Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.
Parallel translations
- WEB By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.”
- BSB By examining him yourself, you will be able to learn the truth about all our charges against him.”
- NKJV commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.”
- NASB By interrogating him yourself concerning all these matters, you will be able to ascertain the things of which we are accusing him.”
- NLT You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.”
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
Tertullus invites Felix to examine Paul himself to verify the charges. He rests the prosecution's case on the governor's own inquiry.
Overview
Confident or merely shifting the burden, Tertullus directs Felix to question Paul directly. (Verse 7, found in some later manuscripts, recounts Lysias intervening; many ancient texts and modern translations omit it, which is why it is absent here.) The challenge backfires, for Paul's own answer will dismantle the charges and turn the hearing into a clear testimony to the resurrection.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Acts 23:35I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.
- Acts 23:30And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.
- Acts 25:15–16About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.
- Acts 25:5Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him.
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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 24:8 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
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