What Does Acts 8:6 Mean in the King James?
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
“With one accord” carries the sense “with one passion”: shared attention gathers around what the people hear and see.
THE MEANING
Your attention gathers when what you hear meets what you see. Here, the people attend together to Philip’s words and the signs, receiving the message as something spoken and witnessed.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the idea that agreement is only a shared opinion: here, one passion takes shape as shared attention to spoken words and visible signs.
THE ROOT
ὁμοθυμαδόν
homothymadon
GROWS FROM
θυμ- (thym-), from θυμός (thymos)
Heat, ardor, passion; with ὁμο- (homo-, same), ὁμοθυμαδόν means with one passion, in one accord.
“One accord” carries shared ardor as well as agreement. The people’s common attention is animated: what they hear and see gathers them around one compelling witness.
ALSO GROWS
thymos: Heat, ardor, or passion; also anger.
θυμός
This is the passion at the heart of the compound: their attention is shared and energized.
homothymos: Sharing one passion; of one mind.
ὁμόθυμος
This related form joins shared passion with shared orientation, echoing the crowd’s united response.
προσέχω
prosechō
GROWS FROM
ἔχω
echō
To hold or have; προσ- (pros-, toward) gives προσέχω the sense of holding attention toward something, attending to it.
“gave heed” in this verse is prosechō. To give heed is pictured as holding toward what is spoken. The people are not merely exposed to a speech: their attention is directed to the words as the signs come into view.
ALSO GROWS
echō: Hold, have, or keep.
ἔχω
This base verb gives “gave heed” its sense of holding attention toward what is being said.
katechō: Hold fast or retain.
κατέχω
The shared root’s sense of holding clarifies how attention can stay fixed on what the people hear and see.
THE PATTERN
A message is received through joined witness: words are heard and signs are seen.
And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.THE THREAD
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,Acts 2:46 uses the same Greek word translated “with one accord.” Here that shared passion also takes shape in a common daily practice, extending the unity of attention into the way people share life.
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