Acts 28:21

They said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report or speak any evil of you.

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

They said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor did any of the brothers come here and report or speak any evil of you.

BSB

The leaders replied, “We have not received any letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the brothers from there reported or even mentioned anything bad about you.

KJV

And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.

ASV

And they said unto him, We neither received letters from Judæa concerning thee, nor did any of the brethren come hither and report or speak any harm of thee.

BBE

And they said to him, We have not had letters from Judaea about you, and no one of the brothers has come to us here to give an account or say any evil about you.

Original Greek

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οἱ hoi (the) G3588 δὲ de And G1161 πρὸς pros to G4314 αὐτὸν auton him G846 εἶπαν eipan they said G2036 ἡμεῖς hēmeis We ourselves G3165 οὔτε oute neither G3777 γράμματα grammata letters G1121 περὶ peri concerning G4012 σοῦ sou you G4771 ἐδεξάμεθα edexametha received G1209 ἀπὸ apo from G575 τῆς tēs (the) G3588 Ἰουδαίας Ioudaias Judea G2449 οὔτε oute nor G3777 παραγενόμενός paragenomenos having arrived G3854 τις tis any G5100 τῶν tōn of the G3588 ἀδελφῶν adelphōn brothers G80 ἀπήγγειλεν apēngeilen reported G518 ἢ ē or G2228 ἐλάλησέν elalēsen he said G2980 τι ti anything G5100 περὶ peri concerning G4012 σοῦ sou you G4771 πονηρόν ponēron evil G4190

The early church

Then they also were so subdued by his speech, that they too apologized for those of their own nation: "And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed or spake any harm of thee." Neither through letters, nor through men, have they made known any harm of thee.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts
Observe them also speaking more mildly to him. "We beg," say they: and wish to speak in exculpation of those at Jerusalem. Whereas they ought to accuse them, they plead for them: by the very fact of their exonerating them, they do in fact accuse them. For this very thing was a proof that they knew themselves exceedingly in the wrong. Had they been confident, they would at any rate have done this, so that he should not have it in his power to make out his story in his own way, and besides they shrank from coming.
John Chrysostom · d. 407Homilies on Acts

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 17–22

It was for the honour of Paul that those who examined his case, acquitted him. In his appeal he sought not to accuse his nation, but only to clear himself. True Christianity settles what is of common concern to all mankind, and is not built upon narrow opinions and private interests. It aims at no worldly benefit or advantage, but all its gains are spiritual and eternal. It is, and always has been, the lot of Christ's holy religion, to be every where spoken against. Look through every town and village where Christ is exalted as the only Saviour of mankind, and where the people are called to follow him in newness of life, and we see those who give themselves up to Christ, still called a sect, a party, and reproached. And this is the treatment they are sure to receive, so long as there shall continue an ungodly man upon earth.

Read Matthew Henry on Acts 28 →

Cross-references

5

People & places

Judea

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.