Acts 25:1

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25:1 Now¹ three days after Festus² arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem³ from Caesarea.⁴

Acts 25:4

25:4 Then Festus⁵ replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea,⁶ and he himself intended to go there⁷ shortly.

Acts 25:12-13

25:12 Then, after conferring with his council,⁸ Festus⁹ replied, “You have appealed to Caesar;¹⁰ to Caesar¹¹ you will go!”¹²

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa¹³ and Bernice arrived at Caesarea¹⁴ to pay their respects¹⁵ to Festus.¹⁶

Acts 25:22

25:22 Agrippa¹⁷ said to Festus,¹⁸ “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied,¹⁹ “you will hear him.”

Acts 26:25

26:25 But Paul replied,²⁰ “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus,²¹ but am speaking²² true and rational²³ words.

Acts 26:32

26:32 Agrippa²⁴ said to Festus,²⁵ “This man could have been released²⁶ if he had not appealed to Caesar.”²⁷

Acts 26:24

26:24 As Paul²⁸ was saying these things in his defense, Festus²⁹ exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind,³⁰ Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

Acts 24:27

24:27 After two years³¹ had passed, Porcius Festus³² succeeded Felix,³³ and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.³⁴

Acts 25:9

25:9 But Festus,³⁵ wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried³⁶ before me there on these charges?”³⁷

Acts 25:14

25:14 While³⁸ they were staying there many days, Festus³⁹ explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion,⁴⁰ saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.

Acts 25:23

Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice

25:23 So the next day Agrippa⁴¹ and Bernice came with great pomp⁴² and entered the audience hall,⁴³ along with the senior military officers⁴⁴ and the prominent men of the city. When Festus⁴⁵ gave the order,⁴⁶ Paul was brought in.

¹tn BDAG 736-37 s.v. οὖν 2.b states, “οὖν serves to indicate a transition to someth. new…now, then, well…Ac 25:1.”

²sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

³map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁴sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a journey of 65 mi (just over 100 km).

⁵sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

⁶sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

⁷tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

⁹tn That is, with his advisers.

¹⁰sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

¹¹tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

¹²tn Or “to the emperor.”

¹³sn “To Caesar you will go!” In all probability Festus was pleased to send Paul on to Rome and get this political problem out of his court.

¹³sn King Agrippa was Herod Agrippa II (a.d. 27-92/93), son of Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12:1). He ruled over parts of Palestine from a.d. 53 until his death. His sister Bernice was widowed when her second husband, Herod King of Chalcis, died in a.d. 48. From then she lived with her brother. In an attempt to quiet rumors of an incestuous relationship between them, she resolved to marry Polemo of Cilicia, but she soon left him and returned to Herod Agrippa II. Their incestuous relationship became the gossip of Rome according to Josephus (Ant. 20.7.3 [20.145-147]). The visit of Agrippa and Bernice gave Festus the opportunity to get some internal Jewish advice. Herod Agrippa II was a trusted adviser because he was known to be very loyal to Rome (Josephus, J. W. 2.16.4 [2.345-401]).

¹⁴sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

¹⁵tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

¹⁶sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

¹⁷sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

¹⁸sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

¹⁹tn Grk “said.”

²¹tn Grk “said.”

²²sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

²³tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

²⁴tn BDAG 987 s.v. σωφροσύνη 1 has “gener. soundness of mind, reasonableness, rationality…ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα true and rational words (opp. μαίνομαι) Ac 26:25.”

²⁵sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

²⁶sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

²⁷tn Or “set free.”

²⁸tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

²⁹tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁰sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

³¹tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”

³³tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

³⁴sn 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.

³⁵tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

³⁶tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

³⁷sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

³⁸tn Or “stand trial.”

³⁹tn Grk “concerning these things.”

⁴¹tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b states, “w. pres. or impf. while, when, as long as…Ac 1:10; 7:23; 9:23; 10:17; 13:25; 19:9; 21:27; 25:14.”

⁴²sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

⁴³tn Grk “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king for consideration.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατίθημι 2 states, “otherw. only mid. to lay someth. before someone for consideration, declare, communicate, refer w. the added idea that the pers. to whom a thing is ref. is asked for his opinion lay someth. before someone for consideration…Ac 25:14.”

⁴⁵sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

⁴⁶tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

⁴⁷tn Or “auditorium.” “Auditorium” may suggest to the modern English reader a theater where performances are held. Here it is the large hall where a king or governor would hold audiences. Paul once spoke of himself as a “spectacle” to the world (1 Cor 4:8-13).

⁴⁸tn Grk “the chiliarchs” (officers in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

⁴⁹sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

⁵⁰tn Grk “and Festus ordering, Paul was brought in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated. The participle κελεύσαντος (keleusanto") has been taken temporally.