Acts 23:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then he called two of the centurions and said, "Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.

NIV: Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.

NASB: And he called to him two of the centurions and said, 'Get two hundred soldiers ready by the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen.'

CSB: He summoned two of his centurions and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready with seventy cavalry and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.

NLT: Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered, 'Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight. Also take 200 spearmen and 70 mounted troops.

KJV: And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

NKJV: 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 of the night;

Paul is in custody in the Roman barracks in Jerusalem. The tribune Lysias—the commanding officer—has spent three days trying to figure out why a mob of Jews attacked Paul in the temple and if Paul committed a crime (Acts 21:27–34). Now, Paul's nephew has warned the tribune that the Sanhedrin conspired with forty assassins to kill Paul (Acts 23:12–22). Lysias realizes that not only can he not uncover what happened, but he can't keep Paul safe without causing an incident. Knowing the governor would prefer to avoid Roman soldiers fighting Jewish civilians, Lysias sends Paul to the governor with a large enough escort to make sure he gets there.

"Tribune" is a title for different offices. Those in the military were generally responsible for logistics and administration and could be called to lead units in battle. Originally, tribunes protected the poor and those with no voting rights from the rich voters. By this time, tribunes were often 27–year-olds taking a year of military service to help them in their future positions in government.

Centurions were army officers in charge of about 100 legionaries. Centurions have a very good reputation in Scripture. Jesus praised the faith of the centurion who insisted He could heal his servant at a distance and didn't have to enter his house (Matthew 8:5–13). A centurion at the crucifixion declared that Jesus must be the Son of God—or son of a god (Matthew 27:54). The centurion Cornelius was a devout Gentile who opened the doorway for Gentiles to follow Jesus (Acts 10). One of Lysias' centurions protected Paul from torture when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:24–29). And when Paul sails to Rome, the commanding centurion will prevent the soldiers from killing him and the other prisoners during a storm (Acts 27:42–44).

Paul and his escort leave Jerusalem at 9 p.m. and travel forty-two miles to Antipatris near modern-day Tel Aviv. The next day, the soldiers and spearmen will return to Jerusalem while the horsemen take Paul on (Acts 23:31–32). The high priest, a few elders, and a spokesman/lawyer will arrive five days later. Their opportunity to murder Paul is gone, but they will still try to convince the governor to convict him of rioting and profaning a religious structure (Acts 24:1–9).

Acts 23:23–35 records Paul escaping a death plot in Jerusalem. He then travels to the governor in Caesarea Maritima. Jews and their leaders attacked Paul and conspired for his death, and the Roman tribune can't determine why (Acts 21:27–34). The governor agrees to hold a trial not yet knowing Paul's accusers don't have a case and the tribune will never arrive to give his side of the story. He holds Paul without charges for two years until the new governor sends Paul to Caesar in Rome.

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.