41 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now when Festus was come into the province,.... Of Judea, which was a Roman province, over which he was made governor by Nero, the Roman emperor, in the room of Felix; he now being landed in some part of the province, namely, at Caesarea, and so might be said to have entered upon the government of it, as the phrase will bear to be rendered; after...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
Some think that Felix was turned out, and Festus succeeded him, quickly after Paul's imprisonment, and that the two years mentioned in the close of the foregoing chapter are to be reckoned from the beginning of Nero's reign; but it seems more natural to compute them from Paul's being delivered into the hands of Felix. However, we have here much...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Porcius Festus had been appointed governor in the place of Felix, who had left Paul a prisoner so as to please the Jews, though he would have been willing enough to release him, if Paul or his friends, would have given him a sufficiently heavy...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the high priest,.... Ananias, as in Acts 23:2 the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin version, and all the Oriental versions, read, "the chief priests", the whole college of the priests: and the chief of the Jews; their rulers and elders, the members of the Jewish sanhedrim; informed him against Paul; they took the first opportunity of...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, and desired favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. They had been foiled in their previous attempt to assassinate the apostle but their malice led them to try again to put him to death in that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And desired favour against him,.... Paul; they asked what would be a favour to them, and a prejudice to him: or "of him", that is, of Festus; they asked a favour of him, and desired it as such, as what would be gratefully accepted and acknowledged by them; which sense is confirmed by the Syriac version; the Arabic version renders it "to", or "upon...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea,.... Or that he was kept there, and was in proper custody, under the care of a centurion, and should continue there; nor was there any reason why he should be removed, especially since he should return thither speedily, as he adds: and that he himself would depart shortly thither; the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself would depart shortly thither. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him. Whether Festus suspected their real reason for being so anxious for him to send for Paul, we cannot tell; but, at...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able,.... Who are at leisure, can spare time, and to whom it will be convenient, without interrupting other business, to take such a journey; and who are able to bear the expenses of it, without hurting their families, and whose health and age will admit of it; and above all, who are masters of this...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when he had tarried among them more than ten days,.... The Alexandrian copy, and three of Beza's copies, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, "no more than eight or ten days"; and the Syriac and Ethiopic versions leave out the phrase "no more", and read "when he had stayed there", as the former; that is, at Jerusalem; or "when...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea, and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. It was easy for them to lay...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when he was come,.... Into court: the Jews which came down from Jerusalem; along with Festus, perhaps the high priest with the elders, and Tertullus the orator, as before: stood round about; either the Apostle Paul, or the judgment seat; the witnesses and accusers were to stand, as well as the person accused; [See comments on Mr 14:57]. And...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
While he answered for himself,.... As he was allowed by the Roman laws to do, he pleaded his own cause, and showed the falsehood of the charges exhibited against him; by observing, that as the crimes alleged against him were reducible to three heads, neither of them were just and true: neither against the law of the Jews; the law of Moses, whether...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. But Festus, willing to do the Jew’s pleasure,- In that respect he was just line his predecessor, Felix. No doubt he took into account the number and position of Paul’s accusers, and thought it...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure,.... As did his predecessor Felix, Acts 24:27 he being just entered upon his new government, and having met with some caresses and civilities from the Jews at Jerusalem, by whom he had been much pressed and urged about the affair of the apostle: answered Paul, and said, wilt thou go up to Jerusalem,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat,.... Not that here was a seat in the judgment hall built by Herod for Caesar himself to sit in, should he ever come there, as some have thought; but the seat on which Festus sat is called Caesar's judgment seat, because it was in a Raman court of judicature, and because Festus, who filled it,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For if I be an offender,.... Against the law of Moses, or the temple at Jerusalem, or Caesar the Roman emperor: or have committed anything worthy of death; by the laws of the Romans, as sedition, murder, c. I refuse not to die signifying that he did not decline going to Jerusalem, either through any consciousness of guilt, or fear of death; for if...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council,.... Not with the Jewish sanhedrim, or any part of it that came down on this occasion; but with Roman counsellors, which he had to assist him in judgment, when any difficult matters were before him; the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it, "with his counsellors"; and the Arabic reads in the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go. The die was cast, there was no need to argue the matter any further.