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Acts 13:45,50,51
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming…

Acts 17:13
But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.

persuaded.

Matthew 27:20-25
But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus…

Mark 15:11-14
But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them…

having.

Acts 7:58
And casthim out of the city, and stonedhim: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

Acts 9:16
For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

Acts 22:20
And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

drew.

Jeremiah 22:19
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

Hebrews 13:12,13
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate…

supposing.

1 Corinthians 15:31
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

2 Corinthians 4:10-12
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body…

2 Corinthians 11:23
Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) Iam more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

and won over the crowds.
The ability of these Jews to sway the crowds suggests the volatile nature of public opinion in the ancient world. It also underscores the influence of persuasive rhetoric and the deep-seated tensions between Jewish traditions and the emerging Christian faith. This mirrors the events inActs 17:5-8, where similar tactics were used to incite opposition against Paul and Silas.

They stoned Paul
Stoning was a traditional Jewish method of execution for blasphemy, as prescribed inLeviticus 24:16. This act indicates the severity of the accusations against Paul, who was seen as a threat to Jewish religious authority. The stoning of Paul echoes the martyrdom of Stephen inActs 7:58-60, highlighting the recurring theme of persecution faced by early Christians.

and dragged him outside the city,
Dragging Paul outside the city aligns with the Jewish custom of executing punishment outside the community, as seen in the stoning of Stephen. This act also reflects the cultural practice of removing perceived impurity from the city, as described inNumbers 15:35-36. It symbolizes the rejection of Paul's message by the local populace.

presuming he was dead.
The presumption of Paul's death signifies the severity of the attack and the miraculous nature of his survival, which is further elaborated in the following verses. This event foreshadows Paul's later writings in2 Corinthians 11:25, where he recounts his sufferings for the sake of the Gospel. It also serves as a type of Christ's own death and resurrection, illustrating the theme of suffering and deliverance that permeates the New Testament.

• Luke has already shown that jealous opposition rose first in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:45, 50) and again in Iconium (Acts 14:2, 5). Those same opponents now travel roughly one hundred miles to Lystra.

• Their persistence highlights how threatening the gospel is to entrenched religious systems (John 15:18–20).

• God had foretold that Paul would face such suffering (Acts 9:16), so this development is neither random nor outside His control.

• Just a few verses earlier the Lystrans tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods (Acts 14:11–13). The quick swing from adoration to violence mirrors Jerusalem’s shift from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him” (Matthew 21:9; 27:20).

• Crowds are easily swayed when truth is not rooted in Scripture (Ephesians 4:14).

• The incident reminds us that ministry fruitfulness does not immunize anyone from sudden opposition (2 Timothy 3:12).

• Stoning was the traditional Jewish method for punishing perceived blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16;John 10:33). Ironically, Paul had once approved of Stephen’s stoning (Acts 7:58); now he endures the same treatment for preaching Christ.

• This fulfills Jesus’ words that His followers would drink the same cup of suffering He drank (Mark 10:39).

• Paul later lists this beating among his hardships (2 Corinthians 11:25), testifying that physical persecution did not deter his mission.

• Leaving the body outside the walls avoided ceremonial defilement for the city (Numbers 15:35–36;Hebrews 13:12).

• Their assumption that Paul was dead underscores the severity of the attack, yet God preserved his life (Psalm 118:17). In the next verse he simply gets up and walks back into Lystra (Acts 14:20), illustrating divine empowerment and remarkable courage.

• The episode becomes a living parable of resurrection life: struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8–10).

Acts 14:19 records determined adversaries traveling long distances to silence the gospel, a fickle crowd swaying from worship to violence, and Paul’s near-death experience that showcases both human hostility and divine preservation. The verse reminds believers that faithful proclamation can attract intense opposition, yet God’s purpose prevails, enabling His servants to rise and continue the mission.

Who persuaded the people.--The sudden change of feeling is almost as startling as that which transformed the hosannas of the multitudes at Jerusalem into the cry of "Crucify Him!" (Matthew 21:9;Matthew 27:22.) It is not difficult, however, to understand these vicissitudes of feeling in a barbarous and superstitious people. We find a like sudden change in an opposite direction in the people of Melita (Acts 28:6). If the strangers who were endowed with such mysterious powers were not "gods in the likeness of men," they might be sorcerers, or even demons, in the evil sense of that word. The Jews, ever ready to impute signs and wonders to Beelzebub, the chief of the demons (see Notes onMatthew 10:34;Matthew 12:24), would readily work on this feeling, and terrify the people into the cruel ferocity of panic. . . .