Acts 23:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

NIV: So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris.

NASB: So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

CSB: So the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris as they were ordered.

NLT: So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris.

KJV: Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

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

When Paul was traveling during the last few months of his third missionary journey, the Holy Spirit consistently told him that if he returned to Jerusalem, he would be arrested (Acts 20:22–23). Paul went anyway and the Roman army arrested him a few days after he arrived (Acts 21:33). Not long after, the Sanhedrin and forty other Jews conspired to have Paul killed (Acts 23:12–15). The Roman tribune, the military commander of the army barracks, heard of their plan and determined Paul would be safer with the governor (Acts 23:16–24).

Now Paul is riding to Caesarea Maritima, arrested but escorted by two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, two hundred spearmen, and two centurions to protect him from the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:12–15, 23). In Caesarea, he will stand trial before the governor, Felix, to determine if he committed a crime or if he's just squabbling about religious matters with the Sanhedrin (Acts 24:1–21).

The entourage leaves three hours after sunset (Acts 23:23) and stops at Antipatris. Antipatris is in Samaria, about thirty miles northwest of Jerusalem and twenty-eight miles south of Caesarea. Herod the Great built it and probably named it after his father, Antipater. From here, the soldiers and spearmen return to Jerusalem while the horsemen continue with Paul (Acts 23:32). The high priest Ananias, the elders, and their lawyer won't arrive for another five days (Acts 24:1). The tribune's plan has worked; Paul is safe with the governor, and the tribune doesn't have to deal with the conflict between Paul and the Sanhedrin anymore.

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.