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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 26
Paul recounts his former persecution of the saints as a Pharisee—He
testifies of the appearance of Jesus on the Damascus road—Agrippa is
"almost persuaded" to be a Christian.
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1 THEN Agrippa said unto
Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
3 Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
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4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they
would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a
aPharisee.
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6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made
of God unto our fathersa:
7 Unto which promise our
atwelve tribes, binstantly serving God day and night,
hope to comea. For which hope's sake, king
Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible
with you, that God should araise the dead?
For Which Hope's Sake
I Am Accused of the Jews
THIS hope consisted in part the raising of the dead back to
life, known as the resurrection which the Pharisees, the strickest sect believed in and the
liberal Sadducees did not. And so the Sadducees would be less prone to look to a spirtual
deliverer than for an actualy physical deliverer from the such as the bonds of the Romans.
Saul or Paul was not standing adversely opposed to the Law of the Jews, of which he stood accused
by the Jews as being. In fact Paul stood in the great of the facts to which the Jews did profess
to believe in, the Coming of the Messiah. The distinction was that Paul had come to know that
the Messiah had indeed already come. To this end will Paul testify of unto King Agrippa, who is
also well schooled in the learning of the Jews as well, and he would know exactly of that which
Paul was speaking about.
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6a hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers
The 'HOPE OF ISRAEL' is of course the coming forth of the promises Mesiah. Today various
shades of understanding are stated concerning this "HOPE OF ISRAEL" and a number will even deny
such had existed. Why, I am not sure, for the great hope was to be one day 'redeemed by the hand
of God' from this fallen condition set upon man by the actions of Adam and Eve.
7a which promise our twelve tribes instantly
serving God day and night, hope to come Paul, would was schooled by the
great Gamaliel (Acts 5:34; 22:3), stated clearly that the entire twelve tribes of Israel
knew and accepted this view of the Messiah to come and served God in the hope of it coming. Thus
Paul immediately takes it beyond the dickering Pharisees and Sadducees and raises it to the next
level that all of the House of Israel understood and and looked forward to that blessed hope to
come. Both Paul and the great scholar Gamaliel were of the sect of the Pharisees and as zealous
as Paul was, Paul was equally such as a 'great student of the great Gamaliel, perhaps even the
greatest.
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7a
TG
Israel, Twelve Tribes of
b
GR earnestly, intently
8a
TG
Resurrection
God Should Raise Up the Dead
AS Paul presents it, it is an established fact in the faith of the
Jews that God Should Raise Up the Dead from the grave. So now when Paul next gives his
testimony evidence, it is not for the resurrection to be questioned by that of just when God
would bring it about and how. And this is the testimony which Paul next presents to King
Agrippa.
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9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to
do many things acontrary to the bname of
Jesus of Nazareth.
10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and
many of the asaints did I shut up in prison, having
received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to
bdeath, I gave my cvoice against
them.
11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue,
and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against
them, I persecuted them even unto astrange cities.
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12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a
alight from heaven, above the brightness of the sun,
shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I
heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue,
aSaul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard
for thee to kick bagainst the pricks.
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15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I
have aappeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a
minister and a bwitness both of these things which thou
hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and
from the Gentiles, unto whom now I asend thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn
them from adarkness to blight, and
from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
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19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not
adisobedient unto the heavenly bvision:
20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the
temple, and went about to akill me.
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22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I
continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other
things than those which the aprophets and Moses did
say should come:a
23 That Christ should
asuffer, and that he should be the first that should
brise from the
deada, and should shew light unto
the people, and to the Gentiles.
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22-23a the prophets and Moses did say
should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first
that should rise from the dead That Moses and many other prophets
did know and say that Messiah should come, suffer death and be resurrected
from the dead is fact. It is also true that many such pronouncements by the
prophets and Moses have been lost and taken from the scriptures is also now
known. Moses wrote of Enoch and that witness of the mission of Jesus Christ
as now recorded in Moses 7:47-62. Many of the prophets including Moses did
speak much concerning the Messiah Jesus the Christ which have been taken from
the scriptures of the Jews. Other New Testament references do also confirm
such as Philip's declaration to Nathanael does bare its witness (John 1:45)
and that they had also declared him of Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). And this is
not to mention the Book of Mormon prophets who spoke of him before he came
and their references to other Old Testament prophets who never found their
way through the Jewish scriptures but did find their way into the plates of
brass.
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24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus
said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth
make thee amad.
25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
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27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?
I know that thou abelievest.
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou
apersuadest me to be a bChristian.
29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
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30 And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
31 And when they were gone aside, they talked
between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of
adeath or of bonds.
32 Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man
might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto
aCaesar.
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