Acts 28:20

For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(20) For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.—The mention of “chain” in the singular agrees with the fact stated in Acts 28:30, that he was entrusted to the keeping of a single soldier. There is a certain touch of pathos in this appeal to his sufferings as a prisoner. (Comp. Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 4:1; Ephesians 6:20.) The hope for which he suffered was two-fold: (1) the expectation of the Messiah as bringing in a kingdom of heaven, which was cherished by every Israelite; (2) the hope of a resurrection from the dead, which he proclaimed as attested by the resurrection which proved (Romans 1:3-4) that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. (See Notes on Acts 26:6-7.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

28:17-22 It was for the honour of Paul that those who examined his case, acquitted him. In his appeal he sought not to accuse his nation, but only to clear himself. True Christianity settles what is of common concern to all mankind, and is not built upon narrow opinions and private interests. It aims at no worldly benefit or advantage, but all its gains are spiritual and eternal. It is, and always has been, the lot of Christ's holy religion, to be every where spoken against. Look through every town and village where Christ is exalted as the only Saviour of mankind, and where the people are called to follow him in newness of life, and we see those who give themselves up to Christ, still called a sect, a party, and reproached. And this is the treatment they are sure to receive, so long as there shall continue an ungodly man upon earth.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Because that for the hope of Israel - On account of the hope which the Jews cherish of the coming of the Messiah; of the resurrection; and of the future state. See this explained in the notes on Acts 23:6.

I am bound with this chain - See the notes on Acts 26:29. Probably he was attached constantly to a soldier by a chain.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

20. For this cause … have I called for you … because … for the hope of Israel—(See on [2144]Ac 26:6, 7).

I am bound with this chain—"This cause is not so much mine as yours; it is the nation's cause; all that is dear to the heart and hope of Israel is bound up with this case of mine." From the touching allusions which the apostle makes to his chains, before Agrippa first, and here before the leading members of the Jewish community at Rome, at his first interview with them, one would gather that his great soul felt keenly his being in such a condition; and it is to this keenness of feeling, under the control of Christian principle, that we owe the noble use which he made of it in these two cases.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

For the hope of Israel: see Acts 23:6 24:21. This hope is either,

1. Of the resurrection, as in the forementioned places; and Acts 26:6,7; or:

2. The Messiah; Christ is the hope of Israel, so they pretended for many ages, and him now Paul preached.

I am bound with this chain; for though he had his liberty to go abroad, yet he was chained with his right hand to the soldier’s left hand who went with him, and could not possibly be loosened unwittingly from him.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For this cause therefore have I called for you,.... To let them know the true state of his case; that though he was a prisoner, it was not for any crime he had done, much less any of a capital nature; and that as he was no scandal to his country, so neither did he intend to raise any against it, or say or do anything which might bring it into contempt and danger: as well as

to see you and speak with you; and keep up and maintain a free and friendly conversation together:

because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain; which was then upon him, and he pointed to; the true reason of which was, because he had preached that the Messiah the tribes of Israel were hoping and waiting for, and who is the only solid foundation of the hope of eternal life and salvation, was already come; and that he had suffered and died, and rose again from the dead, and that Jesus of Nazareth was he; see Jeremiah 14:8. And this title well agrees with Jesus Christ, who in the New Testament is called "our hope", and "the hope of glory", 1 Timothy 1:1, and he is the hope of every Israelite indeed, of every sensible sinner, of every regenerated person, whether Jew or Gentile; and such are encouraged to hope in him for grace here, and glory hereafter: and whereas they see themselves lost and undone, and that there is no salvation for them by their own works, and that there is salvation in Christ, they are directed and encouraged to hope in him for it; because it is a work finished by him, and is complete in him; it is of free grace and favour bestowed; it is wrought out for the chief of sinners; and such as they themselves are, are invited by himself to look to him for it; and the Gospel declaration is, that whoever believes in him shall be saved: they see themselves to be sinners, and that there is no hope of the forgiveness of their sins from an absolute God, or the absolute mercy of God out of Christ, but that the blood of Christ was shed for the remission of sins, and that God, for Christ's sake, does forgive sins: wherefore they hope in him for it; to which they are encouraged by the proclamation of the grace of God, as a forgiving God in Christ; by the promises of forgiveness in the covenant of grace; by the Gospel declaration of it; by its being entirely of free grace, through the blood of Christ; and by the many instances of the worst of sinners who have been favoured with it: these Israelites, indeed, also see themselves unrighteous creatures, and that they cannot be justified before God by works of righteousness done by them; but that there is a righteousness wrought out by Christ, which is acceptable and well pleasing to God; is freely bestowed on men, and is imputed to all sorts of men, even to the ungodly; wherefore they hope in him for it, and lay hold on this object of hope set before them: in a word, they have hope of eternal life on his account, that being the gift of God through him; and it being the will of God, that whoever believes in him should have it; and it being in the power and right of Christ to bestow it; and they having also his Spirit as the earnest and pledge of it; as well as have his righteousness as their title to it, his grace as their meetness for it, and have a share both in his intercession and in his preparations of it: moreover, the apostle taught that there would be a general resurrection of the dead, upon which would succeed a state of everlasting happiness for the righteous; and which was the hope of the tribes of Israel in common, especially of every Israelite indeed: now these things had irritated the carnal Jews against him, who could not rest till they had been the means of bringing him into the condition he now was; nor were they content with this, without having his life.

Geneva Study Bible

For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 28:20. Therefore (because I am here only as a constrained appellant, and entirely free from any hostile effort) I have invited you, to see you and to speak with you. Heinrichs, Kuinoel, Schott take it otherwise: “vos rogavi, ut me viseretis et mecum colloqueremini.” But the supplying of me and mecum is arbitrary, seeing that, in fact, ὑμᾶς and ὑμῖν are naturally suggested by the directly preceding ὑμᾶς; besides, it is far more in keeping with courtesy for Paul to say that he desired to see and speak with them, than that he had requested them to see and speak with him.

ἕνεκεν γὰρ τῆς ἐλπίδος κ.τ.λ.] now contains the more special reason, in a national point of view so highly important, for the arrangement of this interview.

The ἐλπὶς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ is to be taken entirely, as in Acts 26:6, of the Messianic national hope.

On περίκειμαι with accusative, comp. Hebrews 5:2; Kypke, Obss. II. p. 147; Jacobs, ad Anthol. IX. p. 75; on τ. ἅλυσιν ταύτ., comp. Acts 26:29.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 28:20. διὰ ταύτην … προσλαλῆσαι: “for this cause therefore did I intreat you to see and to speak with me,” R.V. text; in margin a comma is placed after ὑμᾶς, “call for you, to see and to speak with you”: but the former seems the more likely, for as a prisoner St. Paul would hardly go out into the synagogue.—ἔνεκεν, see critical note; if εἵνεκεν, the word is only used by St. Luke amongst the Evangelists; cf. Luke 4:18 (quotation), Luke 18:29, and elsewhere only by St. Paul, 2 Corinthians 3:10; Ionic form (see Winer-Schmiedel, p. 50).—τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ Ἰ., cf. Acts 26:6.—περίκειμαι: for construction, Winer-Moulton, xxxii., 5; cf. 4Ma 12:3; Clem. Rom., 2 Cor., i. 6 (bis). Nothing could be more pathetic than this reference to the chain, cf. Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 4:1; Ephesians 6:20; the words might well serve as an introduction to what was to follow, the Christian prisoner and the Jewish leaders all had “one hope of their calling,” and in that hope they and he were one.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

20. For this cause therefore have I called for you to see you, and to speak with you] [R. V. “did I intreat you to see and to speak with me”] As the marginal note in the R. V. shews, the A. V. may be a correct rendering of the Greek, and it is more probable that Paul would say that he wished to speak to the Jews than that he wished them to come and speak with him.

because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain] The hope of Israel is the general expectation of Messiah. In Jesus Paul believed that the expected Saviour had appeared, and for preaching this he had been attacked and made a prisoner. He held the same faith as all the Jews, only going in this matter farther than they in that he believed the ancient promise was now fulfilled. We can see from the reply of the Jews that they understood his position exactly.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 28:20. Ἔνεκεν, on account of this) In the beginning he speaks with them as a brother, not as an apostle.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 20. - Did I entreat you to see and to speak with me for have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you, A.V.; for because of for because that for, A.V. To see and to speak with me. Meyer, followed by Alford, rightly prefers the rendering of the A.V. and the margin of the R.V. Παρακαλέω is here in its primary sense of calling any one to come to you, and the two infinitives express the object for which he called them, viz. to see and speak with them. Because of the hope of Israel (see Acts 23:6; Acts 24:14, 15, 21; Acts 26:6, 22, 23). I am bound with this chain (περικεῖμαι). In Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2 the millstone 'hangs about' (περικεῖται) the neck. But here and Hebrews 5:2 the construction is different, and the subject and the object are reversed. Instead of the chain encompassing Paul, Paul is said to be bound with the chain. (For the chain, see ver. 16, note, and Acts 24:23.) The force of this saying seems to be this, "I have asked you to come to me because this chain which binds me is not a token of a renegade Israelite who has come to Rome to accuse his nation before the heathen master, but of a faithful Israelite, who has endured bondage rather than forsake the hope of his fathers." Acts 28:20

Vincent's Word Studies

I am bound (περίκειμαι)

Lit., compassed.