Acts 25 3

Acts 25:3 kjv

And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

Acts 25:3 nkjv

asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem? while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him.

Acts 25:3 niv

They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

Acts 25:3 esv

asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem ? because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way.

Acts 25:3 nlt

They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way).

Acts 25 verses

Acts 25 3 Meaning

The Jewish high priests and leading men, presenting a request as a beneficial judicial act, sought Festus's permission to transfer Paul from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Their true, hidden intention, however, was to orchestrate a lethal ambush along the road during Paul's transfer, aiming to assassinate him before he could face any further formal trial. This reveals a calculated and deceitful plan to circumvent legal process with murderous intent.

Acts 25 3 Context

Acts chapter 25 opens with Festus, the new Roman procurator of Judea, arriving in Caesarea and then swiftly traveling to Jerusalem. This journey occurred only three days after his arrival, highlighting his immediate engagement with the regional political and religious landscape. Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, the Jewish high priests and the leading men, still intensely hostile towards Paul after two years of his imprisonment under Felix, immediately presented their case against him. Their urgent demand for Paul's transfer to Jerusalem, as detailed in this verse, was ostensibly for him to face a fair trial according to their law and traditions in their religious capital. However, their true intent, which is clearly stated here, was far more sinister. This episode echoes previous plots against Paul's life in Jerusalem (Acts 23:12-15) and against Jesus himself, demonstrating the persistent and violent opposition Paul faced for proclaiming the gospel. Historically, the route between Caesarea, the Roman administrative capital, and Jerusalem, the Jewish religious center, traversed a terrain prone to ambushes and banditry, making it an ideal location for such a lethal scheme.

Acts 25 3 Word analysis

• asking favor (αἰτούμενοι χάριν - aiteoumenoi charin)

  • αἰτούμενοι (aiteoumenoi): Present participle, active voice. Signifies an ongoing or pressing demand. It wasn't a casual mention but a forceful and deliberate request.
  • χάριν (charin): While generally meaning "grace," "favor," or "gift," here it's used ironically. The Jewish leaders framed their demand to Festus as a cooperative act or a courtesy that would benefit him or simplify his new administration. This veiled their malevolent objective with a pretense of courtesy.
  • Significance: This pairing reveals the deep deceit. They were not asking for a favor in truth but manipulating the concept of favor to achieve a murderous end.

• against him (κατ’ αὐτοῦ - kat' autou)

  • κατ’ (kat'): A preposition unequivocally meaning "against," indicating strong opposition or detrimental intent.
  • Significance: Directly clarifies that the "favor" they sought was specifically for Paul's undoing, not his welfare or a just legal process.

• that he might send for him (ὅπως μεταπέμψηται αὐτὸν - hopōs metapempsētai auton)

  • μεταπέμψηται (metapempsētai): Aorist subjunctive, middle voice, meaning "to send for, summon." The subjunctive mood denotes the purpose or desired outcome of their request.
  • Significance: Implies a formal, official transfer, suggesting they sought to utilize Roman judicial authority as a mechanism to facilitate their private vendetta.

• to Jerusalem (εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα - eis Hierosolyma)

  • εἰς (eis): Preposition indicating direction "into, to."
  • Ἱεροσόλυμα (Hierosolyma): Jerusalem, the Jewish religious and political capital.
  • Significance: This specific destination was strategic. It was the center of the Sanhedrin, which they might pretend was the proper jurisdiction for Paul's case, but more crucially, it was where they had a network and where a prior assassination attempt against Paul had been organized (Acts 23:12-15).

• planning to lie in ambush (ἐνέδραν ποιοῦντες - enedran poiountes)

  • ἐνέδραν (enedran): Means "ambush" or "lying in wait."
  • ποιοῦντες (poiountes): Present participle, active voice, "making, doing, preparing." This implies an active, ongoing, and deliberate preparation for the ambush, not merely a fleeting thought.
  • Significance: Highlights the premeditated, secretive, and violent nature of their plan. It reveals their willingness to resort to illegal, brutal means.

• along the road (κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν - kata tēn hodon)

  • κατὰ (kata): Here indicating "along" or "throughout" a path.
  • τὴν ὁδόν (tēn hodon): "the road, the way."
  • Significance: Pinpoints the specific execution strategy. This detail underscores Paul's vulnerability during travel and the conspirators' calculated assessment of where to strike effectively, likely knowing the typical route between Caesarea and Jerusalem had sections ideal for a hidden attack.

• to kill him (ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν - anelein auton)

  • ἀνελεῖν (anelein): Aorist infinitive, active voice, meaning "to take up, carry away, or, most commonly in this context, to kill, destroy."
  • αὐτὸν (auton): "him" (Paul).
  • Significance: The plain, undeniable statement of their ultimate objective. This unadorned intent reveals the profound depth of their hatred, seeking nothing less than Paul's death to silence him permanently.

Words-Group Analysis

• "asking favor against him": This phrase exposes the deep hypocrisy and deceptive nature of the Jewish leaders' plea to Festus. They requested something seemingly legitimate, a judicial transfer, but its true intent was deeply malevolent and "against" Paul, making the "favor" an act of extreme ill will rather than benevolence. This strategic use of an ostensibly benign request to mask a lethal plot exemplifies cunning and corruption.
• "that he might send for him to Jerusalem, planning to lie in ambush along the road to kill him": This entire phrase encapsulates the full conspiracy. It explicitly details the chain of events intended: use Roman authority to initiate Paul's journey, leverage the vulnerability of travel to execute an ambush, and ensure his death. The combination of official pretense ("send for him") and criminal intent ("lie in ambush...to kill him") highlights the sophistication and moral bankruptcy of the plot, illustrating their desire to completely bypass justice for murder.

Acts 25 3 Bonus section

• The irony inherent in the use of the word χάριν (charin, favor/grace) is striking. It's the same word used extensively in the New Testament to describe God's saving grace and unmerited favor. Its application here, describing a request intended for murder, amplifies the darkness and perversion of the Jewish leaders' hearts. They cloaked their malice in a term associated with benevolence, demonstrating ultimate spiritual deception.
• This verse represents one in a series of similar, concerted assassination attempts against Paul, first by fellow Jews in Damascus (Acts 9:23-25), later during his journey from Greece (Acts 20:3), and most explicitly in Jerusalem before his initial arrest in Acts 23:12-15. This pattern underscores that the opposition wasn't random or isolated but a continuous, organized campaign fueled by intense anti-Christian sentiment among certain powerful factions.
• The persistence of these plots indirectly serves God's sovereign plan. Because Paul could not obtain a fair trial in Judea and his life was in constant danger, he would eventually be compelled to appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:10-11), setting in motion the chain of events that would take him to Rome as prophesied by the Lord Himself (Acts 23:11). Human malice inadvertently became a stepping stone for divine purpose.

Acts 25 3 Commentary

Acts 25:3 is a pivotal verse that starkly unmasks the relentless, murderous intent of the Jewish leadership against the apostle Paul. Their request for Festus to transfer Paul from Caesarea to Jerusalem, framed as a "favor" or a proper legal step, was nothing more than an elaborate and cunning ruse. Far from seeking a just trial, they sought to lure Paul into a death trap. This deep-seated hatred, manifested as a carefully planned roadside ambush to "kill him," illustrates the lengths to which they would go to suppress the gospel and eliminate its primary evangelist to the Gentiles. This episode underscores Paul's precarious position, the persistent danger he faced, and, implicitly, God's ongoing protection, which would prevent this and other plots from succeeding, guiding Paul toward his ultimate mission in Rome. The leaders’ deceit highlights a fundamental spiritual blindness and opposition to God’s new covenant work.

• Practical usage examples:
  1. Be wary of motives hidden behind seemingly legitimate requests, especially concerning spiritual matters or interpersonal conflicts.
  2. Understand that deep opposition to the truth may lead individuals to use deceptive means, even seemingly legal or administrative processes, to achieve malicious ends.
  3. Recognize the intense spiritual warfare against God's servants, reminding believers that divine protection often shields them from schemes that aim for their destruction.