KJV: 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.
YLT: especially knowing thee to be acquainted with all things -- both customs and questions -- among Jews; wherefore, I beseech thee, patiently to hear me.
Darby: especially because thou art acquainted with all the customs and questions which are among the Jews; wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
ASV: especially because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
| μάλιστα | Especially |
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Parse: Adverb Root: μάλιστα Sense: especially, chiefly, most of all, above all. |
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| γνώστην | acquainted |
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Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: γνώστης Sense: an expert, a connoisseur. |
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| ὄντα | being |
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Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: εἰμί Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present. |
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| πάντων | with all |
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Parse: Adjective, Genitive Neuter Plural Root: πᾶς Sense: individually. |
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| Ἰουδαίους | [the] Jews |
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Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: Ἰουδαῖος Sense: Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race. |
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| ἐθῶν | customs |
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Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural Root: ἔθος Sense: custom. |
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| καὶ | also |
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Parse: Conjunction Root: καί Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but. |
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| ζητημάτων | controversies |
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Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural Root: ζήτημα Sense: a question, debate. |
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| δέομαι | I implore [you] |
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Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 1st Person Singular Root: δέομαι Sense: to want, lack. |
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| μακροθύμως | patiently |
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Parse: Adverb Root: μακροθύμως Sense: with longanimity, i. |
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| ἀκοῦσαί | to hear |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active Root: ἀκουστός Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf. |
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| μου | me |
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Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my. |
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Greek Commentary for Acts 26:3
Or like the margin, “because thou art especially expert,” according as μαλιστα malista is construed. Γνωστην Gnōstēn is from γινωσκω ginōskō and means a knower, expert, connoisseur. Plutarch uses it and Deissmann (Light, etc., p. 367) restores it in a papyrus. Agrippa had the care of the temple, the appointment of the high priest, and the care of the sacred vestments. But the accusative οντα σε onta se gives trouble here coming so soon after σου sou (genitive with επι epi). Some MSS. insert επισταμενος epistamenos or ειδως eidōs (knowing) but neither is genuine. Page takes it as “governed by the sense of thinking or considering.” Knowling considers it an anacoluthon. Buttmann held it to be an accusative absolute after the old Greek idiom. Τυχον Tuchon is such an instance though used as an adverb (1 Corinthians 16:6). It is possible that one exists in Ephesians 1:18. See other examples discussed in Robertson‘s Grammar, pp. 490f. [source]
Both consuetudinum in practicis and quaestionum in theoreticis (Bengel). Agrippa was qualified to give Paul an understanding and a sympathetic hearing. Paul understands perfectly the grand-stand play of the whole performance, but he refused to be silent and chose to use this opportunity, slim as it seemed, to get a fresh hearing for his own case and to present the claims of Christ to this influential man. His address is a masterpiece of noble apologetic. Patiently (μακροτυμως makrothumōs). Adverb from μακροτυμος makrothumos Only here in the N.T., though μακροτυμια makrothumia occurs several times. Vulgate has longanimiter. Long spirit, endurance, opposite of impatience. So Paul takes his time. [source]
Adverb from μακροτυμος makrothumos Only here in the N.T., though μακροτυμια makrothumia occurs several times. Vulgate has longanimiter. Long spirit, endurance, opposite of impatience. So Paul takes his time. [source]
Lit., a knower. [source]
See on Acts 15:2. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 26:3
For riding as here or for baggage. See note on Luke 10:34. Asses or horses, but not war-horses. Since Paul was chained to a soldier, another animal would be required for baggage. It was also seventy miles and a change of horses might be needed. The extreme precaution of Lysias is explained in some Latin MSS. as due to fear of a night attack with the result that he might be accused to Felix of bribery. Luke also probably accompanied Paul. To bring safe (hina diasōsōsin). Final clause with hina and the first aorist active subjunctive of ινα διασωσωσιν diasōzō old verb, to save through (ινα dia) to a finish. Eight times in the N.T. (Matthew 14:36; Luke 7:3; Acts 23:24; Acts 27:43, Acts 27:44; Acts 28:1, Acts 28:4; 1 Peter 3:20). Unto Felix the governor Felix was a brother of Pallas, the notorious favourite of Claudius. Both had been slaves and were now freedmen. Felix was made procurator of Judea by Claudius a.d. 52. He held the position till Festus succeeded him after complaints by the Jews to Nero. He married Drusilla the daughter of Herod Agrippa I with the hope of winning the favour of the Jews. He was one of the most depraved men of his time. Tacitus says of him that “with all cruelty and lust he exercised the power of a king with the spirit of a slave.” The term “governor” In the N.T. it is used of Pilate (Matthew 27:2), of Felix, (Acts 23:24, Acts 23:26, Acts 23:33; Acts 24:1), of Festus (Acts 26:30). [source]
Felix was a brother of Pallas, the notorious favourite of Claudius. Both had been slaves and were now freedmen. Felix was made procurator of Judea by Claudius a.d. 52. He held the position till Festus succeeded him after complaints by the Jews to Nero. He married Drusilla the daughter of Herod Agrippa I with the hope of winning the favour of the Jews. He was one of the most depraved men of his time. Tacitus says of him that “with all cruelty and lust he exercised the power of a king with the spirit of a slave.” The term “governor” In the N.T. it is used of Pilate (Matthew 27:2), of Felix, (Acts 23:24, Acts 23:26, Acts 23:33; Acts 24:1), of Festus (Acts 26:30). [source]
A beautiful figure, the heart regarded as having eyes looking out toward Christ. But the grammar is difficult. There are three possible interpretations. One is an anacoluthon, the case of πεπωτισμενους pephōtismenous being changed from the dative υμιν humin (to you) to the accusative because of the following infinitive like εκλεχαμενους eklexamenous (Acts 15:22) after αποστολοις apostolois Another way of explaining it is to regard it as a tertiary predicate of δωιη dōiē a loose expansion of πνευμα pneuma The third way is to regard the construction as the accusative absolute, a rare idiom possible in Acts 26:3; 1 Corinthians 16:3; 1 Timothy 2:6. In this case, the participle merely agrees with τους οπταλμους tous ophthalmous not with υμιν humin “the eyes of your heart having been enlightened.” Otherwise τους οπταλμους tous ophthalmous is the accusative retained after the passive participle. [source]
Note particularly the absence of the article. Γράμματα is used in N.T. in several senses. Of characters of the alphabet (2 Corinthians 3:7; Galatians 6:11): of a document (Luke 16:6, take thy bill )epistles (Acts 28:21): of the writings of an author collectively (John 5:47): of learning (Acts 26:24, πολλά γράμματρα muchlearning ). In lxx, ἐπιστάμενος γράμματα knowinghow to read (Isaiah 29:11, Isaiah 29:12). The Holy Scriptures are nowhere called ἱερὰ γράμματα in N.T. In lxx, γράμματα is never used of sacred writings of any kind. Both Josephus and Philo use τὰ ἱερὰ γράμματα for the O.T. Scriptures. The words here should be rendered sacred learning. The books in the writer's mind were no doubt the Old Testament. Scriptures, in which Timothy, like every Jewish boy, had been instructed; but he does not mean to designate those books as ἱερὰ γράμματα . He means the learning acquired from Scripture by the rabbinic methods, according to which the Old Testament books were carefully searched for meanings hidden in each word and letter, and especially for messianic intimations. Specimens of such learning may be seen here and there in the writings of Paul as 1 Corinthians 9:9f.; 1 Corinthians 10:1f.; Galatians 3:16.; Galatians 4:21f. In Acts 4:13, the council, having heard Peter's speech, in which he interpreted Psalm 118:22and Isaiah 28:16of Christ, at once perceived that Peter and John were ἀγράμματοι , not versed in the methods of the schools. Before Agrippa, Paul drew the doctrine of the Resurrection from the Old Testament, whereupon Festus exclaimed, “much learning ( πολλὰ γράμματα , thy acquaintance with the exegesis of the schools) hath made thee mad” (Acts 26:24). To Agrippa, who was “expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews” (Acts 26:3), the address of Paul, a pupil of Hillel, was not surprising, although he declared that Paul's reasoning did not appeal to him. In John 7:15, when Jesus taught in the temple, the Jews wondered and said: “How knoweth this man letters? ” That a Jew should know the Scriptures was not strange. The wonder lay in the exegetical skill of one who had not been trained by the literary methods of the time. [source]