KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what Acts 23:20 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Greek Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Greek | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Greek word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Greek word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “And” | δὲ | But, and, etc | And |
| “he said,” | εἶπεν | To speak or say (by word or writing) | said |
| “The” | Οἱ | The (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom) | The |
| “Jews” | Ἰουδαῖοι | Judaean, i.e., belonging to Jehudah | Jews |
| “have agreed” | συνέθεντο | To place jointly, i.e., (figuratively) to consent (bargain, stipulate), concur | agreed |
| “to desire” | ἐρωτῆσαί | To interrogate; by implication, to request | desire |
| “thee” | σε | Thee | thee |
| “that” | ὅπως | What(-ever) how, i.e., in the manner that (as adverb or conjunction of coincidence, intentional or actual) | that |
| “thou wouldest bring down” | καταγάγῃς | To lead down; specially, to moor a vessel | wouldest bring down |
| “Paul” | Παῦλον | (little; but remotely from a derivative of G3973, meaning the same); Paulus, the name of a Roman and of an apostle | Paul |
| “to morrow” | αὔριον | Properly, fresh, i.e., (adverb with ellipsis of G2250) to-morrow | morrow |
| “into” | εἰς | To or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases | into |
| “the” | τὸ | The (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom) | the |
| “council,” | συνέδριον | A joint session, i.e., (specially), the Jewish Sanhedrin; by analogy, a subordinate tribunal | council |
| “as though” | ὡς | Which how, i.e., in that manner (very variously used, as follows) | though |
| “they would more” | μέλλοντές | To intend, i.e., be about to be, do, or suffer something (of persons or things, especially events; in the sense of purpose, duty, necessity, probability, possibility, or hesitation) | would more |
| “inquire” | πυνθάνεσθαι | To question, i.e., ascertain by inquiry (as a matter of information merely; and thus differing from G2065, which properly means a request as a favor; and from G0154, which is strictly a demand for something due; as well as from G2212, which implies a search for something hidden; and from G1189, which involves the idea of urgent need); by implication, to learn (by casual intelligence) | inquire |
| “somewhat” | τι | Some or any person or object | somewhat |
| “of” | περὶ | Properly, through (all over), i.e., around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time (with the genitive case denoting the subject or occasion or superlative point; with the accusative case the locality, circuit, matter, circumstance or general period) | of |
| “him” | αὐτοῦ | The reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons | him |
| “perfectly.” | ἀκριβέστερον | Exactly | perfectly |
See Acts 23:20 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.
19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?
20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.