Worthy.Bible » STRONG » Acts » Chapter 25 » Verse 2-13

Acts 25:2-13 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

2 Then G1161 the high priest G749 and G2532 the chief G4413 of the Jews G2453 informed G1718 him G846 against G2596 Paul, G3972 and G2532 besought G3870 him, G846

3 And desired G154 favour G5485 against G2596 him, G846 that G3704 he would send for G3343 him G846 to G1519 Jerusalem, G2419 laying G4160 wait G1747 in G2596 the way G3598 to kill G337 him. G846

4 But G3303 G3767 Festus G5347 answered, G611 that Paul G3972 should be kept G5083 at G1722 Caesarea, G2542 and G1161 that he himself G1438 would G3195 depart G1607 G1722 shortly G5034 thither.

5 Let them therefore, G3767 said G5346 he, which among G1722 you G5213 are able, G1415 go down with G4782 me, and accuse G2723 this G846 man, G435 if G1536 there be G2076 any wickedness G1536 in G1722 him. G5129

6 And G1161 when he had tarried G1304 among G1722 them G846 more G4119 than G2228 ten G1176 days, G2250 he went down G2597 unto G1519 Caesarea; G2542 and the next day G1887 sitting G2523 on G1909 the judgment seat G968 commanded G2753 Paul G3972 to be brought. G71

7 And G1161 when he G846 was come, G3854 the Jews G2453 which came down G2597 from G575 Jerusalem G2414 stood round about, G4026 and G2532 laid G5342 many G4183 and grievous G926 complaints G157 against G2596 Paul, G3972 which G3739 they could G2480 not G3756 prove. G584

8 While he answered G626 for himself, G846 Neither G3754 G3777 against G1519 the law G3551 of the Jews, G2453 neither G3777 against G1519 the temple, G2411 nor yet G3777 against G1519 Caesar, G2541 have I offended G264 any thing at all. G5100

9 But G1161 Festus, G5347 willing G2309 to do G2698 the Jews G2453 a pleasure, G5485 answered G611 Paul, G3972 and said, G2036 Wilt thou G2309 go up G305 to G1519 Jerusalem, G2414 and there G1563 be judged G2919 of G4012 these things G5130 before G1909 me? G1700

10 Then G1161 said G2036 Paul, G3972 I stand G1510 G2476 at G1909 Caesar's G2541 judgment seat, G968 where G3757 I G3165 ought G1163 to be judged: G2919 to the Jews G2453 have I done G91 no G3762 wrong, G91 as G5613 G2532 thou G4771 very well G2566 knowest. G1921

11 For G1063 if G1487 G3303 I be an offender, G91 or G2532 have committed G4238 any thing G5100 worthy G514 of death, G2288 I refuse G3868 not G3756 to die: G599 but G1161 if G1487 there be G2076 none G3762 of these things G3739 whereof these G3778 accuse G2723 me, G3450 no man G3762 may G1410 deliver G5483 me G3165 unto them. G846 I appeal unto G1941 Caesar. G2541

12 Then G5119 Festus, G5347 when he had conferred G4814 with G3326 the council, G4824 answered, G611 Hast thou appealed unto G1941 Caesar? G2541 unto G1909 Caesar G2541 shalt thou go. G4198

13 And G1161 after G1230 certain G5100 days G2250 king G935 Agrippa G67 and G2532 Bernice G959 came G2658 unto G1519 Caesarea G2542 to salute G782 Festus. G5347

Commentary on Acts 25 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 25

Ac 25:1-12. Festus, Coming to Jerusalem, Declines to Have Paul Brought Thither for Judgment, but Gives the Parties a Hearing on His Return to CæsareaOn Festus Asking the Apostle if He Would Go to Jerusalem for Another Hearing before Him, He Is Constrained in Justice to His Cause to Appeal to the Emperor.

1-3. Festus … after three days … ascended … to Jerusalem—to make himself acquainted with the great central city of his government without delay.

2. Then the high priest—a successor of him before whom Paul had appeared (Ac 23:2).

and the chief of the Jews—and "the whole multitude of the Jews" (Ac 25:24) clamorously.

informed him against Paul …

3. desired favour—in Ac 25:15, "judgment."

against him—It would seem that they had the insolence to ask him to have the prisoner executed even without a trial (Ac 25:16).

laying wait … to kill him—How deep must have been their hostility, when two years after the defeat of their former attempt, they thirst as keenly as ever for his blood! Their plea for having the case tried at Jerusalem, where the alleged offense took place, was plausible enough; but from Ac 25:10 it would seem that Festus had been made acquainted with their causeless malice, and that in some way which Paul was privy to.

4-6. answered that Paul should be kept—rather, "is in custody."

at Cæsarea, and … himself would depart shortly thither.

5. Let them … which among you are able, go down—"your leading men."

7. the Jews … from Jerusalem—clamorously, as at Jerusalem; see Ac 25:24.

many and grievous complaints against Paul—From his reply, and Festus' statement of the case before Agrippa, these charges seem to have been a jumble of political and religious matter which they were unable to substantiate, and vociferous cries that he was unfit to live. Paul's reply, not given in full, was probably little more than a challenge to prove any of their charges, whether political or religious.

9, 10. Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure—to ingratiate himself with them.

said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and … be judged … before me—or, "under my protection." If this was meant in earnest, it was temporizing and vacillating. But, possibly, anticipating Paul's refusal, he wished merely to avoid the odium of refusing to remove the trial to Jerusalem.

10. Then said Paul, I stand at Cæsar's judgment seat—that is, I am already before the proper tribunal. This seems to imply that he understood Festus to propose handing him over to the Sanhedrim for judgment (and see on Ac 25:11), with a mere promise of protection from him. But from going to Jerusalem at all he was too well justified in shrinking, for there assassination had been quite recently planned against him.

to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou knowest very well—literally, "better," that is, (perhaps), better than to press such a proposal.

if there be none of these things … no man may deliver me unto them—The word signifies to "surrender in order to gratify" another.

11. I appeal to Cæsar—The right of appeal to the supreme power, in case of life and death, was secured by an ancient law to every Roman citizen, and continued under the empire. Had Festus shown any disposition to pronounce final judgment, Paul, strong in the consciousness of his innocence and the justice of a Roman tribunal, would not have made this appeal. But when the only other alternative offered him was to give his own consent to be transferred to the great hotbed of plots against his life, and to a tribunal of unscrupulous and bloodthirsty ecclesiastics whose vociferous cries for his death had scarcely subsided, no other course was open to him.

12. Festus—little expecting such an appeal, but bound to respect it.

having conferred with the council—his assessors in judgment, as to the admissibility of the appeal.

said, Hast thou—for "thou hast."

to Cæsar shalt thou go—as if he would add perhaps "and see if thou fare better."

Ac 25:13-27. Herod Agrippa II ON A Visit to Festus, Being Consulted by Him on Paul's Case, Desires to Hear the Apostle, Who Is Accordingly Brought Forth.

13. King Agrippa—great-grandson of Herod the Great, and Drusilla's brother (see on Ac 24:24). On his father's awful death (Ac 12:23), being thought too young (seventeen) to succeed, Judea, was attached to the province of Syria. Four years after, on the death of his uncle Herod, he was made king of the northern principalities of Chalcis, and afterwards got Batanea, Iturea, Trachonitis, Abilene, Galilee, and Perea, with the title of king. He died A.D. 100, after reigning fifty-one years.

and Bernice—his sister. She was married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis, on whose death she lived with her brother Agrippa—not without suspicion of incestuous intercourse, which her subsequent licentious life tended to confirm.

came to salute Festus—to pay his respects to him on his accession to the procuratorship.

14, 15. when there many—"several"

days, Festus declared Paul's cause—taking advantage of the presence of one who might be presumed to know such matters better than himself; though the lapse of "several days" ere the subject was touched on shows that it gave Festus little trouble.

16-21. to deliver any man to die—On the word "deliver up," see on Ac 25:11.

18. as I supposed—"suspected"—crimes punishable by civil law.

19. questions … of their own superstition—rather, "religion" (see on Ac 17:22). It cannot be supposed that Festus would use the word in any discourteous sense in addressing his Jewish guest.

one Jesus—"Thus speaks this miserable Festus of Him to whom every knee shall bow" [Bengel].

whom Paul affirmed—"kept affirming."

to be alive—showing that the resurrection of the Crucified One had been the burden, as usual, of Paul's pleading. The insignificance of the whole affair in the eyes of Festus is manifest.

20. because I doubted of such manner of questions—The "I" is emphatic. "I," as a Roman judge, being at a loss how to deal with such matters.

21. the hearing of Augustus—the imperial title first conferred by the Roman Senate on Octavius.

22-27. I would also hear—"should like to hear."

the man myself—No doubt Paul was fight when he said, "The king knoweth of these things … for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner" (Ac 26:26). Hence his curiosity to see and hear the man who had raised such commotion and was remodelling to such an extent the whole Jewish life.

23. when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp—in the same city in which their father, on account of his pride, had perished, eaten up by worms [Wetst].

with the chief captains—(See on Ac 21:32). Josephus [Wars of the Jews, 3.4.2] says that five cohorts, whose full complement was one thousand men, were stationed at Cæsarea.

principal men of the city—both Jews and Romans. "This was the most dignified and influential audience Paul had yet addressed, and the prediction (Ac 9:15) was fulfilled, though afterwards still more remarkably at Rome (Ac 27:24; 2Ti 4:16, 17) [Webster and Wilkinson].

26. I have no certain—"definite"

thing to write my lord—Nero. "The writer's accuracy should be remarked here. It would have been … a mistake to apply this term ("lord") to the emperor a few years earlier. Neither Augustus nor Tiberius would let himself be so called, as implying the relation of master and slave. But it had now come (rather, "was coming") into use as one of the imperial titles" [Hacket].