Acts 14:2 Meaning and Explanation
“But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Those who reject the message do not remain neutral; the unbelieving stir up the Gentiles and poison their minds against the brethren.
What Does Acts 14:2 Mean?
The success of verse 1 draws an immediate countermove. Those in Iconium who refused the message went to the city's Gentiles — people with no stake in a synagogue dispute — and turned them against the new believers before the believers could speak for themselves.
Unbelief here is not quiet doubt but active opposition, and its weapon is the whisper. Minds were made 'evil affected' secondhand, embittered against people they had no quarrel with. The verse is a caution about how hostility toward Christ spreads — rarely by argument, usually by suspicion — and a comfort as well: the Lord's servants have faced poisoned opinion from the beginning, and the word still ran.
Acts 14:2 in the Original Language
kakoo (κακόω), 'evil affected' -- to harm or embitter, here a poisoning of minds against the believers.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 14:2
What does Acts 14:2 mean?
Those who reject the message do not remain neutral; the unbelieving stir up the Gentiles and poison their minds against the brethren.