None accusation ... - No charge as I expected of a breach of the peace; of a violation of the Roman law; of atrocious crime. It was natural that Festus should suppose that they would accuse Paul of some such offence. He had been arraigned before Felix; had been two years in custody; and the Jews were exceedingly violent against him. All this, Festus would presume, must have arisen from some flagrant and open violation of the laws. read more
Acts 25:18-19. Against whom, when the accusers stood up And offered what they had to say; they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed From the general clamour they had made against him, as a seditious and dangerous person, they would have done. He had inferred, from the eagerness of their prosecution, and their urging the matter thus upon the Roman governors, one after another, 1st, That they had something to accuse him of, which was dangerous either to private property or... read more
Paul again declared innocent (25:13-26:32)Among those who came to Caesarea to pay their respects to the new governor was Herod Agrippa II. This man was the son of Herod Agrippa I (the governor mentioned in 12:1-4,20-23) and the brother of Bernice and Drusilla (13; cf. 24:24; see ‘The New Testament World’). He was Rome’s appointed ruler over certain areas in the far north of Palestine, but he had no power in the region governed by Festus. He was, however, an expert on Jewish affairs (see... read more
Against = Concerning. Greek. peri , as in verses: Acts 25:9 , Acts 25:15 , Acts 25:16 , Acts 9:19 , Acts 9:20 , Acts 9:24 , Acts 9:26 . brought = were bringing. Greek. epiphero. See Acts 19:12 . But the texts read phero , same as in Acts 25:7 . none . Greek. oudeis. accusation = charge. Greek. aitia , the common word for cause, or charge. supposed . See Acts 13:25 . read more
Concerning whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of evil things as I supposed.Here in the mouth of Felix is the verdict of innocence which he did not have the moral fiber to announce. read more
18. as I supposed—"suspected"—crimes punishable by civil law. read more
Herod Agrippa II’s visit to Festus 25:13-22The charges against Paul, and particularly his innocence, are the point of this pericope. read more
Festus reviewed Paul’s situation and confessed his own surprise at the nature of the charges the Jews had brought against him. They were matters concerning the Jewish religion (cf. Acts 18:15; Acts 23:29) and the resurrection of Jesus. Luke did not record that Paul had spoken to Festus about Jesus’ resurrection previously, but apparently he had. Festus did not know how to deal with these charges (Acts 25:20)."It is interesting that by this stage the question of Paul’s alleged desecration of the... read more
St. Paul before Festus1f. St. Paul and Festus.2. The high priest] RV ’the chief priests.’3. Favour] They desired from the judge partiality, not justice; and probably offered him money. 5. Able] rather, ’influential.’6. More than, etc.] RV ’not more than eight or ten days.’9. Provincial governors were generally anxious to be on good terms with their subjects, because, when their term of office was over, the provincials had the right to complain of them to the Emperor. Before me] The proposal was... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 25:18-19
Party accusations. From Festus we learn what were the accusations made against the apostle by his Jewish enemies, and we see plainly that they cared only for the interests of party, not for the truth. It becomes evident that the point of difficulty was our Lord's resurrection, upon which St. Paul always so firmly insisted. That fact is the central fact of Christianity; and upon it the whole scheme of Christian doctrine rests. Note— I. WHEREIN PAUL 'S ACCUSERS FAILED . They... read more