When these horsemen had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
- KJV Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
- BSB When the horsemen arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him.
- NKJV When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
- NLT When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The soldiers reach Caesarea, hand the governor Felix the tribune's letter, and present Paul to him. Paul now enters the formal Roman judicial process.
Overview
Caesarea was the seat of Roman administration in Judea, and Felix the procurator. The orderly delivery of both the letter and the prisoner marks Paul's transfer from mob justice in Jerusalem to a Roman court. This begins the long sequence of hearings through which the gospel reaches governors and a king, fulfilling Christ's word that Paul would bear his name before rulers (Acts 9:15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Acts 23:23–24He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen, and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”
- Acts 23:26“Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.
- Acts 28:16When we entered into Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
- Acts 8:40But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 23:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.