Acts 23:2-4
Amplified Bible
2 [At this] the high priest [a]Ananias ordered those who stood beside him to strike Paul on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you [b]whitewashed wall! Do you actually sit to judge me according to the Law, and yet in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” 4 But those who stood near Paul said, “Are you insulting the high priest of God?”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 23:2 Ananias served as high priest from a.d. 47-59. He was a violent man who had close ties to Rome and was assassinated by his own people about a.d. 66.
- Acts 23:3 Paul probably is referring to the outside wall of a tomb, which was considered ritually unclean and polluted. Tombs were usually whitewashed on the outside so that passers-by could see them more clearly and avoid contact with them.
Acts 23:2-4
New International Version
2 At this the high priest Ananias(A) ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.(B) 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!(C) You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”(D)
4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”
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