Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 25]
epigin•skeis\). "As thou also dost understand (hast additional
knowledge, \epigin•skeis\) better" (than thou art willing to
admit). That this is Paul's meaning by the use of the comparative
\kallion\ (positive \kal•s\) is made plain by the confession of
Festus to Agrippa in verse 18. Paul says that Festus knows that
he has done no wrong to the Jews at all (\ouden •dik•ka\) and yet
he is trying to turn him over to the wrath of the Jews in
Jerusalem.
25:11 {If I am a wrong-doer} (\ei men oun adik•\). Condition of
the first class with \ei\ and the present active indicative of
\adike•\ (\a\ privative and \dik•\): "If I am in the habit of
doing injustice," assuming it to be true for the sake of
argument. {And have committed anything worthy of death} (\kai
axion thanatou pepracha\). Same condition with the difference in
tense (\pepracha\, perfect active indicative) of a single case
instead of a general habit. Assuming either or both Paul draws
his conclusion. {I refuse not to die} (\ou paraitoumai to
apothanein\). Old verb to ask alongside, to beg from, to
deprecate, to refuse, to decline. See on ¯Lu 14:18f. Josephus
(_Life_, 29) has \thanein ou paraitoumai\. Here the articular
second aorist active infinitive is in the accusative case the
object of \paraitoumai\: "I do not beg off dying from myself."
{But if none of these things is} (\ei de ouden estin\). \De\ here
is contrasted with \men\ just before. No word for "true" in the
Greek. \Estin\ ("is") in the Greek here means "exists." Same
condition (first class, assumed as true). {Whereof these accuse
me} (\h•n houtoi kat•gorousin mou\). Genitive of relative \hon\
by attraction from \ha\ (accusative with \kat•gorousin\) to case
of the unexpressed antecedent \tout•n\ ("of these things"). \Mou\
is genitive of person after \kat•gorousin\. {No man can give me
up to them} (\oudeis me dunatai autois charisasthai\). "Can"
legally. Paul is a Roman citizen and not even Festus can make a
free gift (\charisasthai\) of Paul to the Sanhedrin. {I appeal
unto Caesar} (\Kaisara epikaloumai\). Technical phrase like Latin
_Caesarem appello_. Originally the Roman law allowed an appeal
from the magistrate to the people (_provocatio ad populum_), but
the emperor represented the people and so the appeal to Caesar
was the right of every Roman citizen. Paul had crossed the
Rubicon on this point and so took his case out of the hands of
dilatory provincial justice (really injustice). Roman citizens
could make this appeal in capital offences. There would be
expense connected with it, but better that with some hope than
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