What Does Acts 13:16 Mean?
Then Paul stood up and motioned with his hand, and said, Men of Israel, and you who stand in awe of God, give ear.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.THE KEY
The raised hand gathers two communities into one audience: lineage and awe both stand beneath the call to hear.
THE MEANING
The address makes room for two ways of standing here: within Israel, and among those who stand in awe of God. Both receive the same call to hear; attentive reception becomes the common ground where the message begins.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that the message is addressed only to people of Israel by lineage; those who fear God are addressed too.
THE ROOT
ἀκούσατε
akousate
GROWS FROM
ἀκου-
akou-
To hear or listen.
“give ear” in this verse is akousate. The Greek imperative addresses the whole gathered audience: hear. It makes listening the shared point of entry for both groups named in the address.
ALSO GROWS
akoē: hearing; report
ἀκοή
The word family can name both the act of hearing and what is heard, linking the audience’s attention to the message they receive.
hypakouō: listen; obey
ὑπακούω
This compound shows that the word family can carry listening into response, though here the command itself is to hear.
φοβουμένοι
phoboumenoi
GROWS FROM
φοβ-
phob-
Fear or apprehension; toward God, awe.
“fear” in this verse is phoboumenoi. The phrase identifies people by their relation to God: they stand in awe of God. Alongside the address to Israel, this names another way into the audience.
ALSO GROWS
phobos: fear; awe
φόβος
It shows the underlying word family can name the fear or reverence that marks these hearers.
phobeō: fear; regard with awe
φοβέω
The verb preserves the active posture behind the description: these are people who stand in awe of God.
THE PATTERN
The call to hear joins attentive reception with awe of God and gathers people beyond one lineage.
Hear and respond, O Israel. The LORD our God is one LORD.Come, children, and hear and respond to me. I train you in the awe of the LORD.But in every nation the one who lives in awe of him and works alignment is received by him.THE THREAD
Men and brothers, children of Abraham's kin, and whoever among you stands in awe of God, to you the word of this deliverance has been sent.The same two groups appear again, now named together as recipients of the word of deliverance. The call to hear opens a message sent to both.
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