And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks ('a quantity of dry sticks'), and laid them on the fire. The vigorous activity of Paul's character is observable in this comparatively trifling action (as Webster and Wilkinson remark).
There came a viper out of the heat, [apo (G575) tees ( G3588 ) thermees (G2329) is the only King James reading: ek ( G1537) of the Received Text has next to no support, and diexelthousa is better than exelthousa (G1831).] - 'a viper darted out from the heat.' Having laid itself up among the sticks on the approach of the cold winter season, and thus lain torpid, it had suddenly recovered from its torpor by the heat.
And fastened (its fangs) on his hand. Vipers dart at their enemies sometimes several feet at a bound. They have now disappeared from Malta, owing to the change which cultivation has produced.