Acts 25:11-12

Context
25:11 If then I am in the wrong¹ and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying,² but if not one of their charges against me is true,³ no one can hand me over to them.⁴ I appeal to Caesar!”⁵ 25:12 Then, after conferring with his council,⁶ Festus⁷ replied, “You have appealed to Caesar;⁸ to Caesar⁹ you will go!”¹⁰

Acts 25:25

Context
25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death,¹¹ and when he appealed¹² to His Majesty the Emperor,¹³ I decided to send him.¹⁴

[25:11] ¹tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11] ²tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11] ³tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11] ⁴sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11] ⁵tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12] ⁶tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12] ⁷sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12] ⁸tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12] ⁹tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12] ¹⁰sn “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.

[25:25] ¹¹sn He had done nothing that deserved death. Festus’ opinion of Paul’s guilt is like Pilate’s of Jesus (Luke 23:4, 14, 22).

[25:25] ¹²tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”

[25:25] ¹³tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).”

[25:25] ¹⁴tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.