Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go.”
- BSB Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
- NKJV Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”
- NASB Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”
- NLT Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!”
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
After consulting his council, Festus declares that since Paul has appealed to Caesar, to Caesar he will go. The appeal is granted and Paul's path to Rome is set.
Overview
Festus confirms the appeal, binding Rome to send Paul to the emperor's court. What looks like a legal maneuver is in fact the unfolding of God's purpose to carry the gospel to the heart of the empire. Through this verdict the Lord opens the way for Paul to bear witness before Caesar himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Phil 1:12–14But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
- Phil 1:20According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
- Acts 19:21After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.
- Acts 28:16And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
- Acts 25:21But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.
- Lam 3:37Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?
- Acts 26:32Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.
- Rom 15:28–29When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
- Isa 46:10–11Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
- Acts 23:11And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
- Ps 76:10Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
- Dan 4:35And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
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 25:12 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.