Acts 25:9

Acts 25:9

7 When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about ^aand laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove,

8 while he answered for himself, ^a“Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”

9 But Festus, ^awanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, ^b“Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things?”

10 So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know.

11 ^aFor if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. ^bI appeal to Caesar.”

12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”

Paul Before Agrippa

13 And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Acts 25:10 >>

Desiring to gain favour with the Jews (qelwn toiv Ioudaioiv xarin kataqesqai). Precisely the expression used of Felix by Luke in Acts 24:27 which see. Festus, like Felix, falls a victim to fear of the Jews.

Before me (ep emou). Same use of epi with the genitive as in Acts 23:30; Acts 24:19, Acts 24:21. Festus, seeing that it was unjust to condemn Paul and yet disadvantageous to absolve him (Blass), now makes the very proposal to Paul that the rulers had made to him in Jerusalem (verse Acts 25:3). He added the words "ep emou" (before me) as if to insure Paul of justice. If Festus was unwilling to give Paul justice in Caesarea where his regular court held forth, what assurance was there that Festus would give it to him at Jerusalem in the atmosphere of intense hostility to Paul? Only two years ago the mob, the Sanhedrin, the forty conspirators had tried to take his life in Jerusalem. Festus had no more courage to do right than Felix, however plausible his language might sound. Festus also, while wanting Paul to think that he would in Jerusalem "be judged of these things before me," in reality probably intended to turn Paul over to the Sanhedrin in order to please the Jews, probably with Festus present also to see that Paul received justice (me presente). Festus possibly was surprised to find that the charges were chiefly against Jewish law, though one was against Caesar. It was not a mere change of venue that Paul sensed, but the utter unwillingness of Festus to do his duty by him and his willingness to connive at Jewish vengeance on Paul. Paul had faced the mob and the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, two years of trickery at the hands of Felix in Caesarea, and now he is confronted by the bland chicanery of Festus. It is too much, the last straw.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Acts 25:9:**

Acts 24:27
Acts 25:20
Acts 25:26

<< Acts 25:8

Acts 25:10 >>

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