Acts 14:12

Jupiter ... Mercurius. Gr. Zeus ... Hermes, the Greek Zeus, the chief of the gods, and his son Hermes, the herald and messenger of the gods, and patron of eloquence. In the Roman Pantheon the counterparts of these gods were Jupiter and Mercury, and their names are accordingly used in the KJV. The worship of Zeus and Hermes appears to have been popular in the region of Lystra. An inscription has been discovered near Lystra telling that certain men, whose names are Lycaonian, had dedicated a statue to Zeus. A stone altar has also been discovered near Lystra dedicated to the “Hearer of Prayer,” who was probably Zeus, and to Hermes. The people of Lystra would naturally believe that if any deity were to come among them with a good purpose, it would be the god Jupiter, for whom a temple had been erected in front of their city (see on v. 13), and to whom their chief worship was paid. Mercury was counted as the principal attendant of Jupiter. Barnabas may have been of more impressive bearing than Paul, and thus to him was assigned the title of Jupiter. Since Paul had done much of the speaking, he was identified as Mercury.