeing he punisheth so sharply. Neither did ungodliness ever get the upper hand so far, but that all men did still retain this principle, that God, to the end he may show himself to be the Judge of the world, doth notably punish the wicked. But here crept in an error almost always, because they condemned all those of wickedness − (656) whom they saw roughly handled. Though God doth always punish men’s sins with adversity, yet doth he not punish every man according to his deserts in this life; and sometimes the punishments of the godly are not so much punishments as trials of their faith and exercises of godliness. −
Therefore, those men are deceived, who make this a general rule to judge every man according to his prosperity or adversity. This was the state of the controversy between Job and his friends, ( Job 4:7) they did affirm that that man was a reprobate, and hated of God, whom God did punish; and he did allege, on the other side, that the godly are sometimes humbled with the cross. Wherefore, lest we be deceived in this point, we must beware of two things. The former is, that we give not rash and blind judgment of things unknown, − (657) according to the event alone, for because God doth punish the good as well as the bad; yea, it falleth out oftentimes that he spareth the reprobate, and doth sharply punish those who are his; if we will judge aright, we must begin at another thing than at punishments, to wit, that we inquire after the life and deeds. If any adulterer, if any blasphemous person, if any perjured man or murderer, if any filthy person, if any cozener, if any bloody beast be punished, God doth point out his judgment as it were with his finger. If we see no wickedness, nothing is better than to suspend our judgment concerning punishment. −
The other caution is, that we wait for the end. For so soon as God beginneth to strike, we do not by and by see his drift and purpose; but the unlike end doth at length declare, that those differ far before God who seem in men’s eyes both alike in the likelihood of punishment. If any man object that it is not in vain so often repeated in the law, that all private and public miseries are the scourges of God, I grant indeed that that is true; but yet I deny that it doth keep God from sparing whom he will for a time, though they be of all men the worst, and from punishing those more sharply whose fault is mean. − (658) Nevertheless, it is not our duty to make that perpetual which falleth out oftentimes. We see now wherein the men of Melita were deceived, to wit, because having not scanned Paul’s life, they judge him to be a wicked man, only because the viper doth bite him; secondly, because they stay not the end, but give judgment rashly. Nevertheless, we must note that these are detestable monsters, who go about to pluck out of their hearts all feelings of God’s judgment, which is ingrafted in us all naturally, and which is also found in the barbarians and savage men. Whereas they think that Paul is rather guilty of murder than of any other offense, they follow this reason, because murder hath always been most detestable. −
Vengeance doth not suffer. They gather that he is a wicked man, because vengeance doth persecute him though he have escaped the sea. And they feigned that the revenging goddess did sit by the seat of Jupiter, which they commonly called Δικη; grossly, I grant, as men ignorant of pure religion, and yet not without some tolerable signification, as if they had painted out God to be Judge of the world. But by these words the wrath of God is distinguished from fortune, and so the judgment of God is avouched against all blind chances. For the men of Melita take it to be a sign of the heavenly vengeance, in that though Paul be saved, yet can he not be safe. −
(656) −
“
Sine exceptione,” without exception, omitted,
(657) −
“
De hominibus ignotis,” of persons unknown.
(658) −
“
Mediocris,” trivial.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) The venomous beast.The adjective, as the italics show, is not in the Greek, and can scarcely be said to be necessary.
No doubt this man is a murderer.They knew, we may believe, that St. Paul was a prisoner. It is hardly conceivable, indeed, that he could have come on shore bound by two chains, or even one, to his keeper, but, looking to the jealous care which the soldiers had shown in the custody of the prisoners (Act. 27:42), it would be natural that they should resume their vigilance over him as soon as they were all safe on shore. And so the natives of Melita, seeing what they did, and ignorant of the prisoners crime, and with their rough notions of the divine government of the world, rushed to the conclusion that they were looking on an example of Gods vengeance against murder. It was in vain that such a criminal had escaped the waves; a more terrible death was waiting for him.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. Beast Animal. The Greek word is applied to any noxious animal, quadruped, or reptile.
Vengeance The remarkable Greek term here is , Dike, Justice, or Retribution. If it does not imply Justice to be a goddess, it certainly constitutes a strong personification. Homer is quoted by Kuinoel as saving, “Wise men of old said that Retribution is the co-assessor of Jove;” and Hesiod, “A virgin is Dike, born from Zeus.” And here Paul found a striking illustration of his own doctrine, “The Gentiles which have not the [written] law are a law unto themselves.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And when the barbarians saw the venomous creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice (dike) has not allowed to live.” ’
It was of a type known to the islanders to be venomous, and the barbarian inhabitants of the island looked meaningfully at one another, and said that he must be a murderer who, even though he had escaped the sea, Justice (dike) would not allow to live. It would appear that the Maltese venerated the Greek god Dike.
There seems little doubt that Luke sees this incident as symbolic. To all Christians the snake represented Satan, and here was his representative seeking to destroy Paul, but failing (as he had in the storm). As Jesus Himself had said, ‘Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you’ (Luk 10:19). The Enemy had once again attacked, and had failed. Thus was indicated that the conqueror of Satan was on his way to Rome, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God (Act 26:18), and Satan was powerless to do anything about it.
Today there are no venomous snakes on the island of Malta, but that is no evidence that there were none in those days, for as men became more sophisticated they would seek to exterminate them and that would not be difficult on so small an island. Locals do not make mistakes about which snakes are poisonous.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 28:4. The venomous beast The fierce animal seems the proper import of the word : Bos has shewn that the physicians use it to express any poisonous animal; and Lucian applies it as here to a viper. To render it beast, is by no means proper: venomous creature, would be more allowable. It has been observed, that these people concluded St. Paul to have been guilty of murder, rather than of any other crime, because they saw the viper hanging on his hand, which therefore they judged to have been the offending part; according to the rule which prevailed much among the ancients, that persons were often remarkably punished in that part of the bodywhich had been the immediate instrument of their sin. Beza finely observes in the true spirit of criticism, that the phrase should be rendered according to its exact form, hath not suffered; to signify that they looked upon him as in effect a dead man, after having been bitten by that venomous creature. Though vengeance may here be understood of the divine vengeance in general, yet as these were the words of Heathen idolaters, possibly they might refer to the idol deity worshipped among them under this name.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 28:4-5 . . .] from his hand, so that it hung fastened with its mouth in the wound. Comp. Khner, 622 c.
. . .] he is at all events a murderer , etc. From the fact that the stranger, though he had escaped from shipwreck, yet had now received this deadly bite, the people inferred that it was the work of , who was now carrying out her sentence, and requiting like with like, killing with killing. Perhaps it had been already told to them, that Paul was a prisoner; in that case their inference was the more natural. The opinion of Elsner, to which Wolf, Kuinoel, and Lange accede, that the people might have deduced their inference from the locality of the (supposed) bite, according to the idea that punishment overtakes the member with which a crime is committed (Spanheim, ad Callim. in Cer. 64), is to be rejected for the very reason, that in fact from a bite on the hand any other crime committed by the hand might quite as well be inferred.
] not sinit (Vulgate, Luther, and others), but sivit ; they regard the bite as so certainly fatal.
On the goddess ), the avenger of crime (Hesiod. Op. 256 ff.), Justitia , the daughter of Zeus (Hesiod. Theog. 902), and or (Soph. Oed. Col. 1384; Arrian. iv. 9), see Mitscherlich, ad Hor. Od. iii. 2. 32; Ellendt, Lex. Soph . I. p. 432; Jacobs, ad Anthol. IX. p. 345. How the islanders named the goddess to whom Luke gives the Greek name , or whether perhaps they had received the Greek among their divinities, is not to be decided.
On the active , to shake off , comp. Luk 9:5 ; Lam 2:7 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Ver. 4. Yet vengeance suffereth not, &c. ] Nemo scelus gerit in pectore, qui non idem habet Nemesin in tergo. The fall of Blackfriars slew nearly a hundred, whereof two were priests; a third having taken water, together with many others that had escaped, purposing to go into Flanders, were drowned at London bridge shortly after, the boat being overturned.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
4. ] The natives, who were sure to know, here positively declared it to have been a venomous serpent. I make these remarks to guard against the disingenuous shifts of rationalists and semi-rationalists, who will have us believe either that the viper did not bite , or that if it did, it was not venomous .
. . ] ‘vincula videbant,’ Beng.
The idea of his being a murderer is not to be accounted for (as Elsner, Wolf, Kuin.) by the member which was bitten (for this would fit any crime which the hand could commit), nor by supposing (Heinsius) the bite of a serpent to have been the Maltese punishment for murder; it is accounted for by the obviousness of the crime as belonging to the most notorious delinquents, and the aptness of the assumed punishment, death for death.
] Justice , or Nemesis . What the Phnician islanders called her, does not appear; but the idea is common to all religions.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 28:4 . : “the beast,” R.V. Although this is the meaning of the Greek word, it is to be noted that St. Luke uses it here exactly as the medical writers, who applied it to venomous serpents in particular, to the viper, (so Aristotle), and an antidote made chiefly from the flesh of vipers went by the name (Hobart, Zahn, Knabenbauer), and those bitten by a viper were called . . : “hanging from,” R.V., it clung by its mouth to the hand of Paul, construction as in classical Greek, cf. 2Ma 6:10 . : only in Luke and Paul, expressing strong affirmation, cf. Act 21:22 , and Luk 4:23 ; cf. Tob 14:8 , Mal 3:13Mal 3:13 . , a murderer, and therefore justice demands his life, death for death; they saw that he was a prisoner perhaps from his chains (Bengel); at all events the solders would have guarded him, as we may infer from Act 27:42 . : “justice,” R.V., cf. Hesiod, Theog. , 902; so in Soph., Ant. , 544; d. Col. , 1384; for the personification cf. Wis 1:8 ; Wis 11:20 , and several instances in 4 Macc., see Grimm-Thayer, sub v. The Maltese may have heard the name from the Greeks or Romans, or they may have honoured a goddess of their own, whose name Luke here represents by ., “debile lumen natur nec quis sit Justus Ultor norunt”, Bengel. , see on Act 27:43 . : “hath not suffered,” they thought of him as already dead, as if the deadly bite had already done its work; not sinit , as Vulgate, but sivit .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
saw. Greek. eidon. App-133.
beast. Greek. therion. See Act 11:6.
hang = hanging.
on = from. Greek. ek. App-104.
among themselves = to (Greek. pros. App-104.) one another.
man. Greek. anthropos. App-123.
though he hath. Literally having.
the sea = out of (Greek. ek) the sea.
yet. Omit.
vengeance. Greek. he dike. App-177. The Greeks personified Justice, vengeance, and other ideas; as we do when we speak of Nemesis.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
4.] The natives, who were sure to know, here positively declared it to have been a venomous serpent. I make these remarks to guard against the disingenuous shifts of rationalists and semi-rationalists, who will have us believe either that the viper did not bite, or that if it did, it was not venomous.
. .] vincula videbant, Beng.
The idea of his being a murderer is not to be accounted for (as Elsner, Wolf, Kuin.) by the member which was bitten (for this would fit any crime which the hand could commit),-nor by supposing (Heinsius) the bite of a serpent to have been the Maltese punishment for murder; it is accounted for by the obviousness of the crime as belonging to the most notorious delinquents, and the aptness of the assumed punishment,-death for death.
] Justice, or Nemesis. What the Phnician islanders called her, does not appear; but the idea is common to all religions.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 28:4. , they said) forming a hasty judgment. They saw his chains.-, a murderer) A most inhuman crime, murder, which of all crimes is most openly punished in this life.- , Vengeance) They recognise the fact, that there is some vengeance; but they account her as a goddess, and do not know who is , the Just avenger. How feeble is the light of nature!-, to live) They recognise the law of retribution in kind.- , hath not suffered) They suppose Paul to be already dead.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
barbarians: Act 28:2
beast: Act 28:5, Gen 3:1, Isa 13:21, Isa 13:22, Isa 43:20, Zep 2:15
No doubt: Luk 13:2, Luk 13:4, Joh 7:24, Joh 9:1, Joh 9:2
a murderer: Gen 4:8-11, Gen 9:5, Gen 9:6, Gen 42:21, Gen 42:22, Num 35:31-34, Pro 28:17, Isa 26:21, Mat 23:35, Mat 27:25, Rev 21:8
Reciprocal: Gen 27:45 – why Gen 31:55 – returned Exo 20:13 – General Deu 21:1 – General Jdg 9:56 – God rendered 1Sa 17:35 – smote him 2Sa 3:29 – rest 2Sa 3:30 – slew Abner 2Sa 16:8 – returned 1Ki 2:31 – that thou Job 1:19 – it fell Job 4:7 – who ever Pro 13:21 – pursueth Jer 41:15 – escaped Amo 5:19 – As if Jon 1:14 – let Joh 9:3 – Neither Act 28:3 – fastened Rom 1:14 – Greeks 1Co 14:11 – I shall 2Co 6:8 – honour Col 3:11 – Barbarian
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4
Act 28:4. The islanders were rather superstitious and thought this incident was the work of some supreme being. They thought Paul was trying to escape just punishment.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 28:4. When the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand. Our translators have added the adjective venomous. The word is exactly that which would be naturally used for a snake. There is a curious illustration of this in the word treacle, which is derived from ( [or ]), a black medicine or antidote made of snakes. For the meaning of the word barbarian, see note above.
They said among themselves. This suspicions conversation among themselves is an animated element in the description. We can well imagine the scene.
This man is a murderer. They would readily perceive that St. Paul was one of the prisoners under the charge of the military officer, and it was natural to suspect that his crime had been no light one. It is not likely that he had been chained to a soldier, when the people from the ship were struggling through the waves; but the manacle might be on his wrist, and he might be chained again to a soldier on gaining the land.
Yet vengeance suffereth not to live. The ancients personified retributive justice under the name of Nemesis. We need not imagine an absolute personification in this case. The instinctive moral sense of these untutored people would naturally lead them to this conclusion. Mr. Humphrey adduces here an interesting Greek epigram, the substance of which is this, that a man shipwrecked on the coast of Libya, and killed while asleep by a serpent, had struggled in vain against the waves, finding here on land the fate that was his due.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 3
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 4
A murderer. They of course considered all the prisoners as convicts; and this occurrence led them to suppose that Paul had been guilty of some peculiarly atrocious crime.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
28:4 {2} And when the barbarians saw the [venomous] beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet {b} vengeance suffereth not to live.
(2) Although adversity is the punishment of sin, yet seeing that God in punishing men does not always punish because of sin, they judge rashly who either do not wait for the end, or who judge and esteem of men according to prosperity or adversity.
(b) Right and proper.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
"These people thought that calamity was proof of guilt, poor philosophy and worse theology." [Note: Robertson, 3:479.]
People had mistaken Paul for a god previously (Act 14:8-18). Perhaps his reaction here was the same as it had been at Lystra. Probably he used the opportunity to preach the gospel. Luke’s purpose in recording this incident was probably not to supply a background for what Paul said. It was to show that God would even miraculously heal His servant to enable him to fulfill God’s purpose that he bear witness in Rome (cf Act 23:11; Act 27:24).
"Paul did not deliberately pick up this viper. Paul was not tempting God. . . .
"The promise of God in Mar 16:18 [and Luk 10:19] was fulfilled in Paul’s experience. He suffered no ill effects from the venom. When folk today deliberately pick up snakes and claim that promise as their protection, they are far afield from what God had in mind." [Note: McGee, 4:635, 636.]