Acts 14:18Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.
The setting
Lystra, Turkey, ~49 AD. Despite Paul's passionate speech about the one true God, the crowd is still trying to sacrifice bulls and bring wreaths to worship Paul and Barnabas as Zeus and Hermes.
The emotion here: amazed at how hard it is to redirect religious zeal toward truth
The original word
katapauō (κατέπαυσαν) — to cause to cease, restrain with difficulty
Why it matters
Roman law required participation in imperial cult worship, so refusing divine honors could be seen as treason
Read with care
What most readers miss in Acts 14:18
The word 'hardly' shows how frantically the crowd was pressing forward with sacrificial animals and flowers
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about Paul being humble, but it's about the danger of misdirected worship — even sincere religious passion can be wrong.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Acts 14:18
Bible Genome reading
Acts 14:18 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Acts 14:18 comes from the book of Acts, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Luke. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include persistent misunderstanding, religious zeal. Notable phrases: saying these things; hardly stopped the multitudes; making a sacrifice.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Acts 14:18 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "deciding"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.