Acts 23:3 Meaning and Explanation
“Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul answers the blow sharply: God will smite Ananias, a whitewashed wall who sits to judge by the law while breaking it.
What Does Acts 23:3 Mean?
Stung by the unlawful order, Paul fires back. A "whited wall" is a crumbling structure painted to look sound — kin to the "whited sepulchres" Jesus described, fair without and corrupt within (Matthew 23:27). The law required judgment before punishment (Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 25:1-2), and Paul names the contradiction: a judge breaking the very law he sits to enforce.
His words proved weighty — history records that Ananias died violently not many years later. Yet the verse also shows the apostle fully human: quick, hot, wounded. What follows matters more, for when corrected he yields to Scripture at once (v. 5). Godliness is not the absence of fire; it is fire kept under the rule of God's word.
Acts 23:3 in the Original Language
koniao (κονιάω), 'whited' -- to whitewash or plaster over, giving decay a fair surface.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 23:3
What does Acts 23:3 mean?
Paul answers the blow sharply: God will smite Ananias, a whitewashed wall who sits to judge by the law while breaking it.