When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.” Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.” Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And he wrote a letter to this effect: “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.” So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.
son of Paul's sister - "Only here is any mention made of Paul's immediate relatives." (Ryrie)
he went and entered the barracks and told Paul - "The apostle, being still an uncondemned prisoner, was evidently detained under only a moderate form of military custody, for it appears that his nephew had free access to him (Ver. 16; Cf. 24:23; 27:3; 28:16,30)." (Stam)
The Jews have agreed - "The agreement of the leaders of the Sanhedrin to take part in this plot (Ver. 20) shows the depth of infamy to which cultured and religious people can sink (Cf. Matt. 26:4; Acts 6:11, etc.) and the very fact that the assassins could go to the chief justices of Israel's Supreme Court, divulge their plot to them and seek their complicity in it, indicates how notorious was their contempt for the law they pretended to uphold. Once again Paul was in peril by his own countrymen." (Stam)
Felix the governor - "Roman procurator of Judea (A.D. 52 to probably 58) with headquarters in Caesarea." (Ryrie)
"Antonius Felix, a Greek by birth, was the younger brother of Pallas, the emperor Claudius's favourite. The two brothers had formerly been slaves of Antonia, Claudius's mother, but she had made them 'freedmen' and advanced them. Pallas's influence at court procured Felix a military command in Samaria under the procurator Ventidius Cumanus; and, on the latter's degradation from office, Felix became procurator of Judaea in his stead (about A.D. 52). He proved to be a cruel, corrupt, and avaricious governor. Tacitus the historian tells us that 'he wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave'. During his last two years of office, serious riots occurred in Caesarea between the Jewish and Syrian inhabitants, and Felix acted in a very high-handed manner. He was recalled to Rome to answer the charges against him, and only escaped condemnation through his brother's influence. He is then lost to view in history." (Walker)
Antipatris - "A military post about half-way between Jerusalem and Caesarea." (Ryrie)
"A city founded by Herod the Great, and so called in honour of his father. It was about thirty-five miles from Jerusalem, a little more than half-way to Caesarea. Here the party halted, being now beyond the reach of surprise." (Walker)
they had come to Caesarea - "What must have been the thoughts and feelings of the Caesarean believers as the weary cavalcade rode into the city with Paul in their midst! Only a few days ago Agabus had warned him of the dangers at Jerusalem, predicting that he would be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, and they all, along with Paul's own companions, had pleaded with him not to go (Acts 21:8-12). Now already Agabus' prediction had been fulfilled and their fears were realized. And what thoughts must have filled Paul's heart and mind! But God was in it all, for in this way Paul was to bear the name of Christ before 'kings,' as predicted in Acts 9:15, and fulfil a still greater ministry among the Gentiles." (Stam)
what province he was from - "Roman law required that this question be asked at the opening of a hearing, for Paul had the right to be tried in his home province or in the province where the alleged crime was committed. Tarsus was in Cilicia. Felix was a deputy of the legate of Syria and Cilicia, and so claimed the right to conduct the hearing, whichever choice Paul made. Such a detail is strong proof that Luke was with Paul at the hearing." (Ryrie)
"If Paul's would-be assassins held true to their oath they must all have died of starvation, but Lightfoot shows from the Talmud that such vows could be easily annulled." (Stam)
"In the apostle's experiences on this occasion we see again the dispensational trend so evident in the Book of Acts. Twice, on previous occasions, Peter had been miraculously delivered from prison as angels appeared to open the doors (Acts 5:19; 12:7-10). Indeed, Paul himself had seen prison doors fly open and his fetters fall miraculously off some years before at Philippi, but now, when such a miracle would seem to serve so great a purpose, no miracle takes place. God has 'stretched forth His hands' long enough to this 'gainsaying people'; why increase their condemnation by allowing them to close their eyes to still further evidence? But this trend is further seen in the fact that during Peter's imprisonment in early Acts, the whole Judaen Church prayed 'without ceasing' for him. But now, though the number of Hebrew believers had multiplied into 'myriads' and the Jewish Church had become strong in Jerusalem, there is not a single hint that any of the — even of their leaders — did one single thing to help Paul." (Stam)
son of Paul's sister - "Only here is any mention made of Paul's immediate relatives." (Ryrie)
he went and entered the barracks and told Paul - "The apostle, being still an uncondemned prisoner, was evidently detained under only a moderate form of military custody, for it appears that his nephew had free access to him (Ver. 16; Cf. 24:23; 27:3; 28:16,30)." (Stam)
The Jews have agreed - "The agreement of the leaders of the Sanhedrin to take part in this plot (Ver. 20) shows the depth of infamy to which cultured and religious people can sink (Cf. Matt. 26:4; Acts 6:11, etc.) and the very fact that the assassins could go to the chief justices of Israel's Supreme Court, divulge their plot to them and seek their complicity in it, indicates how notorious was their contempt for the law they pretended to uphold. Once again Paul was in peril by his own countrymen." (Stam)
Felix the governor - "Roman procurator of Judea (A.D. 52 to probably 58) with headquarters in Caesarea." (Ryrie)
"Antonius Felix, a Greek by birth, was the younger brother of Pallas, the emperor Claudius's favourite. The two brothers had formerly been slaves of Antonia, Claudius's mother, but she had made them 'freedmen' and advanced them. Pallas's influence at court procured Felix a military command in Samaria under the procurator Ventidius Cumanus; and, on the latter's degradation from office, Felix became procurator of Judaea in his stead (about A.D. 52). He proved to be a cruel, corrupt, and avaricious governor. Tacitus the historian tells us that 'he wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave'. During his last two years of office, serious riots occurred in Caesarea between the Jewish and Syrian inhabitants, and Felix acted in a very high-handed manner. He was recalled to Rome to answer the charges against him, and only escaped condemnation through his brother's influence. He is then lost to view in history." (Walker)
Antipatris - "A military post about half-way between Jerusalem and Caesarea." (Ryrie)
"A city founded by Herod the Great, and so called in honour of his father. It was about thirty-five miles from Jerusalem, a little more than half-way to Caesarea. Here the party halted, being now beyond the reach of surprise." (Walker)
they had come to Caesarea - "What must have been the thoughts and feelings of the Caesarean believers as the weary cavalcade rode into the city with Paul in their midst! Only a few days ago Agabus had warned him of the dangers at Jerusalem, predicting that he would be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, and they all, along with Paul's own companions, had pleaded with him not to go (Acts 21:8-12). Now already Agabus' prediction had been fulfilled and their fears were realized. And what thoughts must have filled Paul's heart and mind! But God was in it all, for in this way Paul was to bear the name of Christ before 'kings,' as predicted in Acts 9:15, and fulfil a still greater ministry among the Gentiles." (Stam)
what province he was from - "Roman law required that this question be asked at the opening of a hearing, for Paul had the right to be tried in his home province or in the province where the alleged crime was committed. Tarsus was in Cilicia. Felix was a deputy of the legate of Syria and Cilicia, and so claimed the right to conduct the hearing, whichever choice Paul made. Such a detail is strong proof that Luke was with Paul at the hearing." (Ryrie)
"If Paul's would-be assassins held true to their oath they must all have died of starvation, but Lightfoot shows from the Talmud that such vows could be easily annulled." (Stam)
"In the apostle's experiences on this occasion we see again the dispensational trend so evident in the Book of Acts. Twice, on previous occasions, Peter had been miraculously delivered from prison as angels appeared to open the doors (Acts 5:19; 12:7-10). Indeed, Paul himself had seen prison doors fly open and his fetters fall miraculously off some years before at Philippi, but now, when such a miracle would seem to serve so great a purpose, no miracle takes place. God has 'stretched forth His hands' long enough to this 'gainsaying people'; why increase their condemnation by allowing them to close their eyes to still further evidence? But this trend is further seen in the fact that during Peter's imprisonment in early Acts, the whole Judaen Church prayed 'without ceasing' for him. But now, though the number of Hebrew believers had multiplied into 'myriads' and the Jewish Church had become strong in Jerusalem, there is not a single hint that any of the — even of their leaders — did one single thing to help Paul." (Stam)
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