Acts 23:14

14 They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

Acts 23:14 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 23:14

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.

Acts 23:14 In-Context

12 The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

13 There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.

14 They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

15 So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”

16 But Paul’s nephew—his sister’s son—heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul.