Acts 14:12
New International Version
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.

New Living Translation
They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.

English Standard Version
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Berean Standard Bible
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Berean Literal Bible
And Barnabas, they began calling Zeus; and Paul, Hermes, because he was the leading speaker.

King James Bible
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

New King James Version
And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

New American Standard Bible
And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.

NASB 1995
And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

NASB 1977
And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Legacy Standard Bible
And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Amplified Bible
They began calling Barnabas, Zeus [chief of the Greek gods], and Paul, Hermes [messenger of the Greek gods], since he took the lead in speaking.

Christian Standard Bible
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And they started to call Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the main speaker.

American Standard Version
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they were naming BarNaba, The Lord of the gods, and Paulus, Hermes, because he had been introducing the message.

Contemporary English Version
The people then gave Barnabas the name Zeus, and they gave Paul the name Hermes, because he did the talking.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter: but Paul, Mercury; because he was chief speaker.

English Revised Version
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They addressed Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes because Paul did most of the talking.

Good News Translation
They gave Barnabas the name Zeus, and Paul the name Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

International Standard Version
They began to call Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermes, because he was the main speaker.

Literal Standard Version
they were also calling Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermes, since he was the leader in speaking.

Majority Standard Bible
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

New American Bible
They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes,” because he was the chief speaker.

NET Bible
They began to call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

New Revised Standard Version
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

New Heart English Bible
They called Barnabas "Jupiter," and Paul "Mercury," because he was the chief speaker.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

Weymouth New Testament
They called Barnabas 'Zeus,' and Paul, as being the principal speaker, 'Hermes.'

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

Young's Literal Translation
they were calling also Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermes, since he was the leader in speaking.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Visit to Lystra and Derbe
11When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, hoping to offer a sacrifice along with the crowds.…

Cross References
Acts 14:11
When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: "The gods have come down to us in human form!"

Acts 14:13
The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, hoping to offer a sacrifice along with the crowds.

Acts 19:35
Finally the city clerk quieted the crowd and declared, "Men of Ephesus, doesn't everyone know that the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?


Treasury of Scripture

And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

Jupiter.

Acts 19:35
And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?

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Barnabas Chief Hermes Jupiter Lead Paul Principal Speaker Speaking Talker Zeus
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Barnabas Chief Hermes Jupiter Lead Paul Principal Speaker Speaking Talker Zeus
Acts 14
1. Paul and Barnabas are persecuted from Iconium.
8. At Lystra Paul heals a cripple, whereupon they are reputed as gods.
19. Paul is stoned.
21. They pass through various churches, confirming the disciples in faith and patience.
26. Returning to Antioch, they report what God had done with them.














(12) They called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius.--St. Luke gives, as was natural, the Greek forms--Zeus and Hermes. The main reason for the assignment of the two names was that the listeners recognised in St. Paul the gift of eloquence, which was the special attribute of Hermes. Possibly, also, unlike as were the weak bodily presence and the many infirmities of the Apostle to the sculptured grace with which we are familiar as belonging to the sandalled messenger of the gods--young, and beautiful, and agile--there may have been something in the taller stature and more stately presence of Barnabas which impressed them with the sense of a dignity like that of Jupiter. In any case, we must remember that the master-pieces of Greek art were not likely to have found their way to a Lycaonian village, and that the Hermes of Lystra may have borne the same relation to that of Athens and Corinth as the grotesque Madonna of some Italian wayside shrine does to the masterpieces of Raphael. Real idolatry cares little about the aesthetic beauty of the objects of its worship; and the Lycaonians were genuine idolaters.

The chief speaker.--Literally, the ruler of speech--taking the chief part in it.

Verse 12. - Mercury for Mercurius, A.V. For the Latin Jupiter and Mercury the Greek original has Zeus and Hermes. Jupiter is Jovis Pater, where Jovis or Diovis or Dies (in Diespiter) is the Latin form of Zeus, gen. Δίος. Mercury is Hermes in his special character as the god of markets and trade. But the Lycaonians here thought of him in his principal character of herald and messenger of the gods, and hence the god of eloquence and speech.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Barnabas
Βαρνάβαν (Barnaban)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 921: Of Chaldee origin; son of Nabas; Barnabas, an Israelite.

they called
ἐκάλουν (ekaloun)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2564: (a) I call, summon, invite, (b) I call, name. Akin to the base of keleuo; to 'call'.

Zeus,
Δία (Dia)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2203: Zeus, the Greek god of the sky in all its manifestations, corresponding to the Roman Jupiter and to the leading god of the native Lycaonians.

and
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

Paul
Παῦλον (Paulon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3972: Paul, Paulus. Of Latin origin; Paulus, the name of a Roman and of an apostle.

[they called] Hermes,
Ἑρμῆν (Hermēn)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2060: Perhaps from ereo; Hermes, the name of the messenger of the Greek deities; also of a Christian.

because
ἐπειδὴ (epeidē)
Conjunction
Strong's 1894: Of time: when, now, after that; of cause: seeing that, forasmuch as. From epei and de; since now, i.e. when, or whereas.

he
αὐτὸς (autos)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

was
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

the
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

chief
ἡγούμενος (hēgoumenos)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2233: (a) To lead, (b) To think, be of opinion, suppose, consider.

speaker.
λόγου (logou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3056: From lego; something said; by implication, a topic, also reasoning or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, the Divine Expression.


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NT Apostles: Acts 14:12 They called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercury (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 14:11
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