Bible Commentaries

The close of the foregoing chapter left Paul in the high priest's court, into which the chief captain (whether to his advantage or no I know not) had removed his cause from the mob; and, if his enemies act there against him with less noise, yet it is with more subtlety. Now here we have, I. Paul's protestation of his own integrity, and of a civil respect to the high priest, however he had upon a sudden spoken warmly to him, and justly, Ac 23:1-5. II. Paul's prudent contrivance to get himself clear of them, by setting the Pharisees and Sadducees at variance one with another, Ac 23:6-9. III. The governor's seasonable interposal to rescue him out of their hands likewise, Ac 23:10. IV. Christ's more comfortable appearing to him, to animate him against those difficulties that lay before him, and to tell him what he must expect, Ac 23:11. V. A bloody conspiracy of some desperate Jews to kill Paul, and their drawing in the chief priests and the elders to be aiders and abettors with them in it, Ac 23:12-15. VI. The discovery of this conspiracy to Paul, and by him to the chief captain, who perceived so much of their inveterate malice against Paul that he had reason enough to believe the truth of it, Ac 23:16-22. VII. The chief captain's care of Paul's safety, by which he prevented the execution of the design; he sent him away immediately under a strong guard from Jerusalem to Cæsarea, which was now the residence of Felix, the Roman governor, and there he safely arrived, Ac 23:23-35.

Paul defending himself before the high priest, he commands him to be smitten on the mouth, Acts 23:1, Acts 23:2. Paul sharply reproves him, and, being reproved for this by one of the attendants, accounts for his conduct, Acts 23:3-5. Seeing that the assembly was composed of Pharisees and Sadducees, and that he could expect no justice from his judges, he asserts that it was for his belief in the resurrection that he was called in question, on which the Pharisees declare in his favor, Acts 23:6-9. A great dissension arises, and the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should be pulled to pieces, brings him into the castle, Acts 23:10. He is comforted by a dream, Acts 23:11. More than forty persons conspire his death, Acts 23:12-15. Paul's sister's son, hearing of it, informs the captain of the guard, Acts 23:16-22. He sends Paul by night, under a strong escort of horse and foot, to Caesarea, to Felix, and with him a letter, stating the circumstances of the case, Acts 23:23-33. They arrive at Caesarea, and Felix promises him a hearing when his accusers shall come down, Acts 23:34, Acts 23:35.

CHAPTER 23

Acts 23:6. υἱὸς Φαρισαίων] approved by Griesb., adopted by Lachm. Tisch. Born., according to A B C א, min. Syr. Vulg. Tert. But Elz. and Scholz have υἱὸς Φαρισαίου. The sing. was inserted, because people thought only of the relation of the son to the father.

Acts 23:7. λαλήσαντος] Lachm. reads εἰπόντος, only according to A E א, min.

τῶν Σαδδ.] The article is to be deleted with Lachm. Tisch. Born, on preponderating evidence.

Acts 23:9. οἱ γραμματεῖς τοῦ μέρους τῶν Φαρισ.] A E, min. Copt. Vulg. have τινὲς τῶν Φαρισ.; so Lachm. But B C א, min. vss. and Fathers have τινὲς τῶν γραμματέων τοῦ μέρ. τ. Φαρισ.; SO Born. Lastly, G H, min. Aeth. Oec. have γραμματεῖς τοῦ μέρ. τ. Φαρισ.; so Tisch. At all events, τινές is thus so strongly attested that it must be regarded as genuine. It was very easily passed over after ἀναστάντες. But with τινές the genitive τῶν γραμματ. κ.τ.λ. originally went together, so that the omission of τινές drew after it the conversion of τῶν γραμματ. into γραμματεῖς (Tisch.) and οἱ γραμματεῖς (Elz.). The reading of Lachm. is an abbreviation, either accidental (from homoeoteleuton) or intentional (from the deletion of the intervening words superfluous in themselves). We have accordingly, with Born., to read: τινὲς τῶν γραμματέων τοῦ μέρ. τω̄ν Φαρισ.

After ἅγγελος Elz. has, against greatly preponderating testimony, μὴ θεομαχῶμεν, which was already rejected by Erasm. and Mill as an addition from Acts 5:39, and, following Griesb., by all the more recent editors (except Reiche, I.c., p. 28).

Acts 23:10. εὐλαβηθείς] Preponderant witnesses have indeed φοβηθείς, which Griesb. has recommended and Lachm. adopted; but how easily was the quite familiar word very early substituted for εὐλαβ., which does not elsewhere occur in that sense in the N.T.!

Acts 23:11. After θάρσει Elz. has Παῦλε, in opposition to A BC*E א, min. vss. Theophyl. Oec. Cassiod. Ambrosiast. An addition for the sake of completeness. Acts 23:12. συστροφὴν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι] Elz. Rinck read τινὲς τῶν Ἰονδαίων συστρ., in opposition to A B C E א, min. Copt. Syr. p. Aeth. Arm. Chrys. Occasioned by Acts 23:13.

Acts 23:13. ποιησάμενοι is to be read instead of πεποιηκότες, with Lachm. Tisch. Born., on decisive testimony.

Acts 23:15. After ὅπως Elz. has αὔριον. An addition from Acts 23:20, against decisive evidence.

πρὸς ὑμᾶς] Lachm. Tisch. Born. read εἰς ὑμᾶς, following A B E א, loti. Sahid. Rightly; πρός is the more usual.

Acts 23:16. τὴν ἐνέδραν] B G H, min. Chrys. Theophyl. Oec. have τὸ ἔνεδρον, which Griesb. and Rinck have recommended, and Tisch. and Born. (not Lachm.) have adopted. But the preponderance of the Codd. is in favour of τὴν ἐνέδραν. The neuter was known to the transcribers from the LXX., therefore the two forms might easily be interchanged.

Acts 23:20. μέλλοντες] Lachm. Tisch. Born, read μέλλων, after A B E, min. Copt. Aeth. The very weakly attested Recepta is from Acts 23:15. א* has μέλλον, א**, μελλόντων.

Acts 23:25. περίεχουσαν] Lachm. Born. read ἔχονσαν, according to B E א, min. Neglect of the (not essential) compound.

Acts 23:27. αὐτόν] is wanting in A B E א, min. Chrys. Oec. Deleted by Lachm. and Born. But how easily was the quite unessential word passed over!

Acts 23:30. μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι] Lachm. Born. have only ἕσεσθαι, according to A B E א, min. But the future infinitive made μέλλειν appear as superfluous; there existed no reason for its being added.

After ἕσεσθαι Elz. Scholz have ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, which is deleted according to preponderant evidence as a supplementary addition. Instead of it, Lachm. and Born, have ἐξ αὐτῶν (with the omission of ἐξαυτῆς), following A E א, min. vss. But ἐξ αὐτῶν is also to be regarded as a marginal supplement (as the originators of the ἐπιβουλή are not mentioned), which therefore displaced the original ἐξαυτῆς.

The conclusion of the letter ἕῤῥωσο is wanting in A B 13, Copt. Aeth. Sahid. Vulg. ms. Deleted by Lachm. Tisch. Born.; and rightly, as it is evidently an addition from Acts 15:29, from which passage H, min. have even ἕῤῥωσθε.

Acts 23:34. After ἀναγν δέ Elz. has ὁ ἡγεμών, against decisive testimony.

Acts 23:35. ἐχέλευσέ τε] Lachm. Tisch. Born. read κελεύσας, after A B E א** (א* has χελεύσαντος, min. Syr. p. The Recepta is a stylistic emendation.

Ac 23:1-10.

PAUL'S DEFENSE BEFORE THE SAMHEDRIM DIVIDES THE RIVAL FACTIONS, FROM WHOSE VIOLENCE THE COMMANDANT HAS THE APOSTLE REMOVED INTO THE FORTRESS.

1. Paul, earnestly beholding the council--with a look of conscious integrity and unfaltering courage, perhaps also recognizing some of his early fellow pupils.

I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day--The word has an indirect reference to the "polity" or "commonwealth of Israel," of which he would signify that he had been, and was to that hour, an honest and God-fearing member.

And Paul, earnestly beholding - ἀτενίσας atenisas. Fixing his eyes intently on the council. The word denotes "a fixed and earnest gazing; a close observation." See Luke 4:20. Compare the notes on Acts 3:4. Paul would naturally look with a keen and attentive observation on the council. He was arraigned before them, and he would naturally observe the appearance, and endeavor to ascertain the character of his judges. Besides, it was by this council that he had been formerly commissioned to persecute the Christians, Acts 9:1-2. He had not seen them since that commission was given. He would naturally, therefore, regard them with an attentive eye. The result shows, also, that he looked at them to see what was the character of the men there assembled, and what was the proportion of Pharisees and Sadducees, Acts 23:6.

The council - Greek: the Sanhedrin, Acts 22:30. It was the great council, composed of seventy elders, to whom was entrusted the affairs of the nation. See the notes on Matthew 1:4.

Men and brethren - Greek: "Men, brethren"; the usual form of beginning an address among the Jews. See Acts 2:29. He addressed them still as his brethren.

I have lived in all good conscience - I have conducted myself so as to maintain a good conscience. I have done what I believed to be right. This was a bold declaration, after the tumult, and charges, and accusations of the previous day Acts 22; and yet it was strictly true. His persecutions of the Christians had been conducted conscientiously, Acts 26:9, "I verily thought with myself," says he, "that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." Of his conscientiousness and fidelity in their service they could bear witness. Of his conscientiousness since, he could make a similar declaration. He doubtless meant to say that as he had been conscientious in persecution, so he had been in his conversion and in his subsequent course. And as they knew that his former life had been with a good conscience, they ought to presume that he had maintained the same character still. This was a remarkably bold appeal to be made by an accused man, and it shows the strong consciousness which Paul had of his innocence. What would have been the drift of his discourse in proving this we can only Conjecture. He was interrupted Acts 23:2; but there can be no doubt that he would have pursued such a course of argument as would tend to establish his innocence.

Before God - Greek: to God - τῷ Θεῷ tō Theō. He had lived to God, or with reference to his commands, so as to keep a conscience pure in his sight. The same principle of conduct he states more at length in Acts 24:16; "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men."

Until this day - Including the time before his conversion to Christianity, and after. In both conditions he was conscientious; in one, conscientious in persecution and error, though he deemed it to be right; in the other, conscientious in the truth. The mere fact that a man is conscientious does not prove that he is right or innocent. See the note on John 16:2.

I have lived in all good conscience - Some people seem to have been unnecessarily stumbled with this expression. What does the apostle mean by it? Why, that, while he was a Jew, he was one from principle of conscience; that what he did, while he continued Jew, he did from the same principle; that, when God opened his eyes to see the nature of Christianity, he became a Christian, because God persuaded his conscience that it was right for him to become one; that, in a word, he was sincere through the whole course of his religious life, and his conduct had borne the most unequivocal proofs of it. The apostle means, therefore, that there was no part of his life in which he acted as a dishonest or hypocritical man; and that he was now as fully determined to maintain his profession of Christianity as he ever was to maintain that of Judaism, previously to his acquaintance with the Christian religion.

And Paul earnestly beholding the council,.... Fastening his eyes upon them, looking wistly and intently at them, and thereby discovering a modest cheerfulness, and a becoming boldness, confidence, and intrepidity, as being not conscious of any guilt, and well assured of the goodness of his cause:

said, men and brethren; see Acts 22:1.

I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day; not only from the time of his conversion, but throughout the whole of his life; for though, strictly speaking, there is no good conscience but what is awakened by the Spirit of God, and is unprincipled by his grace, and is purged from sin by the blood of Christ; in which sense he could only have a good conscience, since he believed in Christ; yet whereas in his state of unregeneracy, and even while he was a blasphemer, and persecutor, he did not act contrary to the dictates of his conscience, but according to them, in which his view was to the glory of God, and the honour of his law; he therefore says he lived before God, or unto God, in all good conscience, though an erroneous and mistaken one; he thought he ought to do what he did; and what he did, he did with a zeal for God though it was not according to knowledge: besides, the apostle has here respect to his outward moral conversation, which, before and after conversion, was very strict, and even blameless, at least unblemished before men; nobody could charge him with any notorious crime, though he did not live without sin in the sight of the omniscient God.