The Meaning of Acts 18:12 Explained

Acts 18:12

KJV: And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

YLT: And Gallio being proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a rush with one accord upon Paul, and brought him unto the tribunal,

Darby: But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one consent rose against Paul and led him to the judgment-seat,

ASV: But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment-seat,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when Gallio  was the deputy  of Achaia,  the Jews  made insurrection  with one accord against  Paul,  and  brought  him  to  the judgment seat, 

What does Acts 18:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

An inscription found at Delphi in Central Greece has enabled us to date the beginning of Gallio"s term as proconsul to July1 , 51. [1] Gallio was a remarkable Roman citizen from Spain. His brother, the Stoic philosopher Seneca, who was Nero"s tutor, referred to him as having an unusually pleasant disposition.
"No mortal is so pleasant to any person as Gallio is to everyone." [2]
"Even those who love my brother Gallio to the utmost of their power do not love him enough." [3]
Another Greek writer referred to his wit. [4] A proconsul was the governor of a Roman province, and his legal decisions set precedent for the other proconsuls throughout the empire. Consequently Gallio"s decision in Paul"s case affected the treatment that Christians would receive throughout the Roman world. This was the first time that Paul (or any other apostle, as far as we know) stood trial before a Roman provincial governor.
The "judgment-seat" (Gr. bema, Acts 18:12) was the place where Gallio made his official decisions.
It was "... a large, raised platform that stood in the agora (marketplace) in front of the residence of the proconsul and served as a forum where he tried cases." [4]
Paul used the same Greek word to describe the judgment seat of Christ when he wrote to the Corinthians later ( 2 Corinthians 5:10; cf. Matthew 27:19).

Context Summary

Acts 18:1-17 - A Great Ministry In A Great City
Paul tells us, in 1 Corinthians 2:1-4, that he entered Corinth with fear and trembling and made no effort to attract by human wisdom or eloquence. From the first he preached "Christ and Him crucified."
Similarity in trade discovered friends who were to be of the utmost assistance; nothing in our life may be attributed to chance. Sitting at their common toils, he won them for Christ.
Constrained in spirit, Acts 18:5, r.v. The heart of the Apostle yearned with irrepressible desire. He was weary of forbearing. God's word was as a fire in his bones. The guilty city appealed to him and tugged at his heartstrings. So Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Do we participate in this soul anguish? Are our hands free of the blood of men? Are we prepared to suffer if only we may save others?
Gallio was a typical man of the world, intent upon matters of law and order, philosophical and cultured. But when questions of religion were in debate, he was absolutely indifferent. How vast the contrast between him and Paul! [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 18

1  Paul labors with his hands, and preaches at Corinth to the Gentiles
9  The Lord encourages him in a vision
12  He is accused before Gallio the deputy, but is dismissed
18  Afterwards passing from city to city, he strengthens the disciples
24  Apollos, being instructed by Aquila and Priscilla, preaches Christ boldly

Greek Commentary for Acts 18:12

When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia [Γαλλιωνος δε αντυπατου οντος της Αχαιας]
Genitive absolute of present participle οντος — ontos Brother of Seneca the Stoic (Nero‘s tutor) and uncle of Lucan the author of the Παρσαλια — Pharsalia His original name was M. Annaeus Novatus till he was adopted by Gallio the rhetorician. The family was Spanish. Gallio was a man of culture and refinement and may have been chosen proconsul of Achaia for this reason. Statius calls him “dulcis Gallio.” Seneca says of him: Nemo enim mortalium uni tam dulcis quam hic omnibus (No one of mortals is so pleasant to one person as he is to all). Luke alone among writers says that he was proconsul, but Seneca speaks of his being in Achaia where he caught fever, a corroboration of Luke. But now a whitish grey limestone inscription from the Hagios Elias quarries near Delphi (a letter of Claudius to Delphi) has been found which definitely names Gallio as proconsul of Achaia The province of Achaia after various shifts (first senatorial, then imperial) back and forth with Macedonia, in a.d. 44 Claudius gave back to the Senate with proconsul as the title of the governor. It is amazing how Luke is confirmed whenever a new discovery is made. The discovery of this inscription has thrown light also on the date of Paul‘s work in Corinth as it says that Gallio came in the 26th acclamation of Claudius as Emperor in a.d. 51, that would definitely fix the time of Paul in Corinth as a.d. 50 and 51 (or 51 and 52). Deissmann has a full and able discussion of the whole matter in Appendix I to his St. Paul. [source]
Rose up [κατεπεστησαν]
Second aorist active of κατεπιστημι — kaṫepḣistēmi intransitive, to take a stand against, a double compound verb found nowhere else. They took a stand See Acts 12:21. The proconsul was sitting in the basilica in the forum or agora. The Jews had probably heard of his reputation for moderation and sought to make an impression as they had on the praetors of Philippi by their rush (συνεπεστη — sunepestē Acts 16:22). The new proconsul was a good chance also (Acts 25:2). So for the second time Paul faces a Roman proconsul (Sergius Paulus, Acts 13:7) though under very different circumstances. [source]
Before the judgment seat [επι το βημα]
See Acts 12:21. The proconsul was sitting in the basilica in the forum or agora. The Jews had probably heard of his reputation for moderation and sought to make an impression as they had on the praetors of Philippi by their rush The new proconsul was a good chance also (Acts 25:2). So for the second time Paul faces a Roman proconsul (Sergius Paulus, Acts 13:7) though under very different circumstances. [source]
Gallio []
Brother of the philosopher Seneca (Nero's tutor), and uncle of the poet Lucan, the author of the “Pharsalia.” Seneca speaks of him as amiable and greatly beloved. [source]
Deputy []
See on Acts 13:7. The verb, to be deputy, occurs only here. [source]
Judgment-seat []
See on Acts 7:5. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 18:12

Acts 16:22 Rose up together [συνεπεστη]
Second aorist (ingressive) active of the double compound συνεπιστημι — sunephistēmi intransitive, old verb, but only here in the N.T. (cf. κατεπεστησαν — katepestēsan in Acts 18:12). There was no actual attack of the mob as Paul and Silas were in the hands of the officers, but a sudden and violent uprising of the people, the appeal to race and national prejudice having raised a ferment. [source]
Acts 20:2 Into Greece [εις την ελλαδα]
That is, Achaia (Acts 18:12; Acts 19:21), and particularly Corinth, whither he had at last come again after repeated attempts, pauses, and delays (2 Corinthians 13:1). Now at last the coast was clear and Paul apparently had an open door in Corinth during these three months, so completely had Titus at last done away with the opposition of the Judaizers there. [source]
Acts 25:6 Sat on the judgment seat [κατισας επι του βηματος]
A legal formality to give weight to the decision. Ingressive aorist active participle. For this use of βημα — bēma for judgment seat, see Matthew 27:19, John 19:13, Acts 12:21, Acts 18:12, Acts 25:10. Same phrase repeated in Acts 25:17. To be brought (αχτηναι — achthēnai). First aorist passive infinitive of αγω — agō after εκελευσεν — ekeleusen (commanded). Same words repeated in Acts 25:17 by Festus. [source]
2 Corinthians 1:1 In all Achaia [εν οληι τηι Αχαιαι]
The Romans divided Greece into two provinces (Achaia and Macedonia). Macedonia included also Illyricum, Epirus, and Thessaly. Achaia was all of Greece south of this (both Attica and the Peloponnesus). The restored Corinth was made the capital of Achaia where the pro-consul resided (Acts 18:12). He does not mention other churches in Achaia outside of the one in Corinth, but only “saints” Athens was in Achaia, but it is not clear that there was as yet a church there, though some converts had been won (Acts 17:34), and there was a church in Cenchreae, the eastern port of Corinth (Romans 16:1). Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:2 speaks of Achaia and Macedonia together. His language here would seem to cover the whole (οληι — holēi all) of Achaia in his scope and not merely the environment around Corinth. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 18:12 mean?

Gallio however proconsul being of Achaia rose up against with one accord the Jews - Paul and led him to the judgment seat
Γαλλίωνος δὲ ἀνθυπάτου ὄντος τῆς Ἀχαΐας κατεπέστησαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τῷ Παύλῳ καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα

Γαλλίωνος  Gallio 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Γαλλίων  
Sense: Junius Annaeus Gallio, the Roman proconsul of Achaia when Paul was at Corinth, 53 A.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ἀνθυπάτου  proconsul 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἀνθύπατος  
Sense: a proconsul.
ὄντος  being 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
Ἀχαΐας  Achaia 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: Ἀχαί̈α  
Sense: in a restricted sense, the maritime region of northern Peloponnesus.
κατεπέστησαν  rose  up  against 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: κατεφίσταμαι  
Sense: to set up against.
ὁμοθυμαδὸν  with  one  accord 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὁμοθυμαδόν  
Sense: with one mind, with one accord, with one passion.
Ἰουδαῖοι  Jews 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: Ἰουδαῖος  
Sense: Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race.
τῷ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Παύλῳ  Paul 
Parse: Noun, Dative 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.
ἤγαγον  led 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἄγω  
Sense: to lead, take with one.
βῆμα  judgment  seat 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: βῆμα  
Sense: a step, pace, the space which a foot covers, a foot-breath.