Atos 23

Atos 23

Barnes on Ananias - “This Ananias was, doubtless, the son of Nebedinus, (Jos. Ant. xx. chap. v. 3,) who was high priest when Quadratus, who preceded Felix, was president of Syria. He was sent bound to Rome by Quadratus, at the same time with Ananias, the prefect of the temple, that they might give an account of their conduct to Claudius Caesar. Josephus, Ant. b. xx. chap. vi. & 2. But in consequence of the intercession of Agrippa the Younger, they were dismissed, and returned to Jerusalem. Ananias, however, was not restored to the office of high priest; for, when Felix was governor of Judea, this office was filled by Jonathan, who succeeded Ananias. Josephus, Ant. b. xx. chap. x. Jonathan was slain in the temple itself, by the instigation of Felix, by assassins who had been hired for the purpose. This murder is thus described by Josephus, (Ant. b. xx. chap. viii. 5 :) "Felix bore an ill-will to Jonathan, the high priest, because he frequently gave him admonitions about governing the Jewish affairs better than he did, lest complaints should be made against him, since he had procured of Caesar the appointment of Felix as procurator of Judea. Accordingly, Felix contrived a method by which he might get rid of Jonathan, whose admonitions had become troublesome to him. Felix persuaded one of Jonathan's most faithful friends, of the name Doras, to bring the robbers upon him, and to put him to death" “This was done in Jerusalem. The robbers came into the city as if to worship God, and with daggers, which they had concealed under their garments, they put him to death. After the death of Jonathan, the office of high priest remained vacant, until king Agrippa appointed Ismael, the son of Fabi, to the office. Josephus, Ant. b. xx. chap. viii. 8. It was during this interval, while the office of high priest was vacant, that the events which are here recorded took place. Ananias was then at Jerusalem; and as the office of high priest was vacant, and as he was the last person who had borne the office, it was natural that he should discharge, probably by common consent, its duties, so far at least as to preside in the Sanhedrim. Of these facts Paul would be doubtless apprized; and hence what he said Acts 23:5 was strictly true, and is one of the evidences that Luke's history accords precisely with the peculiar circumstances which then existed. When Luke here calls Ananias "the high 12 priest," he evidently intends not to affirm that he was actually such; but to use the word as the Jews did, as applicable to one who had been ill that office, and who, on that occasion, when the office was vacant, performed its duties. “To smite him on the mouth. To stop him from speaking; to express their indignation at what he had said. The anger of Ananias was excited, because Paul affirmed that all that he had done had been with a good conscience. Their feelings had been excited to the utmost; they regarded him as certainly guilty; they deemed him to be an apostate; and they could not bear it that he, with such coolness and firmness, declared that all his conduct had been under the direction of a good conscience. The injustice of the command of Ananias is apparent to all. A similar instance of violence occurred on the trial of the Saviour, John 18:22" (Acts 23 Commentary) Commanded (2004)(epitasso from epí = upon, over + tasso = arrange, appoint or place appropriately) literally means to arrange upon, i.e. order. To appoint over, put in charge; put upon one as a duty. Epitasso was a Greek military term, the noun form used of an “orderly array.” The root verb tasso was used in classical Greek meaning to draw up in order of battle, array, marshal. Standing beside (3936)(paristemi from para = near, beside + histemi = place, set) literally means to place or set beside or near and hence to place at someone's disposal. Paristemi means to present oneself for service or to put at the service of (sometimes translated "help" Ro 16:2-note) Strike (5180)(tupto/typto from root "tup--" = a blow, cf tupos = a figure or print and English "type") means literally to smite, strike, beat or otherwise inflict a blow. Strike denotes more than a slap in the face—this word is used of the crowd’s beating of Paul in Acts 21:32+ and of the Roman soldier’s beating of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 27:30 (Mk 15:19)! All uses of tupto in NT - Matt. 24:49; Matt. 27:30; Mk. 15:19; Lk. 6:29; Lk. 12:45; Lk. 18:13; Lk. 23:48; Acts 18:17; Acts 21:32; Acts 23:2; Acts 23:3; 1 Co. 8:12 ILLUSTRATION - Christians must understand that if they are faithful witnesses for Jesus Christ the world will hate them, and when the law permits the world will persecute, and even kill His followers. The world hates Jesus and it will hate those in whom He lives. During the presidential debates between Republican candidates during the latter part of 2007, the media went through an interesting, chameleon-like change with reference to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. First, he had no chance. Then he began climbing from he bottom tier of candidates into the upper tier. Until that time, the fickle media seemed to focus on Governor Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, but as Huckaby gained support, they began to pit Huckabee against Romney. When he continued to climb into the top tier of candidates, the media paraded out one biter, caustic critic after another, until his numbers began to slip, and then some gloated. On Hannity and Colmes, December 19, 2007 (as I recall), there was a clip of some radio personality I had never heard of before, who was ranting against Huckabee, and I will paraphrase: “He claims to be a Christian but he wants to kill people with bombs dropped from forty thousand feet. That may be his kind of Christianity, but THAT IS NOT MY KIND OF CHRISTIANITY!” Arrogance was dripping from every word as the man spoke. Why such vitriol toward Mike Huckabee? Read 1 John 4 for the Lord’s answer to that question. This is not a political endorsement of Governor Huckabee, but a reminder of the attitude of the world toward serious Christians. (J. Hunt) Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?" KJV Acts 23:3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? NET Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you order me to be struck?" GNT Acts 23:3 τότε ὁ Παῦλος πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπεν, Τύπτειν σε μέλλει ὁ θεός, τοῖχε κεκονιαμένε· καὶ σὺ κάθῃ κρίνων με κατὰ τὸν νόμον καὶ παρανομῶν κελεύεις με τύπτεσθαι; NLT Acts 23:3 But Paul said to him, "God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?" ESV Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?" CSB Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You are sitting there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law are you ordering me to be struck?" NIV Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" NAB Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. Do you indeed sit in judgment upon me according to the law and yet in violation of the law order me to be struck?" NKJ Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?" NJB Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, 'God will surely strike you, you whitewashed wall! How can you sit there to judge me according to the Law, and then break the Law by ordering a man to strike me?' GWN Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you hypocrite! You sit there and judge me by Moses' Teachings and yet you break those teachings by ordering these men to strike me!" NRS Acts 23:3 At this Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law you order me to be struck?" YLT Acts 23:3 then Paul said unto him, 'God is about to smite thee, thou whitewashed wall, and thou -- thou dost sit judging me according to the law, and, violating law, dost order me to be smitten!' God is going to strike you God did smite him in a remarkable manner; for about five years after this, after his house had been reduced to ashes, in a tumult raised by his own son, he was besieged and taken in the royal palace; where having attempted in vain to hide himself, he was dragged out and slain. you whitewashed wall Mt 23:27,28 Do you sit to try me according to the Law Lev 19:35; Ps 58:1,2; 82:1,2; 94:20; Eccl 3:16; Amos 5:7; Micah 3:8-11 in violation of the Law order me to be struck Dt 25:1,2; John 7:51; 18:24 Video of Paul before the Sanhedrin Acts 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Whitewashed Tombs PAUL REBUKES THE HIGH PRIEST "FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONE!" Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you - In essence Paul was saying, “I won’t get you, but God will!” Paul was not a false prophet! Paul's prophecy was fulfilled only a few years later when Ananias was at first deposed and then assassinated by anti-Roman Jewish revolutionaries at the outbreak of the first great Jewish revolt against Rome in 66 AD. Longenecker - Indignant at the affront, Paul lashed out at Ananias and accused him of breaking the Jewish law, which safeguarded the rights of defendants and presumed them innocent until proved guilty. Paul had not even been charged with a crime, let alone tried and found guilty. Anyone who behaved as Ananias did, Paul knew, was bound to come under God's judgment. Paul's words, however, were more prophetic than he realized. Ananias's final days—despite all his scheming and bribes—were lived as a hunted animal and ended at the hands of his own people. (The Expositor's Bible Commentary – Volume 9: John and Acts) (Bold added) Joseph Parker has an interesting comment - "Now we see quite a new aspect of Paul. He has borne so much that we thought he would bear everything right through to the last; but there was a priestism which Paul could not bear, so he exclaimed, "God shall smite thee, thou whited wall"—a mass of clay chalked over; that white robe is not a white character; the linen is fine, but it clothes a ferocious nature. Nor was this mere anger. Paul has been blamed for this little ebullition by men who themselves become angry seven days a week. But I would be found amongst those who applaud the sublime indignation. It was inspired by moral emotion and conviction. The reason of this anger is given. We are bound to defend eternal rectitude; sometimes in defending it we may only seem to be overtaken by human infirmity. It is right to be angry; it is a sin sometimes to appear to be satisfied when the heart is filled with a conviction that things are wrong. Always notice the reason of the anger, and you will find that reason to be not a merely personal one, as if personal pride had been made to suffer, but a moral one, and, therefore, a comprehensive one, and, therefore, the anger not of a man, but of the race of men. Paul speaks here not for himself only, but for every man, time through and the world over, who suffers wrongfully. The prophecy was fulfilled: the beast was slain; he was dragged out not long afterward and killed by vengeful hands.(People's Commentary - Acts) You whitewashed wall! - Note the contrast of Paul's clean conscience (interior) with the "unclean" interior of Ananias.