Acts 25:1

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25:1 Now ¹  three days after Festus ²  arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem ³  from Caesarea. ⁴ 

Acts 25:4

25:4 Then Festus ⁵  replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, ⁶  and he himself intended to go there ⁷  shortly.

Acts 25:12-13

25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ⁸  Festus ⁹  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ¹⁰  to Caesar ¹¹  you will go!” ¹² 

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ¹³  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ¹⁴  to pay their respects ¹⁵  to Festus. ¹⁶ 

Acts 25:22

25:22 Agrippa ¹⁷  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 speaking ²²  true and rational ²³  words.

Acts 26:32

26:32 Agrippa ²⁴  said to Festus, ²⁵  “This man could have been released ²⁶  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ²⁷ 

Acts 26:24

26:24 As Paul ²⁸  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ²⁹  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ³⁰  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

Acts 24:27

24:27 After two years ³¹  had passed, Porcius Festus ³²  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 tried ³⁶  before me there on these charges?” ³⁷ 

Acts 25:14

25:14 While ³⁸  they were staying there many days, Festus ³⁹  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 Agrippa ⁴¹  and Bernice came with great pomp ⁴²  and entered the audience hall, ⁴³  along with the senior military officers ⁴⁴  and the prominent men of the city. When Festus ⁴⁵  gave the order, ⁴⁶  Paul was brought in.

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

[25:1]  ² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:1]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:1]  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. This was a journey of 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[25:4]  ⁵ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:4]  ⁶ 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.

[25:4]  ⁷ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[25:12]  ⁹ tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ¹² tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12]  ¹³ sn “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.

[25:13]  ¹³ sn 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]).

[25:13]  ¹⁴ 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.

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

[25:13]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ¹⁷ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:22]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ²¹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ²² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

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

[26:25]  ²⁴ tn 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.”

[26:32]  ²⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ²⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ²⁷ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ²⁸ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[26:24]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ³⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ³¹ tn 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.”

[24:27]  ³³ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ³⁶ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[25:9]  ³⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ³⁸ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ³⁹ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:14]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁴³ 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.”

[25:23]  ⁴⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:23]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

[25:23]  ⁴⁷ tn 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).

[25:23]  ⁴⁸ tn 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.

[25:23]  ⁴⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:23]  ⁵⁰ tn 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.