Acts 23 29

Acts 23:29 kjv

Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

Acts 23:29 nkjv

I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains.

Acts 23:29 niv

I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment.

Acts 23:29 esv

I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.

Acts 23:29 nlt

I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law ? certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.

Acts 23 verses

Acts 23 29 Meaning

Acts 23:29 details Claudius Lysias's formal assessment of Paul's case, communicated in a letter to Governor Felix. He concludes that Paul's accusations stemmed solely from internal Jewish legal and religious disputes, specifically concerning "their law," and that none of the charges warranted the death penalty or imprisonment under Roman jurisdiction. This verdict officially recognized Paul as innocent of any crime against Roman law, deeming his detainment based purely on sectarian Jewish controversy.

Acts 23 29 Context

This verse is part of Claudius Lysias’s official letter to Governor Felix in Caesarea. Paul, after causing a commotion in Jerusalem's temple area due to false accusations, was rescued by Lysias's soldiers from a mob intending to kill him. Lysias, discovering Paul was a Roman citizen, initially intended to interrogate him by scourging, but stopped upon learning his citizenship. He then brought Paul before the Sanhedrin to understand the charges, but the volatile assembly erupted in dispute, particularly between Pharisees and Sadducees over the resurrection, which Paul shrewdly leveraged. Due to the intensifying threat of an ambush and a plot by over forty Jews to kill Paul, Lysias orchestrated Paul's clandestine transfer to Caesarea with a significant military escort to ensure his safety and fair hearing before Felix, the Roman governor. This letter is Lysias's report to Felix, providing his detached Roman perspective on the nature of the Jewish accusations.

Acts 23 29 Word analysis

• whom (ὅν - hon): A masculine singular accusative relative pronoun, referring specifically to Paul, establishing the subject of the Roman commander's investigation and report.
• I perceived (ἐφήνεγαν - ephanēgan / I found/discovered): From the verb ἐπιφαίνω (epiphainō), meaning "to appear upon, show, make clear." Here, it signifies Claudius Lysias's active investigation and clear finding, indicating his considered judgment based on inquiry, rather than a casual observation or assumption. It underscores the official nature of his determination.
• to be accused (ἐνεκάλουν - enekaloun): Imperfect active indicative of ἐγκαλέω (enkaleō), "to call in, accuse." The imperfect tense suggests ongoing or repeated accusations, reflecting the persistent and perhaps varied nature of the Jewish charges against Paul during their agitated encounter and Lysias's attempt at inquiry.
• concerning questions (περὶ ζητημάτων - peri zētēmatōn): "About controversies, disputes, or debates." This phrase distinctly categorizes the basis of the accusation as intellectual or religious differences, rather than acts of civil criminality. It highlights that the core issue was a matter of internal doctrine or legal interpretation within Judaism.
• of their law (τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν - tou nomou autōn): This clarifies the specific domain of the "questions" – the Jewish Mosaic Law. It signals Lysias's perception that the dispute was entirely confined to Jewish religious tradition and internal legal interpretations, and therefore not within the direct purview of Roman criminal law. It reflects Roman pragmatic tolerance of varied local customs as long as they didn't disrupt peace.
• but to have nothing charged against him (μηδὲν ἔγκλημα ἄξιον - mēden enklēma axion / nothing worthy of charge/crime): A crucial declarative statement of Paul's innocence under Roman law. ἔγκλημα (enklēma) refers to a legal accusation, charge, or actual crime. The accompanying negation "μηδὲν" (mēden) and adjective "ἄξιον" (axion - worthy) emphatically deny any substantive legal fault according to Roman standards.
• worthy of death (θανάτου ἄξιον - thanatou axion): Specifies the gravest potential charge – a capital offense, punishable by execution. Lysias definitively states Paul was not found guilty of anything warranting this ultimate Roman punishment.
• or chains (ἢ δεσμῶν - ē desmōn): This signifies imprisonment or bonds. It encompasses any lesser, yet still significant, form of legal detention or restraint. By denying worthiness of "chains," Lysias asserts that Paul's actions were not even deserving of non-capital incarceration or official confinement by Roman authority.

Words-group analysis

• "I perceived... nothing charged against him worthy of death or chains": This phrase captures Lysias's official, objective legal assessment. It demonstrates the Roman legal system's pragmatic approach to distinguish religious or doctrinal disputes from actionable criminal offenses, particularly those against the state or public order. His investigation led to a clear exoneration of Paul under Roman law.
• "concerning questions of their law": This is key to the Roman detachment from the dispute. It highlights the imperial stance of treating localized religious squabbles as distinct from violations of Pax Romana. From a Roman perspective, these were merely internal Jewish sectarian arguments, not a threat to Roman governance unless they caused civic disturbance or insurrection, which Lysias determined Paul himself did not instigate.
• "nothing charged against him worthy of death or chains": This reiterates Paul's legal innocence in the eyes of Roman authorities, not just in this specific instance but as a consistent theme in Paul's trials before Roman officials (Acts 25:25; 26:31-32). It legally establishes Paul's status as a prisoner whose initial detainment was due to a mob, not due to an actual Roman crime.

Acts 23 29 Bonus section

Lysias’s report here implicitly protects Paul, ensuring he isn't summarily executed without a proper legal process according to Roman due process. This echoes how other Roman officials, like Gallio (Acts 18:12-17), chose not to involve themselves in what they considered internal Jewish religious controversies. The letter also subtly shifts responsibility for Paul's predicament from Roman mismanagement of the riot to the volatile nature of the Jewish accusers, while ensuring the Roman administration is seen as handling matters according to strict protocol. Lysias is portraying himself as a competent Roman official upholding justice. This declaration of innocence becomes a repeated motif, signifying divine protection and affirming the legitimacy of Paul’s gospel not being inherently treasonous to Rome.

Acts 23 29 Commentary

Acts 23:29 serves as a concise yet powerful legal summary by Claudius Lysias concerning Paul's situation. It underlines the stark contrast between the intense religious accusations levied by the Jews against Paul, rooted in perceived breaches of their Mosaic Law, and the pragmatic assessment of Roman jurisprudence. Lysias, as a Roman commander, focused on tangible threats to public order or specific violations of Roman civil law. His finding that Paul was accused "concerning questions of their law" dismissed the Jewish claims as irrelevant to Roman criminal justice, signaling a consistent Roman view of Christianity as a Jewish sect not inherently criminal. The explicit declaration that Paul had "nothing charged against him worthy of death or chains" legally cleared him of any capital crime or even legitimate imprisonment from Rome's standpoint, reinforcing Paul's recurring vindication by various Roman officials. This pivotal verse establishes the formal innocence Paul would continue to claim throughout his subsequent trials, laying a foundation for his defense strategy and highlighting how divine providence protected Paul by utilizing Roman justice, despite his being a prisoner.