29 Bible Verses about Public Opinion

Thou art not after many to evil, nor dost thou testify concerning a strife, to turn aside after many to cause others to turn aside;

If I have covered as Adam my transgressions, To hide in my bosom mine iniquity, Because I fear a great multitude, And the contempt of families doth affright me, Then I am silent, I go not out of the opening.

And the people say unto Saul, 'Doth Jonathan die who wrought this great salvation in Israel? -- a profanation! Jehovah liveth, if there falleth from the hair of his head to the earth, for with God he hath wrought this day;' and the people rescue Jonathan, and he hath not died.

And Saul saith unto Samuel, 'I have sinned, for I passed over the command of Jehovah, and thy words; because I have feared the people, I also hearken to their voice;

And at the feast the governor had been accustomed to release one to the multitude, a prisoner, whom they willed, and they had then a noted prisoner, called Barabbas, they therefore having been gathered together, Pilate said to them, 'Whom will ye I shall release to you? Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?'read more.
for he had known that because of envy they had delivered him up. And as he is sitting on the tribunal, his wife sent unto him, saying, 'Nothing -- to thee and to that righteous one, for many things did I suffer to-day in a dream because of him.' And the chief priests and the elders did persuade the multitudes that they might ask for themselves Barabbas, and might destroy Jesus; and the governor answering said to them, 'Which of the two will ye that I shall release to you?' And they said, 'Barabbas.' Pilate saith to them, 'What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all say to him, 'Let be crucified!' And the governor said, 'Why, what evil did he?' and they were crying out the more, saying, 'Let be crucified.' And Pilate having seen that it profiteth nothing, but rather a tumult is made, having taken water, he did wash the hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent from the blood of this righteous one; ye -- ye shall see;' and all the people answering said, 'His blood is upon us, and upon our children!' Then did he release to them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him up that he may be crucified;

and having seen that it is pleasing to the Jews, he added to lay hold of Peter also -- and they were the days of the unleavened food --

Thus spake Jehovah of Hosts, saying: This people! -- they have said, 'The time hath not come, The time the house of Jehovah is to be built.' And there is a word of Jehovah by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying: Is it time for you -- you! To dwell in your covered houses, And this house to lie waste?read more.
And now, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Set your heart to your ways. Ye have sown much, and brought in little, To eat, and not to satiety, To drink, and not to drunkenness, To clothe, and none hath heat, And he who is hiring himself out, Is hiring himself for a bag pierced through. Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Set your heart to your ways. Go up the mountain, and ye have brought in wood, And build the house, and I am pleased with it. And I am honoured, said Jehovah. Looking for much, and lo, little, And ye brought it home, and I blew on it, Wherefore? -- an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, Because of My house that is waste, And ye are running -- each to his house, Therefore, over you refrained have the heavens from dew, And the land hath refrained its increase. And I proclaim draught on the land, And on the mountains, and on the corn, And on the new wine, and on the oil, And on what the ground doth bring forth, And on man, and on beast, And on all labour of the hands.'

And we journey from Horeb, and go through all that great and fearful wilderness which ye have seen -- the way of the hill-country of the Amorite, as Jehovah our God hath commanded us, and we come in unto Kadesh-Barnea. 'And I say unto you, Ye have come in unto the hill-country of the Amorite, which Jehovah our God is giving to us; see, Jehovah thy God hath set before thee the land; go up, possess, as Jehovah, God of thy fathers, hath spoken to thee; fear not, nor be affrighted.read more.
And ye come near unto me, all of you, and say, Let us send men before us, and they search for us the land, and they bring us back word concerning the way in which we go up into it, and the cities unto which we come in; and the thing is good in mine eyes, and I take of you twelve men, one man for a tribe. 'And they turn and go up to the hill-country, and come in unto the valley of Eshcol, and spy it, and they take with their hand of the fruit of the land, and bring down unto us, and bring us back word, and say, Good is the land which Jehovah our God is giving to us. 'And ye have not been willing to go up, and ye provoke the mouth of Jehovah your God, and murmur in your tents, and say, In Jehovah's hating us He hath brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorite -- to destroy us; whither are we going up? our brethren have melted our heart, saying, A people greater and taller than we, cities great and fenced to heaven, and also sons of Anakim -- we have seen there. 'And I say unto you, Be not terrified, nor be afraid of them; Jehovah your God, who is going before you -- He doth fight for you, according to all that He hath done with you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen that Jehovah thy God hath borne thee as a man beareth his son, in all the way which ye have gone, till your coming in unto this place. 'And in this thing ye are not stedfast in Jehovah your God, who is going before you in the way to search out to you a place for your encamping, in fire by night, to shew you in the way in which ye go, and in a cloud by day. 'And Jehovah heareth the voice of your words, and is wroth, and sweareth, saying, Not one of these men of this evil generation doth see the good land which I have sworn to give to your fathers, save Caleb son of Jephunneh -- he doth see it, and to him I give the land on which he hath trodden, and to his sons, because that he hath been fully after Jehovah. 'Also with me hath Jehovah been angry for your sake, saying, Also, thou dost not go in thither; Joshua son of Nun, who is standing before thee, he goeth in thither; him strengthen thou; for he doth cause Israel to inherit. 'And your infants, of whom ye have said, For a prey they are, and your sons who have not known to-day good and evil, they go in thither, and to them I give it, and they possess it; and ye, turn for yourselves, and journey toward the wilderness, the way of the Red Sea.

And all the elders of Israel gather themselves together, and come in unto Samuel to Ramath, and say unto him, 'Lo, thou hast become aged, and thy sons have not walked in thy ways; now, appoint to us a king, to judge us, like all the nations.' And the thing is evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they have said, 'Give to us a king to judge us;' and Samuel prayeth unto Jehovah.read more.
And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, 'Hearken to the voice of the people, to all that they say unto thee, for thee they have not rejected, but Me they have rejected, from reigning over them. According to all the works that they have done from the day of My bringing them up out of Egypt, even unto this day, when they forsake Me, and serve other gods -- so they are doing also to thee. And now, hearken to their voice; only, surely thou dost certainly protest to them, and hast declared to them the custom of the king who doth reign over them.'

and Elijah cometh nigh unto all the people, and saith, 'Till when are ye leaping on the two branches? -- if Jehovah is God, go after Him; and if Baal, go after him;' and the people have not answered him a word.

O generation, see ye the word of Jehovah: A wilderness have I been to Israel? A land of thick darkness? Wherefore have My people said, 'We mourned, We come not in again unto Thee.' Doth a virgin forget her ornaments? A bride her bands? And My people have forgotten Me days without number. What -- dost thou make pleasing thy ways to seek love? Therefore even the wicked thou hast taught thy ways.read more.
Also in thy skirts hath been found the blood of innocent needy souls, Not by digging have I found them, but upon all these. And thou sayest, 'Because I have been innocent, Surely turned back hath His anger from me?' Lo, I have been judged with thee, Because of thy saying, 'I have not sinned.'

And the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, hear Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah, And it cometh to pass, at the completion of Jeremiah's speaking all that Jehovah hath commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests, and the prophets, and all the people catch him, saying, Thou dost surely die, Wherefore hast thou prophesied in the name of Jehovah, saying, 'As Shiloh this house shall be, and this city is wasted, without inhabitant?' and all the people are assembled unto Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah.read more.
And the heads of Judah hear these things, and they go up from the house of the king to the house of Jehovah, and sit in the opening of the new gate of Jehovah. And the priests and the prophets speak unto the heads, and unto all the people, saying, 'Judgment of death is for this man, for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.' And Jeremiah speaketh unto all the heads, and unto all the people, saying, 'Jehovah sent me to prophesy concerning this house, and concerning this city, all the words that ye have heard; And now, amend your ways, and your doings, and hearken to the voice of Jehovah your God, and Jehovah doth repent concerning the evil that He hath spoken against you. And I, lo, I am in your hand, do to me as is good and as is right in your eyes; Only, know ye certainly, that if ye are putting me to death, surely innocent blood ye are putting on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly hath Jehovah sent me unto you to speak in your ears all these words.' And the heads and all the people say unto the priests and unto the prophets, 'There is not for this man a judgment of death, for in the name of Jehovah our God he hath spoken unto us.'

And Jehovah heareth the voice of your words, in your speaking unto me, and Jehovah saith unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken unto thee; they have done well in all that they have spoken. O that their heart had been thus to them, to fear Me, and to keep My commands all the days, that it may be well with them, and with their sons -- to the age!

And Joshua saith unto the people, 'Ye are not able to serve Jehovah, for a God most holy He is; a zealous God He is; He doth not bear with your transgression and with your sins. When ye forsake Jehovah, and have served gods of a stranger, then He hath turned back and done evil to you, and consumed you, after that He hath done good to you.' And the people saith unto Joshua, 'No, but Jehovah we do serve.'read more.
And Joshua saith unto the people, 'Witnesses ye are against yourselves, that ye have chosen for you Jehovah to serve Him (and they say, 'Witnesses!') and, now, turn aside the gods of the stranger which are in your midst, and incline your heart unto Jehovah, God of Israel.' And the people say unto Joshua, 'Jehovah our God we serve, and to His voice we hearken.'

And Jesus, having come to the parts of Caesarea Philippi, was asking his disciples, saying, 'Who do men say me to be -- the Son of Man?' and they said, 'Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' He saith to them, 'And ye -- who do ye say me to be?'read more.
and Simon Peter answering said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answering said to him, 'Happy art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens.

And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and in the way he was questioning his disciples, saying to them, 'Who do men say me to be?' And they answered, 'John the Baptist, and others Elijah, but others one of the prophets.' And he saith to them, 'And ye -- who do ye say me to be?' and Peter answering saith to him, 'Thou art the Christ.'

And it came to pass, as he is praying alone, the disciples were with him, and he questioned them, saying, 'Who do the multitudes say me to be?' And they answering said, 'John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and others, that a prophet, one of the ancients, was risen;' and he said to them, 'And ye -- who do ye say me to be?' and Peter answering said, 'The Christ of God.'

Many, therefore out of the multitude, having heard the word, said, 'This is truly the Prophet;' others said, 'This is the Christ;' and others said, 'Why, out of Galilee doth the Christ come? Did not the Writing say, that out of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem -- the village where David was -- the Christ doth come?'read more.
A division, therefore, arose among the multitude because of him.

'Think ye that peace I came to give in the earth? no, I say to you, but rather division;

and there was much murmuring about him among the multitudes, some indeed said -- 'He is good;' and others said, 'No, but he leadeth astray the multitude;'

Of the Pharisees, therefore, certain said, 'This man is not from God, because the sabbath he doth not keep;' others said, 'How is a man -- a sinful one -- able to do such signs?' and there was a division among them.

Therefore, again, there came a division among the Jews, because of these words,

At that time did Herod the tetrarch hear the fame of Jesus, and said to his servants, 'This is John the Baptist, he did rise from the dead, and because of this the mighty energies are working in him.' For Herod having laid hold on John, did bind him, and did put him in prison, because of Herodias his brother Philip's wife,read more.
for John was saying to him, 'It is not lawful to thee to have her,' and, willing to kill him, he feared the multitude, because as a prophet they were holding him.

then the magistrate having gone away with officers, brought them without violence, for they were fearing the people, lest they should be stoned;

and the governor answering said to them, 'Which of the two will ye that I shall release to you?' And they said, 'Barabbas.' Pilate saith to them, 'What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all say to him, 'Let be crucified!' And the governor said, 'Why, what evil did he?' and they were crying out the more, saying, 'Let be crucified.'read more.
And Pilate having seen that it profiteth nothing, but rather a tumult is made, having taken water, he did wash the hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent from the blood of this righteous one; ye -- ye shall see;' and all the people answering said, 'His blood is upon us, and upon our children!' Then did he release to them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him up that he may be crucified;

And about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands, to do evil to certain of those of the assembly, and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and having seen that it is pleasing to the Jews, he added to lay hold of Peter also -- and they were the days of the unleavened food --

and, willing to kill him, he feared the multitude, because as a prophet they were holding him.

no one, however, was speaking freely about him, through fear of the Jews.

A division, therefore, arose among the multitude because of him.