Acts 23:20

The Jews (oi Ioudaioi). As if the whole nation was in the conspiracy and so in verse Luke 12 . The conspirators may have belonged to the Zealots, but clearly they represented the state of Jewish feeling toward Paul in Jerusalem. Have agreed (suneqento). Second aorist middle indicative of suntiqhmi, old verb to join together, to agree. Already this form in Luke 22:5 which see. See also John 9:22 ; Acts 24:9 . To bring down (opw katagagh). Very words of the conspirators in verse Acts 15 as if the young man overheard. Second aorist active subjunctive of katagw with opw in final clause, still used, but nothing like so common as ina though again in verse Acts 23 (Robertson, Grammar, p. 985). As though thou wouldest inquire (w mellwn punqanesqai). Just as in verse Acts 15 except that here mellwn refers to Lysias instead of to the conspirators as in verse Acts 15 . The singular is used by the youth out of deference to the authority of Lysias and so modifies a bit the scheming of the conspirators, not "absurd" as Page holds.