Acts 24:22

And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
Felix	Φῆλιξ Phēlix	G5344	happy · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
heard	Ἀκούσας Akousas	G191	to hear (in various senses) · verb — aorist active participle, nominative singular masculine
things	ταῦτα taûta	G5023	these things
having	εἴδω eídō	G1492	used only in certain past tenses
perfect	ἀκριβῶς akribōs	G199	exactly
knowledge	εἴδω eídō	G1492	used only in certain past tenses
of	περὶ peri	G4012	properly · preposition
way	ὁδοῦ hodou	G3598	a road · noun — genitive singular feminine
deferred	Ἀνεβάλετο Anebaleto	G306	to put off (for oneself) · verb — second aorist middle indicative, 3rd person singular
them	αὐτοὺς autous	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative plural masculine
said	εἴπας· eipas	G2036	to speak or say (by word or writing) · verb — second aorist active participle, nominative singular masculine
When	ὅταν hotan	G3752	whenever (implying hypothesis or more or less uncertain… · conjunction
Lysias	Λυσίας Lusias	G3079	Lysias · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
captain	χιλίαρχος chiliarchos	G5506	the commander of a thousand soldiers ("chiliarch" · noun — nominative singular masculine
down	καταβῇ, katabēa	G2597	to descend (literally or figuratively) · verb — second aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular
uttermost	διαγνώσομαι diagnōsomai	G1231	to know thoroughly · verb — future middle deponent indicative, 1st person singular
your	ὑμᾶς hymâs	G5209	you (as the objective of a verb or preposition)
matter	καθ᾽ kath᾽	G2596	(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 19:18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his broth…
Acts 18:20 When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;
Acts 24:6 Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.
Acts 24:10 Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge u…
Acts 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are…
Acts 24:24 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in…
Acts 25:26 Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agri…
Acts 26:3 Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patie…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 24:22–end

We have here the result of Paul's trial before Felix, and what was the consequence of it. I. Felix adjourned the cause, and took further time to consider of it (Act 24:22): He had a more perfect knowledge of that way which the Jews called heresy than the high priest and the elders thought he had. He understood something of the Christian religion; for, living at Caesarea, where Cornelius, a Roman centurion, was, who was a Christian, from him and others he had got a notion of Christianity, that it was not such an evil thing as it was represented. He himself knew some of that way to be honest good men, and very conscientious, and therefore he put off the prosecutors with an excuse: "When the ch…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 24:22

having more perfect knowledge of that--"the" way--(See on Act 19:23; and Act 24:14). When Lysias . . . shall come . . . I will how, &c.--Felix might have dismissed the case as a tissue of unsupported charges. But if from his interest in the matter he really wished to have the presence of Lysias and others involved, a brief delay was not unworthy of him as a judge. Certainly, so far as recorded, neither Lysias nor any other parties appeared again in the case. Act 24:23, however, seems to show that at that time his prepossessions in favor of Paul were strong.

Adam Clarke on Acts 24:22

And when Felix heard these things - There is considerable difficulty in this verse. Translators greatly vary concerning the sense; and the MSS. themselves read variously. Mr. Wakefield's translation appears to be as proper as most: Now Felix, upon hearing these things, put them off by saying, When Lysias the captain is come down, after I have gained a more exact knowledge of this doctrine, I will inquire fully into your business. Calmet's translation is nearly to the same sense: - Felix, having heard these things, put them off to another time, saying, When I shall have acquired a more accurate knowledge of this sect, and when the tribune Lysias shall have come from Jerusalem, I will judge o…

Read the whole note in the console

The Church Fathers

"Felix postponed them, knowing more precisely." It should be noted that Felix knew of the faith, having been thoroughly instructed from the Old Testament concerning Christ, and he did not release Paul out of favor for the Jews, or perhaps because of bribery, as the following account showed. It was also evident that he had a wife who was a Jewess, from whom these matters were continually heard. This woman, contrary to the law, had been joined to him, being a Jewess married to a Greek. Perhaps she was originally Jewish, but by marriage to him became a Hellenist; therefore she also declared to him her own faith, persuading him to become a faithless husband. [AMMONIUS]
— Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts

See how much close investigation is made by the many in a long course of time, that it should not be said that the trial was hurried over. For, as the orator had made mention of Lysias, that he took him away with violence, Felix, he says, deferred them. "Having knowledge of that way:" that is, he put them off on purpose: not because he wanted to learn, but as wishing to get rid of the Jews. On their account, he did not like to let him go: to punish him was not possible; that would have been too barefaced. "And to let him have liberty, and to forbid none of his acquaintance to minister to him." So entirely did he too acquit him of the charges. Howbeit, to gratify them, he detained him, and besides, expecting to receive money, he called for Paul.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 51

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Lysias · Chief — Chief
Way · .Doctrines taught by Christ — .Doctrines taught by Christ

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Acts 24:22

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 24:22–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 24:22

Adam Clarke on Acts 24:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Acts 24:22

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 24:22–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 24:22

Adam Clarke on Acts 24:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Acts 24:22

John Calvin on Acts 24:22–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Acts 24:22