Acts 24:11

24:10-21 Paul gives a just account of himself, which clears him from crime, and likewise shows the true reason of the violence against him. Let us never be driven from any good way by its having an ill name. It is very comfortable, in worshipping God, to look to him as the God of our fathers, and to set up no other rule of faith or practice but the Scriptures. This shows there will be a resurrection to a final judgment. Prophets and their doctrines were to be tried by their fruits. Paul's aim was to have a conscience void of offence. His care and endeavour was to abstain from many things, and to abound in the exercises of religion at all times; both towards God. and towards man. If blamed for being more earnest in the things of God than our neighbours, what is our reply? Do we shrink from the accusation? How many in the world would rather be accused of any weakness, nay, even of wickedness, than of an earnest, fervent feeling of love to the Lord Jesus Christ, and of devotedness to his service! Can such think that He will confess them when he comes in his glory, and before the angels of God? If there is any sight pleasing to the God of our salvation, and a sight at which the angels rejoice, it is, to behold a devoted follower of the Lord, here upon earth, acknowledging that he is guilty, if it be a crime, of loving the Lord who died for him, with all his heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.

That thou mayest understand, either by what thou hast heard already, or by what the witnesses, when examined, will declare. There are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem; there were but twelve days since Paul’s coming to Jerusalem; seven of them he had spent there, until the time of his purification was accomplished; and the other five days he had been in custody, and at Caesarea: by which St. Paul proves how unlikely it was, that in so short a time he, being a stranger in those parts, should raise any tumults. For to worship; he being so far from designing any mischief, that he only intended to worship God.

Acts 24:11 . Δεκαδύο , twelve ) Deducting the five days, of which Acts 24:1 speaks, there were seven days: and concerning these seven see ch. Acts 21:17-18 ; Acts 21:26-27 (the seven days of purification were nearly ended ἔμελλον συντελεῖσθαι , when he was made prisoner), wherein the verb ἔμελλον should be attended to; and the sense is, When these things were being done, which Paul had taken in hand, Acts 24:26 : furthermore see ch. Acts 22:30 , Acts 23:11-12 ; Acts 23:32 .— ἀνέβην I went up ) from Cesarea. Felix might have understood or known ( δυναμένου σου ἐπινιῶναι ) the fact from the Cesareans.

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 Sanhedrim (Ac 22:30; 23:1-10); 9. Conspiracy of the Jews and defeat of it (Ac 23:12-24), and despatch of Paul from Jerusalem on the evening of the same day (Ac 23:23, 31); 10, 11, 12, 13. The remaining period referred to (Ac 24:1) [Meyer]. This short period is mentioned to show how unlikely it was that he should have had time to do what was charged against him. for to worship—a very different purpose from that imputed to him.

Verse 11. - Seeing that thou canst take knowledge for because that thou mayest understand , A.V. and T.R.; it is act more than for there are yet but , A.V.; I went up to worship at Jerusalem for I went up to Jerusalem for to worship , A.V. Twelve days . These days may be thus reckoned: (1) arrival at Jerusalem ( Acts 21:15 ); (2) Visit to James and the ciders ( Acts 21:18 ); (3) first day of purification ( Acts 21:26 ); (4) second day of purification; (5) the third day; (6) the fourth day; (7) the fifth day, when the tumult took place ( Acts 21:27 ); (8) Paul brought before the Sanhedrim; (9) the conspiracy of the forty Jews, Paul leaves Jerusalem for Caesarea - the first of the five days mentioned in Acts 24:1 ; (10) arrival of St. Paul" next day" at Caesarea, and lodged in the pretorium - second of the five days ( Acts 23:32, 35 ); (11) Paul in Herod's judgment hall - third of the five days; (12) ditto - fourth of the five days; (13) the current day, being also the fifth day of those mentioned in Acts 24:1 . The mention of the brief time of twelve days shows the narrow limits of time within which the crime must have been committed, while the adroit mention of the purpose of his visit, to worship, would show how unlikely it was that he should have gone with any evil intent. Acts 24:11

11 . because that thou mayest understand ] Rev. Ver. taking a slightly different reading, “Seeing that thou canst take knowledge.” The Apostle means that it was easy to find evidence about all that had happened in such a short space of time. Beside which Felix’s knowledge of Jewish customs would tell him that this was just the time at which foreign Jews came to Jerusalem. that there are yet but twelve days ] The Rev. Ver. has the more modern English, which is also closer to the Greek, “that it is not more than twelve days.” The time may be accounted for thus: the day of St Paul’s arrival, the interview with James on the second day, five days may be given to the separate life in the temple during the vow, then the hearing before the council, next day the conspiracy, the tenth day St Paul reached Cæsarea, and on the thirteenth day (which leaves five days ( Acts 24:1 ), as Jews would reckon from the conspiracy to the hearing in Cæsarea) St Paul is before Felix. See Farrar’s St Paul , ii. 338 (note). since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship ] The Rev. Ver. gets rid of the antiquated English by rendering, “since I went up to worship at Jerusalem.” But the A. V. gives more of the emphasis which St Paul intended to lay on the object of his visit. He went on purpose to worship. Was it likely that he would try to profane the temple? And the verb which he uses expresses all the lowly adoration common among Orientals. The Apostle probably chose it for this reason.

Acts 24:11 . Paul adds a more special reason subordinate to the general one ( Acts 24:10 ), for his εὐθυμότερον … ἀπολογοῦμαι . Since he had returned from abroad only twelve days ago, and accordingly the ground of facts on which they wished him condemned ( τὸ ἱερὸν ἐπείρασε βεβηλῶσαι , comp. Acts 21:28 ) was still quite new, the procurator, with his long judicial experience among the Jewish people, could the less avoid the most thorough examination of the matter. οὐ πλείους … ἡμέραι δεκαδύο ] without ἤ , which Elz. has as a gloss. See on Acts 4:22 . ἀφʼ ἧς ἀνέβην ] from the day on which ( ἀΦʼ ἧς , sc. ἡμέρας , comp. on Acts 1:2 ; Acts 1:22 ) I had come up. This is the day of the accomplished ἀναβαίνειν , the day of the arrival , not of the departure from Caesarea (Wieseler). Comp. Acts 11:2 ; Kühner, § 444; Winer, p. 258 [E. T. 343]. As to the reckoning of the twelve days , it is to be observed: (1) That by the present εἰσι the inclusion of the days already spent at Caesarea is imperatively required. Hence the assumption of Heinrichs, Hildebrand, and others is to be rejected as decidedly erroneous: “Dies, quibus P. jam Caesareae fuerat, non numerantur; ibi enim (!!) in custodia tumultum movere non poterat” (Kuinoel). (2) That οὐ πλείους εἰσι permits us to regard as the current day on which the discussion occurred, either the twelfth or the (not yet elapsed) thirteenth; as, however, Paul wished to express as short a period as possible, the latter view is to be preferred.

There accordingly results the following calculation:— I. Day of arrival in Jerusalem, Acts 21:15-17 . II. Meeting with James, Acts 21:18 ff. III. Undertaking of the Nazarite vow and offerings, Acts 21:26 . IV. V. The seven days’ time of offering broken off by the arrest, Acts 21:27 . VI. VII. Arrest of the apostle, Acts 21:27 ff. VIII. Paul before the Sanhedrim, Acts 22:30 , Acts 23:1-10 . IX. Jewish conspiracy and its disclosure, Acts 23:12 ff. On the same day Paul, before midnight, is brought away from Jerusalem, Acts 23:23 ; Acts 23:31 . X. Μετὰ δὲ πέντε ἡμέρας κ . τ . λ ., Acts 24:1 . XI. XII. XIII. The current day. It further serves to justify this calculation: (1) that it sufficiently agrees with the vague statement in Acts 21:27 : ὡς δὲ ἔμελλον αἱ ἑπτὰ ἡμέραι συντελεῖσθαι , to place the arrest on the fifth day of that week; (2) that, as terminus a quo for μετὰ πέντε ἡμέρας , Acts 24:1 , the ninth day may not only be assumed generally (because the immediately preceding section of the narrative, Acts 23:31 ff., commences with the departure of Paul from Jerusalem), but is also specially indicated by the connection , inasmuch as this μετὰ πέντε ἡμέρ . so corresponds to the τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον , Acts 23:32 , that there is presented for both statements of time one and the same point of commencement, namely, the day on which the convoy (after nine in the evening) left Jerusalem.