What does Acts 9:29 mean?
ESV: And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him.
NIV: He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.
NASB: And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.
CSB: He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.
NLT: He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him.
KJV: And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.
NKJV: And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.
Verse Commentary:
"Hellenist" is from a term referring to an ancient Greek. "Hellenist" is used as a generic adjective to describe someone or something culturally Greek. So, a "Hellenist Jew" is a Jewish person who was born in an area highly influenced by Greco-Roman culture. This would contrast with Jews born and raised in Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Perea, or other areas near Jerusalem. Hellenist Jews typically spoke Greek as their first language and generally didn't have a problem with the Roman Empire. Theologically, many adopted the Greek rejection of a resurrection. They had their own synagogues in Jerusalem and those who didn't live near Jerusalem did not attend all the required feasts, although they still venerated Jerusalem and the temple.
Hellenist Jews often moved to Jerusalem when they grew older, as they wished to die and be buried near the City of David. It was these widows who received insufficient support from the mostly-Hebrew-cultured Jewish Jesus-followers. The apostles' solution was to appoint deacons to distribute the food; considering their names, it's thought all the deacons were Hellenists (Acts 6:1–6).
Stephen was one of those deacons, but he was also a powerful apologist who preached that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah to the Hellenist synagogues in Jerusalem (Acts 6:8–15). The Jews strongly opposed Stephen, in part because he preached the resurrection of the dead and probably in part because he seemed to disrespect the religion these men followed even in the hostile, pagan cities in which they lived. When they couldn't refute Stephen's arguments, they accused Stephen of blasphemy and then murdered him while a young man named Saul looked on (Acts 7).
Saul is also a Hellenist; he is from the city of Tarsus on the coast of modern-day Asia Minor, although he went to school in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3). All the apostles are Jewish, from Galilee, so it's natural that Saul concentrated on the Hellenist Jews. Unfortunately, he received the same reception as Stephen. Jesus has already told him he will be the missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 26:16–18); now, while praying at the temple, Jesus tells him to leave Jerusalem because he won't be accepted (Acts 22:17–18).
All is not in vain, however. There were some Hellenist Jews listening to Peter and the other apostles before Saul's conversion. When Saul started persecuting the church, they fled north to Syrian Antioch where they not only spread the message to other Jews, they told Gentiles. Soon, Barnabas will travel to Antioch to validate the Gentiles' conversion. He will find such a need of teachers he will send for Saul, who has returned to Tarsus (Acts 11:19–26).
Verse Context:
Acts 9:26–31 draws a curtain on the persecution of the church at the hands of the Pharisee-trained Saul. The young man who ''[breathed] threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord'' (Acts 9:1) has chosen to follow Jesus instead. He has spent several years learning more about how Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and sharing his new-found understanding at synagogues in Damascus. Now, he returns to Jerusalem—not to the Sanhedrin who gave him his orders, but to the leaders of the church he once tried to destroy.
Chapter Summary:
Acts 9 sets the stage for the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul continues the persecution of the church by traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers. Before he reaches the city, Jesus confronts him. Saul realizes Jesus is the Messiah and immediately starts spreading the news, first in Damascus and later in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Peter travels to modern-day Tel Aviv to heal a paralyzed man and bring a dead woman back to life. The miracles aren't unusual, but the story leaves him in Joppa, poised to take the next step in Jesus' mandate to be His witness (Acts 1:8).
Chapter Context:
The murder of the Jesus-follower Stephen has ignited a fierce persecution against the church, led by a young Pharisee-trained man named Saul (Acts 7:54—8:3; 9:1–2). When he realizes Jesus truly is the Messiah, that fervor fuels his own evangelism (Acts 9:3–30). Meanwhile, Peter travels to the coast of Judea. Soon, he will teach a prominent Gentile household about Jesus and discover that Gentiles can be saved (Acts 10). The stage will be set for Saul to spread the saving news of Jesus to ''the end of the earth'' (Acts 1:8) under the Greek version of his name: Paul.
Book Summary:
The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.
Accessed 5/3/2024 5:34:44 AM
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