Acts 23:23

Context
23:23 Then¹ he summoned² two of the centurions³ and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea⁴ along with seventy horsemen⁵ and two hundred spearmen⁶ by⁷ nine o’clock tonight,⁸

Acts 25:6

Context

25:6 After Festus⁹ had stayed¹⁰ not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea,¹¹ and the next day he sat¹² on the judgment seat¹³ and ordered Paul to be brought.

[23:23] ¹tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to the reported ambush, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[23:23] ²tn Grk “summoning…he said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:23] ³sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23] 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 about 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[23:23] ⁵tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23] ⁶tn A military technical term of uncertain meaning. BDAG 217 s.v. δεξιολάβος states, “a word of uncertain mng., military t.t., acc. to Joannes Lydus…and Theophyl. Sim., Hist. 4, 1 a light-armed soldier, perh. bowman, slinger; acc. to a scholion in CMatthaei p. 342 body-guard….Spearman Goodspd., NRSV; ‘security officer’, GDKilpatrick, JTS 14, ’63, 393f.”

[23:23] ⁷tn Grk “from.”

[23:23] ⁸tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[25:6] ⁹tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:6] ¹⁰tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.

[25:6] ¹¹sn 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.

[25:6] ¹²tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:6] ¹³tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bhma was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.