Section 24:1–27
Paul was on trial before Felix
In this section, Tertullus spoke for the Jewish leaders. He accused Paul before Governor Felix of being a troublemaker, of causing riots, of being a leader of a sect, and trying to harm the Jewish temple. Paul defended himself before Felix.
Felix adjourned the session, and promised to judge between Paul and the Jews when the Roman commander who had sent Paul arrived. But that promise was actually an excuse to do nothing. Instead, he hoped Paul would bribe him to allow him to leave prison. But Paul did not.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
Paul is Accused in the Court of Felix (Contemporary English Version)
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Felix listened to Paul ⌊defend himself⌋ ⌊in court⌋
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Paul before Felix (New American Standard Bible)
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The Jews accused Paul before ⌊Governor⌋ Felix, and Paul defended himself
Paragraph 24:1–4
24:1a–b
the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus: In the Greek here, the high priest alone is the subject of the verb came down, even though there were others who traveled with him. This is probably because the high priest was a much more important person than the others named here. He probably was the leader of this group. Other ways to translate this clause are:
the high priest Ananias took/brought some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus and went down to Caesarea
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the high priest Ananias, along with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, went down to Caesarea
the high priest: This phrase refers to the priest who was the leader of all the Jewish priests. Other ways to translate this word are:
the leader of the priests
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the priest who was the leader of all ⌊Jewish⌋ priests
See how you translated this phrase in 4:6 or 22:5.
24:1a
came down: Some English versions add a phrase such as “to Caesarea” (or “to the city of Caesarea”) to make it clear where the high priest went with the others. Verse 23:33 indicates that the governor was in Caesarea and they went to him there. In some languages, with the new chapter here, it is more clear to say to where or to whom they went. For example:
went down to Caesarea (New International Version)
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went down to the city of Caesarea
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went to the governor (Contemporary English Version)
came down: Jerusalem is up in the mountains at about 760 meters (2,500 feet) in elevation, and Caesarea is on the sea coast. It is a journey of about 120 kilometers (75 miles). So Luke used the Greek verb that refers to going down in elevation. In some languages it is more natural not to use the word down. For example:
went to Caesarea (Good News Translation)
23:33 already indicates that Paul arrived in Caesarea at that time. In some languages it is more natural to use “went” here. For example:
went down (New International Version)
24:1b
some elders: The word elders describes leaders in Jewish society who were not priests. They were the heads of important families. Here it probably describes elders who were members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling Council. See how you translated this word in 23:14.
a lawyer named Tertullus: This phrase in Greek is literally “a lawyer a certain Tertullus.” The word “certain” probably indicates that Luke did not expect his readers to know who Tertullus was. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
a particular lawyer named Tertullus
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the lawyer Tertullus (New Living Translation (2004))
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Tertullus, their lawyer
lawyer: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lawyer refers in general to someone who is trained to speak well. Here it refers to someone who knew Roman law and customs of the court and could speak in a way that could convince the judge that he is right. Other ways to translate this word are:
spokesman (Revised Standard Version)
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advocate (New Jerusalem Bible)
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attorney/barrister
24:1c
who presented to the governor their case against Paul: This clause indicates that the lawyer and the leaders briefly told what they accused Paul of doing. This was the first step in a Roman court. The governor was the judge.
After they told the governor what they accused Paul of doing, the governor would order someone to bring Paul. Then the lawyer would accuse Paul and explain his accusations (24:2–9), and Paul would defend himself (24:10–21). Some ways to express this are:
they reported to the governor what they thought Paul had done wrong
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They reported to the governor their charges against Paul. (God’s Word)
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they told the governor what crimes they accused Paul of doing
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they told the governor about Paul’s alleged crimes
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