Atti 26:1

1 E Agrippa disse a Paolo: T’è permesso parlare a tua difesa. Allora Paolo, distesa la mano, disse a sua difesa:

Atti 26:1 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 26:1

Then Agrippa said unto Paul
After Festus had made the above speech to him, and to all present, and had introduced the affair of Paul, who now stood before them:

thou art permitted to speak for thyself;
which a prisoner might not do, until he had leave; and this leave was granted by Festus the Roman governor, who was properly the judge, and not Agrippa, though the permission might be by both; and so the Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "we have ordered", or "permitted thee"

Then Paul stretched forth the hand;
as orators used to do, when they were about to speak; or else to require silence; or it may be to show the freedom of his mind, and how ready he was to embrace the opportunity of pleading his own cause; being conscious to himself of his innocence, and relying on the ingenuity and integrity of his judge; and especially of the king, before whom he stood:

and answered for himself;
or made an apology, or spoke in vindication of himself, in order to remove the charges brought against him.

Atti 26:1 In-Context

1 E Agrippa disse a Paolo: T’è permesso parlare a tua difesa. Allora Paolo, distesa la mano, disse a sua difesa:

2 Re Agrippa, io mi reputo felice di dovermi oggi scolpare dinanzi a te di tutte le cose delle quali sono accusato dai Giudei,

3 principalmente perché tu hai conoscenza di tutti i riti e di tutte le questioni che son fra i Giudei; perciò ti prego di ascoltarmi pazientemente.

4 Quale sia stato il mio modo di vivere dalla mia giovinezza, fin dal principio trascorsa in mezzo alla mia nazione e in Gerusalemme, tutti i Giudei lo sanno,

5 poiché mi hanno conosciuto fin d’allora, e sanno, se pur vogliono renderne testimonianza, che, secondo la più rigida setta della nostra religione, son vissuto Fariseo.