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Acts 24

KJV · Chapter 24/28

1And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul.

2And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,

3We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.

4Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words.

5For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:

6Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.

7But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,

8Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.

9And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so.

10Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:

11Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship.

12And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:

13Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.

14But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

15And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

16And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

17Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings.

18Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult.

19Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.

20Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council,

21Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.

22And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.

23And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.

24And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

25And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

26He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.

27But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul is formally accused before the governor Felix by Jewish leaders, but defends himself calmly, denying any wrongdoing. Felix postpones the trial for two years, hoping to receive a bribe, and keeps Paul imprisoned.

Explanation

Paul's case drags on for political and personal reasons: Felix seems genuinely curious about the Christian faith but also hopes to profit from the situation. Paul's defense is organized and factual, pointing out the lack of concrete evidence against him. A notable detail is that Felix 'trembles' upon hearing Paul speak about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come — showing that the Christian message can unsettle the powerful even without direct attack, simply by pointing to uncomfortable moral truths.

Fun facts

  • Felix was a freed former slave who rose to become governor of Judea through connections at the imperial court — a rare case of social advancement in the Roman Empire, though viewed with contempt by the traditional Roman aristocracy.
  • Drusilla, Felix's wife mentioned here, was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I (the king who killed James in Acts 12) and had married Felix after leaving her first husband — part of the complex Herodian dynasty.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Acts 24:1Five days later, the high priest Ananias personally comes down to Caesarea with some elders and a professional lawyer, Tertullus, hired specifically to present the formal charge against Paul.
  2. Acts 24:2Tertullus takes the floor as soon as he is called, opening the official accusation before Governor Felix.
  3. Acts 24:3The lawyer opens with exaggerated flattery, praising Felix for bringing peace and reforms to the people, a rhetorical device common in Roman legal speeches.
  4. Acts 24:4Tertullus apologizes in advance for taking up the governor’s time, promising to be brief before presenting the case.
  5. Acts 24:5This is where the name opponents used for the first Christians appears, “Nazarenes,” tying the movement to the city of Nazareth where Jesus grew up. The charge of sedition tried to make the case look like a political crime against Rome, not a religious one.
  6. Acts 24:6Tertullus repeats the charge that Paul tried to profane the temple, and claims that the Jews themselves tried to judge him according to their own religious law.
  7. Acts 24:7According to Tertullus, the Roman commander Lysias intervened by force and took Paul out of their hands before they could finish the trial.
  8. Acts 24:8Tertullus suggests that Felix himself, by examining Paul directly, could confirm all the charges brought against him.
  9. Acts 24:9The Jews present back up Tertullus’s accusation, joining in to affirm that everything he described was true.
  10. Acts 24:10Invited to defend himself, Paul begins respectfully, saying he speaks with confidence knowing that Felix had already been a judge of the region for many years, with enough experience to judge the case fairly.
  11. Acts 24:11Paul points to a verifiable detail: it had been only twelve days since he went up to Jerusalem, far too short a time to have organized any rebellion as they claimed.
  12. Acts 24:12Paul directly denies the charges, stating that no one found him arguing or stirring up a crowd, whether in the temple, in the synagogues, or around the city.
  13. Acts 24:13Paul challenges the accusers to prove, with concrete facts, any of the allegations they were making against him.
  14. Acts 24:14“The Way” was one of the earliest names Christians themselves used to describe their faith, before the term Christian became common. Paul accepts the word but rejects calling it a sect, insisting it is the natural continuation of the Jewish faith.
  15. Acts 24:15Paul admits he believes in the resurrection of the dead, both the righteous and the unrighteous, and notes that this same hope was shared by devout Jews themselves, including the Pharisees.
  16. Acts 24:16Paul declares that he always strives to keep a clear conscience, both before God and before people, a way of reinforcing his personal integrity.
  17. Acts 24:17Paul explains the real reason for his trip to Jerusalem: bringing alms and offerings for his own people, a reference to the collection gathered among the Gentile churches, mentioned earlier in his letters and in Acts 11.
  18. Acts 24:18It was precisely while he was carrying out this rite of purification in the temple, with no crowd or disturbance, that some Jews from Asia found him and started the confusion.
  19. Acts 24:19Paul notes, with some irony, that those very Jews from Asia should be present there to accuse him in person, since they were the original witnesses to the supposed crime.
  20. Acts 24:20Paul even challenges those present from the Jerusalem council itself to say what actual crime they found in him during the earlier trial.
  21. Acts 24:21Paul admits to only one thing he shouted out during the trial: the statement about being judged over the belief in the resurrection of the dead, the same rhetorical trick used in chapter 23.
  22. Acts 24:22Felix, who already knows more about Christianity (“the Way”) than he lets on, postpones the decision, saying he would wait for the commander Lysias to arrive before deciding with more information.
  23. Acts 24:23Felix orders the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but with some freedom, allowing friends to visit him and attend to his needs.
  24. Acts 24:24Drusilla, Felix’s wife, was a daughter of King Herod Agrippa I, the same one from chapter 12. She had left her previous husband to marry Felix, a well-known scandal at the time, which may explain her discomfort at hearing Paul speak about judgment and morality.
  25. Acts 24:25Felix grows uneasy at Paul’s message about righteousness and self-control, but instead of changing his life, he simply puts off the conversation. The text suggests he had personal reasons for avoiding the subject.
  26. Acts 24:26Felix was hoping to receive a bribe from Paul in exchange for his release, and so he often sent for him just to talk, dragging out his imprisonment with no real legal cause.
  27. Acts 24:27Felix leaves Paul imprisoned for two whole years without resolving the case, hoping to receive a bribe, and in the end still leaves him in prison just to please the Jews before leaving office. It shows the corruption common among Roman provincial governors.

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