Acts 17:6

6 And [when they] did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city officials, shouting, "These [people] who have stirred up trouble [throughout] the world have come here also,

Acts 17:6 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 17:6

And when they found them not
In Jason's house, as they expected:

they drew Jason, and certain brethren:
the Syriac version adds, "who were there": in Jason's house, who either came along with the apostle, and lodged with him there; or they were some of the inhabitants of Thessalonica, who were lately converted, and were come thither in order to have some Christian conversation; these with Jason the rabble seized on, and in a rude and violent manner dragged them out of the house, and had them,

unto the rulers of the city:
the civil magistrates, the judges in courts of judicature, to which some of these belonged;

crying
in a very noisy and clamorous way;

these that have turned the world upside down:
the Syriac version reads, "the whole earth": the apostles, according to the cry of these men, had thrown the whole world into disorder, and had made disturbances in kingdoms and cities, wherever they came; and had made innovations in religion, and turned men from their old way of worship to another; these; say they,

are come hither also;
to make the like disorders and disturbances, as elsewhere.

Acts 17:6 In-Context

4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, and [also] a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the prominent women.

5 But the Jews were filled with jealousy and, taking along some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace and forming a mob, threw the city into an uproar. And attacking Jason's house, they were looking for them to bring [them] out to the popular assembly.

6 And [when they] did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city officials, shouting, "These [people] who have stirred up trouble [throughout] the world have come here also,

7 whom Jason has entertained as guests! And these [people] [are] all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus!"

8 And they threw the crowd into confusion, and the city officials who heard these [things].

Footnotes

• [a] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("find") which is understood as temporal
• [b] Or "empire"