Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 23:24
And provide [them] beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring [him] safe unto Felix the governor.
24. and provide them beasts ] Here is an infinitive, in dependence on the verb in the previous verse, to mark which the Rev. Ver. inserts he bade them.
Felix the governor ] He was made procurator of Juda by Claudius in a.d. 53. He was the brother of Pallas, the favourite freedman of Claudius, and it was by the interest of his brother, that Felix was advanced, and retained in his position even after the death of Claudius. The character of Felix, as gathered both from Roman and Jewish historians, is that of a mean, profligate and cruel ruler, and even the troublous times in which he lived are not sufficient to excuse the severity of his conduct. After his return to Rome, on the appointment of Festus to be governor in his stead, Felix was accused by the Jews of Csarea and only saved by the influence which his brother Pallas had with Nero, as he had had with his predecessor. Felix was connected with the Herodian family by his marriage with Drusilla the daughter of Herod Agrippa I. He continued to hold office at Csarea for two years after St Paul’s coming there (Act 24:27) and during the whole of that time the Apostle was his prisoner.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And provide them beasts – One for Paul, and one for each of his attendants. The word translated beasts ktene is of a general character, and may be applied either to horses, camels, or donkeys. The latter were most commonly employed in Judea.
Unto Felix the governor – The governor of Judea. His place of residence was Caesarea, about 60 miles from Jerusalem. See the notes on Act 8:40. His name was Antonius Felix. He was a freedman of Antonia, the mother of the Emperor Claudius. He was high in the favor of Claudius, and was made by him governor of Judea. Josephus calls him Claudius Felix. He had married three wives in succession that were of royal families, one of whom was Drusilla, afterward mentioned in Act 24:24, who was sister to King Agrippa. Tacitus (History, v. 9) says that he governed with all the authority of a king, and the baseness and insolence of a slave. He was an unrighteous governor, a base, mercenary, and bad man (Clarke). See his character further described in the notes on Act 24:25.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 24. Provide them beasts] One for Paul, and some others for his immediate keepers.
Felix the governor.] This Felix was a freed man of the Emperor Claudius, and brother of Pallas, chief favourite of the emperor. Tacitus calls him Antonius Felix; and gives us to understand that he governed with all the authority of a king, and the baseness and insolence of a quondam slave. E libertis Antonius Felix per omnem saevitiam ac libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit. Hist. v. 9. He had, according to Suetonius, in his life of Claudius, chap. 28, three queens to his wives; that is, he was married thrice, and each time to the daughter or niece of a king. Drusilla, the sister of Agrippa, was his wife at this time; see Ac 24:24. He was an unrighteous governor; a base, mercenary, and bad man: see Ac 24:2.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
What a strong guard and retinue does God by his providence get together for the safe guarding of Paul! None of all these intended the least good unto him; but God can make use of them as effectually as if they had had the greatest good will for him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24. beasts . . . set Paul onasrelays, and to carry baggage.
unto Felix, the governortheprocurator. See on Ac 24:24, 25.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And provide them beasts,…. Horses or mules; the Syriac version reads in the singular number, “a beast”: and one being sufficient for Paul, here may be a change of number; the Arabic and Ethiopic versions leave out these words, but the following clause makes them necessary:
that they may set Paul on; on the beast, or on one of the beasts provided; if more than one were provided, they might be for his companions, to go along with him:
and bring him safe unto Felix the governor; this man, of a servant, was made a freed man by Claudius Caesar g, and by him appointed in the room of Cumanus governor of Judea h; he was the brother of Pallas, who had the chief management of affairs under the emperor; and this Felix married three persons successively, that were of royal families; hence Suetonius i calls him the husband of three queens; one of these was Drusilla, afterwards mentioned in Ac 24:24 who was sister to King Agrippa. Tacitus calls him Antonius Felix k which name he had from Antonia the mother of Claudius’, whose servant he was; Josephus l calls him Claudius Felix, which name he took from the Emperor Claudius, who from so low and mean condition raised him to such honour and dignity; his name Felix signifies “happy”: according to Tacitus m, when Felix was first sent into Judea, the government was divided between him and Cumanus; Felix had Samaria, and Cumanus the other part, which was called the nation of the Galilaeans; but Josephus takes no notice of any such division, he says n, that Cumanus was banished; and after that Felix was sent by Caesar, governor of Judea, of Galilee, Samaria, and Peraea; and so he seems to be governor of the whole country at this time; he was now at Caesarea, and it is plain that Judea was under his government, since Paul, a prisoner at Jerusalem, is sent down unto him; and in this his government he continued during the life of Claudius; and when Nero became emperor, and added four cities to the kingdom of Agrippa, he constituted Felix governor of the rest of Judea o; which character he bore till he thought fit to remove him, and put Festus in his room, of whom mention is made hereafter: after these words the following ones are added, in the Vulgate Latin version, “for he was afraid lest perhaps the Jews should take him by force and kill him, and afterwards he should bear the reproach, as if he had took money”; but they are not to be found in any Greek copies.
g Aurel. Victor. Epitome Imper. Rom. p. 324. Sueton. Vita Claudii, sect. 29. h Joseph. de Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 12. sect. 8. i Ut supra. (g) k Hist. 1. 5. l Antiqu. l. 20. c. 6. sect. 1. m Hist. l. 12. & 21. n Antiqu. l. 20. c. 5. sect. 3. & c. 6. sect. 1. De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 12. sect. 7, 8. o De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 13. sect. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Provide beasts ( ). Change from direct to indirect discourse just the opposite of that in verse 22.
Beasts (). For riding as here or for baggage. See on Lu 10:34. Asses or horses, but not war-horses. Since Paul was chained to a soldier, another animal would be required for baggage. It was also seventy miles and a change of horses might be needed. The extreme precaution of Lysias is explained in some Latin MSS. as due to fear of a night attack with the result that he might be accused to Felix of bribery. Luke also probably accompanied Paul.
To bring safe ( ). Final clause with and the first aorist active subjunctive of , old verb, to save through () to a finish. Eight times in the N.T. (Matt 14:36; Luke 7:3; Acts 23:24; Acts 27:43; Acts 27:44; Acts 28:1; Acts 28:4; 1Pet 3:20).
Unto Felix the governor ( ). Felix was a brother of Pallas, the notorious favourite of Claudius. Both had been slaves and were now freedmen. Felix was made procurator of Judea by Claudius A.D. 52. He held the position till Festus succeeded him after complaints by the Jews to Nero. He married Drusilla the daughter of Herod Agrippa I with the hope of winning the favour of the Jews. He was one of the most depraved men of his time. Tacitus says of him that “with all cruelty and lust he exercised the power of a king with the spirit of a slave.” The term “governor” () means “leader” from , to lead, and was applied to leaders of all sorts (emperors, kings, procurators). In the N.T. it is used of Pilate (Mt 27:2), of Felix, (Acts 23:24; Acts 23:26; Acts 23:33; Acts 24:1), of Festus (26:30).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Beasts [] . See on Luk 10:34.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And provide them beasts,” (ktenes te perastesai) “And prepare beasts to stand by,” to be in readiness also, as relays on the journey.
2) “That they may set Paul on,” (hina epibibasantes ton Paulon) “In order that they might put or set Paul thereon,” on the beast. The beast was to bear Paul and his luggage on his hastily prepared night flight departure to Caesarea.
3) “And bring him safe to Felix the governor.” (diasososi pros phelika ton hegemona) “And that they might carry him (deliver him) safely or securely to Felix, the governor of Caesarea, Act 23:23. Felix was an avaricious, cruel, and licentious man of energy and talent, formerly a slave. He had been appointed governor of Judea by Claudius Caesar A.D. 52. The -Gk. term” (hegemona) is used to designate generally a state or regional procurator, ruler or governor, Luk 21:12; 1Pe 2:14.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(24) Felix the governor.The career of the procurator so named is not without interest as an illustration of the manner in which the Roman empire was at this time governed. In the household of Antonia, the mother of the Emperor Claudius, there were two brothers, first slaves, then freed-men, Antonius Felix and Pallas. The latter became the chosen companion and favourite minister of the emperor, and through his influence Felix obtained the procuratorship of Juda. There, in the terse epigrammatic language of Tacitus, he governed as one who thought, in his reliance on his brothers power, that he could commit any crime with impunity, and wielded the power of a tyrant in the temper of a slave (Tacit. Ann. xii. 54; Hist. v. 9). His career was infamous alike for lust and cruelty. Another historian, Suetonius (Claud. c. 28), describes him as the husband of three queens, whom he had married in succession:(1) Drusilla, the daughter of Juba, King of Mauritania and Selene, the daughter of Autonius and Cleopatra. (2) Drusilla, the daughter of Agrippa I. and sister of Agrippa II. (See Act. 23:24.) She had left her first husband, Azizus, King of Emesa, to marry Felix (Jos. Ant. xx. 7. 1). Their son, also an Agrippa, died in an eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79 (Jos. Ant. xx. 7, 2). The name of the third princess is unknown.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. Beasts The Greek word denotes any riding beast, as horses, mules, or camels. More than one would be needed for a single person for change. Each horseman both rode and led a horse.
Felix the governor The procurator, to whom the chiliarch was subordinate, and he to the prefect of Syria. (For account of FELIX, see Hist. Rev 21:17.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Act 23:24 . ] still depends on , Act 23:23 . The speech passes from the direct to the indirect form. See on Act 19:27 .
] sarcinaria jumenta , Caes. Bell. civ . i. 81. Whether they were asses or pack-horses, cannot be determined. Their destination was: that they (the centurions to whom the command was given) should make Paul mount on them, and so should bring him uninjured to Felix the procurator . The plural number of the animals is not, with Kuinoel, to be explained “in usum Pauli et militis ipsius custodis,” but, as . . . requires, only in usum Pauli , for whom, as the convoy admitted of no halt (Act 23:31-32 ), one or other of the was to accompany it as a reserve , in order to be used by him in case of need.
On Felix , the freedman of Claudius by his third wife son-in-law of Agrippa I. and brother-in-law of Agrippa II., and brother of Pallas the favourite of Nero, that worthless person, who “per omnem saevitiam ac libidinem jus regium servili ingenio in Judaea provincia exercuit” (Tac. Hist . v. 9), and after his procuratorship was accused to Nero by the Jews of Caesarea, but was acquitted through the intercession of Pallas, see Walch, Diss, de Felice Judaeor. procur . Jen. 1747; Ewald, p. 549 ff.; Gerlach, d. Rm. Statt-halter in Syr. u. Jud . p. 75 ff.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.
Ver. 24. That they may bring him safe ] The Vulgate Latin adds, For he feared lest the Jews would take him away by violence aud kill him, and so he should suffer blame, as if he had been hired to permit it. But this the Greek hath not.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
24. ] escort safe the whole way .
] FELIX was a freedman of the Emperor Claudius: Suidas and Zonaras gave him the prnomen of Claudius , but Tacit. (Ann. xii. 54) calls him Antonius Felix, perhaps from Antonia, the mother of Claudius, as he was brother of Pallas, who was a freedman of Antonia (Tacit. ib. and Jos. Antt. xx. 7. 1). He was made sole procurator of Juda after the deposition of Cumanus (having before been three years joint procurator with him, Tacit. ib.) principally by the influence of the high priest Jonathan (Antt. xx. 8. 5), whom he afterwards procured to be murdered (ibid.). Of his character Tacitus says, ‘Antonius Felix per omnem svitiam et libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit,’ Hist. Act 23:9 . His procuratorship was one series of disturbances, false messiahs, sicarii and robbers, and civil contests, see Jos. Antt. xx. 8. 5, 6, and 7. He was eventually (A.D. 60) recalled, and accused by the Csarean Jews, but acquitted at the instance of his brother Pallas (Antt. xx. 8. 10). On his wife Drusilla, see note, ch. Act 24:24 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 23:24 . : depending on , Act 23:23 ; a change to indirect speech, cf. references in Act 23:22 . ( ): jumenta , Vulgate, almost always in plural, property in general, herds or flocks, cattle; in LXX, where it is very frequent, and in N.T. it is used of beasts of burden or for riding, cf. Luk 10:34 , Rev 18:13 , sometimes quite generally in LXX, as in 1Co 15:39 . .: only in Luke and Acts in N.T., Luk 10:34 ; Luk 19:35 , in each case in same sense; so in classical Greek and LXX. The reason why the plural is used vix satis perspicitur (Blass); the word has sometimes been taken to apply to the soldiers, as if they were all mounted, but taking the word in relation to Paul, one or more beasts might be required for relays or for baggage, so Weiss, Wendt, Hackett, or, as the prisoner was chained to a soldier, another would be required (Kuinoel, Felten). : five times in Acts, once in Luke’s Gospel, only twice elsewhere in N.T., “ut . salvum perducerent,” Vulgate, frequent in LXX, cf. its use in Polyb. and Jos., see further on Act 27:44 . , see on Act 24:3 . : used of a leader of any kind, or of an emperor or king; in N.T. of the procurator, of Pilate, Felix, Festus, so by Josephus of Pilate, Ant. , xviii., 3, 1, of governors more generally, Luk 21:12 , 1Pe 2:14 , etc.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
beasts. Greek. ktenos. Here; Luk 10:34. 1Co 15:39. Rev 18:13.
that = in order that. Greek. hina.
set . . . on. Greek. epibibazo. Here, and Luk 10:34; Luk 19:35.
bring . . . safe = keep him safe and bring him. Figure of speech Ellipsis. App-6. Greek. diasozo. See Mat 14:36.
Felix. Claudius made him Procurator of Judsea in A.D. 52. Josephus gives many details of the stirring times of his rule, and of his cruelty and treachery (Ant. XX. vii. 1 ; viii, 5, 6, 7, &c).
governor. Greek. hegemon. The general term for a subordinate ruler, Felix being a lieutenant of the Propraetor of Syria.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
24. ] escort safe the whole way.
] FELIX was a freedman of the Emperor Claudius: Suidas and Zonaras gave him the prnomen of Claudius, but Tacit. (Ann. xii. 54) calls him Antonius Felix, perhaps from Antonia, the mother of Claudius, as he was brother of Pallas, who was a freedman of Antonia (Tacit. ib. and Jos. Antt. xx. 7. 1). He was made sole procurator of Juda after the deposition of Cumanus (having before been three years joint procurator with him, Tacit. ib.) principally by the influence of the high priest Jonathan (Antt. xx. 8. 5), whom he afterwards procured to be murdered (ibid.). Of his character Tacitus says, Antonius Felix per omnem svitiam et libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit, Hist. Act 23:9. His procuratorship was one series of disturbances, false messiahs, sicarii and robbers, and civil contests, see Jos. Antt. xx. 8. 5, 6, and 7. He was eventually (A.D. 60) recalled, and accused by the Csarean Jews, but acquitted at the instance of his brother Pallas (Antt. xx. 8. 10). On his wife Drusilla, see note, ch. Act 24:24.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 23:24. , and to get ready beasts) From the recitative style a transition is here made to the relative (narrative), differently from what had been begun with in Act 23:22 : for in the recitative style the form of expression should be , that ye may bring him safe, not , that they might bring him safe. Moreover the relative (narrative) style is appropriate to the subject itself: because the tribune (chief captain) did not immediately intimate what was the cause of their journey.-, having set on) We read but once of Paul having been mounted on horseback, and that not of his own accord: comp. ch. Act 20:13.-, the governor) There is subjoined in more recent Latin copies, Timuit enim, ne forte raperent eum Judi et occiderent, et ipse postea calumniam sustineret, tanquam accepturus pecuniam. And so the Germ. Bible of Mentz, printed in A.D. 1462, with these words omitted, tanquam accepturus pecuniam.[135]
[135] It is only later copies of Vulg. and the later Syr. with an asterisk which have this addition. Vulg. Amiatinus and the best MSS. are without it.-E. and T.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
beasts: Neh 2:12, Est 8:12, Luk 10:34
Felix: Act 23:26, Act 23:33-35, Act 24:3, Act 24:10, Act 24:22-27, Act 25:14
the governor: Mat 27:2, Luk 3:1
Reciprocal: Act 17:10 – the brethren Act 21:32 – took Act 23:31 – as Act 27:43 – willing Act 28:7 – the chief
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Act 23:24. Felix the governor was a ruler at Caesarea on behalf of the Roman Empire.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 23:24. And bring him safe unto Felix the governor. The career of this powerful and unprincipled man, who, owing to his meeting with the despised Jew Paul, has obtained a conspicuous niche in history, is principally interesting to us as affording a good instance of the way in which high position and great dignity were acquired under the rule of the Csars in the first and second centuries of the Christian era. Felix and his brother Pallas were originally slaves, and then freedmen in the house of a noble Roman lady, Antonia, mother of the Emperor Claudius. Pallas became the favourite and subsequently minister of the emperor. He procured for his brother Felix the important post of procurator of Juda about A.D. 52. The historian Tacitus writes of him as one who, trusting to his brothers powerful influence at court, knew he could commit any wrong with impunity. He was notoriously avaricious, cruel, and licentious, but withal a man of great energy and talent, wielding, however, as Tacitus tells us, the power of a tyrant with the temper of a slave. According to Josephus, he was one of the most corrupt and oppressive governors ever despatched from Rome to rule over Juda. Suetonius, in his history of Claudius, mentions this Roman official as the husband (in succession) of three queens:(1) Drusilla, the daughter of Juba, king of Mauritania, and Selene, the daughter of Antony and Cleopatra. (2) Another princess of the same nameDrusillathe daughter of Herod Agrippa I., and sister of Herod Agrippa II.; she left her first husband Azizus, king of Emesa, to marry Felix. The name of the third royal lady who married this Roman is unknown.
Felix reigned over Juda some seven or eight years until he was recalled by Nero, who replaced him by Festus, A.D. 60. He owed his deposition to the fall of his brother Pallas, who was subsequently put to death, A.D. 63.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 23
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 24
The governor; the governor of Judea, a successor of Pilate.