King James Version
Acts 28
31 verses with commentary
Paul on Malta
And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.
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<strong>The island was called Melita</strong>—Modern Malta, 58 miles south of Sicily. The Greek 'Melitē' (Μελίτη) identifies this strategic Mediterranean island where Paul's shipwrecked company found refuge. Luke's careful geographical notation continues Acts' pattern of precise historical detail, confirming the narrative's reliability. <strong>When they were escaped</strong> (διασωθέντες) means '...
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XXVIII.
(1) **Then they knew that the island was called Melita.**—There is no ground for questioning the current belief that this was the modern *Malta, *It was the only island known as *Melita* by the Greeks and Romans. The gale, which had been blowing for fourteen days since the ship left Crete, would drive her in that direction. The local features of St. Paul’s Bay agree closely, as has been se...
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**11. thou mayest understand--**canst easily learn.
**that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem--**namely, 1. The day of his arrival in Jerusalem (Ac 21:15-17); 2. The interview with James (Ac 21:18-26); 3. The assumption of the vow (Ac 21:26); 4, 5, 6. Continuance of the vow, interrupted by the arrest (Ac 21:27, &c.); 7. Arrest of Paul (Ac 21:27); 8. Paul before the Sa...
Read full commentary →And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
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<strong>The barbarous people</strong> (οἱ βάρβαροι)—Not 'barbarian' in our sense, but non-Greek speakers, those whose language sounded like 'bar-bar' to Greek ears. Luke's account respectfully notes they <strong>shewed us no little kindness</strong> (παρεῖχον φιλανθρωπίαν), using 'philanthrōpia' (love of humanity). Despite cultural differences, these Maltese displayed compassion exceeding many 'ci...
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(2) **The barbarous people . . .**—It has been urged in favour of *Meleda* that this description is more applicable to the people of that island than to those of Malta, whom Diodorus Siculus (v. 12) describes as “very rich, practising many trades, manufacturing fine clothes, and dwelling in large and splendid houses.” It is obvious, however, that St. Luke uses the term, as St. Paul does (Romans 1:...
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**12-13. they neither found me ... Neither can they prove the things, &c.--**After specifying several particulars, he challenges proof of any one of the charges brought against him. So much for the charge of sedition.
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
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Paul's servant leadership appears as he <strong>gathered a bundle of sticks</strong> (φρυγάνων πλῆθος)—an apostle doing manual labor to help others. <strong>There came a viper out of the heat</strong> (ἔχιδνα)—a venomous snake, likely the Maltese viper, emerged from dormancy and <strong>fastened on his hand</strong> (καθῆψεν). The Greek 'kathapsen' suggests the snake bit and clung tenaciously. Thi...
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(3) **And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks . . .**—The act was characteristic of the cheerful energy which had been shown throughout the previous night. The fact thus mentioned has been dwelt on as militating against the identity of Melita and Malta, no wood being now found in the island except at one spot (*Bosquetta*)*, *not near St. Paul’s Bay. The Greek word, however, is applied to th...
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**12-13. they neither found me ... Neither can they prove the things, &c.--**After specifying several particulars, he challenges proof of any one of the charges brought against him. So much for the charge of sedition.
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
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<strong>The barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand</strong>—Their instant theological interpretation reveals universal human recognition of moral cause and effect. They reasoned: <strong>No doubt this man is a murderer</strong> (πάντως φονεύς ἐστιν)—retributive justice from the gods. <strong>Whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live</strong>—Greek 'dikē'...
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(4) **The venomous beast.**—The adjective, as the italics show, is not in the Greek, and can scarcely be said to be necessary.
**No doubt this man is a murderer.**—They knew, we may believe, that St. Paul was a prisoner. It is hardly conceivable, indeed, that he could have come on shore bound by two chains, or even one, to his keeper, but, looking to the jealous care which the soldiers had shown i...
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**14-15. But this I confess to thee--**in which Felix would see no crime.
**that after the way they call heresy--**literally, and better, "a sect."
**so worship I the God of my fathers--**the ancestral God. Two arguments are contained here: (1) Our nation is divided into what they call sects--the sect of the Pharisees, and that of the Sadducees--all the difference between them and me is, that ...
Read full commentary →And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
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<strong>He shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm</strong> (οὐδὲν ἔπαθεν κακόν)—Paul's action fulfilled Christ's promise that believers 'shall take up serpents' (Mark 16:18) without injury. The Greek 'apotinasso' (shook off) suggests decisive, casual action without panic. The Maltese islanders expected death (v. 6), making Paul's survival a powerful apologetic sign. This divine protec...
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**14-15. But this I confess to thee--**in which Felix would see no crime.
**that after the way they call heresy--**literally, and better, "a sect."
**so worship I the God of my fathers--**the ancestral God. Two arguments are contained here: (1) Our nation is divided into what they call sects--the sect of the Pharisees, and that of the Sadducees--all the difference between them and me is, that ...
Read full commentary →Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while , and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
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The Maltese <strong>looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly</strong> (πίμπρασθαι ἢ καταπίπτειν ἄφνω νεκρόν)—medical observation expecting typical viper bite symptoms. <strong>But after they had looked a great while</strong> shows patient verification, not hasty conclusions. Their theological pendulum swings dramatically: from 'murderer cursed by the gods' to <strong>they c...
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(6) **They looked when he should have swollen . . .**—Better, *and they were expecting that . . .* The verb for “swollen” implies literally “inflammation,” and one of the enormous serpents of Africa took its name. Prestes (“the inflamer”), from it. Lucan (ix. 790) describes the effect of its bite—
“Percussit Prestes, illi ruber igneus ora
Succendit, tenditque cutem, pereunte figurâ.”
[“ The Preste...
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**16. And herein--**On this account, accordingly; that is, looking forward to that awful day (compare 2Co 5:10).
**I exercise myself--**The "I" here is emphatic; "Whatever they do, this is my study."
**to have always a conscience void of offence, &c.--**See Ac 23:1; 2Co 1:12; 2:17, &c.; that is, "These are the great principles of my life and conduct--how different from turbulence and s...
Read full commentary →In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
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<strong>In the same quarters were possessions</strong> (χωρία)—estates or landed property—<strong>of the chief man of the island</strong> (τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς νήσου), using 'prōtos' (first/foremost), likely the Roman governor or highest-ranking official. <strong>Whose name was Publius</strong>—a Latin praenomen suggesting Roman citizenship and authority. Archaeological evidence confirms 'First Man' as Ma...
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(7) **The chief man of the island.**—Literally, *the first man.* The term is found both in Greek and Latin inscriptions, at Malta, of the time of Augustus, as an official title. It probably designated the prefect or governor of the island, as distinct from the procurator. In the time of Cicero (*In Verr.* iv. 18) Melita was included in the “province” of Sicily, and if that arrangement continued, P...
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**17. Now after many--**several
**years absence from Jerusalem--**I came to bring alms to my of Macedonia and Greece, which he had taken such pains to gather. This only allusion in the Acts to what is dwelt upon so frequently in his own Epistles (Ro 15:25, 26; 1Co 16:1-4; 2Co 8:1-4), throws a beautiful light on the truth of this History. (See Paley's Horæ Paulinæ).
**and offerings--**connected...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
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<strong>The father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux</strong> (πυρετοῖς καὶ δυσεντερίῳ)—medical terminology describing gastric fever and dysentery, common Mediterranean ailments. Luke the physician's precise description suggests chronic, life-threatening illness. Paul's response: <strong>entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him</strong> (προσευξάμενος ἐπι...
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(8) **Lay sick of a fever and a bloody flux.**—Literally, *with fevers and dysentery, *both words being used by St. Luke with professional precision. The plural, “fevers,” probably indicates the attacks of a recurrent fever, and its combination with dysentery would, according to Hippocrates, who also uses the plural form (*Aph.* vi. 3), make the case more than usually critical. The disease is said...
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**18-21. found me purified in the temple--**not polluting it, therefore, by my own presence, and neither gathering a crowd nor raising a stir: If then these Asiatic Jews have any charge to bring against me in justification of their arrest of me, why are they not here to substantiate it?
So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
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<strong>So when this was done</strong> (τούτου δὲ γενομένου)—Publius' father's healing becoming known—<strong>others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed</strong> (ἐθεραπεύοντο). The imperfect tense 'etherapeuonto' suggests repeated, ongoing healings over three months (v. 11). This brief summary describes extensive ministry: Paul used forced delay on Malta for gospel procl...
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(9) **Others also, which had diseases.**—More accurately, *the others who had infirmities.* The Greek gives the article, and states the fact that there was something like a rush, continuing for some length of time, of all the sick people in the island to profit by the Apostle’s power of healing. On the difference between the terms used for diseases, see Note on Matthew 4:23.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. found me purified in the temple--**not polluting it, therefore, by my own presence, and neither gathering a crowd nor raising a stir: If then these Asiatic Jews have any charge to bring against me in justification of their arrest of me, why are they not here to substantiate it?
Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.
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<strong>Who also honoured us with many honours</strong> (πολλαῖς τιμαῖς ἐτίμησαν)—emphatic repetition of 'honor' (timai) emphasizes extraordinary gratitude. These weren't mere words but tangible gifts and respect for healing ministry. <strong>And when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary</strong> (τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν)—provisions for continuing the journey to Rome. The Malte...
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(10) **Who also honoured us with many honours.**—It lies in the nature of the case that the honours took the form of gifts. The very word was, indeed, specially applied, both in Greek and Latin, to the *honorarium, *or fee, paid to the physician, and its use here is accordingly characteristic of St. Luke’s calling. (Comp. Ecclesiasticus 38:1.) In addition to these gifts of courtesy, the things tha...
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**18-21. found me purified in the temple--**not polluting it, therefore, by my own presence, and neither gathering a crowd nor raising a stir: If then these Asiatic Jews have any charge to bring against me in justification of their arrest of me, why are they not here to substantiate it?
Paul Arrives at Rome
And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
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<strong>After three months we departed</strong>—winter storms (November-February) prevented navigation, requiring this extended stay. <strong>In a ship of Alexandria</strong>—another grain vessel from Egypt's port, part of Rome's grain fleet. <strong>Which had wintered in the isle</strong> (παρακεχειμακότι)—the perfect participle indicating it spent the entire winter harbored safely. <strong>Whose...
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(11) **After three months.**—The date may be approximately fixed. The Fast, falling on the 10th of Tisri, which has been calculated as falling in that year on September 24th, was passed, we are not told how long, when the ship left the Fair Havens (Acts 27:9). Then came the “fourteen days” of Acts 27:27, bringing us to the end of October or beginning of November. Three months from this carries us ...
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**18-21. found me purified in the temple--**not polluting it, therefore, by my own presence, and neither gathering a crowd nor raising a stir: If then these Asiatic Jews have any charge to bring against me in justification of their arrest of me, why are they not here to substantiate it?
And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.
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<strong>Landing at Syracuse</strong>—After Malta's three-month winter stay (28:11), Paul's journey resumed toward Rome. Syracuse, Sicily's principal city, served as a major Mediterranean port on the grain trade route. The phrase <strong>we tarried there three days</strong> suggests either awaiting favorable winds or conducting brief ministry among Syracuse's Jewish community.<br><br>Luke's 'we' pa...
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(12) **And landing** **at Syracuse . . .**—The city, famous for the memorable siege during the Peloponnesian war, and at all times taking its place among the most flourishing towns of Sicily, was about eighty or a hundred miles from Malta, and might be reached accordingly in from twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Ships bound from Alexandria to Italy commonly put in there. The stay of three days was...
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**22-23. having more perfect knowledge of that--**"the"
**way--**(See on Ac 19:23; and Ac 24:14).
**When Lysias ... shall come ... I will how, &c.--**Felix might have dismissed the case as a tissue of unsupported charges. But if from his interest in the matter he really wished to have the presence of Lysias and others involved, a brief delay was not unworthy of him as a judge. Certainly, s...
Read full commentary →And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
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<strong>We fetched a compass</strong>—This nautical term (περιελόντες, perielontes) means 'tacking' or sailing a circuitous route due to contrary winds. From Syracuse they reached <strong>Rhegium</strong> (modern Reggio Calabria) at Italy's southern tip. After a day, <strong>the south wind blew</strong> (ἐπιγενομένου νότου, epigenomenou notou), providing favorable conditions for the 180-mile journ...
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(13) **From thence we fetched a compass.**—The phrase, now somewhat obsolete, was formerly in common use for a circuitous route by land or sea from one point to another. (Comp. 2Samuel 5:23; 2Kings 3:9, and—
“For ‘tis his custom, like a creeping fool,
To fetch a compass of a mile about, “
in Heywood’s *Fair Maid of the Exchange, *ii. 3.) It is found in most of the English versions, but Wiclif give...
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**22-23. having more perfect knowledge of that--**"the"
**way--**(See on Ac 19:23; and Ac 24:14).
**When Lysias ... shall come ... I will how, &c.--**Felix might have dismissed the case as a tissue of unsupported charges. But if from his interest in the matter he really wished to have the presence of Lysias and others involved, a brief delay was not unworthy of him as a judge. Certainly, s...
Read full commentary →Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.
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<strong>Where we found brethren</strong>—The gospel had already reached Puteoli, likely through Pentecost pilgrims (Acts 2:10) or Roman commerce. These believers <strong>desired</strong> (παρεκλήθημεν, pareklēthēmen, 'urged' or 'encouraged') Paul to stay <strong>seven days</strong>—remarkable given his prisoner status. Julius the centurion's permission demonstrates the respect Paul commanded even ...
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(14) **Where we found brethren.—**The fact is significant as showing, in the absence of any distinct record, the extent to which the new society had been silently spreading. Who had been the agents in preaching the gospel there we can only conjecture, but a city which was *en rapport,* like Puteoli, with both Alexandria and Rome, may have received it from either. One or two coincidences, however, ...
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**24-25. Felix ... with his wife Drusilla ... a Jewess--**This beautiful but infamous woman was the third daughter of Herod Agrippa I, who was eaten of worms (see on Ac 12:1), and a sister of Agrippa II, before whom Paul pleaded, Ac 26:1, &c. She was "given in marriage to Azizus, king of the Emesenes, who had consented to be circumcised for the sake of the alliance. But this marriage was soon ...
Read full commentary →And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.
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<strong>When the brethren heard of us</strong>—News of Paul's arrival spread rapidly through Italy's Christian network. Believers traveled 40 miles south to <strong>Appii forum</strong> and 33 miles to <strong>The three taverns</strong> to meet Paul's company. This sacrificial journey demonstrated the Roman church's love for an apostle they'd never met but knew through his epistle (written 3-4 yea...
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(15) **And from thence, when the brethren heard of us** . . .—Better, *the brethren having heard about us.* The seven days at Puteoli had given ample time for the news of the Apostle’s arrival to reach the disciples at Rome. Among these “brethren” were many, we may believe, of those whom he had known at Corinth, and to whom he had sent messages of greeting in Romans 16 : Aquila and Epænetus, Andro...
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**24-25. Felix ... with his wife Drusilla ... a Jewess--**This beautiful but infamous woman was the third daughter of Herod Agrippa I, who was eaten of worms (see on Ac 12:1), and a sister of Agrippa II, before whom Paul pleaded, Ac 26:1, &c. She was "given in marriage to Azizus, king of the Emesenes, who had consented to be circumcised for the sake of the alliance. But this marriage was soon ...
Read full commentary →And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
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<strong>When we came to Rome</strong>—The climax of Acts' geographic progression from Jerusalem to 'the uttermost part of the earth' (1:8). Luke's 'we' indicates his presence with Paul. <strong>Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier</strong> (μένειν καθ' ἑαυτὸν σὺν τῷ φυλάσσοντι αὐτὸν στρατιώτῃ) describes 'custodia libera' (free custody), a privileged form of house arrest for Roman c...
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(16) **And when we came** **to Rome.**—This journey led them through Aricia (now *La Riccia*)*, *where they would probably either stop for the night or for their noon-tide meal. From that point, as they neared the city, the Appian Road would present more of its characteristic features—the tall milestones, the stately tombs, of which that to Cæcilia Metella, the wife of Crassus, is the most represe...
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**26. He hoped ... that money should have been given him ... wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him--**Bribery in a judge was punishable by the Roman law, but the spirit of a slave (to use the words of Tacitus) was in all his acts, and his communing with Paul"--as if he cared for either him or his message--simply added hypocrisy to meanness. The position in life of Paul's Chr...
Read full commentary →Paul Preaches in Rome
And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
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Paul's immediate action—<strong>after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together</strong>—demonstrates his 'to the Jew first' priority (Romans 1:16). His self-defense—<strong>I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers</strong>—refutes charges of apostasy from Judaism. Paul maintained that faith in Messiah Jesus represented true Judaism's fulfillment, not aban...
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(17) **After three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together.**—The decree of Claudius had, as has been already stated (see Note on Acts 28:15), been allowed to lapse, and the Jews had settled in their old quarters in the trans-Tiberine region, and in part, perhaps, on the island of the Tiber, and the region on the right bank of the river, now known as the Ghetto, which has been for many cen...
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**27. after two years--**What a trial to this burning missionary of Christ, to suffer such a tedious period of inaction! How mysterious it would seem! But this repose would be medicine to his spirit; he would not, and could not, be entirely inactive, so long as he was able by pen and message to communicate with the churches; and he would doubtless learn the salutary truth that even he was not esse...
Read full commentary →Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.
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<strong>Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go</strong> (ἀνακρίναντές με ἐβούλοντο ἀπολῦσαι)—Paul cites Roman authorities' findings of innocence across multiple trials: Claudius Lysias (Acts 23:29), Felix (Acts 24:22-23), and Festus (Acts 25:25). The phrase <strong>no cause of death in me</strong> (μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν θανάτου) echoes Pilate's threefold declaration of Jesus' innocence (Lu...
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(18) **Who, when they had examined me . . .**—It is possible that we have here only the summary of a fuller narrative, and that he gave an outline of the proceedings that had taken place between his first seizure and his appeal to the emperor. What he states, however, was fully warranted by the facts. No Roman magistrate had ever condemned him. Agrippa and Festus had decided that he might have bee...
Read full commentary →But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
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<strong>I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar</strong> (ἠναγκάσθην ἐπικαλέσασθαι Καίσαρα)—The Greek 'anankazo' (compelled) indicates Paul had no alternative when Jewish opposition threatened his life. His clarification—<strong>not that I had ought to accuse my nation of</strong>—shows he appealed for self-preservation, not to prosecute his people. This reveals Paul's ongoing love for Israel desp...
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CHAPTER 25 Ac 25:1-12. Festus, Coming to Jerusalem, Declines to Have Paul Brought Thither for Judgment, but Gives the Parties a Hearing on His Return to Cæsarea--On Festus Asking the Apostle if He Would Go to Jerusalem for Another Hearing before Him, He Is Constrained in Justice to His Cause to Appeal to the Emperor.
**1-3. Festus ... after three days ... ascended ... to Jerusalem--**to make hims...
Read full commentary →For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.
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<strong>For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain</strong> (ἕνεκα τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ)—Paul identifies resurrection hope as Judaism's core expectation. The 'hope of Israel' refers to Messianic promises fulfilled in Jesus' resurrection and believers' future bodily resurrection. His literal chain (σειράν—likely the chain connecting him to his guard) symbolized rejection by those whose own...
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(20) **For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.**—The mention of “chain” in the singular agrees with the fact stated in Acts 28:30, that he was entrusted to the keeping of a single soldier. There is a certain touch of pathos in this appeal to his sufferings as a prisoner. (Comp. Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 4:1; Ephesians 6:20*.*) The hope for which he suffered was two-fold: (1) the expectat...
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CHAPTER 25 Ac 25:1-12. Festus, Coming to Jerusalem, Declines to Have Paul Brought Thither for Judgment, but Gives the Parties a Hearing on His Return to Cæsarea--On Festus Asking the Apostle if He Would Go to Jerusalem for Another Hearing before Him, He Is Constrained in Justice to His Cause to Appeal to the Emperor.
**1-3. Festus ... after three days ... ascended ... to Jerusalem--**to make hims...
Read full commentary →And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee</strong>—The Roman Jews' response reveals surprising ignorance of Paul's case. Their statement—<strong>neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee</strong>—indicates Jerusalem's Jewish leaders hadn't poisoned Roman opinion against him. This providential circumstance gave Paul fresh opportunity to present t...
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(21) **We neither received letters out of Judsea concerning thee . . .**—It seems strange at first that no tidings should have come from Jerusalem of what had passed there in connection with St. Paul’s imprisonment. There was, however, hardly likely to have been time for any letters since his appeal. He had sailed somewhat late in the autumn, immediately after he had made it (Acts 25:13; Acts 27:1...
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CHAPTER 25 Ac 25:1-12. Festus, Coming to Jerusalem, Declines to Have Paul Brought Thither for Judgment, but Gives the Parties a Hearing on His Return to Cæsarea--On Festus Asking the Apostle if He Would Go to Jerusalem for Another Hearing before Him, He Is Constrained in Justice to His Cause to Appeal to the Emperor.
**1-3. Festus ... after three days ... ascended ... to Jerusalem--**to make hims...
Read full commentary →But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>We desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest</strong> shows genuine curiosity despite awareness of Christianity's controversial status. Their acknowledgment—<strong>concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against</strong> (πανταχοῦ ἀντιλέγεται)—recognized Christianity's universal opposition. The Greek 'hairesis' (sect) wasn't necessarily pejorative but distinguished Chr...
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(22) **We desire . . . as concerning this sect . . .**—Better, *we request of thee.* The term is that which had been used by Tertullus when he spoke of the “*sect* of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). The speakers had clearly heard enough of the prisoner to identify him with that sect, but they treat him personally with respect, probably due in part to the favour which the authorities had shown him, and...
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**4-6. answered that Paul should be kept--**rather, "is in custody."
at Cæsarea, and ... himself would depart shortly thither.
And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
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<strong>He expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus</strong> (ἐξετίθετο... πείθων)—Paul's method: exposition (careful explanation), testimony (personal witness), and persuasion (reasoned argument). His sources—<strong>both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets</strong>—grounded Christ in Scripture, not novel teaching. The timeframe—<strong>from mornin...
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(23) **There came many to him into his lodging.**—The Greek for “many” is a comparative form, implying a larger attendance than might have been looked for. The “lodging” was probably the “hired house,” or apartment, of Acts 28:30. (Comp. Philemon 1:22.) The discourse, or, more properly, the discussion, which followed could obviously only be given in outline. The address at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts...
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**4-6. answered that Paul should be kept--**rather, "is in custody."
at Cæsarea, and ... himself would depart shortly thither.
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
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<strong>And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not</strong> (οἱ μὲν ἐπείθοντο... οἱ δὲ ἠπίστουν)—This divided response typifies gospel preaching's inevitable result. The Greek contrasts 'epeithonto' (were persuaded/believed) with 'epistoun' (disbelieved/rejected). Same message, same evidence, opposite responses—demonstrating that conversion requires more than intellectua...
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(24) **And some believed the things which were spoken.**—Better, as expressing the fact that the verb is the passive form of that translated “persuade,” in the previous verse, *some were being persuaded of the things that were spoken.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-6. answered that Paul should be kept--**rather, "is in custody."
at Cæsarea, and ... himself would depart shortly thither.
And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
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<strong>When they agreed not among themselves</strong> (ἀσύμφωνοι ὄντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους)—The Greek 'asymphonoi' (un-harmonious) describes discord among Paul's Jewish hearers after his gospel presentation. As throughout Acts, Jewish response to Jesus divides audiences. <strong>Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias</strong>—Paul attributes Isaiah's prophecy (6:9-10) directly to the Holy Spirit (τὸ πνεῦμ...
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(25) **After that Paul had spoken one word.**—The tone of vehement indignation implies a patience almost exhausted by the long contest with prejudice and unbelief. He cannot refrain from reproducing the conviction which he had already expressed in the Epistle to the Romans, that “blindness in part had happened unto Israel,” that a remnant only were faithful, and that “the rest were hardened” (Roma...
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**7. the Jews ... from Jerusalem--**clamorously, as at Jerusalem; see Ac 25:24.
**many and grievous complaints against Paul--**From his reply, and Festus' statement of the case before Agrippa, these charges seem to have been a jumble of political and religious matter which they were unable to substantiate, and vociferous cries that he was unfit to live. Paul's reply, not given in full, was proba...
Read full commentary →Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
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<strong>Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand</strong> (ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε)—The Hebrew construction (infinitive absolute + finite verb) intensifies meaning: 'You will indeed hear but never understand.' This describes judicial hardening—God gives people over to their chosen blindness (Romans 1:24-28). <strong>Seeing ye shall see, and not perceive</strong> (βλέποντες βλέψετε κα...
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(26) **Go unto this people, and say** **. . .**—On the passage thus quoted see Notes on Matthew 13:14-15. Here we are chiefly concerned with the fact that the words had been cited by our Lord as describing the spiritual state of the Jews of Palestine, and that the record of their citation is found in the first three Gospels (Matthew 13:13; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10), while St. John (John 12:40) reprodu...
Read full commentary →For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
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<strong>For the heart of this people is waxed gross</strong> (ἐπαχύνθη, epachynthē, 'has become dull/thickened')—Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, Jesus' most-cited Old Testament text explaining Jewish rejection. The triple problem—gross hearts, dull ears, closed eyes—depicts willful spiritual insensitivity, not divine causation. <strong>Lest they should see... and hear... and understand... and should be...
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**9-10. Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure--**to ingratiate himself with them.
**said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and ... be judged ... before me--**or, "under my protection." If this was meant in earnest, it was temporizing and vacillating. But, possibly, anticipating Paul's refusal, he wished merely to avoid the odium of refusing to remove the trial to Jerusalem.
Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
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<strong>Be it known therefore unto you</strong> (γνωστὸν οὖν ἔστω ὑμῖν)—Formal declaration introducing solemn pronouncement. <strong>That the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles</strong> (τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπεστάλη τοῦτο τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ)—Paul announces what has been Acts' trajectory since chapter 10 (Cornelius): God's redemptive plan now focuses on Gentile mission. The phrase 'salvation of ...
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(28) **Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God . . .**—The better MSS. give *“this* salvation,” the demonstrative adjective having the same force as in “the words of *this* life,” in Acts 5:20. The Apostle points, as it were, to that definite method of deliverance (the Greek gives the concrete neuter form, as in Luke 2:30; Luke 3:6, and not the feminine abstract) which he had pro...
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**9-10. Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure--**to ingratiate himself with them.
**said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and ... be judged ... before me--**or, "under my protection." If this was meant in earnest, it was temporizing and vacillating. But, possibly, anticipating Paul's refusal, he wished merely to avoid the odium of refusing to remove the trial to Jerusalem.
And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves</strong>—This verse appears in the Textus Receptus but is absent from most early manuscripts (Alexandrian text type), leading many modern translations to omit it or bracket it. The KJV includes it: after Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 about Israel's hardness (28:26-27), the Jewish community exits with ...
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(29) **And when he had said these words . . .**—The whole verse is wanting in many of the earliest MSS. and versions. It may have been inserted, either by a transcriber, or by the historian himself in a revised copy in order to avoid the apparent abruptness of the transition from Acts 28:28-30. As far as it goes it confirms the statement of Acts 28:24-25, that some of those who had listened were c...
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**11. I appeal to Cæsar--**The right of appeal to the supreme power, in case of life and death, was secured by an ancient law to every Roman citizen, and continued under the empire. Had Festus shown any disposition to pronounce final judgment, Paul, strong in the consciousness of his innocence and the justice of a Roman tribunal, would not have made this appeal. But when the only other alternative...
Read full commentary →And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
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<strong>And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house</strong>—The summary of Paul's Roman imprisonment: διετίαν ὅλην (<em>dietian holēn</em>, 'two whole years')—approximately AD 60-62. <strong>His own hired house</strong> (ἰδίῳ μισθώματι, <em>idiō misthōmati</em>, 'his own rented dwelling') indicates Paul paid for lodging, likely through support from churches (Philippians 4:14-18) or his ...
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(30) **And Paul dwelt two whole years . . .**—On the probable incidents of this period, see *Excursus* *on the Later Years of St. Paul’s Life.* The word translated “hired house” (the exact equivalent for the Latin *meritorium, *or *conductum*) means rather a *lodging* (as in Acts 28:23) or *apartment, *and does not imply that he occupied a whole house. The words that follow exactly describe his po...
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**12. Festus--**little expecting such an appeal, but bound to respect it.
**having conferred with the council--**his assessors in judgment, as to the admissibility of the appeal.
**said, Hast thou--**for "thou hast."
**to Cæsar shalt thou go--**as if he would add perhaps "and see if thou fare better."
Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
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<strong>Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ</strong>—Acts ends not with Paul's fate but with his message. The participles κηρύσσων (<em>kēryssōn</em>, 'proclaiming, heralding') τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ (<em>tēn basileian tou theou</em>, 'the kingdom of God') and διδάσκων (<em>didaskōn</em>, 'teaching') τὰ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (<em>ta p...
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(31) **No man forbidding him.**—The fact is interesting as showing the attitude of the Roman empire to the new faith. So far, even under Nero, it was tolerant, and even though the “sect” of the Christians was “everywhere spoken against,” a leading teacher of that sect was allowed free room to propagate his views. The rulers of the empire were not as yet alarmed at the thought of the wide-spread se...
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Ac 25:13-27. Herod Agrippa II ON A Visit to Festus, Being Consulted by Him on Paul's Case, Desires to Hear the Apostle, Who Is Accordingly Brought Forth.
**13. King Agrippa--**great-grandson of Herod the Great, and Drusilla's brother (see on Ac 24:24). On his father's awful death (Ac 12:23), being thought too young (seventeen) to succeed, Judea, was attached to the province of Syria. Four years a...
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