Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 23:15
Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you tomorrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
15. Now therefore ye with the council, &c.] Rev. Ver. “do ye,” to mark more clearly the imperative. The chief priests and elders, of the Sadducees’ party, were to use their influence in the council, that a request might proceed from the whole body of the Sanhedrin, that Paul should be again brought before them by the chief captain. From what we read of the Sadducees, in the N. T. and Josephus, it is easy to believe that they would be in a majority.
that he bring him down ] i.e. from the tower of Antonia to the place where the Sanhedrin held its meetings.
unto you to morrow ] The oldest MSS. omit the last word. It is found in Act 23:20 below, and may have been early inserted here to make that verbal accord of the desire for which the received text of the Acts of the Apostles furnishes so many illustrations.
as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him ] Rev. Ver. “as though ye would judge of his case more exactly,” which is more in accordance with the classical meaning of the verb.
we are ready to kill him ] So that the suspicion of complicity in the crime would not fall upon the chief priests and elders. Their intention would appear to have been to give St Paul a fair hearing, and the murder would seem to be the work of some fanatics unconnected with the Council.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ye, with the council – With the concurrence or request of the Sanhedrin. It was only by such a request that they had any hope that the chief captain would remove Paul from the castle.
Signify to the chief captain – Send a message or request to him.
That he bring him down unto you – That he bring him from the castle to the usual place of the meeting of the Sanhedrin. As this was at some distance from the castle of Antonia, where Paul was, they supposed it would be easy to waylay him and take his life.
To-morrow – This is missing in the Syriac, Vulgate, and Ethiopic versions. It is, however, probably the correct reading of the text, as it would be necessary to convene the council, and make the request of the tribune, which might require the whole of one day.
As though ye would inquire … – This request appeared so reasonable that they did not doubt that the tribune would grant it to the council. And though it was obviously a false and wicked pretence, yet these conspirators knew the character of the persons to whom they addressed themselves so well that they did not doubt that they would prevail on the council to make the request. Public justice must have been deeply fallen when it was known that such an iniquitous request could be made with the certain prospect of success.
Or ever he come near – Before he comes near to the Sanhedrin. The Great Council will thus not be suspected of being privy to the deed. We will waylay him, and murder him in the way. The plan was well laid; and nothing but the interposition of Providence could have prevented its execution.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. And we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.] We shall lie in wait, and despatch him before he can reach the chief captain. The plan was well and deeply laid; and nothing but an especial providence could have saved Paul.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Ye with the council; the chief priests are to join with the council in this desire to the chief captain; for they had no authority to command him.
As though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: the plot against Pauls life was laid very deep, and not easily to be discovered; it being usual to send for prisoners to re-examine them, especially when religion and the public peace are concerned, as they pretended that here they were.
Or ever he come near: the space between the castle and the place where the council met, being considerable, it gave the greater advantage to the conspirators.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Now . . . ye with the councilsignify to the chief captain . . . as though, &c.Thatthese high ecclesiastics fell in readily with this infamous plot isclear. What will not unscrupulous and hypocritical religionists dounder the mask of religion? The narrative bears unmistakable internalmarks of truth.
or ever he come nearTheirplan was to assassinate him on his way down from the barracks to thecouncil. The case was critical, but He who had pledged His word tohim that he should testify for Him at Rome provided unexpected meansof defeating this well-laid scheme.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Now therefore ye with the council,…. The whole sanhedrim; their sense is, that they would have the sanhedrim convened by the chief priests and elders, and being met together, then to
signify to the chief captain; or let him know that they were assembled together, upon the affair of Paul, and that they here desirous he might be brought before them:
that he bring him down unto you tomorrow; from the castle of Antonia to the place where the sanhedrim met; the word “tomorrow” is not in the Alexandrian copy, nor in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions; and then it should seem that they desired him to be brought down forthwith, or otherwise they must propose to fast all that day, and so long on the morrow, till Paul was brought down; but that the common reading is right, appears from the chief captain’s sending away Paul at the third hour of the night following, to prevent their designs on the morrow, Ac 23:23. The pretence formed for his being brought down is,
as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him; what he had done, which had occasioned this uproar, what it was he was charged with, and whether he was guilty or not:
and we, or ever he come near: where the sanhedrim sat;
are ready to kill him; lying in wait in some private place between the castle and the temple, from whence they intended to rush out at once upon him, and murder him; far enough both from the temple and the council, that both the one might not be defiled, though they did not greatly stick at that in those times, and that the other might not be charged with having any hand in his death.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ye (). Emphatic.
Signify (). First aorist active imperative of . Make plain from , chiefly in Acts. Repeated in verse 22. The authority is with the chiliarch not with the Sanhedrin, but he had appealed to the Sanhedrin for advice.
As though ye would judge of his case more exactly ( ). H with the participle gives the alleged reason as here. So also in verse 20. , old verb to distinguish accurately, only here in N.T. and 24:22.
Or ever come near ( ). “Before the coming near as to him.” and the genitive of the articular infinitive of with accusative of general reference.
We are ready to slay him ( ). Genitive of purpose of the articular infinitive after the adjective (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1061). , second aorist active of .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Enquire [] . Only here and ch. 24 22. Originally, to distinguish or discern; hence, to decide, as a suit. Rev., more correctly, therefore, judge.
More perfectly [] . Rev., better, more exactly. See on Luk 1:3; Act 18:25, 26.
Concerning him [ ] . Lit., the things about him. Rev., better, his case.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Now therefore ye with the council,” (nun oun humeis) “Now and hereafter therefore, (in the light of this) you all,” (sun to sunedrio) “In concord or collusion with the Sanhedrin council,” before whom he had been arraigned, Act 22:30; Act 23:1-2. Man proposes, but God disposes, according to His will or purpose, Psa 37:32-33.
2) “Signify to the chief captain,” (emphhanisate to cheliarcho) “Inform or advise the chief captain,” give Lysias a statement of your intentions to lead him on, but there is no counsel that can stand against the Lord, Pro 21:30; Isa 8:9-10.
3) “That he bring him down unto you tomorrow,” (hopos katagage autoi eis humas) “So that he may be influenced to bring him down to you all,” from the barracks or the castle-fort.
4) “As though ye would inquire,” (hos mellontes diaginoskein) -As if you intended to ascertain or verify,” wanted more information.
5) “Something more perfectly concerning him: (akribesteron ta peri autou) “The matters concerning him more accurately,” in more definitive detail. Murder was in their hearts, like that of Judas’ heart when he planted the “hail master” traitor-kiss on the cheek of the Lord, Mat 26:49. But every work with every secret thing shall be brought into judgement one day, Ecc 12:14,
6) “And we, or ever he come near,” (hemeis de pro tou engesai auton) “Then we, (the mafia-forty), the liquidation clan, before he draws near,” to meet, to appear before you all, as he is on his way, being led down to you from the barracks.
7) “Are ready to kill him.” (etoimoi esmen tou anelein auton) “We are set and ready to kill him,” with finger on the trigger, hand on the sword, or with a heap of rocks and clubs for ammunition. In this manner the council would seem to be clear of complicity – what a scheme!
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(15) Now therefore ye with the council . . .The plot was necessary, either (1) because the Sanhedrin had lost, under Roman rule, its power to inflict capital punishment (see Notes on Act. 7:59; Joh. 18:31); or (2) because, even if they possessed that power, the chiliarch was not likely to allow its exercise in the case of a Roman citizen; or (3) because the experience of the previous day had shown that the violent party were not likely to obtain a majority in the Council. The plot was, so far, skilfully laid. Even those who had said, We find no evil in this man, could hardly oppose a proposal for a further investigation.
We, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.The first word stands in the Greek with a kind of ferocious emphasis You may safely leave us to do our part.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. With the council They proposed that the request to the chiliarch should be made by regular vote of the Sanhedrin, those who favoured Paul being probably deceived as to the real design.
Or ever Before. They will assassinate him at a distance, by the way, in order to keep the Sanhedrin clear of any suspicion of cooperation in the murder.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Act 23:15. Or ever he come near, That is, before he come near.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 23:15 . ] answering to the subsequent . Thus they arrange the parts which they were to play.
] Non vos soli, sed una cum collegis vestris (of whom doubtless the Pharisees were not to be allowed to know the murderous plot), quo major significationi sit auctoritas , Grotius.
. . .] design of the . . From this also it follows what they were to notify, namely, that they wished the business of Paul to be more exactly taken cognisance of in the Sanhedrim than had already been done (comp. Act 24:22 ).
. .] The design of ; 2Ch 6:2 ; Eze 21:11 ; 1Ma 3:58 ; 1Ma 5:39 ; 1Ma 13:37 . Comp. also Act 23:20 .
.] so that you shall have nothing at all to do with him.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
Ver. 15. As though he would inquire ] Craft and cruelty are combined in the Church’s enemies; neither of them wanteth his mate, as the Scripture speaketh of those birds of prey and desolation, Isa 34:16 , and as the asp is said never to wander alone without his companion with him.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
15. ] . belongs to , or perhaps better to do you give official intimation (intimation conveyed by the whole Sanhedrim).
expresses the purpose of ., . ., that of . (Meyer).
. .] not as E. V. ‘ enquire something more perfectly :’ but (see reff.) to determine with greater accuracy , or perhaps, neglecting the comparative sense, to determine accurately .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 23:15 . : only in Acts in N.T., where it occurs four times, frequent in LXX. : “signify” in A. and R.V.; this rendering apparently conveys a wrong idea, for it implies that the Council had the authority, whereas this lay with the Roman officer, cf. Act 24:1 , Act 25:2 ; Act 25:15 . In LXX, Est 2:22 , Mal 3:7Mal 3:7 ; 2Ma 11:29 . .: with the whole Council, including both those who had previously inclined to favour Paul as well as his opponents; the former could not object to the pretext that further inquiries were to be made into Paul’s position, especially when the Sadducees urged such an inquiry. , Burton, p. 87. : this use of with the participle expressing the pretext alleged by another, often in Luke, cf. Luk 16:1 ; Luk 23:14 , Act 23:20 ; Act 27:30 , Viteau, Le Grec du N.T. , p. 189 (1893), but we may also compare 1Co 4:18 (Burton). .: “as though ye would judge of his case more exactly,” R.V., accurate cognoscere; the word need not be used here in the forensic sense as in Act 24:22 (Act 25:21 ), Grimm, Blass; the “inquiry” is expressed by the usual word in Act 23:20 . The verb is used in 2Ma 9:15 . : so that the crime could not be imputed to the priests. : for genitive of the infinitive after a noun or an adjective, in Luke and Paul (1Pe 4:17 ), (Viteau, u. s. , p. 169, Burton, p. 158. In LXX, cf. Mich. Act 6:8 , Eze 21:10-11 (Eze 21:15-16 ), 1Ma 3:58 ; 1Ma 5:39 ; 1Ma 13:37 . , cf. Hackett’s note, which gives a formal justification from Philo for the assassination of apostates.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
signify. Greek. emphanizo. App-106.
bring . . . down. Greek. katago. See note on Act 21:3.
though ye would = being about to.
enquire. Greek. diaginosko. This is the medical word for making a careful examination. Only here and Act 24:22. The noun diagnosis only in Act 25:21.
something . . . him = the things concerning him more accurately (Greek. akribesteron, comparative of akribos, Act 18:25, Act 18:26). Occurs Act 18:26; Act 24:22.
concerning. Greek. peri. App-104.
or ever = before. Greek. pro. App-104.
kill. Greek. anaireo. See note on Act 2:23. Not the same word as in verses: Act 12:14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
15.] . belongs to , or perhaps better to -do you give official intimation (intimation conveyed by the whole Sanhedrim).
expresses the purpose of .,- . ., that of . (Meyer).
. .] not as E. V. enquire something more perfectly:-but (see reff.) to determine with greater accuracy, or perhaps, neglecting the comparative sense, to determine accurately.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 23:15. , ye) With this word are connected the words, with the council. They join together treachery and violence.-) viz. , with which comp. Act 23:22, .
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
that he: Act 25:3, Psa 21:11, Psa 37:32, Psa 37:33, Pro 1:11, Pro 1:12, Pro 1:16, Pro 4:16, Isa 59:7, Rom 3:14-16
Reciprocal: Jdg 16:2 – kill him 2Sa 13:5 – Lay thee Neh 6:7 – Come now Est 5:14 – the thing Psa 35:20 – but Psa 59:4 – run Psa 64:2 – secret Pro 12:6 – words Mic 2:1 – when Act 22:30 – commanded Act 23:20 – as
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5
Act 23:15. Paul was in the castle or barracks, and these Jews suggested that the priests ask the captain to bring the prisoner before the Sanhedrin again on the pretext of a fuller hearing. That would have given them an opportunity of killing him.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 23:15. Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you tomorrow . . . and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. This seems at first sight a strange story, that so monstrous a design should have been conceived and communicated to the chief priests and elders,to the leading members, in fact, of the august council of the Sanhedrim,and positively should have received the approval of these venerable men; ay, more than their approval, their hearty concurrence and the promise of their assistance. Still, strange as it may seem, it was in perfect accordance with the practice of the leading members of the Jewish state in these unhappy days. We read, for instance, in the Antiquities of Josephus, how zealots of Jerusalem had conspired together to assassinate Herod the Great because he had built an amphitheatre and celebrated games in the Holy City. Philo, the famous Alexandrian Jew, who wrote in this age, and may be taken as a fair exponent of the views of morality which were held in the first century of the Christian era in the great Jewish schools, thus writes: It is highly proper that 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 [that is, forsaking what the orthodox Jew considered the worship of the true God] . . . not carrying them before any magistrate, but that they should indulge the abhorrence of evil and the love of God which they entertain, by inflicting immediate punishment on such impious apostatesregarding themselves for the time as all things . . . judges . . . accusers, witnesses, the laws, the people; so that, hindered by nothing, they may without fear and with all promptitude espouse the cause of piety (Philo, quoted by Dr. Hackett). It is melancholy, writes Professor Plumptre, to remember how often the casuistry of Christian theologians has run in the same groove. In this respect the Jesuit teaching absolves subjects from their allegiance to heretical rulers, and the practical issue of that teaching in the history of the Gunpowder Plot and of the murders perpetrated by Clement (Henry 111.) and by Ravaillac (Henry IV.) presents only too painful a parallel.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 12
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 15
And we, &c.; that is, they were to lay wait for him and assassinate him on the way.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
23:15 Now therefore ye with the {g} council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
(g) You and the senate ask that the same thing should be done, so that the tribune will not think that it was demanded of him because of an individual’s private interests.