Acts 26:28

26:28 Agrippa ¹  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ² 

Acts 25:13

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ³  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ⁴  to pay their respects ⁵  to Festus. ⁶ 

Acts 25:22

25:22 Agrippa ⁷  said to Festus, ⁸  “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, ⁹  “you will hear him.”

Acts 26:32

26:32 Agrippa ¹⁰  said to Festus, ¹¹  “This man could have been released ¹²  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ¹³ 

Acts 26:1

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ¹⁴  said to Paul, “You have permission ¹⁵  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ¹⁶  and began his defense: ¹⁷ 

[26:28]  ¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ² 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.

[25:13]  ³ 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]  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.

[25:13]  ⁵ tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

[25:13]  ⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:22]  ⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[26:32]  ⁷ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ⁹ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ¹⁰ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[26:1]  ⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ¹² tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”