Acts 23:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, "Tell no one that you have informed me of these things."

NIV: The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: "Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me."

NASB: Then the commander let the young man go, instructing him, 'Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.'

CSB: So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, "Don’t tell anyone that you have informed me about this."

NLT: Don’t let anyone know you told me this,' the commander warned the young man.

KJV: So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

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

Paul's nephew, likely a late teenager, has reported a conspiracy to the tribune of Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin is about to invite the tribune and Paul to a meeting to uncover why a mob in the temple tried to kill Paul (Acts 21:27–31). The young man has learned the invitation is a ruse. The intent is to get Paul out of the Roman barracks and out into the open. There, forty men who have sworn an oath could kill Paul (Acts 23:12–15).

The tribune, Lysias, has spent three days trying to determine why the mob beat Paul and if Paul committed a crime. Now, he's learned the entire ruling Jewish council is involved in a plot to kill his suspect. He realizes he's not going to get any further with his investigation. This tribune is most likely a young man in his mid-to-late 20s. Many such men took a one-year career-broadening assignment with the army before learning how to be a senator in Rome. The governor, however, is well-versed in the culture of the Jews and even knows a good amount about Paul's religious beliefs (Acts 24:22).

Lysias decides to transfer Paul and the entire case to the governor in Caesarea Maritima. He orders an escort of two centurions, two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to protect Paul from the forty assassins (Acts 23:23–24). Paul gets to the governor safely, but Lysias doesn't show up for the trial, and the governor refuses to rule without his testimony. Paul winds up spending two years under house arrest before he's sent—as a prisoner—to Rome (Acts 24:22, 27).

Acts 23:12–22 shows Paul just how unwelcoming Jerusalem can be. False accusations and old religious-political differences have conspired to keep him incarcerated in the Roman barracks. Forty men gain the approval of the Sanhedrin to murder Paul. But Paul's nephew hears of their plan and tells the Roman tribune. The tribune swears him to secrecy as he makes plans for Paul to go to the governor: a man with higher legal authority and a larger army.

Acts 23 continues the tribune's attempt to discover why a mob of Jews suddenly turned violent and attacked Paul (Acts 21:27–33). He takes Paul to the Sanhedrin to see if they understand what his crime is. Paul barely begins his story when he is slapped for impudence. He disrespects the high priest and starts a fight between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The next day, a group of forty Jews invite the Sanhedrin to help them murder Paul. Paul's nephew reports the plot to the tribune who gives up and sends Paul to the governor. The governor awaits Paul's accusers for trial.

Jews from near Ephesus accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the temple and incited a crowd to attack him. The tribune saved Paul but couldn't uncover the reason for the violence; most of the mob didn't know, and Paul was a Roman citizen, so the tribune couldn't beat the truth out of him (Acts 21—22). When the Sanhedrin would rather murder Paul than talk to him, the tribune sends Paul to the governor. The governor holds Paul without charges for so long he invokes his right to a trial before Caesar. The governor agrees, and Paul finally gets to Rome (Acts 24—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.