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Acts 23

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Paul Before the Sanhedrin 1–5

1
And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day. ​
2
And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. ​
3
Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: and sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? ​
4
And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?
5
And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people. ​

Paul Divides the Council; the Lord Encourages Him 6–11

6
But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees: touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. ​
7
And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.
8
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. ​
9
And there arose a great clamor: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel? ​
10
And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle.
11
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. ​

A Conspiracy Against Paul 12–22

12
And when it was day, the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. ​
13
And they were more than forty that made this conspiracy.
14
And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ​
15
Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him.
16
But Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, and he came and entered into the castle and told Paul. ​
17
And Paul called unto him one of the centurions, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain; for he hath something to tell him.
18
So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and saith, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and asked me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say to thee.
19
And the chief captain took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, What is it that thou hast to tell me?
20
And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul to-morrow unto the council, as though thou wouldest inquire somewhat more exactly concerning him.
21
Do not thou therefore yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, who have bound themselves under a curse, neither to eat nor to drink till they have slain him: and now are they ready, looking for the promise from thee.
22
So the chief captain let the young man go, charging him, Tell no man that thou hast signified these things to me.

Paul Sent to Governor Felix 23–30

23
And he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Cæsarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night: ​
24
and he bade them provide beasts, that they might set Paul thereon, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.
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And he wrote a letter after this form:
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Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix, greeting. ​
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This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be slain of them, when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. ​
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And desiring to know the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him down unto their council:
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whom I found to be accused about questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. ​
30
And when it was shown to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to thee forthwith, charging his accusers also to speak against him before thee.

Arrival in Caesarea 31–35

31
So the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ​
32
But on the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
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and they, when they came to Cæsarea and delivered the letter to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
34
And when he had read it, he asked of what province he was; and when he understood that he was of Cilicia, ​
35
I will hear thee fully, said he, when thine accusers also are come: and he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s palace. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Acts 23

Verse 1

I have lived in all good conscience — 'Lived' is politeuomai, to conduct oneself as a citizen of a commonwealth, found elsewhere only in Phil 1:27, 'let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel'. Paul says the same before Felix: 'a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men' (Acts 24:16).

Verse 2

to smite him on the mouth — Ananias is the high priest who later came down with the elders and the orator Tertullus (Acts 24:1). The blow on the mouth recalls the officer who 'struck Jesus with the palm of his hand' before the high priest (John 18:22), and Zedekiah's blow to Micaiah's cheek (1 Kings 22:24).

Verse 3

thou whited wall — Koniao, to whiten with lime, occurs only here and in Matt 23:27, where Christ calls the scribes and Pharisees 'whited sepulchres'. Paul's charge rests on the law itself: Deut 25:1–2 has a man beaten only after the judges have condemned him, and 'our law' does not judge 'any man, before it hear him' (John 7:51).

Verse 5

Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people — Paul quotes Ex 22:28, 'Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people', and applies it to himself at once: 'I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest'. The law he had appealed to in v.3 binds him as well.

Verse 6

I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee — Paul said the same of himself in Phil 3:5, 'as touching the law, a Pharisee'. 'Hope and resurrection of the dead' is the matter he later says he was tried for (Acts 24:15, 21). The council was split between the two parties, as Luke notes in this verse.

Verse 8

no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit — The Sadducees' denial is also recorded in Matt 22:23 and Luke 20:27, where they brought Christ their question about the woman and the seven brothers. They were 'grieved' when the apostles 'preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead' (Acts 4:1–2). The Pharisees 'confess both'.

Verse 9

let us not fight against God — Theomacheo, to fight against God, is found only here. Gamaliel used the related adjective, 'lest haply ye be found even to fight against God' (Acts 5:39). The scribes' 'spirit or an angel' refers to what Paul had just told of his conversion (Acts 22:7–10, 17–18).

Verse 11

Be of good cheer, Paul — Tharseo is Christ's own word to the disciples, 'Be of good cheer; it is I' (Matt 14:27), and it is found in Acts only here. 'Testified' is diamartyromai, the verb of Acts 20:24. The promise answers Paul's own purpose, 'I must also see Rome' (Acts 19:21), and is fulfilled in Acts 28:14–16.

Verse 12

bound themselves under a curse — Anathematizo, to put under a curse, whose noun is the 'accursed' of Rom 9:3 and Gal 1:8. 'Banded together' is systrophe, a gathering, found otherwise only in Acts 19:40, 'concourse'. The oath is repeated in v.14 and v.21, where 'more than forty men' are named.

Verse 14

a great curse — The wording joins verb and noun: they 'bound themselves' with an anathema, the word of Gal 1:8. They went to 'the chief priests and elders', and these same men are asked in v.15, 'ye with the council signify to the chief captain', to bring Paul down. The plot depended on the council's request.

Verse 16

Paul's sister's son — This is the only place where Paul's sister or her son is mentioned. 'Lying in wait' is enedron, an ambush, found only here. The young man could enter the castle and speak to Paul, which fits the liberty Paul had in custody: his acquaintance were not forbidden to 'minister or come unto him' (Acts 24:23).

Verse 23

two hundred soldiers… horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred — The escort totals 470 men. Dexiolabos, 'spearman', occurs only here. Lysias also sees to 'beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix' (v.24). The size of the guard answers the 'more than forty men' of v.21.

Verse 26

the most excellent governor Felix — Kratistos is the title of Luke 1:3, 'most excellent Theophilus', and of Acts 24:3 and 26:25. The letter opens with Lysias's name and 'sendeth greeting' (chairo), the formula of Acts 15:23 and James 1:1. Luke gives the letter in full, as he gives the Jerusalem letter of Acts 15:23–29.

Verse 27

having understood that he was a Roman — The letter compresses the sequence. In Acts 21:31–33 the captain took soldiers and centurions, ran down because of the uproar, and had Paul bound with two chains, and he learned of Paul's citizenship only in Acts 22:25–29. The letter states the rescue and the citizenship together.

Verse 29

questions of their law — Zetema, a matter of dispute, is the word of Acts 18:15 (Gallio) and Acts 25:19. 'Nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds' is echoed in Acts 25:25 and Acts 26:31, so Lysias, Festus and Agrippa all find Paul blameless, as Pilate said of Christ with Herod (Luke 23:15).

Verse 31

brought him by night to Antipatris — Antipatris is named only here in the New Testament. The foot soldiers turned back from it, and the horsemen went on with Paul to Caesarea (v.32). The night march follows Lysias's order to be ready 'at the third hour of the night' (v.23).

Verse 34

of what province he was — Eparchia, a province, is found only here and in Acts 25:1, 'when Festus was come into the province'. Felix learned that Paul was of Cilicia, as Paul had told Lysias, 'a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia' (Acts 21:39). He then undertakes to hear the case himself (v.35).

Verse 35

Herod's judgment hall — Praitorion is the 'common hall' of Matt 27:27 and the 'hall of judgment' of John 18:28, and in Phil 1:13 it is 'the palace'. Diakouo, 'I will hear thee', occurs only here. Paul stays under guard until, 'after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room' (Acts 24:27).