Acts 24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:4

Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee ,.... Suggesting, that he could say a great deal more under this head, but, for brevity sake, should omit it; and because he would not tire his patience, and hinder business going forward: I pray thee, that thou wouldst hear us of thy clemency a few words ; he praises him for his humanity and good nature, and for his patience in hearing causes, and promises him great conciseness in the account he should give him; and entreats that,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:5

For we have found this man a pestilent fellow ,.... Pointing to Paul, the prisoner at the bar; the word here used signifies the "pest" or "plague" itself; and it was usual with orators among the Romans, when they would represent a man as a very wicked man, as dangerous to the state, and unworthy to live in it, to call him the pest of the city, or of the country, or of the empire, as may be observed in several places in Cicero's Orations. And a mover of sedition among all the Jews... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:6

Who also hath gone about to profane the temple ,.... By introducing a Greek into it; see Acts 21:28 which was only a supposition and conjecture of the Asiatic Jews, and was a false and groundless one: whom we took ; as they did in the temple, and dragged him out of it: and would have judged according to our law ; which was another untruth, for they had him not before any court of judicature; they brought no charge in form against him, nor did they examine his case, and inquire into... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:7

But the chief captain Lysias came upon us ,.... Suddenly, and at unawares, immediately, and with great haste, before they could execute their designs; which were not to judge Paul according to law, but to kill him, in the manner the zealots did: and with great violence took him away out of our hands ; for he came with an army, and rescued him, Acts 23:27 Some copies add, "and sent him to thee"; and so the Syriac version reads. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:8

Commanding his accusers to come unto thee ,.... But this was not done till after Paul had set forth his case before the people, upon the stairs leading to the castle: and after he had pleaded his own cause before the sanhedrim; and after the chief captain had had intelligence of the Jews lying in wait to kill him: Tertullus would insinuate that the captain was blameworthy, that he hindered a legal process against Paul; and that it was owing to him, that this trouble was given the governor,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:9

And the Jews also assented ,.... That is, Ananias the high priest, and the elders that were with him, agreed to what Tertullus said, and confirmed the same. Saying, that these things were so ; that Paul was such a person, and was guilty of the crimes he had set forth; and that the chief captain had taken the steps, and done the things he had related. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:10

Then Paul, after the governor had beckoned unto him to speak ,.... Tertullus having finished his account, Paul was silent to his charge and calumnies, until the governor beckoned with his hand or head, or made some sign to him to speak for himself; which he might not do, until leave was given him; and then he answered as follows: forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation ; some say he was in the thirteenth, others in the tenth year of his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:11

Because that thou mayest understand ,.... By what Paul now asserted, and by the witnesses which he could produce to certify the truth of it: that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship ; that is, from the time that he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, to the present time, in which he stood before Felix, pleading his own cause; which may be reckoned, thus, he came in one day from Caesarea to Jerusalem, Acts 21:16 the next day he visited James and the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:12

And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man ,.... Either about civil or religious affairs: not that it was criminal to dispute in the temple; it was a common thing for the doctors to dispute about matters of religion, in the porches, and courts, and chambers of the temple, as it may be observed they often did with Christ; but the apostle mentions this to show, that he was so far from moving sedition among the people of the Jews, that he never so much as entered into any... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 24:13

Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. As that he was a pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition, and a profaner of the temple these things they could not set forth in any clear light, and bring testimonies, or give demonstration of; they could not make them appear to be true, which it lay upon them to do, or otherwise in course he ought be acquitted: this was challenging and defying them to make good their assertions. read more

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