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Text -- Acts 23:1-20 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
23:1 Paul looked directly at the council and said , “Brothers , I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God to this day .”
23:2 At that the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth .
23:3 Then Paul said to him , “God is going to strike you , you whitewashed wall ! Do you sit there judging me according to the law , and in violation of the law you order me to be struck ?”
23:4 Those standing near him said , “Do you dare insult God’s high priest ?”
23:5 Paul replied , “I did not realize , brothers , that he was the high priest , for it is written , ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people .’”
23:6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees , he shouted out in the council , “Brothers , I am a Pharisee , a son of Pharisees . I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead !”
23:7 When he said this , an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees , and the assembly was divided .
23:8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection , or angel , or spirit , but the Pharisees acknowledge them all .)
23:9 There was a great commotion , and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly , “We find nothing wrong with this man . What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him ?”
23:10 When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces , he ordered the detachment to go down , take him away from them by force , and bring him into the barracks .
23:11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said , “Have courage , for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem , so you must also testify in Rome .”
The Plot to Kill Paul
23:12 When morning came , the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul .
23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy .
23:14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said , “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed Paul .
23:15 So now you and the council request the commanding officer to bring him down to you , as if you were going to determine his case by conducting a more thorough inquiry . We are ready to kill him before he comes near this place.”
23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush , he came and entered the barracks and told Paul .
23:17 Paul called one of the centurions and said , “Take this young man to the commanding officer , for he has something to report to him .”
23:18 So the centurion took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said , “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”
23:19 The commanding officer took him by the hand , withdrew privately , and asked , “What is it that you want to report to me ?”
23:20 He replied , “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow , as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Self-defense |
PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 5 |
Paul |
Prisoners |
PROVINCE |
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 8-12 |
Claudius Lysias |
Sanhedrim |
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 13-OUTLINE |
Minister |
Ananias |
Sadducees |
Court |
Defense |
Pharisees |
Diplomacy |
ANANIAS (1) |
Priest |
THORN IN THE FLESH |
Tact |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Act 23:1; Act 23:1; Act 23:1; Act 23:2; Act 23:2; Act 23:2; Act 23:2; Act 23:3; Act 23:3; Act 23:3; Act 23:3; Act 23:3; Act 23:4; Act 23:4; Act 23:4; Act 23:5; Act 23:5; Act 23:5; Act 23:6; Act 23:6; Act 23:6; Act 23:6; Act 23:6; Act 23:7; Act 23:7; Act 23:7; Act 23:8; Act 23:8; Act 23:9; Act 23:9; Act 23:9; Act 23:9; Act 23:9; Act 23:10; Act 23:10; Act 23:10; Act 23:10; Act 23:10; Act 23:10; Act 23:11; Act 23:11; Act 23:11; Act 23:11; Act 23:11; Act 23:11; Act 23:11; Act 23:12; Act 23:12; Act 23:12; Act 23:12; Act 23:12; Act 23:13; Act 23:14; Act 23:14; Act 23:14; Act 23:14; Act 23:14; Act 23:15; Act 23:15; Act 23:15; Act 23:15; Act 23:15; Act 23:15; Act 23:15; Act 23:16; Act 23:16; Act 23:16; Act 23:17; Act 23:17; Act 23:17; Act 23:18; Act 23:18; Act 23:18; Act 23:19; Act 23:19; Act 23:20; Act 23:20
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NET Notes: Act 23:2 Or “hit” (‘strike’ maintains the wordplay with the following verse). The action was probably designed to indicate a rejection ...
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NET Notes: Act 23:3 In violation of the law. Paul was claiming that punishment was given before the examination was complete (m. Sanhedrin 3:6-8). Luke’s noting of ...
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NET Notes: Act 23:4 Insult God’s high priest. Paul was close to violation of the Mosaic law with his response, as the citation from Exod 22:28 in v. 5 makes clear.
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NET Notes: Act 23:5 A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of...
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NET Notes: Act 23:6 That is, concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected. Grk “concerning the hope and resurrection.” BDAG 320 s.v. ἐλ ...
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NET Notes: Act 23:7 Grk “there came about an argument.” This has been simplified to “an argument began”
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NET Notes: Act 23:9 “We find nothing wrong with this man.” Here is another declaration of innocence. These leaders recognized the possibility that Paul might ...
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NET Notes: Act 23:10 Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Rom...
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NET Notes: Act 23:12 The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but ...
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NET Notes: Act 23:13 L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunwmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some ins...
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NET Notes: Act 23:14 This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).
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NET Notes: Act 23:16 Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Rom...
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NET Notes: Act 23:17 Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
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NET Notes: Act 23:19 Grk “you have,” but the expression “have to report” in English could be understood to mean “must report” rather th...
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