Acts 14:14-18 · Bible study

Acts 14:14-18 Commentary: Why Paul and Barnabas Tore Their Clothes

Greek · 11 what the commentators say

Meaning in one sentence

Explore the meaning of tearing clothes, the apostles' refusal of worship, and God's witness through creation in Acts 14:14-18.

Research Summary

Meaning: The apostles reject worship and redirect attention to the living God, who reveals Himself through creation and providence.
Key words: Homoiopatheis (of like nature), mataiōn (vanities/idols), amarturon (without witness), exepēdēsan (sprang forth).
Main debate: What does “like passions” (homoiopatheis) mean, shared human nature or acknowledgment of sinful weaknesses? Most commentators see it as the former.
Theological theme: Exclusive worship of God and the universality of divine revelation in creation.
Best use: A model for Christian humility when honored, and a call to worship the Creator alone.

Translation Comparison

BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020

¹⁴But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting,

¹⁵“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.

¹⁶In past generations, He let all nations go their own way.

¹⁷Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”

¹⁸Even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could hardly stop the crowds from sacrificing to them.

WEB World English Bible 2000

¹⁴But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes and sprang into the multitude, crying out,

¹⁵“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of the same nature as you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

¹⁶who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

¹⁷Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

¹⁸Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.

KJV King James Version 1769

¹⁴Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

¹⁵And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

¹⁶Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

¹⁷Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

¹⁸And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

ASV American Standard Version 1901

¹⁴But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they rent their garments, and sprang forth among the multitude, crying out

¹⁵and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good tidings, that ye should turn from these vain things unto a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is:

¹⁶who in the generations gone by suffered all the nations to walk in their own ways.

¹⁷And yet he left not himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.

¹⁸And with these sayings scarce restrained they the multitudes from doing sacrifice unto them.

YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898

¹⁴and having heard, the apostles Barnabas and Paul, having rent their garments, did spring into the multitude, crying

¹⁵and saying, `Men, why these things do ye? and we are men like-affected with you, proclaiming good news to you, from these vanities to turn unto the living God, who made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all the things in them;

¹⁶who in the past generations did suffer all the nations to go on in their ways,

¹⁷though, indeed, without witness He did not leave himself, doing good--from heaven giving rains to us, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness;'

¹⁸and these things saying, scarcely did they restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

Darby Darby Bible 1890

¹⁴But the apostles Barnabas and Paul, having heard [it], rent their garments, and rushed out to the crowd, crying

¹⁵and saying, Men, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, preaching to you to turn from these vanities to the living God, who made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all things in them;

¹⁶who in the past generations suffered all the nations to go in their own ways,

¹⁷though indeed he did not leave himself without witness, doing good, and giving to you from heaven rain and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.

¹⁸And saying these things, they with difficulty kept the crowds from sacrificing to them.

Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899

¹⁴And saying: Ye men, why do ye these things? We also are mortals, men like unto you, preaching to you to be converted from these vain things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all things that are in them:

¹⁵Who in times past, suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

¹⁶Nevertheless he left not himself without testimony, doing good from heaven, giving rains and fruitful Seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

¹⁷And speaking these things, they scarce restrained the people from sacrificing to them.

¹⁸Now there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium: and, persuading the multitude and stoning Paul, drew him out of the city, thinking him to be dead.

Verse in Context

12 They called Barnabas “Jupiter”, and Paul “Mercury”, because he was the chief speaker.

13 The priest of Jupiter, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have made a sacrifice along with the multitudes.

14 But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes and sprang into the multitude, crying out,

15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of the same nature as you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

16 who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

17 Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

18 Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.

19 But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

20 But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.

Original Language (Koine Greek)

New Testament · Koine Greek · Acts 14:14

Ἀκούσαντες Akousantes G0191 Having heard

δὲ de G1161 however

οἱ hoi G3588 the

ἀπόστολοι apostoloi G0652 apostles

Βαρναβᾶς Barnabas G0921 Barnabas

καὶ kai G2532 and

Παῦλος Paulos G3972 Paul

διαρρήξαντες diarrēxantes G1284 having torn

τὰ ta G3588 the

ἱμάτια himatia G2440 garments

αὐτῶν autōn G0846 of them

ἐξεπήδησαν exepēdēsan G6030 rushed out

εἰς eis G1519 into

τὸν ton G3588 the

ὄχλον ochlon G3793 crowd

κράζοντες krazontes G2896 crying out

Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.

Scholars' Consensus

Commentators agree that this passage captures the apostles' instinctive horror at being offered worship. The tearing of clothes was a traditional Jewish expression of abhorrence at blasphemy (Barnes, comparing Matthew 26:65). Vincent notes the verb exepēdēsan, “sprang forth”, stressing urgency. On homoiopatheis (v.15), Clarke argues it means “of the same nature,” not sinful passions; the apostles emphasize their shared humanity, not moral failure. The call to turn from “these vain things” (idols) to “the living God” echoes Old Testament language (Cambridge, citing 1 Samuel 12:21). Paul and Barnabas then acknowledge that God allowed the nations to walk their own ways in the past (v.16) yet never left Himself without testimony: rain, fruitful seasons, food and gladness (v.17). These natural gifts were God's witness, a line of reasoning Paul also uses in Acts 17:27 and Romans 1:19-20 (Cambridge). Even with this speech, the crowd was barely restrained from sacrificing (v.18), showing the pull of idolatry.

How settled is the interpretation?

Interpretive difficulty: Low

What is clear: Paul and Barnabas categorically refused worship, insisted on their own humanity, and called people to turn from idols to the living God, who reveals Himself through creation and providence.

What Scholars Agree and Debate

Topic	Agreed	Debated
Tearing clothes	All traditions agree this action expressed horror and rejection of idolatry.	No significant debate; most see it as a standard Jewish gesture against blasphemy (cf. Matthew 26:65).
Homoiopatheis (like passions)	Commentators agree the word indicates the apostles are fully human.	Clarke argues forcefully that it refers to 'like nature,' not sinful passions; some older interpreters read it as a confession of human weakness, but the mainstream follows Clarke.
God's permission of the nations	All agree God allowed the Gentiles to follow their own ways without special revelation for a time.	Calvin emphasizes the blindness of the world as judgment; Wesley calls it an 'awful judgment'; but both see it as permission, not approval.
Witness in creation	All affirm that natural blessings (rain, harvests, food, joy) witness to God's existence and goodness.	Some traditions (Reformed, Catholic) see this as sufficient to leave people without excuse (Romans 1); others stress that it is not enough for saving knowledge of God without the gospel.

Historical & Cultural Context

Lystra in Lycaonia had a well-known local myth that Zeus and Hermes once visited the region in human disguise and were welcomed by an elderly couple, Philemon and Baucis (Ovid, Metamorphoses 8). This background explains why the crowd, after the healing of the lame man, called Barnabas “Jupiter” and Paul “Mercury” (Acts 14:12). The priest of Zeus, whose temple stood at the city's gate, brought oxen and garlands to offer sacrifice. Into this scene Paul and Barnabas rushed.

Tearing clothes was a recognized Jewish gesture of grief and indignation, especially at blasphemy (II Kings 5:7, Matthew 26:65). By doing so, the apostles signalled that the crowd's actions were an offense against God. Vincent observes that the best Greek reading is exepēdēsan, “sprang forth,” likely from the gate of the house where they were staying. The verb krazontes (crying out) suggests inarticulate shouts meant to break through the noise and excitement of the mob.

Paul's speech moves from a sharp rebuke (“Men, why are you doing these things?”) to a proclamation of the true God as Creator and Sustainer. The phrase “generations gone by” (v.16) refers to the long era when God gave no special revelation to the Gentiles, allowing them to follow their own devices. Yet this permission was not approval; as Wesley notes, it was an “awful judgment” that they walked in ignorance. God still left Himself “without witness” (amarturon) through constant acts of kindness: rain from heaven, fruitful seasons, food and gladness. This pattern of argument reappears in Paul's address at Athens (Acts 17) and in Romans 1. The mention of rain was especially pointed in Lycaonia, where water was scarce (Vincent, citing ancient writers). Even after this speech, the apostles “hardly stopped” the crowds, the word molis means “with difficulty” or “scarcely” (Thayer). Idolatry dies hard.

Textual Notes

The main textual variant involves the verb in v.14. The Textus Receptus reads eisepēdēsan (“ran in”), but the more reliable manuscripts (P74, א, A, B, C) read exepēdēsan (“sprang forth”). The UBS/NA text adopts exepēdēsan. The difference does not change the scene. In v.17, some manuscripts read “gave us rain” (ἡμῖν, including Paul and Barnabas) while others read “gave you rain” (ὑμῖν, referring to the Lystrans). The earliest mss (P74, א, B) support “you,” which fits the speech's address to the crowd. A few later manuscripts add a concluding comment after v.18 (“and they went each to his own home”, but this is not in the earliest witnesses). Consulted sources note no other significant variants.

Reception History

Early Christian writers used this passage to affirm that the apostles were not divine and that worship belongs to God alone. During the Reformation, Calvin and others applied the text to criticize the veneration of saints, relics, and images. They argued that the apostles' refusal of honor set a pattern that the church should follow. The passage also served as a key text for natural theology: God's witness in creation provided a basis for missionary preaching to pagans. Later commentators, including Matthew Henry and Adam Clarke, saw it as a model of pastoral humility and a warning against idolizing Christian leaders. In modern discussions, Acts 14:14-18 is often cited to distinguish appropriate honor from worship due to God alone, and to challenge any human claim to divine status in both Protestant and Catholic contexts.

Preaching This Verse

Three-point outline

The apostles refuse worship (v.14-15a). They tear their clothes and rush into the crowd. This action shows that worship belongs to God alone, not to any human.
The apostles redirect worship to the living God (v.15b-16). Paul calls the Lystrans to turn away from empty idols to the Creator, who made heaven, earth, and sea. This is the heart of the gospel: a decisive change of loyalty.
God's witness in creation demands a response (v.17-18). Rain, seasons, food, and gladness are constant signs of God's goodness. Yet even clear evidence does not automatically produce repentance.

Five-point outline

The urgency of the moment (v.14): they hear what is happening and act immediately.
The horror of misplaced worship (v.14-15a): tearing clothes as a sign of blasphemy.
The humility of the messengers (v.15a): “We also are men of like nature.”
The message of the gospel (v.15b-16): turn from vain things to the living God, Creator of all.
The witness of providence (v.17-18): God's goodness in creation testifies to Him and leaves even those without Scripture without excuse.

Illustration hooks

A sports star who deflects praise to the team and ultimately to God after a championship win.
A talented worship musician who is treated like a celebrity and must constantly redirect attention to the songs and to God.
A new Christian who realizes they have been giving credit to luck or to the universe, and begins to thank God instead.

Questions your congregation is asking

Why do we want to make heroes out of pastors, speakers, or authors?
Is gratitude for everyday blessings a form of worship, even when we do not use religious words?
How can I tell if I have started to treat a Christian leader as more than human?
Why does Paul include gladness as part of God's witness? What does joy have to do with knowing God?

Leading a Discussion

This passage invites us to examine how we assign honor and where we finally direct it. The Lystrans wanted to worship the messengers. Paul and Barnabas would have none of it. Their example challenges any tendency we have to elevate human leaders and reminds us that God has never left the world without evidence of His care.

Discussion questions

Why did the crowd want to worship Paul and Barnabas? What did the healing of the lame man mean to them?
What does tearing clothes communicate? Where else in Scripture do we see this gesture?
Paul and Barnabas call themselves “men of like nature” (homoiopatheis). How does that word shape the way they (and we) see ourselves before God?
Paul says God “allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.” What does that tell you about God's patience? About the seriousness of ignoring Him?
Why does Paul list rain, seasons, food, and gladness as “witness” to God? What do these gifts reveal about God's character?
In what areas of your life do you struggle to give glory to God rather than to the people He uses?
How can our daily thanks for food and weather become a way of turning from “vanities” to the living God?

What the Commentators Say

9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.

Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826

Clarke corrects a common misreading: when the apostles say they share "like passions," they mean ordinary human needs, not sinful tempers. For him, the key point is that God always gave the Gentiles enough evidence of His goodness through rain and harvests, leaving them without excuse for turning to idols.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832

Barnes draws a sharp contrast between how the apostles responded to worship and how Jesus did. When the crowd tried to worship Paul and Barnabas, they recoiled in horror and refused. Yet when Thomas called Jesus "my Lord and my God," Jesus did not rebuke him but approved. To Barnes, this difference proves Christ is divine.

Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564

Calvin stresses that Paul and Barnabas did not merely refuse the crowd's worship

Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599

The Geneva Notes stress that Paul and Barnabas tear their clothes in horror, refusing any worship by declaring themselves ordinary men with the same human weakness as their listeners. They then redirect the crowd to God’s own witness: daily rain, fruitful seasons, and the joy of food and gladness He gives to all people.

Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748

Gill highlights the apostles' dramatic indignation—they tear their clothes and rush in, not calmly reasoning but vehemently rejecting the worship offered them. He then emphasizes their argument from creation and providence: they are only men, not gods, and the living God alone gives rain, seasons, and abundance, proving He alone deserves worship.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871

JFB highlights the apostles' horrified reaction to being worshipped, reading it as a mark of true Christian character that instinctively defends God's honor. He stresses how their proclamation of "the living God" as Creator stood in absolute contrast to heathen thought, a distinction his Lycaonian audience would feel sharply in their drought-prone land.

Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710

Henry highlights the striking parallel between this miracle and Peter's healing of a lame man in Acts 3, showing God confirming both apostles with the same power. He notes Paul's ability to perceive the cripple's faith before commanding him to stand, emphasizing that faith preceded the healing.

Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887

Vincent stresses that the original Greek verb for "ran in" literally means to leap or spring, and the best manuscripts read "sprang forth," as if from a gate. He also notes that "of like passions" means "of like nature," not just emotions, and that Paul's mention of rain and food directly addressed the local scarcity and the Lycaonians' worship of Jupiter and Mercury.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754

Wesley highlights that Paul refuses even to dignify the pagan idols by calling them gods. The true God never left the nations without witness, testifying to Himself through continuous acts of goodness: sending rain, filling hearts with gladness. Multitudes in error never turn error into truth.

Word Study

The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.

ἀκούω akouō to hear G0191 · Greek → ἀπόστολος apostolos apostle G0652 · Greek → αὐτός autos it/s/he G0846 · Greek → Βαρνάβας Barnabas Barnabas G0921 · Greek → δέ de then G1161 · Greek → διαρρήγνυμι diarrēgnumi to tear G1284 · Greek → εἰς eis toward G1519 · Greek → ἱμάτιον himation clothing G2440 · Greek → καί kai and G2532 · Greek → κράζω krazō to cry G2896 · Greek → ὁ ho the/this/who G3588 · Greek → ὄχλος ochlos crowd G3793 · Greek → Παῦλος Paulos Paul G3972 · Greek → ἐκπηδάω ekpēdaō to rush out G6030 · Greek →

Cross-References

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)

II Kings 5:7	When the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? But please consider and see how he seeks a quarrel against me.”
II Kings 18:37	Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came with Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him Rabshakeh’s words.
II Kings 19:2	He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
Ezra 9:3	When I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled the hair out of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.
Ezra 9:5	At the evening offering I rose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn; and I fell on my knees, and spread out my hands to Yahweh my God;
Jeremiah 36:24	The king and his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, and didn’t tear their garments.
Matthew 26:65	Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy.
Mark 14:63	The high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need have we of witnesses?

Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.

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