Acts 25:3

25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ¹  they urged Festus ²  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ³  to kill him along the way.

Acts 25:20

25:20 Because I was at a loss ⁴  how I could investigate these matters, ⁵  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ⁶  there on these charges. ⁷ 

[25:3]  ¹ tn Grk “Requesting a favor against him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation, the understood direct object of “requesting” has been supplied, and the phrase “to do them” supplied for clarity.

[25:3]  ² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The words “they urged him” are in v. 2 in the Greek text.

[25:3]  ³ sn Planning an ambush. The Jewish leadership had not forgotten the original plan of several years ago (see 23:16). They did not trust the Roman legal process, but preferred to take matters into their own hands.

[25:20]  ⁴ tn Or “Because I was undecided.” Grk “Being at a loss.” The participle ἀπορούμενος (aporoumeno") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[25:20]  ⁵ tn 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]  ⁶ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:20]  ⁷ tn Grk “on these things.”