Miraculous Survival On Malta As Viper Fails To Harm Paul
Having survived the harrowing shipwreck, Paul and the 275 others, now 276 souls, found themselves cast ashore on an unfamiliar island, later identified as Malta. The native islanders showed them unusual kindness, building a fire to warm them from the cold and rain. As Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and laid it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself onto his hand, sending immediate fear through the onlookers.
Witnessing the venomous snake latch onto Paul, the islanders immediately concluded he must be a murderer, escaping justice from the sea only to be met by divine retribution on land. However, to their astonishment, Paul simply shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. After waiting for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, and seeing no harm come to him, their perception dramatically shifted; they began to say that he was a god, witnessing God's protective power.
When they had been brought safely through, then they found out that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness... As Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and laid it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer... though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.' However, he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. But they were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.
— Acts 28:1-6 LSB
Timeline Box:
Paul and his companions land on Malta following their shipwreck. The apostle is miraculously protected from a deadly viper bite, prompting the islanders to believe he is divine. This event occurs around 60 AD, shortly after the dramatic storm and shipwreck recounted in Acts 27.
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