Acts 23:21Therefore don't yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you."
The setting
Jerusalem, ~57 AD. Roman fortress Antonia. Paul's nephew, a young man, has just overheard a deadly conspiracy and is desperately trying to save his uncle's life...
The emotion here: desperate urgency, fearing for his uncle's life
The original word
anathema (ἀνάθεμα) — a curse invoking divine destruction if broken
Why it matters
Roman law protected informants who revealed plots against citizens
Read with care
What most readers miss in Acts 23:21
Paul's nephew was likely a teenager who risked his own life to save Paul
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just historical narrative, but it shows God uses family members to protect His servants. Paul's salvation came through his nephew's courage.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Acts 23:21
Bible Genome reading
Acts 23:21 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Acts 23:21 comes from the book of Acts, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to young_man. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include warning, danger. Notable phrases: don't yield to them; forty men lie in wait; bound themselves under a curse. This verse contains a command.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Acts 23:21 mean to you, today?
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