Acts

26:1-32

5. The gospel reaches Rome, 21:1-28:31

xi] Paul repeats his story

Luke now records Paul's speech before a gathering of Roman officials, including Festus, the governor, King Agrippa and his sister, prominent citizens and military commanders. Paul begins by explaining his fundamental loyalty to Judaism and his hope in the realisation of the covenant promises. He goes on to describe his initial encounter with Christianity and his attempts to eradicate it. Moving on, he relates his encounter with the risen Jesus, his conversion, commission, and missionary work among the Gentiles. Paul then explains that it was this missionary work, and his call on all to repent, that prompted his arrest and attempted assassination by the religious authorities. On restating the Christian message that although the Messiah was crucified, he is now alive, having risen from the dead, the Roman governor, Festus, interrupts and calls Paul mad. Paul refocuses on King Agrippa, making the point that His Majesty would know, well enough, that Paul's words represent the fulfilment of Israel's prophetic hope, but Agrippa evades Paul's advance. The meeting concludes with King Agrippa commenting to Festus that Paul is obviously innocent of any criminal offence.

God has raised Jesus, the first born from the dead, so that all who repent and believe in him may share the blessings of those made holy in Jesus through the forgiveness of sins.

i] Context: See 21:1-16.

ii] Background:

iii] Structure: Paul repeats his story:

iv] Interpretation:

v] Homiletics: The Testimony

Paul's testimonial address: v1-32: i] Greeting, v1-3. Given permission to address the gathering by Agrippa, Paul apelogeito, "began his defence". This imperfect verb is usually treated as inceptive, so NIV, NRSV, Cassirer, Barclay, ...., and is used here to introduce direct speech. The verb commonly takes the sense "to make a defence before a gathering of people", and this has prompted the conclusion that the speech is a legal defence in a court of law - this is not necessarily the case here. The word is used three times in this chapter, and is best understood to refer to an apologia, an "apology" in a classical sense, ie., an explanation of the motivations driving Paul's life and ministry, so Bock, p713. As for the mention of Paul using a "hand" movement, rhetoricians of the time used expressive hand and arm movements in support of their words.

de "then" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative.

legein (legw) pres. inf. "to speak" - [agrippa said toward paul,] to speak [concerning yourself is permitted]. The infinitive serves as the subject of the impersonal verb "it is permitted". The preposition peri, "about, concerning", expressing reference / respect.

soi dat. pro. "for yourself" - to yourself. Dative of indirect object / interest, advantage.

ekteinaV (ekteinw) aor. part. "motioned [with his hand]" - [paul] having stretched out [the hand, was making an apologia]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to stretch out".

Paul begins his speech with a typical example of rhetorical flattery / complementary address (captatio), although in this case, Paul is probably very happy to be addressing royalty, especially someone known as a defender of Jewish interests. Paul specifies that the "accusations" are from the Jews, not the Roman authorities. The charges brought by the Jewish authorities are primarily civil, but the point here is that issue at hand is not civil, but religious.

w|n gen. pro. "-" - [king agrippa, concerning everything] of which [i am being accused by the jews]. Genitive by attraction to pantwn, "everything", genitive after the preposition peri, "about, concerning, with respect to".

makarion adj. "fortunate" - [ i have considered myself] blessed, happy. Accusative compliment of the direct object "myself," standing in a double accusative construction and asserting a fact about the object "myself".

mellwn (mellw) pres. part. "as I make [my defence]" - being about [to present an apologia before you today]. The participle is adverbial, possibly temporal, as NIV, or causal, "because I am going to make a defence", Kellum. The participle is completed by the complementary infinitive apologeisqai, "to present an apologia". For the sake of clarity, some translations render the verse as if the participle is adjectival, "I consider myself fortunate that I am able .....", but of course, the participle is nominative, whereas "happy, blessed, fortunate" is accusative.

Paul's complimentary address continues. The syntax of this verse presents us with a rare example of an accusative absolute construction, cf. Robertson Grammar, p490 - see Kellum for other possibilities. The construction is probably causal; "Because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews, I beg you to hear me patiently".

malista sup. adv. "especially so" - especially, exceedingly, most of all. The superlative adverb of manner probably modifies the absolute construction; "No one is more familiar than thou with the customs of the Jews, and their controversies", Knox.

o[nta (eimi) pres. part. "because you are" - [you] being [one who knows]. The accusative participle and its accusative subject forms an accusaative absolute construction, causal.

pantwn gen. adj. "with all" - of all [the customs and controversies]. The genitive is adverbial, reference / respect; "with respect to all the customs and controversies".

kata + acc. "-" - according to [the jews]. Expressing a standard; "that prevail among the Jews", Weymouth.

dio "therefore" - therefore. Inferential, drawing a logical conclusion.

akousai (akouw) aor. inf. "to listen" - [i ask you patiently] to hear. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what Paul asked; "that you listen to me patiently".

mou gen. pro. "me" - of me. Genitive of direct object after the verb "to hear, obey".

ii] Rhetorical introduction, v4-8. Paul introduces himself as a well-known Jew of the strictest sect, and then, with a rhetorical flourish, v6-8, he makes the point that he now stands on remand because he is actually a faithful Jew, a Jew who looks to the fulfilment of Israel's covenant promises.

The te in this verse is probably coordinate, "and", giving the sense that Paul's lifestyle, as a faithful Jew, his initial childhood in Tarsus, and his education and later life in Jerusalem, is commonly known.

men oun "-" - and therefore. Transitional; see 17:12. Probably linking to the next advance in the narrative expressed by kai nun, "and now" (rather than de), v6.

i[sasi (oida) perf. "[the Jewish people all] know" - [all jews] having known. Luke gives another little formal touch to the speech by using the classical form of the perfect.

thn acc. art. "-" - [the manner of life of me] the. This variant article serves as an adjectivizer turning the prepositional construction "from my youth" into attributive modifier of the noun "the way / manner of life".

ek + gen. "since [I was a child]" - from [youth]. The preposition, as with ap following, is temporal, "from in time".

thn .... genomenhn (ginomai) aor. part. "[from the beginning]" - [from beginning] the one having been [in the people of me and in jerusalem]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting the noun "the way / manner of life"; "The lifestyle I lived from my youth, first with my own people in Tarsus, and then in Jerusalem, is well known to all Jews".

The opening participial clause, "previously knowing me for a long time", most likely concludes v4; "The kind of life I have lived from my youth up, as spent in my early days among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is well known to all Jews, for they have known (me) all along from the first", Williams - this assumes that the nominative participle "previously knowing" is adverbial. Then follows a conditional clause which is somewhat elliptical / short talk; "If they would but testify to the facts, then they could testify that, as a Pharisee, I lived by the principles of the strictest party in our religion". For ease of translation, we could separate the complementary infinitive "to testify" from the verb "to will, want", and make the opening clause a separate sentence; "The religious authorities have known me for a long time. If they wanted, (then) they could testify that as a Pharisee, I live according to the strictest sect of our religion".

proginwskonteV (proginwskw) pres. part. "they have known" - previously knowing [me from a long time]. Adverbial participle, best treated as causal, "because they have known me for a long time". The adverb anwqen, "from", is temporal, "all along", Zerwick.

ean + subj. "if" - if, as is the case, [they are willing to testify, then they could testify]. Conditional clause, 1st class, where the proposed condition has the possibility of coming true. The infinitive marturein, "to testify, bear witness", is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to will, want".

oJti "that" - that [i, a pharisee, lived]. Introducing an object clause, object of the assumed verb "to testify" / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what the religious authorities could "testify". The noun "Pharisee" stands in apposition to the assumed subject of the verb "to live", so specifying "I".

kata + acc. "I conformed to" - according to [the strictest school, sect]. Expressing a standard; "in accordance with".

thV ... qrhskeiaV (a) gen. "of [our] religion" - of the religion [of us]. Culy suggests a genitive of reference, but adjectival, partitive, should not be discounted; "the strictest party in our religion".

Having greeted his audience, Paul, in v6-7, employs a rhetorical flourish, a facetious statement - "I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" (in modern oratory we tend to use a joke at this point in a speech). So, in what is technically a parenthesis, Paul makes the point that he stands on remand, facing charges levelled by the Jewish authorities, because he is a faithful Jew, a Jew totally committed to Israel's hope in the full realisation of God's covenant promises made to the forefathers. Of course, as Barrett notes, "Paul is not being blamed for maintaining the Jewish hope, but for holding, falsely in Jewish opinion, that it has been fulfilled by Jesus". Although these verses are not always read as a tongue-in-cheek statement, v8 seems to support this reading. It presents as a wink-wink, nudge-nudge comment to those like Agrippa who know that Paul is a member of the Way, and would have some understand of the claim that Israel's "hope" is fulfilled in Jesus' resurrection. "So anyway! What's so amazing with the idea that God can raise the dead?" An all-powerful God can do anything!

The charges made by the Jewish authorities may have been civil, but the real issue driving their hatred, leading to Paul now being held on remand, are religious, namely, an ideological conflict over Israel's "hope". The word elpiV, "hope", is very close in meaning to faith, in that it is a firm reliance on the fulfilment of God's revealed will. "Hope" is not wishful thinking, but rather a sure knowledge that God will do what he says he will do. The word "hope" here is anarthrous, often translated "my hope", ie., Paul's own particular understanding of Israel's messianic hope, but "the hope" is more likely, "a hope" in the realisation of the promised covenant blessings through Israel's messiah. Of course, Paul believes Israel's hope is now realised in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Israel's hope in the fulfilment of the covenant, of a restored Israel (infused life in the parched bones of the nation, Ezk,37:24-28, cf., Isa.9:6-07, 11:1-12, Jer.23:5-6), is realised in the resurrection of Jesus, the representative true Israel / saviour-king / messiah. So Paul, and his fellow believers, now found in Christ, represent true Judaism; they are heirs of the promise, the true children of Abraham, as distinct from unbelieving Israel. The ideological clash between Christianity and Judaism, a clash over the same hope, one realised, the other unrealised, is the cause of Paul's legal predicament.

kai nun "and now" - and now. "In contrast with my former manner of life as a Pharisee, yet also in continuity with it", Barrett.

ep (epi) + dat. "because of " - upon. With the dative, epi can take a causal sense, as NIV. Kellum suggests reference / respect, although usually only when epi is followed by an accusative. The phrase "I am on trial today" is placed last in the Greek sentence for emphasis, so it is best given the lead in English, as ESV. "I am here on remand today because of ..............."

thV .... epaggeliaV (a) "in [what God] has promised" - [the hope] of the communication, message = promise. The genitive is adjectival, although the sense is unclear, so prompting numerous translations. Probably, verbal, objective, as NIV, a hope which focuses on the fulfilment of the covenant promises; "a hope that I hold in a promise", Phillips. Possibly descriptive, idiomatic, a hope which is derived from (source, Culy) / which amounts to (content, Kellum) / "the hope (that is) based on the promise", REB;. Junkins opts for an adverbial reference / respect, "my hope regarding the promise".

genomenhV (ginomai) aor. part. "-" - having become = having been made [by god]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "promise"; "which was made by God". Used with uJpo, "by", to express agency, the participle takes a passive sense, so serving to stress the agent of the promise; "made by God to our ancestors".

krinomenoV (krinw) pres. mid. part. "I am on trial" - [i have stood] being judged. Attendant circumstance participle is suggested by Culy and Kellum, although given that it follows the verb it is more likely to be adverbial, modifying the verb, probably modal, expressing the manner of Paul's standing; "I stand here impeached", Weymouth.

Israel's "hope", v6, namely the full realisation of the covenant promise in the restoration of Israel / the kingdom of God through the Davidic Messiah, is what remnant Israel (the ideal representative 12 tribes of Israel, Ezk37:15-28) expects to see fulfilled by their strenuous service to God, night and day ("continuously", Kellum). It is this "hope" (and in particular Paul's understanding that the hope is now realised for those incorporated in the risen Christ - unstated) which has prompted the accusations of the Jewish authorities.

eiV h}n "this is the promise" - into which [the twelve tribes of us]. The preposition eiV expresses direction toward, goal, while the personal pronoun h}n is probably backward referencing to "hope"; "It is this very hope which the twelve tribes strive to attain", Barclay.

katanthsai (katantaw) aor. inf. "to see fulfilled" - [expects] to come, arrive = attain. Complementary infinitive, completing the sense of the verb "to expect, hope for"; "strive to attain".

en "as [they earnestly serve]" - [serving] in [zeal night and day]. Adverbial use of the preposition, modal, expressing the manner of their serving, "zealously", or attendant circumstance, "with zeal", so Zerwick. The nominative participle latreuon, "serving", is adverbial, probably instrumental, expressing means; "This is the hope the twelve tribes strive to attain in their / by their zealous service to God night and day / constant (night and day) service to God with zeal". The verb latreuw is often translated "to worship", but if adoration was intended the verb "proskunew" would be used.

peri + gen. "it is because of" - concerning [which hope, i am being blamed by the jews, o king (Your Majesty)]. Expressing reference / respect, "with respect to"; "it is about this hope", Phillips. The relative pronoun h|V, "which", intensifies the phrase; "concerning this very hope", Culy. Many translations, as NIV, move toward a causal sense; "It is for cherishing this hope, you Majesty, that I am accused ....", Barclay; "it is because of my entertaining the hope of which I have spoken ....", Cassirer. Of course, it is Paul's particular understanding of the "hope" that is called into question by the Jewish authorities, namely, that the hope is realised in the resurrection of Jesus.

Paul concludes his rather facetious rhetorical flourish with a punch-line. No, Antony wasn't really there to bury Caesar, and Paul is not quite the kosher Jew, as Agrippa would know. Paul, and his fellow believers, are ideologically opposed to Israel's religious authorities. For them, Israel's hope is still unrealised; for Paul, Israel's hope is already realised in an empty tomb. "And anyway, who says God's can't raise the dead?"

tiv "why" - what = why. Interrogative pronoun used adverbially to introduce a rhetorical question.

apiston adj. "incredible" - [it] unbelievable = incredible [is judged = considered]. This adjective serves as the nominative complement of the assumed subject "it" of the passive verb "to be judged", standing in a double nominative construction and asserting a fact about "it". The speech proper now begins (men oun) as Paul recounts how he, as a Pharisee conforming to the strictest sect of Judaism, sets about suppressing the messianic movement known as the Way. As Witherington notes, Paul is out to suppress the heretics, as well as their belief that Israel's messianic hope is realised in the resurrection of Jesus. The movement, both its adherents (those who believe in Jesus) and its beliefs (what was said about Jesus), is probably summed up in the term "the name", so Johnson, cf., 2:38, 3:16, 4:7, 12, 17-18, 9:14-16. Paul went after "the name", Christianity.

men oun "-" - and there. Transitional; indicating a step in the narrative, likely linked to v5, which looks forward to the commencement of the next sentence in v13; see 17:12.

egw pro. "I" - i [i thought = was convinced]. Emphatic by position and use.

emautw/ pro. "too" - in myself. Reflective pronoun, the dative being metaphorically spatial, local or sphere.

dein (dew) pres. inf. "that I ought" - to it is necessary. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what Paul "thought", namely, "that I should do everything I could to oppose the name / Christianity".

praxai (prassw) aor. inf. "to do" - to do, accomplish [much opposite things = damage]. The infinitive serves to introduce a nominal phrase, subject of the indefinite verb "it is necessary"; "to do much damage toward the name of Jesus, the Nazarene, is necessary." For this construction see eiselqein, 14:22.

proV + acc. "-" - toward. Expressing the direction of the action, best with the sense "against". Barrett notes that with the substantive adjective enantia, "opposite things", a dative of disadvantage would be expected, "against the name".

Ihsou (oV) gen. "of Jesus" - [the name] of jesus, [the nazarene]. The genitive is adjectival, possibly possessive, but descriptive may be a better classification. "The Nazarene" is genitive standing in apposition to "Jesus".

iii] Paul's persecution of the church of the Way, v9-11. In laying out the gospel in his personal testimony, Paul speaks of his days of ignorance and corruption; what he did (epoihsa). In this verse, he states that he locked up (katekeisa) many of the saints in jail, and that when it came to putting them to death, he "cast a pebble" (kathnegka yhqon). This phrase is used of casting a vote against someone, which seems to imply that the action against Christians was undertaken legally through the Sanhedrin and that Paul was officially an agent of the Sanhedrin, able to have a say on the issue of guilt, or innocence. (Paul was too young to be a member of the Sanhedrin). Yet, as Marshall notes, p393, the wording is rhetorical, so Paul may just be saying that he was there throwing his stone as well, ie., he played a prominent part in the persecution of Christians. There is an implication here that Stephen was not the only martyr at the time, but then again, we may be dealing with rhetorical exaggeration.

men oun "-" - and therefore [i thought to myself]. See 17:12.

praxai (prassw) aor. inf. "to do" - [many opposite things] to do [toward = against the name of jesus, the nazarene, is necessary]. The infinitive forms a nominal phrase subject of the impersonal verb "it is necessary" (here as an infinitive for a recitative purpose). The accusative subject of the infinitive is "many opposite things". The infinitive, dein, "to be necessary", forms the object of the verb edoxa,"I thought [in myself]" / dependent statement of perception expressing what Paul thought.

kai "-" - [which and = also i did in jerusalem] and. This conjunction introduces the correlative construction formed by te .... te. Its function is not overly clear, but Culy classifies it as epexegetic, so specifying what Paul "did in Jerusalem".

te .... te "....... and" - and [i (egw) i shut up many of the saints in jails, having received authority from the high priests] and [they being destroyed i cast a stone]. Used to establish a correlative construction which identifies two things Paul did in Jerusalem, namely, throw the saints in prison, and actively seek their execution.

labwn (lambanw) aor. part. "on the authority" - having received [authority]. The participle is adverbial, best taken as temporal; "After I received authority from the religious authorities to imprison many of the believers ....."

para + gen. "of [the high priests]" - beside = from beside [the high priests]. Here used to express source; "from".

twn aJgiwn (oV) gen. "[many] of the Lord's people" - [many] of the saints. The genitive is adjectival, partitive.

anairoumenwn (anairew) gen. pres. mid. part. "when they were put to death" - [and they] being destroyed, carried away, killed [i cast a stone]. The genitive participle, and its genitive subject, forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal. "And when the question was whether they were to be sentenced to death, I cast my vote against them", Cassirer.

Paul continues to describe his persecution of believers. Luke's description in 8:3 of Paul going from house to house dragging believers out for punishment, does seem excessive, whereas the description here of Paul visiting synagogues, identifying believers and forcing them to renounce Christ (blasfhmew, "to blaspheme"), is more in line with the type of religious discipline meted out at this time - public humiliation, caning, shunning, and excommunication.

kata + acc. "from [one synagogue] to anther" - [and] according to [all the synagogues]. Distributive use of the preposition, as NIV.

blasfhmein (blasfhmew) pres. inf. "[I tried to force them] to blaspheme" - [often i was compelling them] to blaspheme [punishing them]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to compel, force". The NIV, ESV, ... takes the imperfect verb hnagkazon, "I was compelling, forcing", as conative, ie., attempted action, but it could be habitual, ie., repeated action in past time, "I used to force them ....." The participle timwrwn, "punishing", is probably adverbial, modifying the verb "to compel", instrumental, expressing means; "I often forced them by torture to deny their religion", Berkeley.

emmainomenoV (emmainomai) pres. part. "obsessed" - [excessively, extremely] raging against them [i was persecuting = pursuing them]. Attendant circumstance participle, modified by the adverb perisswV, "excessively", expressing action accompanying the verb "to persecute = pursue"; "I furiously raged against them and pursued them even into foreign cities". Culy suggests adverbial, causal. The dative autoiV, "them", is a dative of direct object after the en prefix verb "to rage against".

e{wV "-" - [and = even] until [into the cities outside]. Expressing extension up to, here of distance, so "as far as, up to"; "I hounded them to distant cities", Phillips.

iv] Personal theophany and divine commission, v12-20. These verses record the third account of Paul's conversion in Acts (see also Galatians 1). Given that there is no substantial extra information, we are bound to wonder again why Luke labours the record of an event that is already well known to the reader. It can be argued this is the highpoint of the review of events covering chapters 24-26, and, as already indicated, that these chapters may have originated as a brief of evidence, or even that the events were very fresh in Luke's memory, enabling more attention to detail. The chapters certainly nail Paul's apostolic credentials, and that may well be Luke's purpose, although he is certainly labouring the point. As for the sermon / testimony itself, it serves as model gospel testimonial, and as such, stands with the other model gospel presentations found in Acts.

In this verse, Paul emphasises that he was acting under the direct commission and authority of the Jewish religious authorities.

en oi|V "-" - in which. The phrase is adverbial, backward referencing to Paul's persecution of Christians from city to city, v11. Suggestions include temporal and attendant circumstance (a touch of both!); "While I was travelling to Damascus, on such an occasion, ....."

poreuomenoV (poreuomai) pres. part. "I was going" - going [into damascus with authority and commission]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal; "while I was travelling". The preposition eiV + acc., "into", expresses the direction of the action and/or arrival at, while meta + gen., "with", expresses association.

thV gen. art. "-" - the [of the high priests]. The genitive article serves as an adjectivizer, turning the genitive "of the chief priests" into an attributive modifier of the genitive noun "commission". Without the adjectivizer, the genitive "of the chief priests" would be read as possessive, but obviously another sense is intended, probably source; "a commission which is from the chief priests"; "I was travelling to Damascus on this business, with authority and a commission from the high priest", Moffatt. Note how Moffatt reads the plural "high / chief priests" as singular. As already noted, a plural "high priests" is at times used when the singular person is intended.

We are told again (22:6) that the vision was at noonday, the time of day when the sun is at its brightest. The light from heaven is brighter than the sun; here we are told it is uJper, "beyond", the brilliance of the sun, and instead of "flashing around", it is perilamyan, "shining around".

hJmeraV (a) gen. "about noon" - of [middle] day, [o king]. The genitive is adverbial, temporal; "Your Majesty! Around midday".

kata + acc. "as I was [on the road]" - according to [the way]. A spatial sense may be intended here, "on the road at midday", Barclay, although possibly adverbial, temporal, as NIV; "while I was on my way to Damascus".

tou hJliou (oV) gen. "[brighter] than the sun" - [i saw a light from heaven beyond the brightness] of the sun. The genitive is adjectival, limiting "brightness", descriptive, idiomatic / source; "which comes from the sun". "I saw a light brighter than (uJper, "beyond") the brilliance radiating from the sun".

perilamyan (perilampw) aor. part. "blazing around [me]" - having shone around [me]. The participle serves as the accusative complement of the object "light", standing in a double accusative construction and asserting a fact about the light, namely that it was shining.

touV .... poreuomenouV (poreuomai) pres. part. "[my] companions" - [and] the ones travelling [with me]. The participle serves as a substantive, and with me, "me", it serves as the object of the participle "having shone around"; "blazing around me and my fellow-travellers", Phillips.

There are three minor additions to the previous accounts of Paul's conversion: All fall to the ground on seeing the light; The divine voice is in EJbraidi, "Hebrew", possibly implying "Aramaic" (I thought God spoke in Elizabethan English!); There is the added phrase from God, "Hard for you to kick against the goads (cattle prods)".

Again, the reader is reminded that Paul faces the accusation that he is persecuting the divine presence - to persecute believers is to persecute Christ. Also, Paul is affronting divine revelation. Not only is Paul attacking believers, he is attacking the truth proclaimed by them; to affront the truth, the Word, is to affront Christ.

hJmwn gen. pro. "we" - [and all] of us. The genitive is adjectival, partitive / wholative.

katapesontwn (katapiptw) aor. part. "fell [to the ground]" - having fallen down [into the ground]. The genitive participle, and its genitive subject "all of us", forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal; "And when we had fallen to the ground", ESV.

legousan (legw) acc. pres. part. "saying" - [i heard a voice] saying [toward me in the hebrew dialect, why are you persecuting me]. As is most often the case with of a participle of "saying", it serves to introduce direct speech. Here the participle does that, but being accusative, it cannot be classified as attendant on a finite verb, but rather as adjectival, attributive, "I heard a voice which said", or as an object complement, "I heard a voice saying". On this occasion, the participle is modified by the prepositional phrase "toward me" (proV, "toward", expressing direction - the message is spoken to Paul only), and the dative "in the Hebrew". The people of Palestine commonly spoke Aramaic, while Hebrew was used by the upper class and in temple worship - Barrett suggests that the use here implies Aramaic. This qualification probably seeks to explain why the Lord addresses Paul as "Saul" - the repetition of Paul's name is typical of a theophany.

soi dat. pro. "for you" - [to kick toward = against the goads is hard, harsh] for you. Probably a dative of disadvantage, giving the sense "you hurt yourself". The infinitive laktizein, "to kick", introduces a nominal phrase which serves as the subject of the assumed impersonal use of the verb to-be, "it is". The preposition proV, "toward", expresses opposition here, so "against". The kentra, "goads", are cattle prods, sharpened sticks to control cattle, so "you only hurt yourself when you kick at a sharpened stick"; here metaphorically referring to resisting the divine prompting of one's conscience. Possibly with the sense, "It's stupid to resist me", so CEV, Junkins, ...., but self-harm is implied, so "You're only hurting yourself resisting me / your own conscience", so Barclay, ....

Paul's question, and the Lord's replay, is the same in all three accounts of the vision. "The Lord who appeared to Saul is the risen Jesus who is being persecuted when his people are persecuted", Bock.

egw de ...... oJ de "then ..... the [Lord replied]" - but/and i [i said, who are you lord?] but/and the [lord said, i am jesus whom you are persecuting]. Transitional construction, indicating a change of subject in the dialogue.

Although presented as if we have an account of what the Lord said to Paul on the Damascus road, it does seem that in v16-18 Luke has combined four elements that together summarise Paul's prophetic commission:

In verse 16 we have "get to your feet", which originally included the instruction to go to Damascus to meet Ananias. Then we have the charge, originally conveyed by Ananias, outlining the scope of Paul's mission, ie., to know the divine will and testify it to everyone.

alla "now" - but [get up and stand on the feet of you]. Adversative, contrasting where Paul is now (on the ground), to where he should be (standing up).

gar "-" - because. Introducing a causal clause explaining why Paul should stand, namely to receive the Lord's charge; "Stand up, because I have a job for you ...."

soi dat. pro. "[I have appeared] to you" - [i appeared] to you. Dative of direct object after the passive use of the verb "to see = appeared to".

eiV + acc. "-" - into [this]. Here the preposition is used to express purpose; "I have appeared to you for this purpose / reason".

proceirisasqai (prosceirizw) aor. mid. inf. "to appoint" - to appoint, choose. The infinitive is epexegetic, specifying touto, "this".

uJphrethn (hV ou) "a servant" - a servant, minister [and a witness, one who testifies]. Along with "witness", this noun serves as the accusative complement of the direct object "you", standing in a double accusative construction and asserting a fact about the object "you". Paul's prophetic charge amounts to knowing the divine will and testifying to it. This is achieved by being both a servant / minister of Jesus and a witness. Paul performs the same role as the original apostles; "eyewitnesses who became ministers of the word", Johnson, Lk.1:2.

w|n ...... w|n gen. pro. "as ......" - [both] of which things / of what [you have seen me, and] of which things / of what [i will be seen to you]. Introducing headless relative clauses, although it not clear why they are genitive. Possibly a genitive by attraction to an assumed toutwn ("a witness of these things which ...."), although Kellum suggests that they are more likely to be genitive of reference / respect; "both with respect to the things ......, and with respect to the things". The construction is coordinated by the use of te .... te ..., "both ....., and ....."

As Zerwick says of the w|n te ... w|n te correlative construction, it is "untranslatable". Luke's use of the passive w[fqhn, "to appear", seems to have caused the problem, with the attempted (later??) correction, me, "me", making things worse. Johnson suggests that Luke was heading for Paul's commission relayed by Ananias, namely, his witness to Christ, "what you have seen and heard", 22:15, but lost his way and ended up with "what you have seen of me and what i will appear to you". It is messy, especially with the loss of "what you will hear", but the point is clear enough, Paul is to serve as a conduit for divine revelation. Luke's use of the language of vision here is not really about Paul actually seeing something, but about him knowing, knowing the revealed will of God. Paul's task is to witness to the revelation of Christ, what he has seen / come to know, and what he will see / come to know.

soi dat. pro. "-" - [of what i will be seen = of what i will reveal] to you. Dative of indirect object. "I have a job for you. I've chosen you to be my assistant, testifying to what you know about me, and to what I have yet to reveal to you".

Paul's charge involved testifying to his own people, kings, and the nations / Gentiles, 9:15, 13:47, an instruction particularly focused on the Gentiles during his vision in the temple, 22:21. Yet, it is the sense of the verb exairew, "to take out, remove, choose, deliver", used here as a participle, that causes some difficulty. The word is usually taken here to refer to divine deliverance, but the charge does not mention protection, what it does mention is future trouble, 9:16. Bruce, Barrett and the like opt for protection. Page, in his old London commentary, opts for choose. Junkins follows this line with "I will separate you, in identity, from both your people, the Jews; and from the Gentiles to whom I now will send you". Being set apart from Jew and Gentile alike (set apart for ministry, for service to the Lord) is an idea worth considering; it certainly aligns with the Lord's charge to Paul. None-the-less, note the language of protection used in the commissioning of Jeremiah, 1:8, 19, 15:20 and how exairew is used with the sense "to rescue" in 7:10, 34, 12:10, 23:27.

exairoumenoV (exairew) pres. mid. part. "I will rescue [you]" - rescuing / setting apart [you]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to send"; "I will rescue you from the People and also from the Gentiles - to whom I send you", Moffatt. Rather than a durative / progressive sense, the present tense is probably futuristic.

ek + gen. from [your own people] - from [the people and] from [the nations, gentiles, to whom i am sending you]. Expressing source, "from". "The people" is presumably "the People of Israel".

In progressing Paul's testimony, Luke's record of the divine commission provides us with a summary of the Pauline gospel - "my gospel". God's intention is to rescue those separated from him (the lost in darkness / enslaved by Satan), and so enable them to gain their place with those set apart as God's people (the sanctified, made / accounted holy), and this by a divine act of mercy (forgiveness), appropriated by a response of faith (trust, reliance, faith in the faithfulness of Christ).

As Fitzmyer notes, the phraseology of this verse echoes Isaiah chapter 42, a chapter describing the role of the Servant of Yahweh, 42:7, 16 - Paul serves as the Servant's servant. Again, Paul may be providing us with the as yet undisclosed wording of the divine commission on the road to Damascus, but on the other hand, we may have a summary of "what I have yet to reveal to you", namely, as Paul often put it, "my gospel" - the full understanding of the operation of God's grace through faith in the faithfulness of Christ. This "gospel" was presumably resolved by Paul / revealed to Paul, during his years in Arabia and Syria, cf., Galatians 1:17-2:1.

The mission of the Servant's servant is outlined with the use of three infinitives, cf., Col.1:13-14:

anoixai (anoigw) aor. inf. "to open" - to open [eyes of them]. The infinitive is adverbial, final, expressing purpose, "in order to open their eyes"; "to whom I send you for the opening of their eyes", Berkeley

tou epistreyai (epistrefw) "and turn them [from darkness]" - [them] to turn away from darkness into light]. A genitive articular infinitive tends to be either final or epexegetic (around a 50 50 split). Usually taken here as final, expressing purpose / hypothetical result, "so that", either with the same assumed subject as the first infinitive, namely "you", as NIV, or the assumed subject "them", as ESV, "so that they may turn from darkness to light". Not using the genitive article for the first infinitive indicates that Luke may have in mind a different sense here, possibly epexegetic, "namely that", although better hypothetical result, "so that"; "so that they may turn from darkness to light".

kai "and" - and [from the power, authority]. Either simply coordinating, but possibly epexegetic, where "the power / authority of Satan" specifies the "darkness". The genitive "power / authority", is genitive after the assumed preposition apo, "from", expressing separation, "away from".

tou Satana (aV a) gen. "of Satan" - of satan [to god]. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, identifying the possession of a derivative characteristic, but it can also be treated as verbal, subjective, "the authority exercised by Satan".

tou labein (lambanw) aor. inf. "so that [they] may receive" - [them] to receive. The third infinitive is again usually treated as adverbial, final, expressing purpose / hypothetical result, "so that they may receive", as NIV. Epexegetical is also possible, further specifying in what sense the lost have their eyes opened, but better adverbial, "so that they receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me." The two genitive articular infinitival constructions equally modify the action of opening their eyes. The accusative subject of the infinitive is autouV, "them = they".

aJmartiwn (a) gen. "of sins" - [forgiveness] of sins. The genitive is adjectival, Culy suggests verbal, objective - have their sins forgiven.

en + dat. "[a place] among" - [a portion, share] in = with. Here expressing association / accompaniment; "a place beside", Cassirer.

hJgiasmenoiV (aJagiazw) dat. perf. mid. part. "those who are sanctified" - the ones having been set apart, made / counted holy, sanctified. The participle serves as a substantive; "everyone who has been set apart as My people", Junkins.

pistei (iV ewV) dat. "by faith" - in faith. The dative is instrumental, expressing means, "through, by means of faith".

th/ dat. art. "-" - the. The article serves as an adjectivizer, turning the prepositional phrase "into me", into an attributive modifier of "faith"; "by a faith which is in me". Barrett, referencing Calvin, argues that this phrase covers "all that he is saying", but we are on safer ground following Peterson Gk. who argues that in this third infinitival clause we have the state / condition of being holy, made possible by God's act of forgiveness and our act of faith / trust / reliance in (the faithfulness of) Christ; "so that, because of their trust in me, they may be granted forgiveness of their sins and receive a place with everyone who has been set apart as My people".

eiV + acc. "in [me]" - into [me]. When it comes to the object of faith, the NT interchangeably uses either eiV, expressing direction toward and arrival at, or en, local, with the spatial sense "in, on".

"What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn't just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot", Peterson.

oqen adv. "so then" - therefore, from where. Inferential, drawing a logical conclusion, but with a causal touch, as NIV; "In view of all this", Cassirer.

th/ ... optasia/ (a) dat. "to the vision" - [i was not disobedient to] the [heavenly] vision. Dative of direct object after the negated verbal phrase "to become obedient to". This phrase serves as an example of a litotes, an understatement for emphasis.

In progressing his testimony, Paul draws out the proper response to the truth of the gospel, namely, repentance and faith, and faith's natural fruit, good works.

alla "-" - but. Strong adversative standing in a counterpoint construction; "I was not disobedient ....... but declared"

toiV dat. art. "to those" - [first, i was announcing] to the ones [in damascus and also in jerusalem]. The article serves as a nominalizer, turning the prepositional phrase introduced by en into a substantive, dative of indirect object after the verb "to tell, announce, proclaim"

te "and" - and. Correlating conjunction, coordinating the previous and following phrases.

thV IoudaiaV (a) gen. "[in all] Judea" - [all the place, land, region] of judea. The genitive is adjectival, limiting / modifying "region, descriptive, idiomatic / identification; "all the region known as Judea". "All the region" is accusative, rather than the expected dative; "the text without eiV is hardly tolerable", Bruce Gk. A variant eiV is found, "into the region of Judea", and obviously something like that is intended, so an accusative of extent, "up to", or space, "into", so Culy and Kellum.

toiV eqnesin (oV) dat. "to the Gentiles" - [and] to the gentiles. Dative of indirect object after the verb "to announce".

metanoein (metanoew) pres. inf. "that they should repent" - [i was announcing them] to repent [and to turn upon god]. This infinitive, along with the infinitive "to turn", introduces the object of the verb "to proclaim" / dependent statement of indirect speech, expressing what Paul proclaimed. Most translations opt for autouV, "them = they", as the assumed accusative subject for the infinitives; "that they were to repent and turn to God", Moffatt. The sense of this phrase is unclear - used also in 3:19. "To repent" and "to turn to God", may be "synonymous", so Neil, ie., repenting amounts to turning to God. Taken this way, kai is epexegetic. Kellum may well be right when he says that "turn to God" is "a synonym for faith", so the statement may mean "repent and believe", a phrase used in Matthew and Mark, but not by Luke.

prassontaV (prassw) acc. pres. part. "demonstrate" - doing [deeds]. This participle (accusative in agreement with the accusative subject of the infinitive) is often treated as if it is attendant circumstance, expressing action accompanying the infinitives "to repent" and "to return"; "and to perform = and that they perform deeds in keeping with repentance". Yet technically, it is more likely to be adverbial. Moffatt opts for instrumental and ends up with a theological statement that would make Paul role in his grave; "that they were to repent and turn to God by acting up to their repentance". Manner would promote that same false premise, but a consecutive sense, expressing result, would fit well with Pauline theology, namely that faith bears the fruit of works, so prompting the exhortation "be what you are". Note how the REB and CEV translations reflect the next logical step taken by James, namely that since faith bears the fruit of works, works can serve to evidence the existence of faith (I think I can hear Luther mumbling something!). So, the sense seems to be "that they should repent and believe, and so (as a consequence) live a life worthy of their new standing as a repentant child of God".

thV metanoiaV (a) gen. "their repentance" - [worthy] of repentance. The genitive is adjectival, epexegetic / complementary, serving to specify / complete the sense of the attributive adjective "worthy"; "and so do deeds which are worthy of repentance".

v] The nub of the issue at hand - the realisation of the covenant promises in the resurrection of Jesus, v21-23. Paul does little more than reference the criminal charges against him, now resolved by his appeal to a higher court. The issue at hand between Paul and the Jewish authorities is theological, and it is this issue that Paul will address in the following verses.

eneka + gen. "that is why" - because [of these things]. Causal preposition. "These things", toutwn, namely Paul's gospel preaching, is the reason why Paul was set upon by his fellow Jews; "Because of these things / For this reason".

sullabomenoi (sullambanw) aor. mid. part. "seized [me]" - [the jews] having seized [me]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to try"; "the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me", ESV.

o[nta (eimi) acc. pres. part. "[in the temple]" - being [in the temple]. Variant reading. Given that the participle is accusative, it must be adjectival, limiting the pronoun me, "me", attributive, although surely a temporal sense was intended; "while I was in the temple". Most translations ignore this participle, so "arrested me in the temple".

diaceirisasqai (diaceirizw) aor. mid. inf. "to kill me" - [they were trying] to kill me. Complementary infinitive, completing the sense of the verb "to try".

Paul may have been set upon by the Jewish authorities, but under divine providence he has continued to this day to proclaim the gospel, announcing the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets - the time is fulfilled.

oun "but" - therefore. Inferential, drawing a logical conclusion, although often translated as an adversative; "However, I have God on my side", Cassirer, as NIV. The sense is related to the attempted murder of Paul, ie., they failed, "therefore, having God on my side, I have continued witnessing night and day, to great and small ..."

tacwn (tacw) aor. part. "[God] has [helped me]" - having obtained [support the from god, i have stood]. Adverbial participle, probably causal, modifying the verb "to stand". The genitive article thV serves as an adjectivizer turning the prepositional phrase "from God" into an attributive modifier of "support"; "support which is from God". The adjective epikouriaV, "support", is a NT hapax legomenon. It has a military use referring to support provided for a campaign or battle; "God gave me his support", Barclay.

tacri + gen. "to" - up to [this day]. Expressing extension up to, here of time.

marturomenoV (marturomai) pres. part. "testify" - witnessing [both to small and great, saying nothing]. This participle, along with legwn, "saying", is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of Paul's "having stood", "I have stood witnessing ......, saying ..."; "I have proclaimed the gospel to both rich and poor, telling them nothing more than what the prophets and Moses said would happen".

ektoV + gen. "beyond" - unless = except the things. Serving here to introduce an exceptive clause; "except what .....".

wJV gen. pro. "what" - which [both the prophets and moses]. The relative pronoun introduces a headless relative clause, genitive by attraction to an assumed "the things"; "except the things which the prophets and Moses said ..."

mellontwn (mellw) gen. pres. part. "would" - [said] of the things being about. The genitive participle is unexpected and prompts numerous classifications. It seems best to treat it as a substantive, the genitive being adverbial, reference / respect; "except the things which the prophets said with respect to the things being about to happen". The sense is clear enough; "saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses predicted", Weymouth.

ginesaqai (ginomai) pres. inf. "happen" - to become. The infinitive is complementary, completing the participle "being about".

Having made the point that the time is fulfilled, Paul now proclaims the realisation of the kingdom in the death and resurrection of the Christ, messiah. He does this in the form of a rhetorical argument. If, in actual fact (for argument's sake), the long promised messiah has suffered, died and risen again, as promised by Moses and the prophets, then obviously we would expect that he would make sure that this good news gets communicated far and wide, and of course, Paul and his fellow believers are the perfect example of God using his servant to do just that.

ei "that" - if, for argument's sake, [the christ is to be subject to suffering, and] if, for argument's sake, [he is the first from resurrection of the dead] then. The classification of this conjunction is disputed. The NIV assumes that it is used for oJti, so Barrett, Haenchen, Fitzmyer, Bock, Bruce - a doctrinal summary of what Paul preached (the gospel) in accord with what Moses and the prophets said would happen, "namely that .....", Cassirer. Without a doubt, we have two core gospel propositions, but it is likely that they are not presented as propositional headings. The construction is more likely conditional, used for a rhetorical purpose, namely to progress an argument - "the translation 'if' better conveys the sense that these are points to be proved", Witherington, so Culy. So, we have a combined conditional clause 1st class where the proposed condition is assumed true for argument's sake; "if as is the case for arguments sake".

kataggellein (kataggellw) pres. inf. "would bring the message" - [he is about] to announce, declare, preach, communicate [a light]. Complementary infinitive, completing the sense of the verb "to be about". This phrase introduces the apodosis of the conditional clause, which clause is reliant on the intended sense of the verb mellw, "to be about". This verb is probably used here with a sense of inevitability, an inevitable outcome with respect to future developments; "has to be, is bound to happen". So, "if, for argument's sake, ....... then he would obviously communicate an enlightening message, not just to his own people, but the world at large".

te .... kai "...... and" - both ...... and. Correlating construction.

tw/ ... law/ (oV) dat. "to his own people" - to the/his people [and to the gentiles]. Along with "to the Gentiles", dative of indirect object of the infinitive "to announce"; "both to the people of Israel and to the gentiles".

vi] A call to faith, v24-29. Paul has made his argument, but even so, Festus has heard enough; "Enough of this, too much study is driving you mad".

apologoumenou (apologomai) gen. pres. part. "at this point [Festus interrupted Paul's] defence" - [but/and, he] presenting [these things]. The genitive participle and its genitive subject autou, "he", forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal. The verb apologomai it used here with the rhetorical sense "to present an apology", ie., to articulate an argument.

th/ fwnh/ (h) dat. "he shouted" - [says] in [a loud] voice, [you are insane, raving, beside yourself, crazy]. The dative is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of Paul's speech.

se acc. pro. "Your .... you [insane]" - [the much learning is turning] you [into insanity]. The emphatic forward positioning of se, "you", accusative object of "to turn", puts stress of "you"; "All your learning is driving you mad".

"Really, I'm not nuts. On the contrary, what I'm saying is the sober truth".

oJ de "-" but/and he [paul says]. Transitional construction indicating a change in subject from Festus to Paul.

alla "-" - [i am not mad, most excellent festus,] but. Strong adversative standing in a counterpoint construction; "I'm not ..... but / on the contrary ......"

alhqeiaV kai swfrosunhV gen. "true and reasonable" - [i am uttering words] of truth and good-sense, prudence, wisdom, sanity. The genitive is adjectival, attributive, limiting the noun "words". Possibly a hendiadys; "words of sober truth", Johnson.

Paul moves his attention from the secular sceptic to the religious expert, making the point that Agrippa is well acquainted with the messianic promises of the scriptures, along with the recent events surrounding the public ministry, execution and empty tomb of Jesus, the Nazarene. Paul's statement is emphasised by the use of a compound litotes construction - the use of negative to express a positive.

gar "-" - for. Introducing a causal clause explaining why Paul can claim that what he has testified is true and reasonable, " because" Agrippa is "familiar with these things ....".

kai "-" - [the king knows about these things] and. Possibly here with a consecutive sense, "and as a result"; "and so / and that is why"

parrhsiazomenoV (parrhsiazomai) "freely" - [toward whom i speak] speaking freely. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner in which Paul is addressing Agrippa, namely "speaking freely, openly, boldly"; "The king understands about these things, and that is why I am addressing myself to him, speaking out boldly", Cassirer; "I unreservedly address him", Berkeley.

gar "-" - for. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the king "knows these things", "because" these matters would not have escaped his notice.

lanqanein (lanqanw) pres. inf. "that none of this has escaped" - [i am not persuaded a certain no one thing = nothing of these things] to be hidden [him]. The infinitive introduces the object of "I am persuaded" / dependent statement of perception expressing what Paul is convinced of. The accusative subject of the infinitive is ti ... ouqen, "a certain no one thing = nothing", while its accusative object is auton, "him". This construction is suggested by Barrett, contra Culy and Kellum. The use of the adjective ouqen with the substantive use of the pronoun ti, forms a double negative with ou, "I am not persuaded", so strengthening the statement (a litotes); "In no way do I believe that these events have escaped His Majesty's attention".

gar "because" - for. Introducing a causal clause explaining why Paul believes that these events have not escaped the king's notice, "for it has been no hole-and-corner business", Phillips.

estin ...pepragmenon (prassw) perf. mid. part. "it was not done" - [this] has not been done [in a corner]. The perfect participle, along with the present tense of the verb to-be, forms a perfect periphrastic construction, possibly serving to emphasise durative aspect.

Given what Paul has said so far, the question is not just "do you believe the prophets?", but the realisation / fulfilment of their words in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ / messiah.

toiV profhtaiV (hV ou) dat. "the prophets" - [king agrippa, do you believe] in the prophets? Dative of direct object after the verb "to believe in".

oJti "-" - [i know] that [you believe]. Introducing the object of the verb "to know" / dependent statement of perception expressing what Paul knows.

This verse is the most contested verse in the book of Acts. It is probably a rhetorical question, but a statement is possible, best treated as an exclamation. It is translated in numerous ways, depending on whether the translator views Agrippa's reaction as positive or negative. Is Agrippa dismissive, reactive, rude, shocked, humorous, thoughtful, ........? It is clear that Agrippa rejects Paul's call to faith, but it is unclear how he does that. So, we can end up with a positive "It would not take much more of this kind of thing to convince me to become a Christian", Junkins, to sarcastic, "In such a short time do you think you can talk (sweet-talk) me into being a Christian?" CEV.

proV + acc. "[said] to [Paul]" - [but/and agrippa said] toward [paul]. The preposition is used in place of a dative of indirect object.

en oligw/ dat. adj. "in such a short time" - in a little. A temporal sense would be expected, but Paul's use in v29 of "great", indicates a spatial sense, rather than temporal. So, we have an adverbial phrase with a number of possible meanings:

poihsai (poiew) aor. inf. "to be" - [you are persuading, convincing / making me] to do, make / become [a christian]. The infinitive may be treated in two main ways:

Irrespective of whether it is en oligw/, "in little", or en megalw/, "in great, large, much" (obviously a play on Agrippa's words), Paul's heartfelt desire ("I would pray") is that all present would become believers like him. The sense of "little" and "great" is determined by how we translate en oligw/ in verse 28, eg., spatial: "Whether a summation of facts or an oratorical extravaganza, my desire is that you, your Majesty, as well as for all those present here today, should become as I am - of course, except for the shackles!"

oJ de "[replied]" - but/ and he/the [paul said]. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Agrippa to Paul.

kai .... kai "or" - and [in little, few] and. Correlating construction; "both ..... and ...."

en "[long]" - in [great, large, much]. Adverbial use of the preposition; see en oligw/, v28.

a]n + opt. "[I pray]" - if [i pray]. This construction is best classified as a classical use of the potential optative expressing "an uncertain wish", Kellum, so Zerwick, Bruce Gk.; "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am", ESV. Culy classifies the construction as an incomplete 4th. class condition.

tw/ qew/ (oV) dat. "to God" - to god. Dative of indirect object.

alla "but" - [that not only you] but. Strong adversative standing in a counterpoint construction, "not ...., but ....". This counterpoint construction serves as the accusative subject of the infinitive genesqai, "to become"; "not only you but all who hear me this day might become ...."

tous akountaV (akouw) acc. pres. part. "who are listening" - [all] the ones hearing, listening to [me today]. The participle serves as a substantive. The verb "to give a hearing to, listen to" takes a genitive of direct object, so "me", mou, is genitive.

genesqai (ginomai) aor. inf. "may become" - become [such ones (Christians)]. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech / perception, expressing what Paul desires / prays for; "that everyone who hears me here today were standing by me as a Christian", Junkins.

kai "-" - and [i am]. Kellum suggests adjunctive, "as I also am", and Culy suggests emphatic, "as indeed I am".

parektoV + gen. "except" - except, apart from [these bonds, shackles, chains]. Serving to introduce an exception; a rather rare improper preposition.

v] Paul's innocence is confirmed, v30-32

de "-" - but/and [and = both the king arose and the governor, and = as well as bernice and]. A Western variant used to indicate a step in the narrative, a step which is linked to the previous events. A correlative te .... kai construction links the subjects of the action.

oiJ sugkaqhmenoi (sugkaqhmai) pres. part. "those sitting with" - the ones sitting with [them got up, arose]. The participle serves as a substantive, part of the combined subject of the verb "to arise".

autoiV dat. pro. "them" - them [arose]. Dative of direct object after the sun prefix participle" sitting with".

Barrett nicely sidesteps the elephant in the room with "How Luke could be aware of what the king and governor said to each other is not explained". Whether we are dealing with poetic licence, or the report of an overheard conversation, Luke's point is that just as Jesus was pronounced innocent by the Roman authorities, along with a nod from Herod the Tetrarch, Paul is proclaimed innocent by the Roman authorities, an innocence confirmed by King Agrippa, a member of Herod's royal family.

anacwrhsanteV (anacwrew) aor. part. "after they left the room" - [and] having departed. Adverbial participial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

legonteV (legw) pres. part. "-" - [they were speaking toward one another] saying. Adverbial participle, modal, expressing the manner of their "speaking"; "On retiring, they discussed the meeting, agreeing that Paul had done nothing deserving of death or imprisonment".

oJti "-" - that. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what they said / agreed, namely that Paul did not deserve death or imprisonment.

qanatou (oV) gen. "[deserves] death [or imprisonment]" - [this man did not do anything worthy] of death [or of chains]. Along with the genitive "of chains", this noun serves as the genitive complement of the adjective axioV, "worthy", forming an attributive modifier of the variant substantive pronoun ti, "anything", object of the verb "to do"; "did not do anything which is worthy of = deserves death or imprisonment "

tw/ Fhstw/ (oV) dat. "to Festus" - [but/and agrippa said] to festus. Dative of indirect object.

apolelusqai (apoluw) perf. mid. inf. "[could have been] set free" - [this man was able] to be released. Complementary infinitive, completing the sense of the verb "to be able".

ei + ind. "if [he had not appealed]" - if [he had not called upon caesar]. Introducing an irregular 2nd class contrary to fact conditional clause which is missing a[n in the protasis; "if, as is not the case, he had not appealed to Caesar, then this man was able to have been released". "He could have been set free now if he hadn't requested a hearing before Caesar", Peterson.

Acts Introduction

Exegetical Commentaries

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