Acts 23:33

Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

23:25-35 God has instruments for every work. The natural abilities and moral virtues of the heathens often have been employed to protect his persecuted servants. Even the men of the world can discern between the conscientious conduct of upright believers, and the zeal of false professors, though they disregard or understand not their doctrinal principles. All hearts are in God's hand, and those are blessed who put their trust in him, and commit their ways unto him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They left the horsemen - As they were then beyond the danger of the conspirators, the soldiers who had guarded them thus far returned to Jerusalem.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

32. On the morrow they—the infantry.

left the horsemen—themselves no longer needed as a guard. The remaining distance was about twenty-five or twenty-six miles.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Caesarea; Caesarea Stratonis, as it was called, to difference it from the other.

They presented Paul, as being their charge, whom they had safely kept, and now delivered according to appointment.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Who, when they came to Caesarea,.... The seventy horsemen:

and delivered the epistle to the governor; to Felix, governor of Judea, who was now at Caesarea; namely, the letter which Claudius Lysias, the chief captain, sent to him; the form and contents of which are before given:

these presented Paul also before him; concerning whom, and whose affairs, the letter was.

Geneva Study Bible

Who, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 23:33. οἵτινες: “and they when they …” R.V., sc. ἱππεῖς.—ἀναδόντες: not elsewhere in N.T., or in LXX in this sense, of delivering a letter. Zahn, following Hobart, sees in the phrase ἀναδ. τὴν ἐπιστολήν a phrase characteristic of a medical man, since Hippocrates, Epis., 1275, uses the verb instead of διδόναι or ἀποδιδόναι of a messenger delivering a letter, and thus shows a leaning common to the Greek medical writers of employing a verb already familiar to them in a professional way; but it must be remembered that both Polybius and Plutarch use the verb in a similar sense.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

33. who, when they came to Cesarea] The Rev. Ver. breaks up the relative into a conjunction and a personal pronoun. “And they, when, &c.” This makes the reference to the horsemen more clear.

and delivered the epistle [letter] to the governor] It is not easy to see what led the A. V. to give “epistle” here and “letter” for the same word in Acts 23:25. Sometimes rhythm may account for such a variation, but that is not the case here.

presented Paul also] If the letter as given above be a copy of the original, the prisoner was not mentioned in it by name, but the soldiers would merely declare that this was the man that had been committed to their charge.

Bengel's Gnomen

[33. Εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν, to Cesarea) Paul’s stay in this metropolis afforded great help to the cause of the Gospel. Nevertheless he was himself placed in the midst of Gentiles and strangers in this place.—V. g.]

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 33. - And they for who, A.V.; letter for epistle, A.V. Presented Paul; πάρεστησαν. This is a word particularly used of setting any one before a judge (see Romans 14:10, and the subscription of 2 Timothy, Ὅτε ἐκ δευτέρου παρέστη Πῦλος τῷ Καίσαρι Νέρωνι). Acts 23:33

Vincent's Word Studies

Caesarea

Twenty-six miles from Antipatris.