The Meaning of Acts 15:12 Explained

Acts 15:12

KJV: Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

YLT: And all the multitude did keep silence, and were hearkening to Barnabas and Paul, declaring as many signs and wonders as God did among the nations through them;

Darby: And all the multitude kept silence and listened to Barnabas and Paul relating all the signs and wonders which God had wrought among the nations by them.

ASV: And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  all  the multitude  kept silence,  and  gave audience  to Barnabas  and  Paul,  declaring  what  miracles  and  wonders  God  had wrought  among  the Gentiles  by  them. 

What does Acts 15:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The old order of these two names recurs here. Barnabas, as a respected member of this church ( Acts 4:36-37; Acts 11:22), took the lead in relating the experiences he and Paul had undergone in ministering to Gentiles. Barnabas emphasized the signs and wonders God had performed because these would have persuaded the Jews that God had been at work in their ministry (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:22).
"It was a report not of their successes but of how God had acted, and its implication was that by his acts God had revealed his will." [1]

Context Summary

Acts 15:12-21 - A Generous Conclusion
When their turn came to speak, Paul and Barnabas contented themselves with emphasizing the signs and wonders by which God had set His seal on their words and methods. Would He have done so if they had followed a wrong course? Notice the two prepositions that they used in describing their work. They first told of what God had done in co-operation with them and then of what He had done through or by them, Acts 14:27; Acts 15:4; Acts 15:12. Consider also that remarkable phrase about God bearing witness, Acts 15:8. See also Acts 14:3 and Hebrews 2:1-4.
James had a prominent position in the Jerusalem church, because he was the Lord's brother and a man of remarkable holiness and prayerfulness. He laid emphasis on the divine program, which moved forward from Jew to Gentile, from the rebuilding of the ruined Tabernacle of David to the seeking of the Lord by the residue of men. The implication was that though Jehovah dwelt in a special manner with His Chosen People, yet the Gentiles would come seeking Him directly and without becoming incorporated with the Jews. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 15

1  Great dissensions arise regarding circumcision
5  The apostles consult about it,
22  and send their determination by letters to the churches
36  Paul and Barnabas, thinking to visit the brothers together,
39  disagree, and travel different ways

Greek Commentary for Acts 15:12

Kept silence [εσιγησεν]
Ingressive first aorist active of σιγαω — sigaō old verb, to hold one‘s peace. All the multitude became silent after Peter‘s speech and because of it. [source]
Hearkened [ηκουον]
Imperfect active of ακουω — akouō descriptive of the rapt attention, were listening. Unto Barnabas and Paul (αρναβα και Παυλου — Barnaba kai Paulou). Note placing Barnabas before Paul as in Acts 15:25, possibly because in Jerusalem Barnabas was still better known than Paul. Rehearsing Present middle participle of εχηγεομαι — exēgeomai old verb, to go through or lead out a narrative of events as in Luke 24:35; Acts 10:8 which see. Three times (Acts 14:27; Acts 15:4, Acts 15:12) Paul is described as telling the facts about their mission work, facts more eloquent than argument (Page). One of the crying needs in the churches is fuller knowledge of the facts of mission work and progress with enough detail to give life and interest. The signs and wonders which God had wrought among the Gentiles set the seal of approval on the work done through This same verb (εχηγησατο — exēgēsato) is used by James in Acts 15:14 referring to Peter‘s speech. [source]
Unto Barnabas and Paul [αρναβα και Παυλου]
Note placing Barnabas before Paul as in Acts 15:25, possibly because in Jerusalem Barnabas was still better known than Paul. [source]
Rehearsing [εχηγουμενων]
Present middle participle of εχηγεομαι — exēgeomai old verb, to go through or lead out a narrative of events as in Luke 24:35; Acts 10:8 which see. Three times (Acts 14:27; Acts 15:4, Acts 15:12) Paul is described as telling the facts about their mission work, facts more eloquent than argument (Page). One of the crying needs in the churches is fuller knowledge of the facts of mission work and progress with enough detail to give life and interest. The signs and wonders which God had wrought among the Gentiles set the seal of approval on the work done through This same verb (εχηγησατο — exēgēsato) is used by James in Acts 15:14 referring to Peter‘s speech. [source]
Hearkened []
The imperfect ( ἤκουον ) denotes attention to a continued narrative. [source]
What miracles, etc []
Lit., how many ( ὅσα )i1. [source]
Declaring [ἐξηγουμένων]
Better, as Rev., rehearsing. See on Luke 24:35. What miracles, etcLit., how many ( ὅσα )i1. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 15:12

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time [τεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε]
“God no one has ever seen.” Perfect active indicative of οραω — horaō Seen with the human physical eye, John means. God is invisible (Exodus 33:20; Deuteronomy 4:12). Paul calls God αορατος — aoratos (Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17). John repeats the idea in John 5:37; John 6:46. And yet in John 14:7 Jesus claims that the one who sees him has seen the Father as here. The only begotten Son This is the reading of the Textus Receptus and is intelligible after ως μονογενους παρα πατρος — hōs monogenous para patros in John 1:14. But the best old Greek manuscripts (Aleph B C L) read μονογενης τεος — monogenēs theos (God only begotten) which is undoubtedly the true text. Probably some scribe changed it to ο μονογενης υιος — ho monogenēs huios to obviate the blunt statement of the deity of Christ and to make it like John 3:16. But there is an inner harmony in the reading of the old uncials. The Logos is plainly called τεος — theos in John 1:1. The Incarnation is stated in John 1:14, where he is also termed μονογενης — monogenēs He was that before the Incarnation. So he is “God only begotten,” “the Eternal Generation of the Son” of Origen‘s phrase. Which is in the bosom of the Father The eternal relation of the Son with the Father like προς τον τεον — pros ton theon in John 1:1. In John 3:13 there is some evidence for ο ων εν τωι ουρανωι — ho ōn en tōi ouranōi used by Christ of himself while still on earth. The mystic sense here is that the Son is qualified to reveal the Father as Logos (both the Father in Idea and Expression) by reason of the continual fellowship with the Father. He Emphatic pronoun referring to the Son. Hath declared him First aorist (effective) middle indicative of εχηγεομαι — exēgeomai old verb to lead out, to draw out in narrative, to recount. Here only in John, though once in Luke‘s Gospel (Luke 24:35) and four times in Acts (Acts 10:8; Acts 15:12, Acts 15:14; Acts 21:19). This word fitly closes the Prologue in which the Logos is pictured in marvellous fashion as the Word of God in human flesh, the Son of God with the Glory of God in him, showing men who God is and what he is. [source]
Acts 15:25 Barnabas and Paul []
Here, as in Acts 15:12, Barnabas is named first, contrary to the practice of Luke since Acts 13:9. Barnabas was the elder and better known, and in the church at Jerusalem his name would naturally precede Paul's. The use of the Greek salutation, and this order of the names, are two undesigned coincidences going to attest the genuineness of this first document preserved to us from the Acts of the primitive church. [source]
Acts 13:13 Paul and his company [οι περι Παυλον]
Neat Greek idiom as in Plato, Cratylus 440 C οι περι ερακλειτον — hoi peri Herakleiton On this idiom see Gildersleeve, Syntax, p. 264. It means a man and his followers, “those around Paul.” Now Paul ranks first always in Acts save in Acts 14:2; Acts 15:12, Acts 15:25 for special reasons. Heretofore Saul (Paul) held a secondary position (Acts 9:27; Acts 11:30; Acts 13:1.). “In nothing is the greatness of Barnabas more manifest than in his recognition of the superiority of Paul and acceptance of a secondary position for himself” (Furneaux). [source]
Acts 15:6 Were gathered together [συνηχτησαν]
First aorist (effective) passive indicative. The church is not named here as in Acts 15:4, but we know from Acts 15:12-22 that the whole church came together this time also along with the apostles and elders. [source]
Acts 15:12 Hearkened [ηκουον]
Imperfect active of ακουω — akouō descriptive of the rapt attention, were listening. Unto Barnabas and Paul (αρναβα και Παυλου — Barnaba kai Paulou). Note placing Barnabas before Paul as in Acts 15:25, possibly because in Jerusalem Barnabas was still better known than Paul. Rehearsing Present middle participle of εχηγεομαι — exēgeomai old verb, to go through or lead out a narrative of events as in Luke 24:35; Acts 10:8 which see. Three times (Acts 14:27; Acts 15:4, Acts 15:12) Paul is described as telling the facts about their mission work, facts more eloquent than argument (Page). One of the crying needs in the churches is fuller knowledge of the facts of mission work and progress with enough detail to give life and interest. The signs and wonders which God had wrought among the Gentiles set the seal of approval on the work done through This same verb (εχηγησατο — exēgēsato) is used by James in Acts 15:14 referring to Peter‘s speech. [source]
Acts 15:12 Rehearsing [εχηγουμενων]
Present middle participle of εχηγεομαι — exēgeomai old verb, to go through or lead out a narrative of events as in Luke 24:35; Acts 10:8 which see. Three times (Acts 14:27; Acts 15:4, Acts 15:12) Paul is described as telling the facts about their mission work, facts more eloquent than argument (Page). One of the crying needs in the churches is fuller knowledge of the facts of mission work and progress with enough detail to give life and interest. The signs and wonders which God had wrought among the Gentiles set the seal of approval on the work done through This same verb (εχηγησατο — exēgēsato) is used by James in Acts 15:14 referring to Peter‘s speech. [source]
Acts 22:2 They were the more quiet [μαλλον παρεσχον ησυχιαν]
Literally, The more Precisely this idiom occurs in Plutarch and the lxx (Job 34:29). Knowling notes the fondness of Luke for words of silence (σιγη σιγαω ησυχαζω — sigēsigaōhēsuchazō) as in Luke 14:4; Luke 15:26; Acts 11:18; Acts 12:17; Acts 15:12; Acts 21:14, Acts 21:40. It is a vivid picture of the sudden hush that swept over the vast mob under the spell of the Aramaic. They would have understood Paul‘s Koiné{[28928]}š Greek, but they much preferred the Aramaic. It was a masterstroke. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 15:12 mean?

Kept silent now all the multitude and were listening to Barnabas Paul relating what had done - God signs wonders among the Gentiles by them
Ἐσίγησεν δὲ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ ἤκουον Βαρνάβα Παύλου ἐξηγουμένων ὅσα ἐποίησεν Θεὸς σημεῖα τέρατα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν δι’ αὐτῶν

Ἐσίγησεν  Kept  silent 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: σιγάω  
Sense: to keep silence, hold one’s peace.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
πλῆθος  multitude 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: πλῆθος  
Sense: a multitude.
ἤκουον  were  listening  to 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
Βαρνάβα  Barnabas 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Βαρναβᾶς  
Sense: the surname of Joses or Joseph, a Levite, a native of Cyprus He was a distinguished Christian teacher and companion and colleague of Paul.
Παύλου  Paul 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Παῦλος  
Sense: Paul was the most famous of the apostles and wrote a good part of the NT, the 4 Pauline epistles.
ἐξηγουμένων  relating 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἐξηγέομαι  
Sense: to lead out, be leader, go before.
ἐποίησεν  had  done 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεὸς  God 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
σημεῖα  signs 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: σημεῖον  
Sense: a sign, mark, token.
τέρατα  wonders 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: τέρας  
Sense: a prodigy, portent.
ἔθνεσιν  Gentiles 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: ἔθνος  
Sense: a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together.

What are the major concepts related to Acts 15:12?

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