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Acts Chapter
Twenty-three
I.
Content of the Chapter
Paul’s Witness before the Council and the
Result:
I. He defended before the council:
A. He
was struck by men under the commandment of the high priest the moment he began
to speak (v.1-5).
B. He
purposely made the Pharisees and Sadducees argue for him (v.6-9).
C. He
was taken by soldiers among men (v.10).
II. The Lord appeared to him and encouraged him (v.11).
III. The Jews plotted to kill Paul and the purpose was
not realized:
A. The
Jews banded together to kill Paul (v.12-15).
B.
Paul's sister's son heard of their ambush and reported it to the commander
(v.16-21).
C. The
commander deployed forces to escort Paul to
D. The
governor read the letter and kept Paul in the Praetorium (v.34-35).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 23:1 “Then Paul, looking
earnestly at the council, said, ‘Men and brethren, I have
lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’”
YLT: “And Paul having
earnestly beheld the sanhedrim, said, `Men, brethren, I in all good conscience
have lived to God unto this day;'”
Literal Meaning: “I have lived in all good
conscience before God” “Conscience” is
created by God for men. It is a function that God puts in men’s spirit and it
regulates men’s words and deeds in men. When men’s words and deeds are wrong,
the conscience shall give men the sense of condemnation and uneasiness; when
men are well-behaved, their conscience shall have the sense of peace. Unfortunately,
after men’s fall, their spirits are dead (Gen. 2:17; Eph. 2:1) and the sense of
conscience is quite weak (Eph. 4:18-19). However, believers’ spirits have been
born from above (John. 3:6; Eph. 2:5) and our conscience has been cleansed by
the precious blood of the Lord and the sound function of conscience has been
recovered. And therefore we should walk according to our conscience and have a
good conscience (1Tim. 1:19).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Concerning believers’ walking, they should not
only take care before “men” but also pay attention to how to please God before
“Him”.
2) Many people only pay attention to walking
“before men” and do whatever they like “behind men”. They should know that
“behind men” is still “before God”.
3) The one who lives “before God” at all times is
able to defend boldly “before men” and feels blameless.
4) The world always boasts before men that they
walk according to their conscience. But actually their conscience is bad,
hypocritical and even lost.
5) Since the conscience of Christians has been
cleansed by the precious blood of the Lord, their senses should be vigorous,
fresh and acute. If we could live according to the senses of conscience in
everything, we shall bear good witness to the Lord.
6) We should hold faith and a good conscience and
should never reject the conscience, otherwise we shall have suffered shipwreck
concerning the faith (1Tim. 1:19).
Acts. 23:2 “And the high priest
Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.”
YLT: “and the chief
priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to smite him on the mouth,”
The
Background: according to the
Jewish law, the rights of those who were tried were highly emphasized. It was
against the law to strike the one who was tried on the mouth indiscriminately
(See v.3). And according to the Law, it defended the glory of God to strike one
on the mouth.
Literal Meaning: “the high priest Ananias” Ananias was the famous politician who was
reckless and insatiably avaricious. He was the high priest from A.D. 47-58 and
he was removed from office by the Roman Government from A.D. 51-52 and then he
resumed his post.
“Strike him on the mouth” in order to
humiliate him and do not allow him to speak randomly. Please note that the Lord
was struck by men’s hands when He was tried, however, He suffered more cruelly
than Paul: 1) He was spite upon by men; 2) His face was covered; 3) He was
buffeted; 4) He was asked to prophesy that who struck Him; 5) He was struck by
the palms of men’s hands (Mark. 14:65; Matt. 26:67-68).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believers should not only enter the veil and
have communion with the Lord but also go forth unto Him without the camp,
bearing His reproach (Heb. 13:13).
2) The one who walks in all good conscience before
God (See v.1) may be misunderstood or despised by men.
Acts. 23:3 “Then Paul said to him, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to
judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to
the law?’”
YLT: “then Paul said unto
him, `God is about to smite thee, thou whitewashed wall, and thou -- thou dost
sit judging me according to the law, and, violating law, dost order me to be
smitten!'”
Literal Meaning: “Then Paul said to him” Immediately Paul responded angrily to the
injustice of the inquisitor, compared with the Lord Jesus who kept nothing when
he was fully humiliated (See the note in v.2).
“You whitewashed wall” It means that he was hypocritical (See
Matt. 23:27-28) because apparently he tried Paul in order to maintain the law
but actually he destroyed the law and went against the spirit of the Law.
“God will strike you” Ananias was assassinated A. D. 66 by the
traitor of the Judaic nationalism and some people held that the word was
fulfilled.
“You sit to judge me according to the
law” “Sit to judge” means sitting down and
judging.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What God abominates most is the hypocrisy of the
clergy: they are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful
outward, but are inward full of dirtiness and uncleanness (See Matt. 23:27).
2) The law executor even break the law and it is
the common phenomenon in the world, however, those who have authority in the
church should never abuse their authority and should be the model of all the
people.
3) They have a form of godliness but denying its
power. And from such people turn away (2Tim. 3:5)!
4) Preachers are not respected by their status or
position. They will naturally gain the respect of all as long as they give heed
to walking according to the truth.
5) Those who serve the Lord are mighty and
unyielding and they dare to point out the wrongness of others.
Acts. 23:4 “And those who stood by
said, ‘Do you revile God's high
priest?’”
YLT: “And those who stood
by said, ‘The chief priest of God dost thou revile?'”
Literal Meaning: “Do you revile God's high
priest?” According to the
Jewish traditions, the one who reviled the high priest indeed committed the sin
that he was impious to God. And therefore it is a very serious transgression to
revile God’s high priest (See Exod. 22:28; John. 18:22).
Acts. 23:5 “Then Paul said, ‘I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest;
for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of
a ruler of your people.’”
YLT: “and Paul said, `I
did not know, brethren, that he is chief priest: for it hath been written, Of
the ruler of thy people thou shalt not speak evil;'”
Literal Meaning: “I did not know, brethren,
that he was the high priest” There were two
explanations for Paul’s words: one is that 1) the eyes of Paul were sick and
his eyesight was poor (Gal. 4:15; 6:11); 2) Paul always preached out of
Jerusalem and he never met the present high priest; 3) the high priest did not
wear the official robe; 4) the commander was present and the high priest did
not sit according to the order. There were the above-mentioned and many other
reasons and therefore Paul did not that he was the high priest and he may
regard him as a leader of the council. The other is the ironic word which
implies that the high priest never acted at his own will and was not
unreasonable. From Paul’s following words that were quoted from the Bible, the
latter was more reasonable. Here Paul mocked that his behavior made it
difficult for others to recognize him the high priest. And therefore this
sentence could be translated into, “I did not expect that such a man who
commanded men to strike me on the mouth was the high priest”.
“You shall not speak evil of a ruler of
your people” is quoted from
Exod. 22:28. It was quite interesting that Paul quoted this scripture in such
occasion. On one hand it shows that he respected the Law and on the other it is
manifested that the high priest was not worthy of the ruler of the people.
Paul’s words in this verse actually
showed his apology to the ministry of the high priest instead of the person.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Any spiritual man may make mistake in word. But
what’s the most important is acknowledging the mistake immediately the moment
he is aware of the mistake.
2) Today the greatest difficulty in the church is
that believers do not respect the authority that God has appointed so that the
words of God are blocked and the will of God is blurred.
Acts. 23:6 “But when Paul perceived
that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the
council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the
dead I am being judged!’”
YLT: “and Paul having
known that the one part are Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried out in
the sanhedrim, `Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee -- son of a Pharisee --
concerning hope and rising again of dead men I am judged.'”
The
Background: “Sadducees” was a
Jewish party and most of its members were of the rich upper-class. And its name
originated from Zadok the high priest in the time of Solomon (See 1Kings. 4:4).
They opposed the Pharisees who only stressed on zealousness and ignored the
morals and therefore they stressed on morals. However, they tent to become
extreme, i.e. they only stressed on behaviors and ignored the faith. They did
not believe resurrection and held that men perished after death and therefore
there aren’t ghosts or angels. They only accepted the Pentateuch and neither
esteemed the prophets nor received the traditions of the elders. They had high
political positions and Ananias the high priest and Caiaphas were of the party
of Sadducees at that time.
“The Pharisees” Previously they were a
group of people who loved the country and were pious to God. They were
separated from the party of Maccabean because Simon the high priest was for
himself instead of God. And therefore their enemies called them “the party of
Pharisees” (it means “separation”). They tried their best to keep the Law and
the traditions and made themselves superior to the common people. And therefore
the noun “the Pharisees” became their religious purpose. They gradually intent
to stress on the outward behaviors and ignored the inner parts because they
stressed on keeping the Law. They prayed in the corners, enlarged the borders
of their garments and looked up to heaven while walking, lest they saw women.
They were strict to men. They kept the regulations obstinately and outwardly
but their inward was still corruptible and therefore the later generations
explain the noun “the Pharisees” as “the hypocritical”.
A Christian who was a Pharisee previously could
still walk as a Pharisee (See Acts. 15:5). However, a Christian who was a
Sadducee previously could not still walk as a Sadducee.
Literal Meaning: “But when Paul perceived
that one part were Sadducees” “one part”
Actually, the majority of the members of the council were the Pharisees at that
time and the minority was Sadducees who had authorities.
“I am a Pharisee” Paul was taught according to the perfect
manner of the law and became a member of the Pharisees (Acts. 22:3; Pill. 3:5).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord once taught the disciples that when they are among
unbelievers, as sheep in the midst of wolves and therefore they should be wise
as serpents (Matt. 10:16). Under the dangerous circumstances, we believers
should observe wisely and see the weak points in order to dissolve the danger.
2) The wisdom and words of dealing with dangerous
situations are of the spirit of God (Matt. 10:19-20) and therefore we should
usually walk in the spirit (Gal. 5:25) and be familiar with the senses of the
Spirit.
3) When we bear witness to the Lord, it will be of
greater effect if we are able to know the sphere that the listeners are familiar
with and make use of it.
4) The faith of Christianity is based on the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that not only Christ Himself is risen
from the dead but also all in Christ shall be made alive (1Cor. 15:20-22).
5) Christians are those who live in the hope of
resurrection and what we pursue is the reward in the coming after resurrection
instead of the enjoyment of this life (1Cor. 15:19).
6) We should neither enjoy the positions and
enjoyment in this life as Sadducees nor have the rigid faith as the Pharisees.
We indeed have the lively hope (1Pet. 1:3).
Acts. 23:7 “And when he had said
this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the
assembly was divided.”
YLT: “And he having
spoken this, there came a dissension of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, and
the crowd was divided,”
Literal Meaning: some people held
that Paul should not use the carnally expedient way to separate the multitudes,
however, the Lord did not blame Paul for such way at all (See v.11). Paul said
so probably because God gave him the words as the occasion required in order to
keep his life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A word fitly spoken would make great effect. We
should choose the fitful words when preaching the gospel.
2) The union of gains is always false and temporal
and once their gains are in conflict with each other, they will kill each other
so that the union will collapse.
Acts. 23:8 “For Sadducees say that
there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess
both.”
YLT: “for Sadducees,
indeed, say there is no rising again, nor messenger, nor spirit, but Pharisees
confess both.”
The
Background: The Pharisees and
Sadducees opposed each other concerning faith. The Pharisees believed the
details of the oral law and Sadducees only accepted the written law; the
Pharisees believed predestination and Sadducees believed the will of freedom;
the Pharisees believed angles and spirits and Sadducees did not believe them;
the Pharisees believed resurrection and Sadducees did not believe it.
Literal Meaning: “For Sadducees say that
there is no resurrection” The faith of
Sadducees is based on the Pentateuch and Sadducees did not accept all the oral
law and the explanations. The doctrine of resurrection was not obviously
mentioned in the Pentateuch and therefore they did not believe that there was
resurrection after death.
“And no angel or spirit” Probably it indicates that they did not
believe the Jewish common traditions that there were many kinds of angels and spirits.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though the Pharisees have the right faith of the
Old Testament, their faith is merely the knowledge of the letter and they
lacked the true spiritual knowledge. And therefore they could not turn the
faith of the Old Testament to the faith of the New Testament and they are
unable to receive the salvation of Jesus Christ.
2) He also made us sufficient as ministers of the
new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but
the Spirit gives life (2Cor. 3:6).
Acts. 23:9 “Then there arose a loud
outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, ‘We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel
has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.’”
YLT: “And there came a
great cry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' part having arisen, were striving,
saying, `No evil do we find in this man; and if a spirit spake to him, or a
messenger, we may not fight against God;'”
Literal Meaning: “but if a spirit or an angel
has spoken to him” Probably Paul
mentioned that when defending to the multitudes: 1) he met the Lord when he
came nigh to
“Let us not fight against God” It means that to
them, the matter that Paul thought that the spirit or angel once spoke to him
was not inappropriate. However, it does not mean that they agreed on Paul’s
explanation to the resurrection of Jesus.
Acts. 23:10 “Now when there arose a
great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by
them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them,
and bring him into the barracks.”
YLT: “and a great
dissension having come, the chief captain having been afraid lest Paul may be
pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiery, having gone down, to take him
by force out of the midst of them, and to bring [him] to the castle.”
Literal Meaning: “the commander, fearing lest
Paul might be pulled to pieces by them”
The condition at that time might be that the two groups seemed to become angry
when they quarreled and one group wished that they should put him do death and
the other tried their best to keep him. Paul was pushed and pulled by both
groups and he was in danger.
Acts. 23:11 “But the following night
the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for
as you have testified for Me in
YLT: “And on the
following night, the Lord having stood by him, said, `Take courage, Paul, for
as thou didst fully testify the things concerning me at
Literal Meaning: “but the following
night” according to the Jewish chronometry, the time after sunset is the second
day.
“As you have testified for Me in
“So you must also bear witness at
What we should notice is that the Lord
did not blame Paul at all: He neither blamed him that he should not come to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today the Lord dwells in believers on one hand
and on the other, He is omnipresent. If necessary, He will appear by the side
of all those who rely on Him to help them in time of need.
2) The Lord will comfort us when we are in need;
the Lord’s encouragement is the fountainhead of our strength in tribulations
and it enables us to bear the sufferings (2Cor. 1:4-6).
3) Though Satan could bind the bodies of believers
to hinder us from preaching the word, it could not bind the living witnesses of
Christ and their living witness.
4) The Lord’s witnesses are all held fast on His
right hand (Rev. 1:17, 20; 2:1) which is their protection when they are in
tribulations and the management of all their deeds.
5) When testifying for the Lord, besides the
witness of words, what’s more important is to be “a witness”, i.e. manifesting
the living witness of Christ by our walkings.
6) The tribulations and danger that we experience
are the important factors for our growth in faith on one hand and on the other
they are the best subjects through which we testify our faith.
7) When dealing with men in our daily life, we
should walk on the premise of “testifying for the Lord” instead of “defending
ourselves” or “exalting ourselves”.
Acts. 23:12 “And when it was day, some
of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that
they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.”
YLT: “And day having
come, certain of the Jews having made a concourse, did anathematize themselves,
saying neither to eat nor to drink till they may kill Paul;”
The
Background: under certain
conditions, the Jews regard murder as reasonable. Especially when one is
harmful to the traditions of their elders or the social order, men regard
murder as legal. And those of noble aspirations discuss the assassination in
secret and they band themselves under an oath saying that they would neither
ear nor drink till they accomplish the task. And if they disobey the vow, they
are willing to bear the punishment.
Literal Meaning: “some of the Jews banded
together” “The Jews” may
refer to the radical Judaizers. “Bound themselves under an oath” It means that they will do according to the oath
and if they disobey the oath, they will be willing to suffer the curse.
“Saying that they would neither eat nor
drink till they had killed Paul” These zealous one
who defended the traditions held that Paul rebelled against the orthodoxy and
they had to kill him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every zealous religious man (including
Christians) will be utilized by Satan so that he who kills men thinks that he
does God service (John. 16:2).
2) Today among different religious believers, the
extreme ones who defend the traditions teach believers that “they could do the
terrible things in order to maintain the truth and they will be rewarded by god
if they sacrifice their life for it” and it is the reason why there are
terrorists everywhere in the world.
Acts. 23:13 “Now there were more than
forty who had formed this conspiracy.”
YLT: “and they were more
than forty who made this conspiracy by oath,”
Literal Meaning: the Jewish historian
Joseph held that these forty rioters who made an oath to kill Paul with one
heart might be the people of the Cananaean who started an uprising in A.D.
66-70 and rebelled the Roman Government. They were the extreme terrorists.
Acts. 23:14 “They came to the chief
priests and elders, and said, ‘We have bound ourselves
under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.”
YLT: “who having come
near to the chief priests and to the elders said, `With an anathema we did
anathematize ourselves -- to taste nothing till we have killed Paul;”
Meaning of Words: “eat”: taste.
Literal Meaning: “They came to the chief
priests and elders” Most of “the chief
priests and elders” were Sadducees and the Pharisees who sympathized with Paul
publicly in the council may not be included (See v.9).
“We have bound ourselves under a great
oath” It means that we cannot disobey the oath.
Acts. 23:15 “Now you, therefore,
together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to
you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning
him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.’”
YLT: “now, therefore, ye,
signify ye to the chief captain, with the sanhedrim, that to-morrow he may bring
him down unto you, as being about to know more exactly the things concerning
him; and we, before his coming nigh, are ready to put him to death.'”
Literal Meaning: “as though you were going to
make further inquiries concerning him”
“Making further inquiries” means “making a judgment after complete inquiry”.
Acts. 23:16 “So when Paul’s sister's son heard of their ambush, he went and entered
the barracks and told Paul.”
YLT: “And the son of
Paul's sister having heard of the lying in wait, having gone and entered into
the castle, told Paul,”
Literal Meaning: “So when Paul's sister's son
heard of their ambush” Some Bible
exegetes held that Paul’s sister’s husband may be a member in the family of the
high priest and therefore his sister’s son had the chance to know the
conspiracy to kill Paul.
“He went and entered the barracks and
told Paul” Paul had the
privilege of receiving visitors in the prison because of his Roman citizenship
(Acts. 22:27).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The life of believers is held in the mighty hand
of God and none of the conspiracies will succeed without His permission.
2) The Lord’s promise (See v.11) will never fall to
the ground. Men’s tricks cannot break His promise and contrarily prompt the
accomplishment of the promise. And therefore let us have a heart in full
assurance of faith, hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for
He who promised is faithful (Heb. 10:22-23).
Acts. 23:17 “Then Paul called one of
the centurions to him and said, ‘Take this young man to the
commander, for he has something to tell him.’”
YLT: “and Paul having
called near one of the centurions, said, `This young man lead unto the chief
captain, for he hath something to tell him.'”
Literal Meaning: “for he has something to
tell him” Please note that
Paul did not tell the centurion what the matter was and this point was quite
important (See the note in v.18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul’s nephew was only “a young man” and he
could have such sober and calm attitude in the moment of danger. He could be
the example of many people.
2) When Paul heard such great news, he was neither
struck with a panic nor began to make the countermeasure by himself and he
merely committed his safety to “the commander”. It shows that he was “of good
cheer” as the Lord had told him (See v.11).
Acts. 23:18 “So he took him and
brought him to the commander and said, ‘Paul
the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He
has something to say to you.’”
YLT: “He indeed, then,
having taken him, brought him unto the chief captain, and saith, `The prisoner
Paul, having called me near, asked [me] this young man to bring unto thee,
having something to say to thee.'”
Literal Meaning: “He has something to say to
you.” It shows that Paul did not tell the
centurion what had happened and it was Paul’s wisdom to deal with things, lest
the condition be known by others.
Acts. 23:19 “Then the commander took
him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, ‘What
is it that you have to tell me?’”
YLT: “And the chief
captain having taken him by the hand, and having withdrawn by themselves,
inquired, `What is that which thou hast to tell me?'”
Literal Meaning: “Then the commander took him
by the hand” It was an unusual
behavior and probably he had realized that the situation was quite unusual.
Acts. 23:20 “And he said, ‘The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to
the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about
him.”
YLT: “and he said -- `The
Jews agreed to request thee, that to-morrow to the sanhedrim thou mayest bring
down Paul, as being about to enquire something more exactly concerning him;”
Literal Meaning: “The Jews have agreed” The word “the Jews” does not refer to all
the Jews but the Jewish leaders who had dealings and contact with the Roman
Government in business.
Acts. 23:21 “But do not yield to them,
for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves
by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and
now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.’”
YLT: “thou, therefore,
mayest thou not yield to them, for there lie in wait for him of them more than
forty men, who did anathematize themselves -- not to eat nor to drink till they
kill him, and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from thee.'”
Literal Meaning: “But do not yield to them” It was the only suggestion that Paul’s
nephew suggested when he reported the fact. The suggestion was the
countermeasure to the point, showing that God gives the young man boldness and
wisdom in such moment of danger.
Acts. 23:22 “So the commander let the
young man depart, and commanded him, ‘Tell no one that you have
revealed these things to me.’”
YLT: “The chief captain,
then, indeed, let the young man go, having charged [him] to tell no one, `that
these things thou didst shew unto me;'”
Literal Meaning: “Tell no one that you have
revealed these things to me.” One on hand it is
for the safety of the young man and on the other it does not allow the group of
conspiracy to hold back the plan that the commander escorted Paul to leave that
very night (See v.23).
Acts. 23:23 “And he called for two
centurions, saying, ‘Prepare two hundred
soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to
YLT: “and having called
near a certain two of the centurions, he said, `Make ready soldiers two
hundred, that they may go on unto Caesarea, and horsemen seventy, and spearmen
two hundred, from the third hour of the night;”
Literal Meaning: “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two
hundred spearmen” It was the great
task force and most probably the power of murder was quite considerable.
“Two
hundred soldiers” Their task was to
escort Paul to Antipatris from
“Seventy
horsemen” were responsible
for escorting Paul to
The meaning of “spearmen” in the original is ambiguous and it refers to
“another kind of armed force” and sometimes it refers to “the added horses and
pack horses”.
“Go to Caesarea at the third hour of the
night” “The third hour”
refers to nine o’clock p.m. “
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The commander deployed forces that very night
and dealt with this matter decisively and rapidly and he was our example. As
believers serve the Lord in the church, we should never observe the custom and
delay when anything crops up so that we might miss the opportunity.
2) It must be pushed forward by the Lord of all
that the commander deployed such great forces for an unimportant case. This
matter proves the words of the Lord again that “If God is for us, who can be
against us?” (Rom. 8:31)
Acts. 23:24 “and provide mounts to set
Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.’”
YLT: “beasts also
provide, that, having set Paul on, they may bring him safe unto Felix the
governor;'”
The
Background: the full name of Felix the governor was Antony Felix. He was a slave. Because
his brother Brass was specially fond of by Nero the Roman Emperor, he not only
became the free citizen but also was promoted to be the governor of a province.
He was the governor of
Literal Meaning: “provide mounts to set Paul
on” “Mounts” refers to horses or mules. The
commander gave the preferential treatment to Paul because he was a Roman. If
one makes any Roman citizen lose his life for his ignorance, he will bear the
serious consequences.
Acts. 23:25 “He wrote a letter in the
following manner:”
YLT: “he having written a
letter after this description:”
Literal Meaning: “a letter” refers to
the official letter.
Acts. 23:26 “Claudius Lysias, To the
most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.”
YLT: “`Claudius Lysias,
to the most noble governor Felix, hail:”
Literal Meaning: at that time, the
format of the common official letters was to list the names of the writer and
the recipient and the greeting.
“Claudius Lysias” was the official full name of the
commander.
Acts. 23:27 “This man was seized by
the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued
him, having learned that he was a Roman.”
YLT: “This man having
been taken by the Jews, and being about to be killed by them -- having come
with the soldiery, I rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman;”
Literal Meaning: “having learned that he was
a Roman” The commander
added this sentence fully in order to please the Roman authorities. Actually he
knew it when he intended to torture Paul instead of the time before he came
with troops to rescue Paul (Acts. 22:25-29).
Acts. 23:28 “And when I wanted to know
the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council.”
YLT: “and, intending to
know the cause for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their
sanhedrim,”
Literal Meaning: the narrative of
this verse is in line with the fact.
Acts. 23:29 “I found out that he was
accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him
deserving of death or chains.”
YLT: “whom I found
accused concerning questions of their law, and having no accusation worthy of
death or bonds;”
Literal Meaning: “but had nothing charged
against him deserving of death or chains” It means that he did not offend the Roman law.
Enlightenment in the Word: It is better, that Christians suffer for doing good
and keeping truth than for doing evil (1Pet. 3:17). And therefore if we suffer
for the Lord, let’s not be ashamed, but let’s glorify God in this matter (1Pet.
4:16).
Acts. 23:30 “And when it was told me
that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also
commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him. Farewell.”
YLT: “and a plot having
been intimated to me against this man -- about to be of the Jews -- at once I
sent unto thee, having given command also to the accusers to say the things
against him before thee; be strong.'”
Literal Meaning: “and also commanded his
accusers to state before you the charges against him” At that time the commander had not made such
commandment and he thought that he would have sent out this notice when the
letter was sent to him.
Acts. 23:31 “Then the soldiers, as
they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.”
YLT: “Then, indeed, the
soldiers according to that directed them, having taken up Paul, brought him
through the night to Antipatris,”
Literal Meaning: “took Paul and brought him
by night to Antipatris” “Antipatris” was a
military base established by Herod the Great. It was on the way from
Acts. 23:32 “The next day they left
the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks.”
YLT: “and on the morrow,
having suffered the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the castle;”
Literal Meaning: “they left the horsemen to
go on with him” It was the region
of plain from Antipatris to
Acts. 23:33 “When they came to
YLT: “those having
entered into
Literal Meaning: “When they came to Caesarea” “Caesarea” was the headquarters where the
Roman Government controlled Caesarea and the
Acts. 23:34 “And when the governor had
read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was
from
YLT: “And the governor
having read [it], and inquired of what province he is, and understood that [he
is] from
Literal Meaning: “he asked what province he
was from” It was to find out
whether Paul was under his judicial rights. Because according to the Roman
legal regulations at that time, the criminal was always tried in the province
where he committed the sin, however, the criminal would also be tried in the
province of his native place.
“And when he understood that he was
from Cilicia” “Cilicia” was not
an independent province and it was under the jurisdiction of the
Acts. 23:35 “he said, ‘I will hear you when your accusers also have come.’ And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's Praetorium.”
YLT: “`I will hear thee
-- said he -- when thine accusers also may have come;' he also commanded him to
be kept in the praetorium of Herod.”
Meaning of Words: “Praetorium”: the Justice Department.
Literal Meaning: “I will hear you” “hear” means trying carefully.
“And he commanded him to be kept in
Herod's Praetorium” “Herod's Praetorium” was previously the palace that Herod the
Great built in Caesarea for himself and it was used by the Roman Government as
the official headquarters of the governor. Felix did not imprison Paul in the
common prison but kept him in the official residence. By this Felix showed his
lenience to Paul.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Features of Paul’s Walking (v.1)
I. Walk “before God”------do not to please men but to
gain the heart of God.
II. Walk “in good conscience”------tally with
the senses of the conscience and be not ashamed.
III. Have lived in “All” good
conscience------there is no exception in all places and all things.
IV. Until this day------have lived in good conscience
before God all the time.
The Comparison of
Two Kinds of Men
I. Paul’s (Christians’) principle of walking:
A. I have lived before God (v.1b).
B. I have lived in all good conscience (v.1c).
C. For it is written (v.5b).
D. Walk by wisdom, be wise as serpents (v.6; Matt. 10:16).
E. Have the hope of resurrection (v.6b).
F. By the proof of the Lord’s presence (v.11a).
G. Testify for the Lord everywhere (v.11).
H. Be good at using the protection of public rights (v.17).
II. The ways of the world’s walking:
A. The high priest------he apparently walked according to the law but
actually he disobeyed the law (v.3).
B. Sadducees------they only lived for this age and did not have the hope
of the coming age (v.8a).
C. The Pharisees------they kept the traditional regulations according to
the dead letters (v.8b).
D. The Jews who bound together------they utilized the horrible ways by
the religious zealousness (v.12-14).
E. The high priest and the elders who knew the fact------they used
craftiness (v.14-15).
F. The commander------he apparently kept the national law and protected
the citizens and actually he fabricated the fact in order to protect himself
(v.27).
The Meaning that the
Lord Appeared to Paul and Spoke to him (v.11)
I. The following night the Lord stood by
him------there is the Lord’s presence under the shroud of darkness.
II. Said-------the Lord’s words are
believers’ comfort in tribulations.
III. Be of good cheer------where there is
the Lord’s presence, there will be rest.
IV. For as you have testified for Me in
V. So you must also bear witness at
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren