Acts 26:25-32

26:25 But Paul replied, ¹  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ²  but am speaking ³  true and rational ⁴  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ⁵  to him, ⁶  because I cannot believe ⁷  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁸  for this was not done in a corner. ⁹  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ¹⁰  King Agrippa? ¹¹  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ¹²  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ¹³  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ¹⁴  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ¹⁵ 

26:30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, 26:31 and as they were leaving they said to one another, ¹⁶  “This man is not doing anything deserving ¹⁷  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ¹⁸  said to Festus, ¹⁹  “This man could have been released ²⁰  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ²¹ 

[26:25]  ¹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ³ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ⁴ 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.”

[26:26]  ⁵ tn BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1 states, “speak freely, openly, fearlessly…likew. in the ptc. w. a verb of saying foll.…παρρησιασάμενοι εἶπαν 13:46. – 26:26.” This could refer to boldness in speaking here.

[26:26]  ⁶ tn Grk “to whom I am speaking freely.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“him”) to simplify the translation.

[26:26]  ⁷ tn Grk “I cannot convince myself.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.a states, “οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26” (see also BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω).

[26:26]  ⁸ tn BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω states, “λανθάνειν αὐτὸν τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐθέν I cannot bring myself to believe that any of these things has escaped his notice Ac 26:26.”

[26:26]  ⁹ tn This term refers to a hidden corner (BDAG 209 s.v. γωνία). Paul’s point is that these events to which he refers were not done in a secret, hidden place, tucked away outside of view. They were done in public for all the world to see.

[26:27]  ¹⁰ sn “Do you believe the prophets?” Note how Paul made the issue believing the OT prophets and God’s promise which God fulfilled in Christ. He was pushing King Agrippa toward a decision not for or against Paul’s guilt of any crime, but concerning Paul’s message.

[26:27]  ¹¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ¹² sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ¹³ tn Or “In a short time you will make me a Christian.” On the difficulty of the precise nuances of Agrippa’s reply in this passage, see BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b. The idiom is like 1 Kgs 21:7 LXX. The point is that Paul was trying to persuade Agrippa to accept his message. If Agrippa had let Paul persuade him, he would have converted to Christianity.

[26:29]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 703 s.v. ὀλίγος 2.b.β has “καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ whether in a short or a long time vs. 29 (cf. B-D-F §195; GWhitaker, The Words of Agrippa to St. Paul: JTS 15, 1914, 82f; AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 50; Field, Notes 141-43; s. Rob. 653).”

[26:29]  ¹⁵ sn Except for these chains. The chains represented Paul’s unjust suffering for the sake of the message. His point was, in effect, “I do not care how long it takes. I only hope you and everyone else hearing this would become believers in Christ, but without my unjust suffering.”

[26:31]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:32]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ²⁰ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ²¹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).