Acts 14:11

And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker.

In the speech of Lycaonia ... This accounts for the fact that Paul and Barnabas were not aware of the intention of the people until later. As Bruce said,

The crowd's use of Lycaonian explains why Paul and Barnabas did not grasp what was afoot until preparations to pay them divine honors were well advanced.[16]

Some very important deductions derive from this inability of the apostles to understand the Lycaonian dialect. As Boles said, "This shows that the gift of tongues did not give the apostles power to speak or to understand all dialects."[17]

Another thing in this episode is the evident belief of that primitive people in the supernatural. "The gods are come down to us ..." "No such cry could have been possible in the great cities where the confluence of a debased polytheism and philosophical speculation had ended in utter skepticism."[18]

They called Barnabas Jupiter ... Having a more imposing appearance than Paul, Barnabas was ascribed the chief honor. "Jupiter" here is a mistranslation of the Greek which has "Zeus." Again, certain translators were "protecting" people against Luke's ignorance; but, as so frequent]y, the spade of the archeologist has proved Luke correct.

Zeus was the patron deity of the Lycaonian countryside, as indicated by archeological evidence strikingly confirming the narrative of Luke. Two inscriptions unearthed from Lystra record the dedication of a statue to Zeus, and make mention of "the priests of Zeus."[19]

And Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker ... Here again, the translators were wrong. The Greek has Hermes instead of Mercury; and the same inscriptions mentioned above link the name of Hermes with that of Zeus.

[16] F. F. Bruce, op. cit., p. 291.

[17] H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 223.

[18] E. H. Plumptre, op. cit., p. 90.

[19] E. M. Blaiklock, op. cit., p. 32.