Acts 23:26

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

Acts 23:24

23:24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride ³  so that he may be brought safely to Felix ⁴  the governor.” ⁵ 

Acts 24:3

24:3 Most excellent Felix, ⁶  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ⁷  with all gratitude. ⁸ 

Acts 24:27

24:27 After two years ⁹  had passed, Porcius Festus ¹⁰  succeeded Felix, ¹¹  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ¹² 

Acts 24:22

24:22 Then Felix, ¹³  who understood the facts ¹⁴  concerning the Way ¹⁵  more accurately, ¹⁶  adjourned their hearing, ¹⁷  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ¹⁸ 

Acts 24:24-25

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ¹⁹  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ²⁰  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ²¹  about faith in Christ Jesus. ²²  24:25 While Paul ²³  was discussing ²⁴  righteousness, self-control, ²⁵  and the coming judgment, Felix ²⁶  became ²⁷  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ²⁸  I will send for you.”

Acts 25:14

25:14 While ²⁹  they were staying there many days, Festus ³⁰  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ³¹  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.

[23:24]  ³ tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”

[23:24]  ⁴ sn Felix the governor was Antonius Felix, a freedman of Antonia, mother of the Emperor Claudius. He was the brother of Pallas and became procurator of Palestine in a.d. 52/53. His administration was notorious for its corruption, cynicism, and cruelty. According to the historian Tacitus (History 5.9) Felix “reveled in cruelty and lust, and wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave.”

[23:24]  ⁵ tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[24:3]  ⁵ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ⁷ 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.”

[24:27]  ⁷ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[24:22]  ⁹ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ¹¹ tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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.”

[24:24]  ¹¹ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ¹⁸ tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”

[25:14]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ¹⁷ 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.”