Acts 25:15

25:13-27 Agrippa had the government of Galilee. How many unjust and hasty judgments the Roman maxim, ver. 16, condemn! This heathen, guided only by the light of nature, followed law and custom exactly, yet how many Christians will not follow the rules of truth, justice, and charity, in judging their brethren! The questions about God's worship, the way of salvation, and the truths of the gospel, may appear doubtful and without interest, to worldly men and mere politicians. See how slightly this Roman speaks of Christ, and of the great controversy between the Jews and the Christians. But the day is at hand when Festus and the whole world will see, that all the concerns of the Roman empire were but trifles and of no consequence, compared with this question of Christ's resurrection. Those who have had means of instruction, and have despised them, will be awfully convinced of their sin and folly. Here was a noble assembly brought together to hear the truths of the gospel, though they only meant to gratify their curiosity by attending to the defence of a prisoner. Many, even now, attend at the places of hearing the word of God with great pomp, and too often with no better motive than curiosity.

And though ministers do not now stand as prisoners to make a defence for their lives, yet numbers affect to sit in judgment upon them, desirous to make them offenders for a word, rather than to learn from them the truth and will of God, for the salvation of their souls But the pomp of this appearance was outshone by the real glory of the poor prisoner at the bar. What was the honour of their fine appearance, compared with that of Paul's wisdom, and grace, and holiness; his courage and constancy in suffering for Christ! It is no small mercy to have God clear up our righteousness as the light, and our just dealing as the noon-day; to have nothing certain laid to our charge. And God makes even the enemies of his people to do them right.

About whom, when I was at Jerusalem,.... Quickly after he came to his government: the chief priests and elders of the Jews informed me; brought an accusation to him, exhibited to him charges against him, presented to him a bill of information, setting forth various crimes he had been guilty of: desiring to have judgment against him; not barely to have his cause tried, but to have a sentence of condemnation passed upon him; some copies read "condemnation", as the Alexandrian copy, and two of Beza's; and that punishment is designed, and even death itself, is manifest from the following words.

To wit, judgment of death upon Paul, that he might be sentenced according to the crimes they had laid against him; dikh being put for katadikh. Neither do they at all mind that St. Paul’s case was not yet heard; they would rather have had him condemned unheard, as they had gotten our Saviour to be condemned, though the judge declared that he found no fault in him, Luke 23:4 ; which their unjust desire appears by Festus’s answer.

Acts 25:15-16 . Αἰτούμενοι κ . τ . λ .] asking for punishment against him . That δίκην (comp. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 ; Judges 1:7 ) is so to be taken (according to its very frequent use by the classical writers, see Reiske, Ind. Dem . p. 162 f.; Ast, Lex. Plat . I. p. 538), is shown by Acts 25:16 . Comp. the passages with αἰτ . δίκ . in Wetstein. πρὶν ἤ ] refers to the conception of condemnation contained in καρίζεσθαι . As to the principle of Roman law here expressed, see Grotius in loc. , and on Acts 16:37 . Likewise as to the Greek law, see Dissen, ad Dem. de cor . p. 160. On the optative with πρίν after a negative clause, when the matter is reported “ ut in cogitatione posita ,” see Klotz, ad Devar . p. 726.

Tox. 26; Hermann, Staatsalterth. § 142, 14),the advocates of the accusers. ἐνεφ . τῷ ἡγ . κατὰ τοῦ Π .] they laid information before the procurator against Paul. That this took place in writing , by a libel of accusation (Camerarius, Grotius), is not affirmed by the text, which, by κατέβη and the κληθέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ immediately following, does not point to more than oral accusation. Comp. Acts 23:15 , Acts 25:2 ; Acts 25:15 . The reciprocal rendering, comparuerunt (Beza, Luther, Castalio, Wolf, and others, following the Vulgate), is an unnecessary deviation from the usage in the N.T., Acts 23:15 ; Acts 23:22 , Acts 25:2 ; Acts 25:15 ; John 14:21 f.; Hebrews 11:14 , and elsewhere also not capable of being made good. Comp. Borne-mann in Rosenmüller, Repert . II. p. 271; Krebs, p. 252 f.

15 . the chief priests ] See note on Acts 25:2 . desiring to have judgment against him ] The older MSS. give a stronger word for “judgment” than the Text. Recept . It implies that they held there could be but one opinion and that a condemnatory sentence might be at once pronounced, even by the newly arrived governor.