Acts 23:26

23:26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor ¹  Felix, ²  greetings.

Acts 23:33-35

23:33 When the horsemen ³  came to Caesarea ⁴  and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented ⁵  Paul to him. 23:34 When the governor ⁶  had read ⁷  the letter, ⁸  he asked ⁹  what province he was from. ¹⁰  When he learned ¹¹  that he was from Cilicia, ¹²  23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ¹³  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ¹⁴  he ordered that Paul ¹⁵  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ¹⁶ 

Acts 24:3

24:3 Most excellent Felix, ¹⁷  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ¹⁸  with all gratitude. ¹⁹ 

Acts 24:10

Paul’s Defense Before Felix

24:10 When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know ²⁰  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ²¹ 

Acts 24:22-27

24:22 Then Felix, ²²  who understood the facts ²³  concerning the Way ²⁴  more accurately, ²⁵  adjourned their hearing, ²⁶  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ²⁷  24:23 He ordered the centurion ²⁸  to guard Paul, ²⁹  but to let him have some freedom, ³⁰  and not to prevent any of his friends ³¹  from meeting his needs. ³² 

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ³³  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ³⁴  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ³⁵  about faith in Christ Jesus. ³⁶  24:25 While Paul ³⁷  was discussing ³⁸  righteousness, self-control, ³⁹  and the coming judgment, Felix ⁴⁰  became ⁴¹  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁴²  I will send for you.” 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ⁴³  and for this reason he sent for Paul ⁴⁴  as often as possible ⁴⁵  and talked ⁴⁶  with him. 24:27 After two years ⁴⁷  had passed, Porcius Festus ⁴⁸  succeeded Felix, ⁴⁹  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ⁵⁰ 

Acts 25:14

25:14 While ⁵¹  they were staying there many days, Festus ⁵²  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ⁵³  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.

[23:26]  ¹ tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:26]  ² sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.

[23:33]  ³ tn Grk “who, coming to Caesarea.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was begun here in the translation. The relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced with the referent (the horsemen) in the translation for clarity.

[23:33]  ⁴ sn 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. It was about 30 mi (50 km) from Antipatris.

[23:33]  ⁵ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.b has “present, represent – α. lit. τινά τινι someone to someone παρέστησαν τὸν Παῦλον αὐτῷ Ac 23:33.”

[23:34]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnou") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁸ tn The words “the letter” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:34]  ⁹ tn Grk “and asking.” The participle ἐπερωτήσας (eperwthsa") has been translated as a finite verb and καί (kai) left untranslated due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ¹⁰ sn Governor Felix asked what province he was from to determine whether he had legal jurisdiction over Paul. He could have sent him to his home province for trial, but decided to hear the case himself.

[23:34]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puqomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ¹² sn Cilicia was a province in northeastern Asia Minor.

[23:35]  ¹³ tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter – ‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”

[23:35]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.

[23:35]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ¹⁶ sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.

[24:3]  ¹⁷ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ¹⁹ tn Or “with complete thankfulness.” BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχαριστία 1 has “μετὰ πάσης εὐ.…with all gratitude Ac 24:3.” L&N 31.26 has “‘we acknowledge this anywhere and everywhere with complete thankfulness’ Ac 24:3.”

[24:10]  ²⁰ tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[24:10]  ²¹ sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.

[24:22]  ²² sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ²³ tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ²⁴ tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ²⁵ tn BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκριβῶς has “Comp. ἀκριβέστερον more exactly…ἀ. ἐκτίθεσθαι explain more exactly Ac 18:26, cp. 23:15, 20; also more accurately…24:22.” Felix knew more about the Christian movement than what the Jewish leaders had told him.

[24:22]  ²⁶ tn L&N 56.18 s.v. ἀναβάλλω has “to adjourn a court proceeding until a later time – ‘to adjourn a hearing, to stop a hearing and put it off until later.’…‘then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned their hearing’ Ac 24:22.”

[24:22]  ²⁷ tn BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω 2 states, “to make a judicial decision, decide/hear (a case)…τὰ καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς decide your case Ac 24:22.”

[24:23]  ²⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[24:23]  ²⁹ tn Grk “that he was to be guarded.” The passive construction (τηρεῖσθαι, threisqai) has been converted to an active one in parallel with the following clauses, and the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:23]  ³⁰ tn BDAG 77 s.v. ἄνεσις 1 states, “lit. relaxation of custodial control, some liberty, ἀ. ἔχειν have some freedom Ac 24:23.”

[24:23]  ³¹ tn Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).

[24:23]  ³² tn Grk “from serving him.”

[24:24]  ³³ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ³⁴ sn It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, Ant. 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141-144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.

[24:24]  ³⁵ tn The word “speak” is implied; BDAG 32 s.v. ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς…πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”

[24:24]  ³⁶ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ³⁸ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and self-control.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[24:25]  ⁴⁰ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ⁴² tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”

[24:26]  ⁴³ 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.

[24:26]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:26]  ⁴⁵ 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.”

[24:26]  ⁴⁶ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

[24:27]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ⁴⁸ 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.

[24:27]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[25:14]  ⁵¹ tn 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.”

[25:14]  ⁵² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁵³ tn 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.”