¹⁹ Paul lent a hand for the general good. He collected some sticks, which he put on the fire. As he did so, a poisonous viper emerged and bit him, fastening onto his hand. The Maltese people thought this was some sort of divine punishment.a

²⁰ The local people who saw that Paul had been bitten thought that he would “swell up.” The original-language word found here is “a medical term,” according to one reference work. It is not surprising that such an expression might readily come to the mind of “Luke, the beloved physician.” (Acts 28:6; Col. 4:14) At any rate, Paul shook off the venomous serpent and was unharmed.