Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

• About the title: The Amalakite name for “Agag” means to be “High”. Balaam the prophet prophesied, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! “His King (Jesus) shall be higher than Agag (high), and his kingdom shall be exalted.”
  
• Balaam saw the future of Israel during the millennium when Jesus is reigning on earth. Jesus’ reign will be Higher than high.

• In this sense, the high priest Ananias is also “high” as “high priest” with much stature among the people. But he is replaced by Jesus as the believer’s high priest.
  (Ananias is a “type” of Agag, and Jesus (whom Ananias killed) is Higher than “high”.)

The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul

Acts 23:¹ Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”

Acts 23:² And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

Acts 23:³ Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

Acts 23:⁴ And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

Acts 23:⁵ Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

• No one, not even the high priest Ananias knew that Ananias had disqualified himself as being high priest at Jesus’ trial:
  
  • Mark 14:63 Then the high priest (Ananias) tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?
  • Leviticus 21:10 ‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes;
    
• The question becomes, who then is the High Priest?
  
  • Hebrews 9:11 The Heavenly Sanctuary
    But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
    
  • Hebrews 3:1 The Son Was Faithful
    Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,

Acts 23:⁶ But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

Acts 23:⁷ And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.

• Satan’s method of operation is to divide people. The more he divides, the more dissension there is.
  
• God also divides, but God divides by that which is good for a healthy society:
  
  • The Jews are God’s chosen people. It does not mean the Jews are His favorite. Being chosen means “Chosen in order to served others”. This puts a different complexion to the word “chosen”.
    • The Jews were chosen to bring light to the world, serving as priests (God’s servants).
    • Those servants must be “clean”. God separates the clean from the unclean, the sacred from the common, and the goats from the sheep (those who go against his will from those who follow His will).
    • It has nothing to do with man’s choices. It has everything to do with God’s choices because only His choices are the very best for mankind.
      
  • God is devoted to the concept of borders that He creates: even in Genesis, He separated the waters above from the waters below, the darkness from the light, each species after its own kind, etc and in Exodus, the law is made up of borders: do this, don’t do that.
  • When borders are broken, chaos ensures, society breaks down.

• The answer for division is love, not war. Love means respecting boundaries.

Acts 23:⁸ For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

Acts 23:⁹ Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him (what if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?), let us not fight against God.”

Acts 23:¹⁰ Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

The Plot Against Paul

Acts 23:¹¹ But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer (Take courage), Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

Acts 23:¹² 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.

• They had formed a conspiracy against Paul. Not all conspiracy theories are invalid.

Acts 23:¹³ Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.

Acts 23:¹⁴ 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.

Acts 23:¹⁵ 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.”

Acts 23:¹⁶ So when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

Acts 23:¹⁷ 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.”

Acts 23:¹⁸ 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.”

Acts 23:¹⁹ Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

Acts 23:²⁰ 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.

Acts 23:²¹ 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.”

Acts 23:²² So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”

Sent to Felix

Acts 23:²³ And he called for two centurions, saying, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour (9:00 pm) of the night;

• A spearman is called a “reed”.

• 2 Centurions
  200 Soldiers
  70 Horsemen (gentile)
  200 Spearmen

• See Topic: Symbolism of Numbers

---

• At the third hour of the night – At nine o’clock. This was so that it might be done with secrecy, and to elude the band of desperadoes that had resolved to murder Paul. If it should seem that this guard was very numerous for one man, it should be remembered:
• (1) That the number of those who had conspired against him was also large; and,
• (2) That they were men accustomed to scenes of blood; men of desperate characters who had solemnly sworn that they would take his life.
• In order, therefore, to deter them effectually from attacking the guard, it was made very numerous and strong. Nearly 500 men were appointed to guard Paul as he left Jerusalem.
• ~ Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Acts 23:²⁴ and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

• Extra Biblical documentation of the reality of those in scripture:
  • Antonius Felix: Mentioned by the following historians: Josephus (144), Suetonius (145), and Tacitus (146).
    
• Felix imprisoned the apostle Paul around the year 58 AD, two years before Porcius Festus replaced Felix. (147).
  
  • Josephus (144) Antiquities, B. XX Chr. 7
  • Suetonius (145) Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, The Twelve Caesars, translated by J. C. Rolfe, Book V, par. 28
  • Tacitus (146) Cornelius Tacitus, Annals, translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb, Book XII Chr. 54
    Porcius Festus (147) Cate, Robert L., One Untimely Born: The Life and Ministry of the Apostle Paul, Mercer University Press, 2006, p. 117, 120

Acts 23:²⁵ He wrote a letter in the following manner:

Acts 23:²⁶ Claudius Lysias (the commander),

To the most excellent governor Felix:

Greetings.

Acts 23:²⁷ This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.

Acts 23:²⁸ And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council.

Acts 23:²⁹ I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains.

Acts 23:³⁰ And when it was told me that (there would be a plot against the man) the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him.

Farewell.

Acts 23:³¹ Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

Acts 23:³² The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks.

Acts 23:³³ When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

Acts 23:³⁴ And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia,

Acts 23:³⁵ he said, “I will hear you when your accusers also have come.” And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium (Headquarters).

• This is the same Praetorium Jesus was tried by Pilate. The High Priest refused to enter the Gentile Praetorium because they did not want to be deemed “unclean” and forced to miss the Sabbath Passover.
  They were ignorant of the fact that God’s Passover Lamb was in the Praetorium. As John the Baptist proclaimed at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” … God’s Passover Lamb, who was crucified the same day the temple’s Passover lamb was slaughtered.