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23
1 Then Paul, looking intently at the council, said, “Men, brothers, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” 2 So the high priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to strike his mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!* One is reminded of the Lord's calling the Pharisees ‘whitewashed tombs’ (Matthew 23:27); what Paul said was probably not as bad, but definitely not a compliment! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you command me to be struck contrary to the law!” 4 So those standing by said, “Do you reproach God's high priest?” 5 Then Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”† See Exodus 22:28. Ananias was presumably the true high priest, but someone else was probably the political ‘high priest’ that year, and the political one would be wearing the priestly attire; presumably that is why Paul did not recognize the real high priest. Note that he sort of apologizes, but he does not revoke the curse!
6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Pharisees and the other Sadducees,‡ I follow the best line of transmission in putting ‘Pharisees’ first; 80% of the Greek manuscripts reverse the order, as in most versions. he called out in the council, “Men, brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee; I am being judged concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he had said this, an argument started between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.§ That was presumably Paul's intention, only the situation got out of hand! 8 (Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel or spirit, but Pharisees confess both.)* The Greek term here means precisely ‘both’; angel and spirit are treated as a single category. 9 There was a great clamor, and the scribes of the Pharisee party stood up and started arguing vigorously, saying, “We find nothing wrong with this man; but if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God!”† Some 4.5% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘let us not fight against God’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). 10 Well the dissension became such that the commander, fearing that Paul might be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and snatch him out of their midst and bring him into the barracks.
A plot exposed
11 Now the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, Paul, because as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”‡ Paul is in Jerusalem in disobedience against a clear divine prohibition, and things definitely are not going well. God appears to Paul and assures him that he will indeed get to Rome [although he is not going to enjoy the trip!]. 12 And when it was day, some of the Jews formed a conspiracy by binding themselves with a curse neither to eat nor to drink until they had destroyed Paul.§ When the plot failed, they presumably did eat and drink and resume normal life, but I wonder if they suffered any consequences of the curse. 13 Now there were more than forty who formed this plot. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said: “We have bound ourselves with a terrible curse not to taste anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, explain to the commander that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you are going to determine more accurately the facts in his case; but we are ready to destroy him before he comes near.”
16 But when Paul's sister's son heard about the ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 So Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 19 So taking him by the hand,* This is cute! The commander has a sense of humor. the commander went aside and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 So he said: “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him. 21 But you should not believe them, because more than forty of their men are lying in wait for him, who have bound themselves with a curse neither to eat not to drink until they have destroyed him; even now they are ready, looking for your promise.” 22 Then the commander dismissed the young man commanding, “Don't tell anyone that you have revealed these things to me!”
Paul sent to Felix
23 Summoning two of the centurions he said: “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen† A centurion commanded 100 men, so there were probably at least five centurions that set out with Paul. to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night;‡ Earlier in the book, referring to the Jewish hour of prayer, Hebrew time is used, and on that basis this would be 9 p.m. But I find it scarcely credible that a Roman commander (not a Jew) addressing his troops (none of whom were Jews) would use Hebrew time; I would expect him to use Roman time, which would make it 3 a.m. (People would still be awake at 9 p.m., but not at 3 a.m.) 24 and provide mounts to set Paul on so as to deliver him safely§ Why more than one horse for Paul? Was he allowing for the chance that they might have to run for it? Well, the nature of the curse implied some level of desperation, and 40+ desperate men could cause unforeseen complications. to Felix, the governor.” 25 He wrote a letter with this content:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix:
Greetings.
27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them; but I came with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he is a Roman.* Nothing like stretching the truth to make yourself look good. 28 And wanting to know the reason they were accusing him, I took him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but there was no accusation worthy of death or bonds. 30 When I was told that the Jews† Perhaps 11% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘the Jews’ and ‘about to’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.). were about to execute a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also directing his accusers to state the charges against him before you.
Farewell.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him and returned to the barracks.‡ Horsemen could move faster without the footmen, and presumably the greatest danger had been in and near Jerusalem. 33 When they entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 When the governor read it, he asked what province he was from; learning that it was Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers also arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's Praetorium.§ The quarters would be reasonably decent, not a dungeon.

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*23:3 One is reminded of the Lord's calling the Pharisees ‘whitewashed tombs’ (Matthew 23:27); what Paul said was probably not as bad, but definitely not a compliment!

†23:5 See Exodus 22:28. Ananias was presumably the true high priest, but someone else was probably the political ‘high priest’ that year, and the political one would be wearing the priestly attire; presumably that is why Paul did not recognize the real high priest. Note that he sort of apologizes, but he does not revoke the curse!

‡23:6 I follow the best line of transmission in putting ‘Pharisees’ first; 80% of the Greek manuscripts reverse the order, as in most versions.

§23:7 That was presumably Paul's intention, only the situation got out of hand!

*23:8 The Greek term here means precisely ‘both’; angel and spirit are treated as a single category.

†23:9 Some 4.5% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘let us not fight against God’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

‡23:11 Paul is in Jerusalem in disobedience against a clear divine prohibition, and things definitely are not going well. God appears to Paul and assures him that he will indeed get to Rome [although he is not going to enjoy the trip!].

§23:12 When the plot failed, they presumably did eat and drink and resume normal life, but I wonder if they suffered any consequences of the curse.

*23:19 This is cute! The commander has a sense of humor.

†23:23 A centurion commanded 100 men, so there were probably at least five centurions that set out with Paul.

‡23:23 Earlier in the book, referring to the Jewish hour of prayer, Hebrew time is used, and on that basis this would be 9 p.m. But I find it scarcely credible that a Roman commander (not a Jew) addressing his troops (none of whom were Jews) would use Hebrew time; I would expect him to use Roman time, which would make it 3 a.m. (People would still be awake at 9 p.m., but not at 3 a.m.)

§23:24 Why more than one horse for Paul? Was he allowing for the chance that they might have to run for it? Well, the nature of the curse implied some level of desperation, and 40+ desperate men could cause unforeseen complications.

*23:27 Nothing like stretching the truth to make yourself look good.

†23:30 Perhaps 11% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘the Jews’ and ‘about to’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, etc.).

‡23:32 Horsemen could move faster without the footmen, and presumably the greatest danger had been in and near Jerusalem.

§23:35 The quarters would be reasonably decent, not a dungeon.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD