Acts 25 15

Acts 25:15 kjv

About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.

Acts 25:15 nkjv

about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him.

Acts 25:15 niv

When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.

Acts 25:15 esv

and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.

Acts 25:15 nlt

When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked me to condemn him.

Acts 25 verses

Acts 25 15 Meaning

Acts 25:15 details the prior interaction in Jerusalem between the newly arrived Roman governor Festus and the leading Jewish authorities. These chief priests and elders formally presented their accusations against the Apostle Paul to Festus. Critically, their intention was not merely to seek a judgment, but they explicitly demanded that Paul be condemned and sentenced, revealing their strong and uncompromising desire for his adverse legal outcome and punishment.

Acts 25 15 Context

Acts chapter 25 begins with Festus arriving as the new Roman procurator of Judea. Immediately, he travels to Jerusalem for official duties. While there, the most influential Jewish leaders — the chief priests and elders — swiftly approach him. Their urgent objective is Paul, who has been held under arrest for two years in Caesarea by Festus’s predecessor, Felix. These leaders persistently urge Festus to bring Paul back to Jerusalem, secretly planning to ambush and kill him en route. Festus, upholding a measure of Roman protocol, demands that Paul’s accusers appear before him in Caesarea, where the prisoner is held. Verse 15 refers back to these initial conversations in Jerusalem, specifying the formal charges brought by the Jewish leadership and their expressed wish for a predetermined condemnatory outcome for Paul. This initial pressure immediately illustrates the formidable political and religious challenges Festus faced and the intense, sustained animosity toward Paul from the Jewish establishment.

Acts 25 15 Word analysis

• About whom: (περὶ οὗ - peri hou) This introductory phrase directs attention to Paul, indicating he is the individual under discussion and the focus of the accusations.
• when I was at Jerusalem: (γενομένου μου ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις - genomenou mou en Hierosolumois) This clarifies the place and time when these events transpired, stressing the initial engagement Festus had with Jewish authorities in their capital. Jerusalem held immense significance for Jewish leaders as their center of religious and political power, making it a critical point for Festus to establish relations.
• the chief priests: (οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς - hoi archiereis) These individuals were typically from the Sadducee party, forming the wealthy, influential aristocracy of Jewish society. They controlled the Temple operations and were highly vested in maintaining the established religious order, fiercely opposing anything they deemed a threat, such as Christianity. Their involvement signifies the highest echelons of religious-political power against Paul.
• and the elders of the Jews: (καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν Ἰουδαίων - kai hoi presbyteroi tōn Ioudaiōn) Representing prominent lay leaders and heads of families, often including Pharisees, these elders comprised the larger segment of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court. Their inclusion signifies that the accusations were a widespread and unified effort from the Jewish ruling council, not merely a faction.
• informed me: (ἐνεφάνισάν μοι - enephanisan moi) Derived from emphanizō, meaning "to present," "to show," or "to lay information formally." This denotes a legal, formal presentation of charges or a formal complaint to the governor, not just casual discussion. It underscores the gravity of the accusations and the expectation for an official response.
• desiring to have judgment against him: (αἰτούμενοι καταδίκην αὐτοῦ - aitoumenoi katadikēn autou) This critical phrase reveals the true intent of the accusers. Aitoumenoi means "asking" or "requesting," while katadikēn explicitly means "condemnation," "guilty verdict," or "punishment." This was not a neutral request for a trial to ascertain innocence or guilt, but a demand for a conviction and sentence against Paul, indicating strong bias and a predetermined desire for his downfall.
• Words-group Analysis: "the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him": This entire phrase encapsulates the full, authoritative weight of the Jewish leadership's opposition to Paul. Their concerted action ("chief priests and elders"), their formal accusation ("informed me"), and their explicit demand for a guilty verdict ("desiring to have judgment against him," i.e., condemnation) demonstrate a deeply ingrained animosity and a strategic effort to use the Roman legal system to eliminate a perceived threat to their authority and beliefs. Their goal was clearly punitive and final.

Acts 25 15 Bonus section

• The scene highlights the constant friction between Roman provincial administration, which ideally sought justice and order, and local religious and political authorities with their specific concerns and fervent zeal.
• The repeated attempts to "catch" Paul in Jerusalem, including planned ambushes, underline the personal and institutionalized nature of the hatred directed towards him, extending beyond legal accusations.
• The Jewish leaders' reliance on the Roman procurator for condemnation demonstrates the limitations of their own authority under Roman occupation, as capital punishment was often reserved for Roman jurisdiction.
• Paul, a Roman citizen, ultimately knew that an appeal to Caesar would offer his best chance against a system potentially swayed by local politics and religious animosity, thereby strategically advancing the Gospel to Rome.

Acts 25 15 Commentary

Acts 25:15 offers a direct glimpse into the unwavering resolve of the Jewish leadership to secure Paul’s condemnation. Festus’s recollection to Agrippa reveals the governor’s political quandary: navigating Roman standards of justice against the zealous, unwavering demands of the local religious power structure. The phrase "chief priests and elders" signifies the comprehensive, official, and highest-level opposition, underlining the profound threat they felt Paul represented. Their "informing" Festus was a formal legal procedure, thrusting Paul's case onto the new governor's agenda immediately upon his arrival in Jerusalem. Crucially, their request was not for a general "judgment" but for "condemnation" (katadikēn), revealing a premeditated intent for punishment, possibly even death, akin to how they pursued Jesus. This underscores that their aim was not justice based on verifiable charges, but the complete and permanent silencing of Paul and his Gospel message. This powerful opposition served as a precursor to Paul's appeal to Caesar, seeking a more impartial hearing.