The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 23
Chapter XXIII · Vol. IV, pp. 302–304
1 As Paul pleadeth his cause, 2 Ananias commandeth them to smite him. 7 Dissension among his accusers. 11 God encourageth him. 14 The Jews' laying wait for Paul 20 is declared unto the chief captain. 27 He sendeth him to Felix the governor.
1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, aMen and brethren, bI have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.1
a See ch.22.1.
b ch.24.16. 1 Co.4.4. 2 Co.1.12; 4.2. 2 Ti.1.3. He.13.18.
1 See note * below.
* How may this declaration be reconciled with the facts recorded, ch.22.4,20; Ga.1.13; and the guilt admitted, 1 Co.15.9; 1 Ti.1.15? Some suppose that the apostle referred merely to his conduct since his conversion—his conduct as a Christian being the only subject of question or trial. It seems, however, more natural to understand him as speaking of his whole life, and declaring that as a Jew, when his mind was darkened and his conscience misled (see Jn.16.2), still he had walked according to his light—sincere, though mistaken, Ac.26.9,10, and that now, as a Christian, when 'light had shined into his dark heart,' and his 'conscience had been purged from dead works,' he had, with equal sincerity, disinterestedness, and zeal, devoted himself to the work to which the Lord had miraculously called him. The whole amounts to a solemn assertion that his life as a Jew would furnish a public test of his integrity in embracing the religion of Jesus.—C.
2 And the high-priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him cto smite him on the mouth.
c 1 Ki.22.24. Je.20.2. Jn.18.22. Mi.5.1.
3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee,2 thou dwhited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and ecommandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?
2 This was no angry invective or imprecation, but a terrible prophecy, which, five years after, was remarkably fulfilled—when, after a tumult commenced by his own son, he was besieged in the palace, and being driven thence, and having hid himself in an aqueduct, he was at length discovered there, dragged out, and slain.—C.
4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high-priest?
5 Then said Paul, I wist not,3 brethren, that he was the high-priest: for it is written, gThou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.
3 This declaration of ignorance, compared with the special promise, Mat.10.19, has been urged as an evidence that Paul was not inspired. But can the objectors prove that Paul was really ignorant? The ignorance is their own. Ananias was not the high-priest. He had been deprived of that office by the Romans, and succeeded by Jonathan, after whose murder by Festus there occurred a period of vacancy anterior to the elevation of Ishmael. During this vacancy Ananias usurped the office from which he had been formerly expelled on account of his crimes. When Paul, therefore, 'wist not that he was the high-priest,' he declares an historical fact; for though his partisans and flatterers called him so, they could not invest him with the office. Josephus' Antiq. b. xx. c. 6, §2. Michaelis' Introduction, c. ii. p. 52, 53.—C.
6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, hI am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
h ch.24.15,21;26.5,6,8;28.20. Phi.3.5.
7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.
8 For ithe Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, jWe find no evil in this man: butk if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
j ch.25.25; 26.31. Lu.23.4,14,15,22, with Pr.16.7. 1 Sa.24.17.
k ch.9.4; 16.9; 22.7,17,18;5.39;11.17.
10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
11 And lthe night following, the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, nand bound themselves under a curse,4 saying that they would neither eat nor drink otill they had killed Paul.Cited in WLC 113, 135 · WCF 22.7
13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.
14 And they came to the pchief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.Cited in WLC 113 · WCF 22.7
p Ho.4.9.
15 Nowq therefore ye,5 with the council, signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to-morrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are rready to kill him.
q Pr.1.11,16;4.16. ch.25.3.
5 From comparing ver.6,9,14, and 15, it will be seen that 'the chief priests and elders' had become 'Sadducees'—an awful example of 'false doctrine and heresy' infecting the church of God among the Jews, which should serve as a warning to the Christian churches of the Gentiles, lest, through carelessness and worldliness, they should fall into like errors, and so be cut off by a like judgment, Ro.11.20,21.—C.
16 Ands when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.Cited in WLC 135
s 2 Sa.17.17. Job 5.13. Pr.21.30.
17 Thent Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain; for he hath a certain thing to tell him.Cited in WLC 135
t Pr.22.3. Mat.10.16,17. Ep.5.15.
18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the uprisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.
19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?
20 And he said, vThe Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to-morrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
v ver.12-15; ch.25.3.
21 Butx do not thou yield unto them: for ythere lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath,6 that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.Cited in WLC 135
x Ex.23.2.
y ch.25.3;20.3. Ps.10.9,10; 37.32. Mi.7.2. Pr.1.16;4.16. Is.59.7,15.
22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast showed these things to me.
23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cesarea,7 and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen8 two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
7 Cesarea, and not Jerusalem, was now the ordinary residence of the governor of Judea, from its being a seaport, its facilities of communication with Rome, its commercial importance, and architectural splendour. It flourished as a Christian church till the seventh century, but even its ruins have disappeared, nor does it contain a single inhabitant. So transitory is human glory! so terrible are God's judgments against oppression and pride!—C.
A.M. cir. 4065. A.D. cir. 61.
8 Or archers or javelin-casters.
24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.9
9 See note * below.
* The desperate measures of the Jews no doubt confirmed Lysias in his determination to protect his prisoner; but, by keeping him at Jerusalem, insurrections might have been excited, and some opportunity might have been afforded to his vigilant enemies of murdering him. He therefore resolved to send him to Felix the Roman governor, who resided at Cesarea, which is computed to have been about seventy miles from Jerusalem. The body of Roman soldiers appointed to escort him, consisting of two hundred legionary soldiers, two hundred light-armed soldiers, and seventy horsemen, might have sufficed to repel any tumultuary assault of the Jews: but to prevent bloodshed, they were ordered to set off about three hours after sunset, that they might be out of the reach of the zealots before morning. This prudent precaution was accompanied by one equally humane. Paul was not required to walk with the soldiers, who had been accustomed to long and speedy marches; but they were ordered to provide beasts, mules or horses, changing them when necessary, that he might be conducted safely and conveniently to Cesarea.—P.
25 And he wrote a letter after this manner:
26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor aFelix1 sendeth greeting.
a ch.24.3,25,27.
1 Felix is described in history as a monster of avarice, cruelty, and licentiousness, being raised to office through no personal merit, but through the influence of his brother Pallas, the favourite of the emperor Claudius. Felix was the Roman procurator, or governor, of the province of Judaea; and his residence was at Caesarea, the political capital. He was a man of humble origin, being a freed-slave of the emperor Claudius.—P.
27 aThis man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.Cited in WLC 135
a ch.21.32,33;ver.10.
28 And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, bI brought him forth into their council:Cited in WLC 4
b ch.22.30.
29 Whom I perceived to be accused of cquestions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
c ch.18.15; 24.6,10-21;26.2-6,31;25.8,19.
30 Andd when it was told me, how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.
d ver.16-24; ch.24.7,8;25.6,16.
31 Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.2
2 Antipatris was a city built by Herod, and so named in memory of his father Antipater, and, according to Reland, was forty-two miles from Jerusalem and within six of Cesarea. But as forty-two miles are too great for one night march, commencing at nine o'clock, it is most probable the party did not reach Antipatris till the second night.—C.
32 On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
33 Who, when they came to Cesarea,3 and delivered the eepistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
3 A city on the north-west of Canaan. See ch.8.40.
e ver.25-30.
Notes
Reflections.—Happy are they who can appeal to God, that, by his grace, they have lived soberly, righteously, and godly before him. And it is base in judges to abuse any honest man for avowing his own integrity. He who knows their heart and way will vindicate his faithful servants, to the confusion of their enemies, however great; and proud persecutors will quickly feel themselves unable to stand before the storm of his judgments.—In ordinary cases we must not speak evil of our rulers whom we know and own as such.—But we may join the wisdom of the serpent with the simplicity of the dove. We may divide the counsels of our enemies, though we may not revile their persons; and by maintaining some particular article of truth, set one part of them against another. If one party be enraged, the other will probably favour us.—If we be upright followers of that which is good, God can make the secular powers to protect us, and can overrule our dangerous circumstances to gain their favour. And if Jesus assure us of his presence and support, and of our future usefulness, it should entirely remove all our disquieting fears, let our enemies do what they will.—Abandoned are those miscreants, and especially those judges, who, contrary to the law of nature or nations, combine to murder such as they cannot convict of any crime. No pretence of religion can sanctify, but greatly aggravates, such horrible villainy. To bind ourselves under a curse to work iniquity, is but to insnare our souls into fearful damnation.—But watchfully God marks the most secret plots of his people's enemies. Easily he discovers and disappoints them in favour of his faithful servants. And he will avenge wickedness on the wicked, and will even turn their intended mischiefs to the good of his servants, and for promoting their further usefulness in the world.