they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they happen to drink anything poisonous, it will not harm them. They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
16:18
— they will pick up serpents — see Luke 10:19; Acts 28:5. The idea is not to hold meetings where you take snakes in your hands, without being harmed, just to impress audiences. It is rather that of protection promised by Christ, and that in such an event the event would serve as a sign to those who witnessed it that Jesus was with his apostles. —and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them—There is no record of this in the New Testament. The apostles would have enemies seeking their lives (eg, Ac 9:23) and among other means of achieving one’s death they could use poison. But, the apostles drinking deadly stuff, it would not harm them. The passage does not say that they will drink deadly stuff. He says, “if they drink deadly thing.” They didn’t drink deadly stuff just to try something. — they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover — See 6:5, comments; 6:13, comments. We see some cases of this in Acts 3:7; Ac 5:16; Ac 9:40; Ac 20:10; Acts 28:8. If this gift is for every believer for all time, it follows that no one would die of disease because the great number of believers in the world could heal the sick and there would be no need for cemeteries. But God would not give such a gift that it would work contrary to his decree found in Hebrews 9:27.
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
they will pick up serpents. Gen 3:15; Ps 91:13; Luke 10:19; Acts 28:3-6; Romans 16:20.
and if they drink deadly thing. 2Ki 4:39-41.
they will lay their hands and they will recover. Acts 3:6-8, Ac 3:12, Ac 3:16; Ac 4:10, Ac 4:22, Ac 4:30; Ac 5:15, Ac 5:16; Ac 9:17, Ac 9:18, Ac 9:34, Acts 9:40-42; Ac 19:12; Acts 28:8, Acts 28:9; 1Co 12:9; Jas 5:14, Jas 5:15.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
THEY WILL TAKE SNAKES IN THEIR HANDS. Holding snakes in the hand or drinking poison should not be made into a rite or a “divine test” or “ordeal” in order to test one’s spirituality. Those are promises given to believers who encounter such dangers in their service to Christ. It is a sin to put God to the test by risking persecution or unnecessary danger (Matt 4:5-7; Matt 10:23; Matt 24:16-18).
Source: Full Life Study Bible
16:18 — pick up serpents — See Luke 10:19; Acts 28:5. The idea is not to hold meetings where you take snakes in your hands, without being harmed, just to impress audiences. It is rather that of protection promised by Christ, and that in such an event the event would serve as a sign to those who witnessed it that Jesus was with his apostles.
—and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them—There is no record of this in the New Testament. The apostles would have enemies seeking their lives (eg Acts 9:23) and among other means of bringing about one’s death they might use poison. But, the apostles drinking deadly stuff, it would not harm them.
The passage does not say that they will drink deadly stuff. He says, “if they drink deadly thing.” They didn’t drink deadly stuff just to try something.
— they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover — See 6:5, comments; 6:13, comments. We see some instances of this in Acts 3:7; Ac 5:16; Acts 9:40; Acts 20:10; Acts 28:8.
If this gift is for every believer for all time, it follows that no one would die of disease because the great number of believers in the world could heal the sick and there would be no need for cemeteries. But God would not give such a gift that it would work against his decree found in Heb 9:27.
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
“They can grab snakes or drink something poisonous, and nothing will happen to them” (TLA): We prefer this translation to all the others, as it explains that the actions of grabbing snakes with the hands and drinking something poisonous can cause harm to the individual. In the Greek there is a double negative that emphasizes the danger of both behaviors, except for those who believe. snakes here it implies those that are poisonous. The translation must take care that this is understood. There are snakes that are not poisonous, and so there is no risk in picking them up with your hands. This aspect could perhaps be clarified by the mention of a specific type of snake: “snake”, “rattlesnake”, or others.
Source: Commentary for Exegesis and Translation
Luke 10:19; Acts 28:3-6.
Source: Hispano-American Interdenominational Translation
they will take snakes in their hands. The other incident of this nature recorded in the Scriptures is found in Acts 28:3–6, when Paul was released from death by being bitten by a viper.
drink something deadly There is not one example in the scriptures of someone who has ingested poison and been spared death.
Source: The Bible of the Americas
T52 Ἔχω with the adverb καλῶς means: to be well.