Acts 24:26-27

24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ¹  and for this reason he sent for Paul ²  as often as possible ³  and talked ⁴  with him. 24:27 After two years ⁵  had passed, Porcius Festus ⁶  succeeded Felix, ⁷  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ⁸ 

¹ tn 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.

² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn “As often as possible” reflects the comparative form of the adjective πυκνός (puknos); see BDAG 897 s.v. 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.”

⁴ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

⁵ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

⁶ sn 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 (Ant. 20.8.9-10 [20.182-188]; J. W. 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.

⁷ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

⁸ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”