11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” 12 And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.” 16 So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.” 19 Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. 21 But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”
Commentary
Vs. 11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
The Apostle Paul then having born witness to the Lord Jesus Christ at Jerusalem and before all its leaders at his “trial” before their Sanhedrin council, and having escaped death there, and been taken back to the Roman soldier’s barracks in Jerusalem for his own safety, now the following night is visited by the Lord, who coming to him, now stands by him and says to him, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” The Lord’s appearing to Paul then must have been the most encouraging Words Paul had heard in a long time, since of all people and all places Paul had been, Jerusalem should’ve been the most welcoming place of all, but instead he only found the same rejection the Lord Jesus Christ endured when He came to them with God’s salvation for them all. And so here the Lord in encouraging Paul for his faithfulness in testifying to Him at Jerusalem, now foretells him that he must also bear witness to Him at Rome. Thus, Paul was chosen to bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ at the height of the two principal powers who had rejected and Crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, first Jerusalem representing all the Jews, and then Rome representing the world and its god and ruler (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:12 etc.). Now you and I will also bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, before family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and whomever else the Lord brings our way. And so, each one of them will also have to decide for themselves whether they will believe and receive Christ’s testimony through us or not. Our responsibility then is not how they respond to the Lord’s offer of remission of sins and eternal life for them the moment they repent and believe, our responsibility to the Lord is to be His witnesses to them in such a way so as not hinder their faith in Him, that’s it. For each one will make their own choice as God has given each individual the freedom to choose Him (by choosing to believe in His Son) or to reject Him (by not believing in Him). Therefore, consider very wisely your eternal destiny before you make your choice, for once you choose you cannot turn back (Heb. 12:14-17).
Vs. 12-15 12 And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
Now just as Paul was being held at the commander’s barracks, some of the Jews were now also plotting his death. In fact, so determined were they too kill him that forty of them bound themselves under a great oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul (vs. 12-13). Now in order to get to Paul they went to the chief priests and elders and asked them to go to the commander and ask that he might bring Paul before them for further questioning, whereby once in their presence they could all fall upon him and kill him (vs. 15-16). It’s a wicked scheme which the commander would not be able to withstand with just a few of his men with him while Paul would be before their council.
Vs. 16 “So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.”
Thankfully Paul’s nephew heard of their ambush, and so he immediately went to the barracks and told Paul their scheme. Now one cannot help but think that God’s hand was with the young lad in discovering this.
Vs. 17-22 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you.” 19 Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. 21 But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”
When Paul heard this, he called to one of the centurions to take the young man to the commander to tell him these things (vs. 17). Therefore, when he brought him before the commander, the young man told him the Jews plot, how they were going to ask him to bring Paul to their council as if they were going to make further inquiry of him, but in fact more than forty of them had banded themselves together under a great oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul, and so now they were all lying in wait, waiting for him to bring Paul to them (vs. 18-21). Now when the commander heard these things, he commanded the young man not to tell anyone what he had just told him before sending him on his way (vs. 22). For if anyone found out that the young man had just revealed these things to him, that young man’s life might also then be in danger.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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