Acts 23:30

30 And [when it] was made known to me there would be a plot against the man, I sent [him] to you immediately, also ordering [his] accusers to speak against him before you.

Acts 23:30 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 23:30

And when it was told me
As it was by Paul's sister's son,

how that the Jews laid wait for the man;
had formed a conspiracy to take away his life, and laid a scheme in order to it, and at least intended, if they were not actually in ambush, to seize him as he should be brought from the castle to the sanhedrim:

I sent straightway to thee;
the prisoner Paul, under a guard of soldiers; this he did directly, as soon as ever he heard of the design of the Jews; and he sent him to Felix, as being governor, to whom the judgment of this affair properly belonged, and who was best qualified for it, at least in the chief captain's account; and who doubtless consulted his own honour and safety, lest he should incur blame and disgrace, should a Roman have been slain through any neglect or want of care in him:

and gave commandment to his accusers also, to say before thee what
they had against him;
it is reasonable to conclude, that he said nothing of this to them, though he might have determined he would, till after Paul was sent away; otherwise the affair would have been discovered, which he desired might be concealed:

farewell;
which is the conclusion of the epistle, and is a wish of health and happiness.

Acts 23:30 In-Context

28 And [because I] wanted to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought [him] down to their Sanhedrin.

29 I found {he} was accused concerning controversial questions of their law, but having no charge deserving death or imprisonment.

30 And [when it] was made known to me there would be a plot against the man, I sent [him] to you immediately, also ordering [his] accusers to speak against him before you.

31 Therefore the soldiers, in accordance with {their orders}, took Paul [and] brought [him] to Antipatris during the night.

32 And on the next day they let the horsemen go on with him, [and] they returned to the barracks.

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("was made known") which is understood as temporal
• [b]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [c]. *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
• [d]. Some manuscripts have "to state the charges against him" (literally, "to speak the [things] against him")