Acts 25:3

25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ¹  they urged Festus ²  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ³  to kill him along the way.

Acts 25:20

25:20 Because I was at a loss ⁴  how I could investigate these matters, ⁵  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ⁶  there on these charges. ⁷ 

Acts 12:3

12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, ⁸  he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) ⁹ 

Acts 24:27

24:27 After two years ¹⁰  had passed, Porcius Festus ¹¹  succeeded Felix, ¹²  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ¹³ 

Mark 15:15

15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, ¹⁴  after he had Jesus flogged, ¹⁵  he handed him over ¹⁶  to be crucified.

¹ tn Grk “Requesting a favor against him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation, the understood direct object of “requesting” has been supplied, and the phrase “to do them” supplied for clarity.

² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The words “they urged him” are in v. 2 in the Greek text.

³ sn Planning an ambush. The Jewish leadership had not forgotten the original plan of several years ago (see 23:16). They did not trust the Roman legal process, but preferred to take matters into their own hands.

⁴ tn Or “Because I was undecided.” Grk “Being at a loss.” The participle ἀπορούμενος (aporoumeno") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

⁵ tn L&N 27.34 states, “ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτων ζήτησιν ‘I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters’ Ac 25:20. The clause ‘about how I could get information on these matters’ may also be rendered as ‘about how I should try to find out about these matters’ or ‘about how I could learn about these matters.’”

⁶ tn Or “stand trial.”

⁷ tn Grk “on these things.”

⁸ tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.

⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

¹⁰ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

¹¹ 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.

¹² tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

¹³ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹⁵ tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”

¹⁶ tn Or “delivered him up.”