Home › Glossary › Letter L

Lystra

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A Lycaonian city where Paul was mistaken for Hermes and stoned after healing a lame man.

Detailed Definition
Lystra (Acts 14) exemplifies cultural misunderstanding and violent reversal of fortune. In poetry, it symbolizes the volatility of crowds, the misinterpretation of divine acts, and the cost of faithful witness in alien contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
Lystra—city where Paul was stoned—fuels perseverance poetry: “In Lystra, they called Paul a god, then stoned him—fickle crowds, faithful apostle”; A modern poem: “My Lystra is the place where I’m hailed today, hated tomorrow”; In a sonnet on resilience: “Lystra’s stones could not silence the gospel”; Historical verse: “Blessed Lystra, where Timothy’s faith began amid violence.”
Additional Notes
Lystra (Acts 14:8–19) is where Paul healed a lame man and was hailed as Hermes, with Barnabas as Zeus—leading to stoning when the crowd turned. In poetry, Lystra embodies the volatility of perception, the danger of misrecognized divinity, and the paradox of suffering immediately following miraculous grace.
Also Known As
Lycaonian city Paul stoning Timothy home
Skip to main content