Acts 26:1

1 Agrippa vero ad Paulum ait permittitur tibi loqui pro temet ipso tunc Paulus extenta manu coepit rationem reddere

Acts 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.

Acts 26:1 In-Context

1 Agrippa vero ad Paulum ait permittitur tibi loqui pro temet ipso tunc Paulus extenta manu coepit rationem reddere

2 de omnibus quibus accusor a Iudaeis rex Agrippa aestimo me beatum apud te cum sim defensurus me hodie

3 maxime te sciente omnia quae apud Iudaeos sunt consuetudines et quaestiones propter quod obsecro patienter me audias

4 et quidem vitam meam a iuventute quae ab initio fuit in gente mea in Hierosolymis noverunt omnes Iudaei

5 praescientes me ab initio si velint testimonium perhibere quoniam secundum certissimam sectam nostrae religionis vixi Pharisaeus