· Translation: KJV

Acts 23:13There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~58 AD. Luke's investigation reveals the shocking scope - over forty men united in murderous intent. This wasn't a few hotheads but an organized militia. Modern Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: emphasizing the overwhelming odds to highlight God's coming intervention

The original word

tessarakonta (τεσσαράκοντα) — forty, the biblical number of testing and trial

Why it matters

Forty men could have easily overpowered the Roman guards - this was essentially a planned military assault

Read with care

What most readers miss in Acts 23:13

Luke emphasizes the NUMBER to show how hopeless Paul's situation appeared humanly speaking

Common misconceptionPeople focus on the number forty as mystical, but Luke is being a journalist - he investigated and got the actual count to show how serious this was.

Bible Genome reading

Acts 23:13 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerLuke
Eraearly_church
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typeteaching

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability30%
Memorability50%
Crisis relevance60%
Standalone40%
Themes:conspiracynumbers

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Acts 23

Acts 23:13 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 anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include conspiracy, numbers. Notable phrases: more than forty people.

Your reflection

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