Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 23:14
And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
14. they came to the chief priests and elders ] Who were most likely of the Sadducees’ part, and who therefore would have no wish to save St Paul’s life.
We have bound ourselves under a great curse ] Lit. “with a curse have we cursed ourselves.” A Hebrew mode of expressing the intensity and earnestness of any action. Cp. “to die the death, &c.”
that we will eat nothing ] More literally (with Rev. Ver.) “to taste nothing.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And they came … – Probably by a deputation.
To the chief priests and elders – The members of the Great Council, or Sanhedrin. It is probable that the application was made to the party of the Sadducees, as the Pharisees had shown their determination to defend Paul. They would have had no prospect of success had they attacked the castle, and they therefore devised this mode of obtaining access to Paul, where they might easily despatch him.
Under a great curse – Greek: We have anathematized ourselves with an anathema. We have made the vow as solemn as possible.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
They came to the chief priests and elders, whose place and office it was to have dissuaded such an abominable murder: For the priests lips should keep knowledge, Mal 2:7. And they could not but have been guilty of the blood of St. Paul, had it been shed, who by encouraging the design became accessory unto it. But they had drank blood very largely before now; viz. the blood of St. Stephen, and the blood of our Saviour; and it is no wonder that they thirst for more: such wild beasts, (rather than men), when they have once tasted of blood, are never satisfied with it. But at what a low ebb was religion, when the chief priests themselves combine with assassins!
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And they came to the chief priests, and elders,…. Who were members of the sanhedrim, to acquaint them with their designs:
and said, we have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul: these chief priests and elders, had they acted according to the character they bore, on such an information, would have taken up those men, and punished them, at least would have dissuaded them from so vile an action; but they knew the men to whom they applied, and very likely they were all of them of the sect of the Sadducees, whom Paul had so much offended the day before; and therefore were pleased with what they had done, approved of their scheme, and readily fell in with the following proposal.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Came to the chief priests and the elders ( ). The Sanhedrin, just as Judas did (Lu 22:4).
With a great curse (). This use of the same word as the verb repeated in the instrumental case is in imitation of the Hebrew absolute infinitive and common in the LXX, the very idiom and words of Deut 13:15; Deut 20:17, an example of translation Greek, though found in other languages (Robertson, Grammar, p. 531). See on Lu 21:5 for the distinction between and . Jesus had foretold: “Whoso killeth you will think that he doeth God service” (Joh 16:2).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
We have bound ourselves under a great curse [ ] . Lit., we have anathematized ourselves with an anathema. A very strong expression. For similar expressions, see Luk 22:15; Joh 3:29; Act 4:17.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said,” (oitines proselthontes tois archiereusin kai tois presbuterois) “These Jews with this murder-plot and pledge-curse approaching the chief priests and elders said,” laid out their premeditated murderous intentions and commitments, before the chief priests and elders, evidently some of the council of the Sanhedrin, the judges or adjudicators of Jewish law.
2) “We have bound ourselves under a great curse,(anathemati anethematis amen heautous) “With a voluntary, self-imposed, great curse, we have cursed ourselves,” the reflexive pronoun (heautous) indicates a self-imposed “called down” or “called upon” ourselves a great curse.
3) “That we will eat nothing,” (medenos geusasthai) “That individually and collectively we will eat nothing,” even “taste nothing,” a rash vow or pledge, Ecc 5:2; Pro 10:19; Mat 6:7; Mat 12:36.
4) “Until we have slain Paul.” (heos ou apokteinomen ton Paulon) “Until we have liquidated, exterminated, or slain Paul,” till he is murdered. These vowed to take the law into their own hands, without permission or direction of the Roman law which was legally to give its order or consent before the Jews could even put one of their own nation to death; Pilate had to give his consent, even for Jesus to be crucified, (after both he and Herod had publicly announced that they had found him innocent of the charges laid against him) Luk 23:13-16. Yet, “Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required,” Luk 23:24-25.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
−
14. They came to the chief priests. Seeing that the priests agree to such a wicked and ungodly conspiracy, by this they prove that there was in them neither any fear of God, neither yet any humanity. They do not only allow [approve] that which is brought before them concerning the murdering of the man by laying wait, but also they are ready to be partners in the murder, that they may deliver him into the hands of the murderers, whom they would have made away some way, they pass not how. For what other thing was it to take a man out of the hands of the judge and to slay him, than like murderers to rage even in the very place of judgment? The priests surely would never have allowed [approved] such a wicked purpose if there had been in them any drop of godly and right affection, or of humane feeling. Moreover, they did what they could to bring destruction upon all the people and themselves also. But the Lord did by this means disclose their wicked impiety, which lay hid under a color of honor. −
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(14) They came to the chief priests and elders.It will be remembered that the high priest Ananias had already shown the rough brutality of his nature in his treatment of St. Paul, and was now, we can scarcely doubt, impelled by the spirit of revenge. It lies on the surface that those to whom the conspirators went were the Sadducean party in the Council, not the more moderate and cautious Pharisees.
We have bound ourselves under a great curse.The Greek follows the Hebrew idiom in expressing intensity by the reduplication of the leading word. laterally, We have anathematised ourselves with an anathema.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. Chief priests and elders Those high dignitaries would not reject such assassination. Taking advantage of the extraordinary example of Phineas, son of Eleazer, the gravest Jewish writers, the Talmud, Josephus, and Philo, maintain the right of summary assassination of apostates from God. Thus the last of these writers, as quoted by Hackett, says, “All who have a zeal for virtue should have a right to punish with their own hands, without delay, those who are guilty of this crime; not carrying them before a court, council; or magistrate, but regarding themselves for the time as judges and executioners.” These appalling authorizations of assassination of course would lead to the dissolution of society. The Sicarii, encouraged by Felix and by such countenance as the Sanhedrists now gave, arose in great numbers, and their daggers did the work of destruction in detail on all supporters of moderate counsels, and led the nation to its final catastrophe. (See our Historical Review, Act 21:17, 4.) So awful is the warning against encouragement of lawless violence and secret assassination in any civilized community. Especially in a free government law should be at once just and supreme.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. Now therefore do you, with the council, signify to the chief captain that he bring him down to you, as though you would judge of his case more exactly, and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him.” ’
All they needed now was the opportunity. So they went to the chief priests and elders (they avoided the Pharisees) and informed them of their plans. They pointed out that they had put themselves under a curse not to taste anything until Paul was dead. Would the council now ask that Paul be brought before them as before so as to get him out of the fortress. Then as soon as he was out they would attack the guards, fall on him and slay him. The Romans would not be anticipating any such attack in the short journey between the fortress and the Sanhedrin’s meeting place by the Temple. And to the disgrace of the Sanhedrin it agreed.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 23:14. We have bound ourselves under a great curse, We have bound ourselves by a solemn anathema, seems a proper rendering of the emphatic original. Such execrable vows as these, were not unusual with the Jews, who challenged to themselves a right of punishing those without any legal process, whom they considered as transgressors of the law; and in some cases, thought that they were justified in killing them. Josephus mentions a case not much unlike this, of some who bound themselves with an oath to kill Herod; in which they gloried, as a laudable intention, because he had violated the ancient custom of their nation. It is no wonder therefore that these Jews should make no scruple of acquainting the chief-priests and elders with their conspiracy against the life of St. Paul; who were so far from blaming them for it, that, not long after they renewed the same design themselves. Dr. Lightfoot has shewn from the Talmud, that if theywere prevented from accomplishing such vows as these, it was an easy matter to obtain an absolution from their rabbies.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
Ver. 14. And they came to the chief priests and elders ] With whom they knew they should hereby ingratiate. Rulers’ vices as seldom go unattended as their persons. If Herod mock Christ, his men of war will do so too, Luk 23:11 ; “If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked,” Pro 29:12 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
14. ] It is understood from the narrative that it was to the Sadducees , among the chief priests and elders, that the murderers went. That the high priest belonged to this sect, cannot be inferred with any accuracy.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 23:14 . ., cf. Act 4:23 , see critical note on reading in [373] (Blass). .: “we have bound ourselves under a great curse,” thus representing the emphatic Hebrew idiom, cf. Act 5:28 , and for the same phrase cf. Deu 13:15 ; Deu 20:17 . The conspirators may have been instigated by the knowledge that the Sanhedrim could no longer inflict capital punishment, and from despair of obtaining the sanction of the Roman authorities for violence against Paul. It is quite certain that sentence of death must at all events be ratified by the procurator. Another serious restriction of the Jewish powers lay in the fact that the Roman authorities could step in at any moment and take the initiative, as in the case of Paul. Moreover the incidents before us illustrate the strange fact that even the chiliarch of the Roman force stationed in Jerusalem seems to be able to summon the Sanhedrim for the purpose of submitting to it any question upon which the Jewish law had to be learnt, cf. Act 22:30 , Schrer, Jewish People , div. ii., vol. i., p. 188 ff., with which, however, should be compared O. Holtzmann, Neutest. Zeitgeschichte , pp. 175, 176. : “to taste nothing,” R.V. “Hoc certe tam prposterum concilium nunquam probassent sacerdotes, si qua in illis fuisset gutta pii rectique affectus, imo sensus humani,” Calvin. Edersheim quotes a curious illustration of the rash vow before us, which shows how easily absolution from its consequences could be obtained, Jewish Social Life , p. 229, J. Lightfoot, Hor. Heb.
[373] R(omana), in Blass, a first rough copy of St. Luke.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
elders. App-189.
We have bound . . . curse. Literally we have anathematized ourselves (see Mar 14:71) with an anathema. A Hebraism. Figure of speech Polyptoton. App-6.
curse. Greek. anathema. Here; Rom 9:3. 1Co 12:3; 1Co 16:22. Gal 1:1, Gal 1:8, Gal 1:9.
that we will = to.
eat = taste. See note on Act 10:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
14.] It is understood from the narrative that it was to the Sadducees, among the chief priests and elders, that the murderers went. That the high priest belonged to this sect, cannot be inferred with any accuracy.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 23:14. , to the chief priests) whose duty however was to have prevented it.-, nothing) either of food or drink.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Psa 52:1, Psa 52:2, Isa 3:9, Jer 6:15, Jer 8:12, Hos 4:9, Mic 7:3
Reciprocal: Num 30:2 – to bind Jdg 11:35 – I cannot Est 5:14 – the thing Psa 64:2 – secret Pro 18:7 – his lips Act 23:21 – an oath 1Co 16:22 – Anathema Gal 1:8 – accursed Gal 5:11 – why 1Jo 3:15 – hateth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4
Act 23:14. They notified the chief priests of their curse, thinking it would impress them with the genuineness of their determination.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 23:14. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing till we have slain Paul. No doubt the party of religious assassins went to that group of the Sanhedrim known as bitterly hostile to Paul. We have no definite information which would tell us that Ananias the high priest was a Sadducee; but from our knowledge that by far the greater number of the priests in high position at that time belonged to that sect, and also from the tone of rancorous hatred assumed by Ananias towards Paul when he was arraigned before the council, we may conclude with some certainty that he did belong to that party, and was one of the chief priests to whom the conspirators came.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Act 23:14-15. And they came to the chief priests and elders Who were of the sect of the Sadducees, and Pauls greatest enemies, telling them what they had done; and desiring them to ask the chief captain to bring Paul down to the council on the morrow, as if they wished to inquire something more perfectly concerning him, and we, (said they,) or ever he come near, are ready to kill him And we will manage the attack in such a manner, that you shall not appear at all concerned in it; nor have any alarm about the matter, till you hear that he is actually dead. Josephus mentions a case not much unlike this, of some that bound themselves with an oath to kill Herod; in which they gloried as a laudable intention, because he had violated the ancient customs of their nation. It is no wonder, therefore, that these Jews should make no scruple of acquainting the chief priests and elders with their conspiracy against the life of Paul; who, indeed, were so far from blaming them for it, that not long after they renewed the same design themselves. See Act 25:2-3.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
See notes on verse 12