Preface: Acts 23 continues Paul’s wrong-headed visit to Jerusalem. In this chapter, the Chiliarch of Jerusalem allows Paul to speak before the Sanhedrin, but things again become chaotic. After that hearing, over 400 men dedicate themselves to Paul’s assassination. This plot becomes known to the chiliarch, and he acts quickly to move a heavily-guarded Paul to Caesarea, where he will meet with Felix, the procurator of Palestine.

Bible Summary: Paul caused a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Jews plotted to kill him. The tribune sent him to governor Felix.

The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 23 (a chart); from Slide Player; accessed June 30, 2022.

This should be the most extensive examination of Acts 23 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview: (taken from Light of the Word; accessed April 22, 2022).

Time and Place as per Modern Literal Version 2020:

{May 23, 59 AD. Paul’s fifth visit to Jerusalem.}

{May 25, 59 AD. Paul is sent to the political capital at Caesarea.}

Outline of Chapter 23:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–11         Paul Before the Sanhedrin

         vv.    12–15         The Assassination Plot of the Jews

         vv.    16–22         Paul’s Nephew Warns the Chiliarch

         vv.    23–35         The Chiliarch Sends a Heavily-Guarded Paul to Felix, the Procurator of Palestine

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 23 (a chart)

         Preface               Quotations

Doctrines Alluded to

Chapters of the Bible Alluded To or Appropriately Exegeted with this Chapter

Dictionary of Terms

         Introduction         Introduction to Acts 23

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Acts 23 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Acts 23 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Acts 23

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Acts 23

         Introduction         The Principals of Acts 23

         Introduction         The Places of Acts 23

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 23

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Acts 23 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 23 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Acts 19–24)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.       8              Paul Made a Big Mistake to Come to Jerusalem

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         v.      10              Paul, the Chiliarch, and Ananias in Court

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         v.      21              What the Chiliarch Knows

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         v.      24              Felix (by Easton)

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         v.      30              Mr. Spock “Be well and prosper” (a meme)

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         v.      34              Roman Provinces in the New Testament (a map)

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Acts 23 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Acts 23

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Acts 23

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Acts 23:1 (The Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 23:1–5

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 23:6–9

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 23:10–11

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 23:12–15

         Addendum          How did the apostle Paul die? (From Got Questions)

         Addendum          Doctrine of Murder (R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 23:16–22

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 23:23–30

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 23:31–35

         Addendum 

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         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Acts 23

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Acts 23

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Acts 23

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Acts 23

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An Introduction to Acts 23

I ntroduction: Acts 23 continues the narrative begun midway through Acts 21, Paul decides to go to Jerusalem, despite being warned against doing this by a number of people. This narrative will conclude with Paul in Rome, a.d. 60–62 (which takes us to the final chapter of Acts).

In Acts 21–22, Paul is determined to go to Jerusalem, and he does, despite receiving numerous warnings not to do this. Although he is received warmly at first, by the end of Acts 22, near riots have broken out, and Paul is in the custody of the chiliarch, the military head in Jerusalem. At the end of Acts 22, Paul asks the chiliarch to allow him to speak before the Sanhedrin, and the Chiliarch allows this.

Paul began to give his testimony before the Sanhedrin, but, partway through this approach, he believes that it will be to his advantage to divide his enemies and set them at odds with one another. Saul said just what was needed to set the sadducees at odds with the pharisees (many pharisees were swayed over to Paul’s thinking, but the sadducees remained steadfast against Paul). Paul’s divide and conquer approach, from human viewpoint, may have seemed to be a wise approach; but all he did was cause the sanhedrin to break out into fierce arguments, which did nothing for his own case or for the presentation of the gospel message.

The chiliarch broke this up, taking Paul back to the military barracks. However, whatever Paul did or said had such a profound effect on the people of Jerusalem, that over 400 men pledged not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. The chief priests and elders were going to help facilitate this assassination.

When Paul’s nephew became aware of this situation, he first went to speak to Paul in jail; and then spoke opening to the chiliarch, who seems to be objective throughout this controversy.

The chiliarch’s only approach was to send Paul to a gentile city (Caesarea) and subject him to the judgment of the procurator of Palestine (this man is Felix).

This ends the chapter, but certainly not the narrative.

Now, what I find fascinating about this entire narrative is, why is Paul speaking before the Sanhedrin? Is this the official way that things ought to go? That is, when a Jewish group begins to make accusations against someone, does this case immediately go to the central Jewish court? My assumption is, this is all the chiliarch’s choice; and that he will be able to do whatever he wants with the final determination of this hearing (this does not appear to be a full-blown trial which could potentially overrule the chiliarch).

As an aside, R. B. Thieme, Jr. when he taught this chapter does not really cover any of the issues which I have raised here. He covers it in a fairly straightforward manner, not asking why or if this is the proper forum in which to try Paul (or for the initial hearing).

It took my awhile and a lot of studying to figure out why this venue? The question at hand is, how do we end up in this particular court, the Sanhedrin? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a fair and just hearing? I think we will establish that this chiliarch is new at this job in Jerusalem and that he does not speak Aramaic. The assumption that I make is, he will attend the court, more or less as an observer (but still with great authority); and he will either demand that this session be spoken in Greek or he will have a translator with him (I would go with the former). The chiliarch is placing Paul in this court in order to ascertain the charges against him. Based upon one incident that will take place, let me suggest that the chiliarch both made himself scarce (he sat way in the back); and he possibly made no remarks from the outset. So that allowed this collection of Jews to hold court without feeling constrained by anything.

I do not believe that the chiliarch was going to necessarily allow this court to make a legal decision for him (although he could have accepted their sentencing recommendation, had there been one).

I think his thinking is, what the hell is really going on here? The Sanhedrin may be my best bet to determine that. As you study this verse-by-verse, this understanding of the reason for going to the Sanhedrin is going to make perfect sense. I may sum this up at the end with a doctrine, essentially discussing these same points.

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Paul Before the Sanhedrin

At the end of Acts 22, Paul is taken before the Sanhedrin by the chiliarch in order to better ascertain the problem these Jews have with Paul. What is their charge against him? This final verse of Acts 22 will be added to a few of the translations below to provide context.

Acts 22:30 The next day, [the chiliarch] wanted to know why [Paul] kept on being accused by the Jews. [Therefore, the chiliarch] loosened [Paul’s bonds] and he commanded the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Leading Paul [to the front], [the chiliarch] placed [him] before them. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Now, having fixed (his eyes), the Paulos, to the Sanhedrin, said, “Men, brothers, I—all a conscience [being] good—[even] I have lived to the God until this the day.”

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Then Paul, looking intently at the council, said, "Men, brothers, I have lived with all good conscience toward God until this day."

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And Paul, looking upon the council, said: Men, brethren, I have conversed with all good conscience before God until this present day.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And while Paulus {Paul} looked at their gathering, he said, “Gabre akhay {Men, my brothers}! I, in all good conscience, have been led before Alaha {God} up to today.”

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And when Paul had looked on the assembly of them, he said: Men, my brethren; I have lived in all good conscience before God up to this day.

Original Aramaic NT              And Paulus gazed at The Assembly and he said, "Men, brothers: in all good conscience I have lived before God, until today."

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             But on the day after, desiring to have certain knowledge of what the Jews had to say against him, he made him free, and gave orders for the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to come together, and he took Paul and put him before them. And Paul, looking fixedly at the Sanhedrin, said, My brothers, my life has been upright before God till this day. Acts 22:30 is included for context.

Bible in Worldwide English     Paul looked at the members of the court and said, My brothers, I have done what I thought God wanted me to do, right up to this day.

Easy English                          Paul speaks to the meeting of Jewish leaders

Paul looked at the group of Jewish leaders and he said to them, ‘My Jewish friends, God knows that I have nothing to be ashamed about today. I have always respected God's Laws.’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Paul looked at the council members and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life in a good way before God. I have always done what I thought was right."

God’s Word™                         Paul stared at the Jewish council and said, "Brothers, my relationship with God has always given me a perfectly clear conscience."

Good News Bible (TEV)         Paul in Front of the Jewish Council

The officer wanted to find out exactly what accusation the Jews had against Paul. So the officer released Paul the next day and ordered the chief priests and the entire Jewish council to meet. Then the officer brought Paul and had him stand in front of them. Paul looked straight at the Council and said, "My fellow Israelites! My conscience is perfectly clear about the way in which I have lived before God to this very day." Acts 22:30 is included for context.

J. B. Phillips                           Paul again attempts defence

Paul looked steadily at the Sanhedrin and spoke to them, “men and brothers, I have lived my life with a perfectly clear conscience before God up to the present day—”

The Message                         Before the High Council

Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: “Friends, I’ve lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment.”

NIRV                                      Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin. “My brothers,” he said, “I have always done my duty to God. To this day I feel that I have done nothing wrong.”

New Life Version                    Paul Speaks to the Religious Leaders’ Court

Paul looked straight at the court and said, “Brother Jews, I have lived for God with a heart that has said I am not guilty to this day.”

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              ACTS 23

JEWISH HIGH COURT HEARS PAUL

PAUL GETS A SLAP IN THE FACE

Paul looked hard at the council. [1] Then he said, “Brothers, I stand before you with a clear conscience. God knows I’ve lived that kind of life all the way up to this very moment.”

¹23:1Paul was referring to the Sanhedrin council, which functioned a bit like a Jewish Congress/Supreme Court or a Parliament. See footnote for Acts 5:21.

Contemporary English V.       Paul looked straight at the council members and said, "My friends, to this day I have served God with a clear conscience!"

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           Paul before the High Council

The next day the commander ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. [Greek Sanhedrin.] He wanted to find out what the trouble was all about, so he released Paul to have him stand before them. Gazing intently at the high council, [Greek Sanhedrin; also in 23:6, 15, 20, 28.] Paul began: “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!” Acts 22:30 is included for context.

The Passion Translation        Paul fixed his eyes on the members of the council and said, “My brothers, up to this day I have lived my life before God with a perfectly clear conscience.”

Plain English Version             A Jewish boss got angry with Paul

One of the men at the Jewish Leaders Council meeting was the big boss of the Jewish ceremonies. His name was Ananias. Paul stood up in front of Ananias and all the men at the Jewish Leaders Council meeting, and he looked straight at them, and said, “My brothers, I have respected our God all my life, and I have always done whatever I reckoned was right.” A portion of v. 2 is included for context.

Radiant New Testament        Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin. “My brothers,” he said, “I’ve always done my duty to God. To this day I feel that I have done nothing wrong.”

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Paul looked at the Jewish council members and said: "My fellow Jews, all my life I have lived respecting our God, and I do not know of anything that I have done that I knew was wrong."

Williams’ New Testament      Paul fixed his eyes upon the council and said, "Brothers, with a clear conscience I have done my duty to God up to this very day."

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Well, Paul just glared at the [judges of the] Jewish Court, and said:

‘Men… Brothers… I have a perfectly clear conscience about the way I behave before God down to this day.’

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            When Paul stared at the council, he said, "Men, brothers, I have been a law-abiding citizen with every bit of a good conscience with God up to this day."

Common English Bible           Paul stared at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with an altogether clear conscience right up to this very day.”

A. Campbell's Living Oracles And Paul, looking attentively on the Sanhedrim, said, Brethren, I have, even to this day, lived in all good conscience toward God-...

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Paul fastened his eyes on the Council, and said, Brethren, all my life I have behaved myself with full loyalty of conscience towards God.

20^th Century New Testament Paul fixed his eyes upon the Council, and began: "Brothers, for my part, I have always ordered my life before God, with a clear conscience, up to this very day."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                Paul looked directly at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have conducted myself before God in all good conscience to this day.”

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Paul Before the Senate.

Paul, then, looking fixedly at the senate, said, "Men, brothers! I have done my duty with a clear conscience in the presence of God until this very day."

Free Bible Version                 Paul, looking right at the council, said, right up to now I have always conducted myself before God with a clear conscience.”

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           Paul beheld the council and said: men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

International Standard V        Paul Defends Himself

Paul looked straight at the Council [Or Sanhedrin] and said, Brothers, with a clear conscience I have done my duty before God up to this very day.

Lexham Bible                         Paul Before the Sanhedrin

And looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, “Men and brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God to this day.”

Montgomery NT                     With a stedfast gaze at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived with a good conscience before God to this day."

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      And Paul looking steadily at the Sanhedrim, said, Men and brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience to this day.

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    Then Paul looked directly at the council members and said, "Men, brothers, I have lived as a citizen before God in all good conscience until this day."

Weymouth New Testament    Then Paul, fixing a steady gaze on the Sanhedrin, said, "Brethren, it is with a perfectly clear conscience that I have discharged my duties before God up to this day."

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     • Paul looked directly at the Council and said, “Brothers, to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God.”

2Cor 1:12

The footnote for the Christian Community Bible is placed in the Addendum.

The Heritage Bible                 And Paul, gazing intently at the sanhedrin, said, Men, brothers, I have behaved in all inherent good conscience before God until this day.

New American Bible (2011)   Paul before the Sanhedrin.

The next day, wishing to determine the truth about why he was being accused by the Jews, he freed him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene. Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them. Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have conducted myself with a perfectly clear conscience before God to this day.”^a Acts 22:30 is included for context.

a. [23:1] 24:16.

Revised English Bible–1989   With his eyes steadily fixed on the Council, Paul said, “My brothers, all my life to this day I have lived with a perfectly clear conscience before God.”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Sha’ul looked straight at them and said, “Brothers, I have been discharging my obligations to God with a perfectly clear conscience, right up until today.”

Hebraic Roots Bible               And looking on the Sanhedrin, Paul said, Men, brothers, I in all good conscience have conducted myself toward YAHWEH to this day.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Paul looked straight at the Jewish Council and said, "My Jewish brothers, I have always lived my life before God in all good conscience, and that includes today!"

The Scriptures 2009              And Sha’ul, looking intently at the council, said, “Men, brothers, I have lived in all good conscience before Elohim until this day.”

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...Looking but The Paul [to] the council says Men Brothers I [in] every conscience good have lived [for] the god until this the day...

Alpha & Omega Bible            PAULOS (Paul), LOOKING INTENTLY AT THE SANHEDRIN COUNCIL, SAID, BRETHREN, I HAVE LIVED MY LIFE WITH A PERFECTLY GOOD CONSCIENCE BEFORE THEOS (The Alpha & Omega) UP TO THIS DAY.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Furthermore, Paul focusing on the Sitting-together, says, "Men, brothers, I have been a citizen in all good perception-with God, until this day."

Concordant Literal Version    Now looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, "Men! Brethren! I, in all good conscience, have used my citizenship for God until this day."

exeGeses companion Bible   And staring at the sanhedrim,

Paulos says, Men and brothers,

in all good conscience

I citizenize in front of Elohim until this day.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And as he gazed at the Sanhedrin, Rav Sha’ul said, “Anashim, Achim, I have lived before Hashem until this day with a lev tahor.”.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.                   § 39. Paul rebukes the High-priest; divides the Council; and is brought back to the Castle.

Chapter 23.

And Paul |looking steadfastly| at the High council, said—

Brethren! ||I|| |in allʹ good conscience| have used my citizenship for Godˎ until thisʹ day.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Paul before the Council

Then Paul, looking intently at the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), said, “Kinsmen, I have lived my life before God with a perfectly good conscience until this very day.”

An Understandable Version   Paul [then] looked intently at the Council [i.e., the Jewish Supreme Court called the “Sanhedrin”] and spoke [in his defense]: I have lived before God with a good conscience all my life.”

The Expanded Bible              Paul looked [^L intently] at the ·council [Sanhedrin; 22:30] and said, “[^L Men,] Brothers, I have ·lived my life [conducted myself; ^L lived as a citizen] ·without guilt feelings [^L with a good/clear conscience] before God up to this day.”

Jonathan Mitchell NT             So Paul, looking intently (riveting his gaze) at the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Council) said, "Men! Brothers (= Fellow Jews)! I myself have lived and behaved as a citizen in all good conscience to and for God (or: with a completely clear joint-knowledge and with virtuous shared-sight, I have conducted my citizenship in God and managed the affairs of [His] city for God), up to this day!"

Syndein/Thieme                     And Paul, looked the council directly in the eye, saying, "Men and brethren {fellow Jews}, I have been a citizen of good {of intrinsic value} conscience before God until this day."

{Note: This is an idiom. Paul is saying I am not guilty of anything.}

Translation for Translators              Paul apologized for unknowingly denouncing the high priest.

Acts 23:1-5

Paul looked straight at the Jewish council members and said: “My fellow Jews, all my life I have lived respecting our God, and I do not know of anything that I have done that I knew was wrong/evil.”

The Voice                               Paul stared at the council and spoke.

Paul: Brothers, I have always lived my life to this very day with a clear conscience before God.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

NET Bible®                             Paul looked directly¹ at the council² and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience³ before God to this day.”

^1tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

^2tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

^3tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθ πεπολίτευμαι τ θε I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”

The Spoken English NT         Paul looked straight at the high council and said, “Gentlemen, brothers!^a I’ve lived my life with a completely clear conscience^b towards God, right up to this day.”

^a.Lit. “Brother men.”

^b.Lit. “in all good conscience.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  And after gazing intently upon the Sanhedrin, Paul said, "Men and brethren, I have conducted myself in all good conscience toward God unto this day."

Analytical-Literal Translation  Then Paul having looked intently at the High Council, said, "Men, brothers, I in all good conscience have lived to God until this day."

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       Then Paul, looking intently at the Sanhedrin, said: “Men, brethren, as for myself, I have lived my public life in its entirety with a clear conscience before God up to this very day.”

Berean Literal Bible                And having looked intently at the Council, Paul said, “Men, brothers, I have lived as a citizen in all good conscience to God unto this day.”

Charles Thomson NT             Then Paul having fixed his eyes on the Sanhedrim said, Men, brethren, I have conducted myself with an entire good conscience as a subject of God even to this day.

Context Group Version          And Paul, looking steadfastly on the Sanhedrin, said, Men, brothers, I have lived before God in all good social integrity until this day.

Far Above All Translation       And Paul looked at the Sanhedrin council intently and said, and brothers, I have lived as a citizen with a fully clear conscience before God up to this day.

Modern Literal Version 2020  Now Paul, having stared toward the council, said, Men, brethren, I have behaved-as a Jewish citizen toward God in all good conscience till this day.

New King James Version       The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul

Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”

Niobi Study Bible                   The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul

And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God to this day."

Webster’s Translation           And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men, brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: Paul, having looked intently at [the members of] the Sanhedrin,...

This is interesting that Paul speaks first. Remember, he is the accused. Isn’t it protocol for his accusers to speak first, so that everyone knows why Paul is on trial here (or understands what this hearing is about).

Did Paul just stand up and start talking? Based upon what takes place, it does not appear that there were witnesses against Paul who have already stood up and given testimony.

Translation: ...said, “Men [and] brothers, I have conducted all my life with a good conscience...

Again, he addresses these people as men and brothers. Paul cannot shake how he feels about Jerusalem and the religious hierarchy there. Obviously, this shows respect, but I think it also reveals how Paul feels towards them.

He uses the word egó (ἐγώ) [pronounced ehg-OH] for emphasis (the 1^st person singular is found within the verb which Paul uses). He is saying, “This is my clear assessment of the situation.”

The verb here is the perfect passive indicative of politeúomai (πολιτεύομαι) [pronounced pol-it-YOO-om-ahee], which means, to live; to be a citizen, to live as a citizen; to administer civil affairs, to manage the state. Strong’s #4176. This is a rare word, found only a couple of times in the New Testament. I think that the idea is, this is how Paul conducts his life as a citizen (so what he is saying stands up before both Jewish and Roman scruitiny). The use of the passive voice is interesting here, and that might be hard to explain without the phrase which follows.

Paul claims that he has lived his life in a good conscience. He has done the right thing as a Jewish citizen of Rome.

Translation: ...by means of God to this very day.”

We have the dative, locative or instrumental case applied to God here, and do we render this, to the God, for the God, for the benefit of God, in the sphere of God or by means of God? Only the final phrase really supports the passive voice of the verb. Any other approach would seem to call for the use of the active voice.

Paul, by relying upon God, has functioned in all his life with a good conscience. He has done nothing to feel guilty about.

Now, given his testimony of the previous day, we would be assuming that Paul’s testimony is all about his entire life after salvation. Before salvation, he had done some pretty heinous things. This also fits with the context, because, if Paul were still persecuting Christians, then those of the unregenerate Jewish faith would still be supporting him in every way.

Acts 23:1 Paul, having looked intently at [the members of] the Sanhedrin, said, “Men [and] brothers, I have conducted all my life with a good conscience by means of God to this very day.” (Kukis mostly literal translation)

This is a fascinating statement, because Paul as also admitted to guarding the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death, and that he gave his personal approval to this murder (remember that he said this the previous day before many of the same people). He had also chased down various Christians with the intent of bringing them to Jerusalem for trial and punishment. So, how, in what way, does Paul mean this? What is he really saying?

There are two ways to understand this phrase. Paul acted all of his life in accordance with the Law in good conscience. This does not mean that he was sinless, but that brought forward the proper sacrifice when he had sinned. According to his knowledge and understanding, Paul thought, at any given time, that he was acting in accordance with the Law of Moses. So, even when Stephen was being murdered and even when he himself pursued others, he believed this to be within the confines of the Law (he was wrong, but this is what he believed).

The second way to understand this is, Paul is completely forgiven based upon exercising faith in Christ. I reject this second view, because Paul talks about how he conducted his life. He lived his life and had a good conscience before God. That is different from saying, “I have been ultimately forgiven of my wrongdoing.”

Acts 23:1 Paul looked intently at the members of the Sanhedrin, and then he spoke, “Men and brothers, even to this day I have conducted my life with a good conscience toward God.” (Kukis paraphrase)

Essentially, Paul’s initial testimony is, I am not guilty of whatever you think you are going to charge me with. This is another interesting little tidbit, as we do not have a charge yet leveled against Paul. This brings up another interesting tidbit. Paul is the one on trial—don’t we have his accusers stand up first and state the charges against him and give some of the evidence for these charges? Have these testimonies already been heard but not recorded? Given what Paul says, he makes a general plea (I do not have a guilty conscience for anything done in my life), and he answers no specific charges; this would suggest that Paul was able to stand up and given some general statements before any specific charges were leveled against him (that is how I am reading this).

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Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Now the chief priest Ananias commanded the ones standing beside him to strike of him the mouth. Then the Paul, face to face with him, said, “To keep on striking you is about to the God, you wall, having been whitewashed. And you are sitting, judging me according to the law and breaking the law you keep on commanded me to be struck.”

Complete Apostles Bible        But the high priest Ananias commanded those standing by him to strike his mouth.

Then Paul said to him, "God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit judging me according to the law, and contrary to the law do you command that I should be struck?"

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And the high priest, Ananias, commanded them that stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him: God shall strike thee, thou whited wall. For, sittest thou to judge me according to the law and, contrary to the law, commandest me to be struck?

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And KhananYa {Ananias} The Kahna {The Priest} commanded those who were standing next to him, that they should strike Paulus {Paul} on the mouth.

And Paulus {Paul} said unto him, “Alaha {God} is prepared that He should strike you, Estha Mahawartha {Whitened Wall}! And you sit judging me as to that which is in The Namusa {The Law}, while you transgress concerning The Namusa {The Law}, and you command that they strike me?”

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And Ananias, the priest, commanded those who stood by his side, to smite Paul on the mouth.

And Paul said to him: God is here-after to smite thee, [thou] Whited Wall! For, sittest thou judging me agreeably to law, while thou transgressest the law, and commandest to smite me?

Original Aramaic NT              And Khanan-Yah The Priest commanded those who stood on the side to hit Paulus on his mouth.

And Paulus said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitened wall, and are you sitting to judge me according to the law, when you violate the law and command to strike me?

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And the high priest, Ananias, gave orders to those who were near him to give him a blow on the mouth. 

Then Paul said to him, God will give blows to you, you whitewashed wall: are you here to be my judge by law, and by your orders am I given blows against the law?

Bible in Worldwide English     Ananias, the high priest, said to those who were standing near Paul, Hit his mouth!

Paul said, God will hit you down, you dirty wall painted white! You sit there to judge me by the law and you break the law by telling them to hit me.

Easy English                          The most important priest, who was called Ananias, heard Paul's words. He said to the men who were near Paul, ‘Hit that man on his mouth!’ 3 Paul said to him, ‘God will certainly hit you! You are a hypocrite! You are sitting there and you are judging me. You are asking if I obey the Law of God. But you yourself do not obey the Law! You should not have said, “Hit that man!” ’

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Ananias, the high priest, was there. When he heard this, he told the men who were standing near Paul to hit him in the mouth.

Paul said to Ananias, "God will hit you too! You are like a dirty wall that has been painted white. You sit there and judge me, using the Law of Moses. But you are telling them to hit me, and that is against the law."

God’s Word™                         The chief priest Ananias ordered the men standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.

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!"

Good News Bible (TEV)         The High Priest Ananias ordered those who were standing close to Paul to strike him on the mouth.

Paul said to him, "God will certainly strike you---you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the Law, yet you break the Law by ordering them to strike me!"

J. B. Phillips                           Then Ananias the High Priest ordered those who were standing near to strike him in the mouth. At this Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you white-washed wall! How dare you sit there judging me by the Law and give orders for me to be struck, which is clean contrary to the Law?”

The Message                         That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, “God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!”

NIRV                                      Ananias the high priest heard this. So he ordered the men standing near Paul to hit him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “You pretender! God will hit you! You sit there and judge me by the law. But you yourself broke the law when you commanded them to hit me!”

New Life Version                    Then Ananias, the head religious leader, told those standing near him to hit him on the mouth. Paul said, “God will hit you, you white-washed wall! Do you sit there and say I am guilty by the Law when you break the Law by having me hit?”

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              Ananias [2] the high priest ordered someone standing near Paul to hit him in the mouth.

Paul said to Ananias, “Hey, God’s going to slap you in the face you purple-robed sack of sewage. [3] Do you really have the chutzpah to condemn me for breaking the law? You just broke the law yourself when you ordered me slapped.” [4]

²23:2Ananias served as high priest for over a decade, from AD 47 until about AD 58, according to first-century Jewish history writer Josephus. The man had a quick temper, Josephus said. Ananias was reportedly assassinated in AD 66 for being too pro-Roman. His killer was said to be a Jewish Zealot—a freedom fighter who fought like terrorists, murdering Romans who occupied their homeland. They also killed fellow Jews who collaborated with the Romans.

³23:3Literally “whitewashed wall.” Paul may have been referring to something Jesus compared the religious leaders to: “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27, New Living Translation). The tombs look good on the outside. But on the inside, they’re full of stink and rotting corpses.

⁴23:3Ananias presumably broke Jewish law by treating Paul as guilty even before a hearing: “Be fair in your judging” (Leviticus 19:15, New Century Version).

Contemporary English V.       Then Ananias the high priest ordered the men standing beside Paul to hit him on the mouth.

Paul turned to the high priest and said, "You whitewashed wall! God will hit you. You sit there to judge me by the Law of Moses. But at the same time you order men to break the Law by hitting me."

The Living Bible                     Instantly Ananias the High Priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.

Paul said to him, “God shall slap you, you whitewashed pigpen. [literally, “you whitewashed wall.”] What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth. But Paul said to him, “God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! [Greek you whitewashed wall.] What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”

The Passion Translation        At that moment, Ananias the high priest ordered those standing near Paul to strike him in the mouth. 

Paul responded, “God is going to strike you, you corrupt pretender! For you sit there judging me according to the law, yet you broke the law when you ordered me to be struck.”

Plain English Version             As soon as Paul said that, Ananias told the men that were near Paul to hit him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to Ananias, “God will punish you for that. You reckon that you are a good man, but you are not a good man. You sit there to judge me using our law, but you don’t follow that law yourself. Nobody showed you that I did anything wrong, but you told these men to hit me.”

Radiant New Testament        When Ananias the high priest heard this, he ordered the men standing near Paul to strike him on the face. Paul said to him, “You hypocrite! God’s going to strike you! You sit there and judge me by the law, but you yourself broke the law when you commanded them to strike me.”

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  When Ananias the high priest heard what Paul said, he told the men who were standing near Paul to hit him on the mouth.  

Then Paul said to Ananias, "God will punish you for that, you hypocrite! You sit there and judge me, using the laws that God gave Moses. But you yourself disobey those laws, because you commanded me to be struck without having proved that I have done anything that is wrong!"

William's New Testament       At this the high priest Ananias ordered the people standing near him to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him, "You white-washed wall, God will strike you! Do you sit as a judge to try me in accordance with the law and yet in violation of the law you order them to strike me?"

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And at that, the High Priest AnaNias ordered those who were standing by him to hit him in the mouth.

So Paul said:

‘God is going to hit you – you whitewashed wall!‘Do you sit there judging me by the Law, and at the same time break the Law by telling them to hit me?’

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            The head priest, Ananias, gave the directive to the people who had been standing by him to be hitting his mouth.

At that time, Paul said to him, "God is going to be hitting you, chalk-whitened wall. You actually sit judging me in line with the law, and going contrary to the law you give an order for me to be hit."

NT for Everyone                     Ananias, the high priest, ordered the bystanders to strike Paul on the mouth.

“God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!” said Paul to Ananias. “You are sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet you order me to be struck in violation of the law?”

20^th Century New Testament At this, the High Priest Ananias ordered the men standing near to strike him on the mouth; Whereupon Paul turned to him and said: "God will strike you, you white-washed wall! Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet, in defiance of law, order me to be struck?"

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  The High Priest, Ananias, interposing, ordered the officers standing near him to strike him on the mouth. "God will strike you, you white-washed wall!" exclaimed Paul, in reply to him. "Do you sit to try me in accordance with the law, and in defiance of the law order me to be struck?"

Free Bible Version                 Ananias the high priest ordered the officers standing beside Paul to hit him on the mouth.

Paul said to him, “God will hit you, you whitewashed wall! You’re sitting there to judge me according to the law, and you order me to be hit in contravention of the law!”

International Standard V        Then the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near him to strike him on the mouth. At this Paul told him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! [I.e. hypocrite] How can you sit there and judge me according to the Law and yet in violation of the Law order me to be struck?”

Montgomery NT                     Then the High Priest Ananias ordered those who stood near Paul to strike him on the mouth.

"You whited sepulcher," exclaimed Paul, "God will strike you! You are sitting there to judge me according to the law, are you? And do you command me to be struck, contrary to the Law?"

Weymouth New Testament    On hearing this the High Priest Ananias ordered those who were standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.

"Before long," exclaimed Paul, "God will strike you, you white-washed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me in accordance with the Law, and do you yourself actually break the Law by ordering me to be struck?"

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  At that the High Priest Ananias ordered his attendants to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said, “God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the Law, and you break the Law by ordering me to be struck!” Jn 18:22; Mt 23:27

The Heritage Bible                          And the head priest. Ananias, ordered those standing by him to repeatedly hit him in the mouth.

Then Paul said to him, God is about to repeatedly hit you, whitewashed wall, and you sit judging me according to the law, and contrary to the law call out for me to be repeatedly hit?

New American Bible (2011)   The high priest Ananias* ordered his attendants to strike his mouth. 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?”^b

* [23:2] The high priest Ananias: Ananias, son of Nedebaeus, was high priest from A.D. 47 to 59.

* [23:3] God will strike you: Josephus reports that Ananias was later assassinated in A.D. 66 at the beginning of the First Revolt.

b. [23:3] Ez 13:10–15; Mt 23:27.

New Catholic Bible                 At this, the high priest Ananias [Ananias was high priest from A.D. 47 to 59.] ordered his attendants to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! How can you sit there to judge me according to the Law and then in defiance of the Law order me to be struck?”

Revised English Bible–1989   At this the high priest Ananias ordered his attendants to strike him on the mouth.

Paul retorted, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me in accordance with the law; then, in defiance of the law, you order me to be struck!”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           But the cohen hagadol, Hananyah, ordered those standing near him to strike him on the mouth. Then Sha’ul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Will you sit there judging me according to the Torah, yet in violation of the Torah order me to be struck?”

Hebraic Roots Bible               But Ananias the high priest ordered those standing by him to strike his mouth.

And Paul said to him: Elohim is hereafter to smite thee, you Whited Wall! For, you sit judging me agreeably to the Torah, while you transgress the Torah, and you command to strike me?