Acts 24:10–27

Footnotes

1. 34 Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
2. 35 “Because … defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.
3. 36 ἐπιγινώσκω 2.c has “notice, perceive, learn of, ascertain … Also as legal t.t. ascertain (2 Macc 14:9) τὶ Ac 23:28; cp. 24:8. W. ὅτι foll. Ac 24:11.” “Verify” is an English synonym for “ascertain.”
4. 37 Grk “it is not more than twelve days from when.” This has been simplified to “not more than twelve days ago.” Part of Paul’s defense is that he would not have had time to organize a revolt, since he had arrived in Jerusalem not more than twelve days ago.
5. 38 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
6. 39 Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”
7. 40 ἐπίστασις 2 has “ἐ. ποιεῖν ὄχλου to cause a crowd to gather Ac 24:12.” Roman authorities would not allow a mob to gather and threaten the peace, and anyone suspected of instigating a mob would certainly be arrested.
8. 41 Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
9. 42 See the note on synagogue in .
10. 43 A second part of Paul’s defense is that he did nothing while he was in Jerusalem to cause unrest, neither arguing nor stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city.
11. 44 παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.f has “οὐδὲ παραστῆσαι δύνανταί σοι περὶ ὦν νυνὶ κατηγοροῦσίν μου nor can they prove to you the accusations they are now making against me Ac 24:13.” Nor can they prove. This is a formal legal claim that Paul’s opponents lacked proof of any wrongdoing. They had no witness who could justify the arrest at the temple.
12. 45 The words “the things” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
13. 46 Grk “nor can they prove to you [the things] about which they are now accusing me.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“which”) in the translation.
14. 47 Or “serve.”
15. 48 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
16. 49 That is, the law of Moses. Paul was claiming that he legitimately worshiped the God of Israel. He was arguing that this amounted to a religious dispute rather than a political one, so that the Roman authorities need not concern themselves with it.
17. 50 Grk “having.” The participle ἔχων (echōn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.
18. 51 This mention of Paul’s hope sets up his appeal to the resurrection of the dead. At this point Paul was ignoring the internal Jewish dispute between the Pharisees (to which he had belonged) and the Sadducees (who denied there would be a resurrection of the dead).
19. 52 Grk “a hope in God (which these [men] themselves accept too).” Because the antecedent of the relative pronoun “which” is somewhat unclear in English, the words “a hope” have been repeated at the beginning of the parenthesis for clarity.
20. 53 Grk “that they”; the referent (these men, Paul’s accusers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21. 54 Or “the unjust.” This is the only mention of the resurrection of the unrighteous in Acts. The idea parallels the idea of Jesus as the judge of both the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:31).
22. 55 ἐν 9.a, “ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν this is the reason why we believe Jn 16:30; cp. Ac 24:16.”
23. 56 διά 2.a, “διὰ παντός … always, continually, constantly … Ac 2:25 (Ps 16:8); 10:2; 24:16.” However, the positioning of the adverb “always” in the English translation is difficult; the position used is one of the least awkward.
24. 57 ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “ἀ. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”
25. 58 Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).
26. 59 ἔτος has “διʼ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”
27. 60 Grk “to bring alms,” but the term “alms” is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “gifts for the poor,” is used instead.
28. 61 Or “sacrifices.” προσφορά 1 has “προσφοράς ποιεῖν have sacrifices made Ac 24:17,” but this may be overly specific. It is not clear from the immediate context whether the offering of sacrificial animals (so assumes) or offerings of some other sort (such as financial gifts) are in view. The combination with ἐλεημοσύνας (eleēmosunas) in the preceding clause may suggest monetary offerings. Some have suggested this is an allusion to the payments made by Paul on behalf of the four other men mentioned in Acts 21:23–26, but the text here seems to suggest something Paul had planned to do before he came, while the decision to pay for the expenses of the men in 21:23ff. was made at the suggestion of the Jerusalem leadership after he arrived. In either case, Paul was portraying himself as a pious worshiper of his God.
29. 62 Ritually purified. Paul’s claim here is that he was honoring the holiness of God by being sensitive to issues of ritual purity. Not only was he not guilty of the charges against him, but he was thoroughly devout.
30. 63 θόρυβος 3.b has “μετὰ θορύβου … with a disturbance Ac 24:18.”
31. 64 Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
32. 65 κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω (katēgoreō), “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context—‘to accuse, to bring charges.’ ” Who should be here … and bring charges. Paul was asking, where were those who brought about his arrest and claimed he broke the law? His accusers were not really present. This subtle point raised the issue of injustice.
33. 66 Grk “these [men] themselves.”
34. 67 Or “unrighteous act.”
35. 68 The words “me guilty of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. L&N 88.23 has “αὐτοὶ οὗτοι εἰπάτωσαν τί εὗρον ἀδίκημα στάντος μου ‘let these men themselves tell what unrighteous act they found me guilty of’ Ac 24:20.”
36. 69 Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
37. 70 ἤ 2.c has “οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἤ nothing else than … Ac 17:21. τί … ἤ what other … than … 24:21.”
38. 71 Grk “one utterance.”
39. 72 Cf. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”
40. 73 The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?
41. 74 See the note on Antonius Felix in .
42. 75 Grk “the things.”
43. 76 That is, concerning Christianity.
44. 77 ἀκριβῶς has “Comp. ἀκριβέστερον more exactly … ἀ. ἐκτίθεσθαι explain more exactly Ac 18:26, cp. 23:15, 20; also more accurately … 24:22.” Felix knew more about the Christian movement than what the Jewish leaders had told him.
45. 78 L&N 56.18 ἀναβάλλω has “to adjourn a court proceeding until a later time—‘to adjourn a hearing, to stop a hearing and put it off until later.’ … ‘then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned their hearing’ Ac 24:22.”
46. 79 διαγινώσκω 2 states, “to make a judicial decision, decide/hear (a case) … τὰ καθʼ ὑμᾶς decide your case Ac 24:22.”
47. 80 See the note on the word centurion in .
48. 81 Grk “that he was to be guarded.” The passive construction (τηρεῖσθαι, tēreisthai) has been converted to an active one in parallel with the following clauses, and the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49. 82 ἄνεσις 1 states, “lit. relaxation of custodial control, some liberty, ἀ. ἔχειν have some freedom Ac 24:23.”
50. 83 Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).
51. 84 Grk “from serving him.”
52. 85 See the note on Antonius Felix in .
53. 86 It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141–144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.
54. 87 The word “speak” is implied; ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς … πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”
55. 88 Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
56. 89 Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
57. 90 Or “speaking about.”
58. 91 Grk “and self-control.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. The topic of self-control was appropriate in view of the personal history of both Felix and Drusilla (see the note on “Drusilla” in the previous verse), and might well account for Felix’s anxiety.
59. 92 See the note on Felix in .
60. 93 Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
61. 94 Or “when I find time.” μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time … Ac 24:25.”
62. 95 Grk “he was hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.” To simplify the translation, the passive construction has been converted to an active one. Would give him money. That is, would offer him a bribe in exchange for his release. Such practices were fairly common among Roman officials of the period (Josephus, 2.12.3 [2.272–274]).
63. 96 Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
64. 97 “As often as possible” reflects the comparative form of the adjective πυκνός (puknos); see BDAG 897 πυκνός, which has “Neut. of the comp. πυκνότερον as adv. more often, more frequently and in an elative sense very often, quite frequently … also as often as possible … Ac 24:26.”
65. 98 On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see ὁμιλέω.
66. 99 Grk “After a two-year period.”
67. 100 Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in a.d. 57 or 58, and Festus was appointed to his vacant office in a.d. 57, 58, or 59. According to Josephus ( 20.8.9–10 [20.182–188]; 2.14.1 [2.271–272]), his administration was better than that of his predecessor Felix or his successor Albinus, but Luke in Acts portrays him in a less favorable light: He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (v. 9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence. The one characteristic for which Festus was noted is that he dealt harshly with those who disturbed the peace.
68. 101 Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.” See the note on Felix in .
69. 102 Grk “left Paul imprisoned.” Felix left Paul in prison. Luke makes the point that politics got in the way of justice here; keeping Paul in prison was a political favor to the Jews.