Acts 23:14They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~58 AD. Temple courts. The conspirators approach the chief priests and Sanhedrin elders, expecting religious blessing for their murder plot. Modern Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: recording with disgust at religious leaders blessing violence
The original word
archiereus (ἀρχιερεῦς) — chief priests, the religious establishment that should have protected justice
Why it matters
The Sanhedrin had already lost the legal right to execute anyone - they needed Roman approval
Read with care
What most readers miss in Acts 23:14
The assassins went to religious leaders first, expecting them to bless their violence
Common misconceptionPeople think this shows how the Jewish religion was inherently violent, but every religion has extremists who corrupt leadership - the point is institutional corruption, not ethnic hatred.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Acts 23:14
Bible Genome reading
Acts 23:14 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Acts 23:14 comes from the book of Acts, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to conspirators. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include oath, determination. Notable phrases: bound ourselves under a great curse.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
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