Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Acts 23:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Identifies the planned murder before Paul reaches the hearing.
Read It With
- Acts 23:12–23:22
Read Acts 23:16 with 23:12–23:22. In isolation, this contribution—identifies the planned murder before Paul reaches the hearing—can be mistaken for the scene's whole claim, detached from its speaker or narrator, or separated from its outcome. The complete unit establishes: More than forty men bind themselves not to eat until killing Paul, enlist leaders in a deceptive request, but Paul's sister's son hears and reports the plot through Paul to the commander.
What Remains True
Acts 23:16's particular contribution—identifies the planned murder before Paul reaches the hearing—shows that faithful witness remains accountable to the verse's speaker, narrated setting, affected people, and the complete movement of Acts 23:12–23:22.
How It Can Shape Life
- Practice Acts 23:16's particular contribution—identifies the planned murder before Paul reaches the hearing—through this passage-controlled response: Take murder plots seriously, listen to younger and less powerful informants, and use secure reporting channels without glorifying secrecy.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Acts 23:12–23:22 — A murder oath is exposed through Paul's nephewSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.
Exact location: Acts 23:12–23:22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text, Acts 23:12-23:22
Open the Acts Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for words explicitly discussed in this unit.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data, TAGNT rows for Acts 23:12-23:22
Open source ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, geography, chronology, and historical notes actually printed for the unit.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Acts PDF, printed pp. 2104-2205, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 23:12–23:22
Open source ↗