Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 24]
conscience his action before the Sanhedrin would have seemed
venial enough" (Furneaux). {When I stood} (\stantos mou\).
Genitive absolute, second aorist active participle of \hist•mi\
(intransitive), "when I took my stand." {Before the council}
(\epi tou sunedriou\). Same use of \epi\ with genitive as in
verse 19.
24:21 {Except it be} (\e\). Literally, "than," but after
interrogative \ti = ti allo\ "what else than." {For this one
voice} (\peri mias taut•s ph•n•s\). The normal Greek idiom with
the attributive use of \houtos\ calls for the article before
\mias\, though some inscriptions show it as here (Robertson,
_Grammar_, p. 702). {That} (\h•s\). Genitive of the relative
attracted to the case of the antecedent {ph•n•s}. {I cried}
(\ekekraxa\). Reduplicated aorist as is usual with this verb in
the LXX (Jud 3:15). Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 348. {Touching}
(\peri\). Concerning (around, about). {I am called in question}
(\krinomai\). As in 23:6. {Before you} (\eph' hum•n\). Same
idiom as in verses 19,20.
24:22 {Having more exact knowledge} (\akribesteron eid•s\).
"Knowing" (second perfect active participle of \oida\) "more
accurately" (comparative of adverb \akrib•s\). More accurately
than what? Than the Sanhedrin supposed he had "concerning the
Way" (\ta peri t•s hodou\, the things concerning the Way, common
in Acts for Christianity). How Felix had gained this knowledge of
Christianity is not stated. Philip the Evangelist lived here in
Caesarea and there was a church also. Drusilla was a Jewess and
may have told him something. Besides, it is wholly possible that
Felix knew of the decision of Gallio in Corinth that Christianity
was a _religio licita_ as a form of Judaism. As a Roman official
he knew perfectly well that the Sanhedrin with the help of
Tertullus had failed utterly to make out a case against Paul. He
could have released Paul and probably would have done so but for
fear of offending the Jews whose ruler he was and the hope that
Paul (note "alms" in verse 17) might offer him bribes for his
liberty. {Deferred them} (\anebaleto autous\). Second aorist
middle indicative of \anaball•\, old verb (only here in N.T.) to
throw or toss up, to put back or off, in middle to put off from
one, to delay, to adjourn. Felix adjourned the case without a
decision under a plausible pretext, that he required the presence
of Lysias in person, which was not the case. Lysias had already
said that Paul was innocent and was never summoned to Caesarea,
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC24.RWP.html (8 of 12) [28/08/2004 09:07:47 a.m.]