This verse from the book of Acts captures the explosive outcome of a single statement. The grammar combines a genitive absolute, a narrative aorist, and passive voice to describe how one utterance caused theological chaos: τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντος ἐγένετο στάσις τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ τῶν Σαδδουκαίων, καὶ ἐσχίσθη τὸ πλῆθος from Acts 23:7. The syntax powerfully conveys how speech can fracture a crowd and incite ideological conflict.
The Greek Text in Focus
τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντος ἐγένετο στάσις τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ τῶν Σαδδουκαίων, καὶ ἐσχίσθη τὸ πλῆθος (Acts 23:7)
“And when he had said this, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.”
Grammatical Highlights
- τοῦτο — demonstrative neuter singular; refers to the statement just spoken.
- αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντος — genitive absolute; “as he was speaking / after he had spoken.”
- ἐγένετο — aorist indicative middle, third singular; “there arose / happened.”
- στάσις — nominative feminine singular; “dissension, riot, division.”
- τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ τῶν Σαδδουκαίων — genitive plural; describes parties involved in the dissension.
- ἐσχίσθη — aorist indicative passive, third singular; “was torn / divided.”
- τὸ πλῆθος — nominative neuter singular; “the multitude, the crowd.”
Genitive Absolute: Setting the Scene
The phrase αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντος is a genitive absolute — a common Greek construction that sets background circumstances. The aorist participle shows the action is complete: once Paul finished speaking, something happened. This grammatical structure isolates the speech event and highlights its consequences without subordinating it syntactically to the main clause.
Narrative Aorists: A Chain Reaction
Both ἐγένετο (“arose”) and ἐσχίσθη (“was divided”) are aorist indicatives, presenting past actions as discrete, whole events. The aorist in narrative Greek functions as a spotlight: it marks what happened suddenly and dramatically. Paul’s statement immediately caused two things—στάσις and σχίσμα—conflict and division.
Passive and Middle: Impersonal Outcomes
ἐσχίσθη is passive, emphasizing what happened to the crowd without naming a direct agent. The division was not orchestrated — it occurred. ἐγένετο is middle in form but often functions like an active verb meaning “came into being.” Together, the verbs show that both the strife and the split arose as results of Paul’s carefully chosen provocation.
| Word / Phrase | Form | Function | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| τοῦτο | Demonstrative Pronoun, Neut. Sing. | Refers to previous statement | This |
| αὐτοῦ λαλήσαντος | Aorist Genitive Participle + Genitive Pronoun | Genitive absolute | When he had spoken |
| ἐγένετο | Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Sing. | Main verb | There arose / happened |
| στάσις | Nominative Feminine Singular | Subject of ἐγένετο | Dissension |
| ἐσχίσθη | Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Sing. | Second main verb | Was divided |
| τὸ πλῆθος | Nominative Neuter Singular | Subject of ἐσχίσθη | The crowd |
When Words Break the Silence
Acts 23:7 shows how Greek grammar can carry the weight of explosive consequences. The genitive absolute frames a cause, the aorists mark eruption, and the passive concludes with communal fracture. Paul speaks only a sentence — but the Greek shows how one phrase, wisely timed, exposes division already present beneath the surface. Language here is not just descriptive — it detonates reality.
