Acts 25:17-27

Context
25:17 So after they came back here with me,¹ I did not postpone the case,² but the next day I sat³ on the judgment seat⁴ and ordered the man to be brought. 25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge⁵ him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected.⁶ 25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement⁷ with him about their own religion⁸ and about a man named Jesus⁹ who was dead, whom Paul claimed¹⁰ to be alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss¹¹ how I could investigate these matters,¹² I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried¹³ there on these charges.¹⁴ 25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor,¹⁵ I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.”¹⁶ 25:22 Agrippa¹⁷ said to Festus,¹⁸ “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied,¹⁹ “you will hear him.”

Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice

25:23 So the next day Agrippa²⁰ and Bernice came with great pomp²¹ and entered the audience hall,²² along with the senior military officers²³ and the prominent men of the city. When Festus²⁴ gave the order,²⁵ Paul was brought in. 25:24 Then Festus²⁶ said, “King Agrippa,²⁷ and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace²⁸ petitioned²⁹ me both in Jerusalem³⁰ and here,³¹ shouting loudly³² that he ought not to live any longer. 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death,³³ and when he appealed³⁴ to His Majesty the Emperor,³⁵ I decided to send him.³⁶ 25:26 But I have nothing definite³⁷ to write to my lord³⁸ about him.³⁹ Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa,⁴⁰ so that after this preliminary hearing⁴¹ I may have something to write. 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating⁴² the charges against him.”

[25:17] ¹tn BDAG 969-70 s.v. συνέρχομαι 2 states, “συνελθόντων ἐνθάδε prob. means (because of συνκαταβάντες 25:5) they came back here with (me) 25:17.”

[25:17] ²tn BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβολή states, “‘delay’…legal t.t. postponement…ἀ. μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος I did not postpone the matter Ac 25:17.” “Case” has been supplied instead of “matter” since it is more specific to the context. The participle ποιησάμενος (poihsameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17] ³tn Grk “sitting…I ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17] ⁴tn 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 bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:18] ⁵tn Grk “they brought no charge of any of the evil deeds.” BDAG 31 s.v. αἰτία 3.b has “αἰτίαν φέρειν…bring an accusation Ac 25:18.” Since κατήγοροι (kathgoroi, “accusers”) in the previous clause is somewhat redundant with this, “charge” was used instead.

[25:18] ⁶tn Or “I was expecting.”

[25:19] ⁷tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[25:19] ⁸tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.

[25:19] ⁹tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”

[25:19] ¹⁰tn Or “asserted.”

[25:20] ¹¹tn Or “Because I was undecided.” Grk “Being at a loss.” The participle ἀπορούμενος (aporoumeno") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[25:20] ¹²tn L&N 27.34 states, “ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτων ζήτησιν ‘I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters’ Ac 25:20. The clause ‘about how I could get information on these matters’ may also be rendered as ‘about how I should try to find out about these matters’ or ‘about how I could learn about these matters.’”

[25:20] ¹³tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:20] ¹⁴tn Grk “on these things.”

[25:21] ¹⁵tn 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).” It was a translation into Greek of the Latin “Augustus.”

[25:21] ¹⁶tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

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

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

[25:22] ¹⁹tn Grk “said.”

[25:23] ²⁰sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:23] ²¹tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

[25:23] ²²tn 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] ²³tn 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] ²⁴sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:23] ²⁵tn 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.

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

[25:24] ²⁷sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:24] ²⁸tn Probably best understood as rhetorical hyperbole. BDAG 825 s.v. πλῆθος 2.b.γ states, “people, populace, population…τὸ πλῆθος the populace…ἅπαν τὸ πλ. τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων Ac 25:24.” However, the actions of the leadership are seen by Luke as representing the actions of the entire nation, so the remark is not inaccurate.

[25:24] ²⁹tn Or “appealed to” (BDAG 341 s.v. ἐντυγχάνω 1.a).

[25:24] ³⁰map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:24] ³¹sn Here means “here in Caesarea.”

[25:24] ³²tn Or “screaming.”

[25:25] ³³sn 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] ³⁴tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”

[25:25] ³⁵tn 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] ³⁶tn 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.

[25:26] ³⁷sn There is irony here. How can Festus write anything definite about Paul, if he is guilty of nothing.

[25:26] ³⁸sn To my lord means “to His Majesty the Emperor.”

[25:26] ³⁹tn Grk “about whom I have nothing definite…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 26.

[25:26] ⁴⁰sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:26] ⁴¹tn Or “investigation.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνάκρισις has “a judicial hearing, investigation, hearing, esp. preliminary hearing…τῆς ἀ. γενομένης Ac 25:26.” This is technical legal language.

[25:27] ⁴²tn L&N 33.153 s.v. σημαίνω, “to cause something to be both specific and clear – ‘to indicate clearly, to make clear’… ‘for it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him’ Ac 25:27.”