The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 244

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XXV. which the Jews knew alrea.dy, that Paul was a prisoner at Cmearea, but his determi- Ver. l.-Fmtu1 therefore ha.mng Mme for nation to keep him there till he could go now tDMfl Futiu tDa.e come, A.V.; tDent up down and try him. The A.V. gives the for he a8Ce7l.ded, A.V.; to Jermal,em from mee.ning. Either o,iv is to be understood, C..-rro for from c-«rea to Jenua'lem, A.V. as if Fcstus should say, "Paul is " Rome.o The provinoe (',rczpxlu); above, oh. xxiii. 84. citizen; Ciesarea is the proper place for A.fter three daya, etc. It is an evidence of him to be tried at before the procurator, and the diligence of Feetus that he lost no time therefore he must be kept in custody there," in going to Jerusalem, the centre of dis, or some such words ns, "I have given affection to the Roman government. orders" must be understood before "the.t Ve:r. 2.-.And for tlum, A.V.; ckie/ priests Paul should be kept." for high prie$t, A.V. and T.R.; principal Ver. 5.-Saith for ,aid, A.V.; tohich are o/ men for chief, A.V.; and they buougkt for power among you for which amot19 you are and be-Rought, A.V. Chief prielltl; as in ver. able, A.V.; if there ill anything amiss in the 15 and eh. :ii:xii. 80. Bnt the reading of the man, let tkem accuse him for acouae this man, T.R., " the high priest," ia more in accord- if there be any toiokednes, in him, A.V, ance with eh. :ii:xiv. 1, e.nd is approved by Which are of power among you ; i.e. your Alford. The high priest at this time was t'li.ief men, or, as we should se.y, your bed no longer Ane.niaa, but Ismael the son of men, which would include ability to conduct Phe.bi, who was appointed by King Agrippa. the e.ccuse.tion as well e.s mere station. towe.rds the close of Feli.x's government Josephus frequently uses oura.-rol in the (Josephus,' Ant. Jnd.,' xx. viii. 8). He went sense of " men of re.nk and power and to Rome to nppee.l to Nero about the wall influence," 'louliut.,v ol ouva.-~.,.a.-ro1 (' Ant. which the Jews had built to screen the Jud.,' xiv. xiii. 1); f),cov 'lououfo,v ol owu.,-ol temple from being overlooked, and which (' Bell. J ud.,' i. xii. 4), eto. (see 1 Cor, i. 26; Agrippa had ordered to be pulled down; Rev. vi. 15; and the po.ssages from Thucy- and being detained at Rome as a hostage, didee, Xenophon, ond Philo, quoted by he was succeeded in the high priesthood by Kuinoel). The rendering . of the A.V., Joseph Ca.bi the son of Simon. We may though defensible, is less ne.turo.l e.nd less feel sure the.t on this occasion he was in accordance with the genius of the lan- present before Festns, for he had not yet guage. Amills; lho,rov, but me.ny manuscripts gone to Rome. In!orm.ed him {'re4>rfv,11a,y); omit 6-r01rov, leaving the sense, however, the sec eh. x.x.i v. 1, not.e. ":Che prinoipal men of same. the J'eWB (ol ,rpii-ro,). In ver. 15 Festllll Ver. 6.-Not more than eight ur en day, spoo.ks of them as al ,rpetrfJ6npoi. The for more tha,n i,en day,, A.V. ond T.R.; on question arises as to whether ihe two the morrou, for the ne:i:t day, A.V.; he Bat ..• phrases are identical in their mee.ning. and commanded for Bitting . . . commanded, Meyer thinks that the .,,.p;;,,.o, includes lee.d- A.V. On the morrow (see ver. 17). To be ing men who were not elders, i.e. not San- brought (clxBiircu). The technical word for hedriats. Josephllil calls the lee.ding Jews bringing a prisoner before the judge (eh. of Cmsarea o/ 1rp11TE6ovrEs .,.,;,., 'louliuu,,r ('Ant. vi. 12; xviii. 12; Lnke xxi. 12: :u.iii. 1, J u<l.,' XL viii 9). etc.). Ver. 8.-.A,ldn!J for and duired, A. V.; to Ver. 7.-Had come dot.On for ca7116 dOtD11, 1'ill 1,im on the taay for in the tDay to kill A.V.; about him for about, A. V.; bringing 1'im, A. V. Aalring favour, etc. The Jews again,t him for and laid . . . against Paul, evidently thought to take advantage of the A.V.; cl&argeB for complainu, A. V. Che.rgea; inexperience of Festus, and of his natural a.frul.µ.a.-ra, only here in the New Testament, deai.re to plee.ae them at his first start, ond rare in classical Greek. The A.V. to accomplish their murderous intentions ••complaint," means in older English age.inst Paul exaetlv the same o.s "charges" or "accusa- Ver. 4.-Huwbei.t for but, A.V.; tDtu kept tions ,r ( comp. "plaintiff'"). in charge for 11,oo,l,d be kept, A. V.; tDtu about Ver. 8.-Paul ,aid in hi, defence for A, to depart thither ,horay for tDOtdd depart anmered for hlm,elf, A.V. and T.R. ; nor o:bc,rlly, a,itht,r, A. v. waa kept in oharge. for neither, A.V.; against for yet again,t, Ft111tW1 did DOS uwrel7 mention tlle Cao$, A.V.; einl'Mlll for offended at171tliing, A. V, Ott, UV, 1-27,) 'rHE AC'rS OF THE APOSTLES. 251