the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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King James Version
Acts 23:1
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Paul stood with his shoulders back and his head high as he said, "Brothers, I stand before God and y'all with a clear conscience."
Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, "Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day."
Now Paul, looking intently at the Sanhedrin, said, "Brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God up to this day."
And Paul, looking fixedly at the Sanhedrin, said, My brothers, my life has been upright before God till this day.
And Paul, fixing his eyes on the council, said, Brethren, I have walked in all good conscience with God unto this day.
Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day."
Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience until this day."
Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, "Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day."
And Paul earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God till this day.
Then Paul, fixing a steady gaze on the Sanhedrin, said, "Brethren, it is with a perfectly clear conscience that I have discharged my duties before God up to this day."
And Paul earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I haue liued in all good conscience before God vntill this day.
And looking on the sanhedrin, Paul said, Men, brothers, I in all good conscience have conducted myself toward God to this day.
Paul behelde the councell, and sayde: Ye men and brethren, I haue lyued with all good conscience before God vnto this daye:
Then Paul directing himself to the council, thus said, "hitherto I have liv'd strictly conscientious, as God knows."
Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: "Friends, I've lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment." That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, "God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!"
Then Paul, looking intently at the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), said, "Kinsmen, I have lived my life before God with a perfectly good conscience until this very day."
And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.
And Paul, looking intently at the council, said, "Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience up to this day."
Paul behelde the counsell and sayde: men and brethre I have lived in all good coscience before God vntill this daye.
And Paul, looking steadfastly on the Sanhedrin, said, Men, brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.
And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men, brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
And Paul having earnestly beheld the sanhedrim, said, `Men, brethren, I in all good conscience have lived to God unto this day;'
Paul looked at the council and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life without guilt feelings before God up to this day."
Paul looked directly at the council and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God to this day."
Paul looked directly at the Sanhedrin and said, "Brothers, I have conducted myself before God in all good conscience to this day."
Paul looked straight at the council members and said, "My friends, to this day I have served God with a clear conscience!"
Sha'ul looked straight at them and said, "Brothers, I have been discharging my obligations to God with a perfectly clear conscience, right up until today."
And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day."
And Paul behelde earnestly the Councill, and sayde, Men and brethren, I haue in all good conscience serued God vntill this day.
AND as Paul beheld their assembly, he said, Men, my brethren, I have lived i n all good conscience before God until this day.
Sha'ul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, "Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day."
Paul looked straight at the CouncilSanhedrin">[fn] and said, "Brothers, with a clear conscience I have done my duty before God up to this very day."Acts 24:16; 1 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 4:2; 2 Timothy 1:3; Hebrews 13:18;">[xr]
And Paulos, looking upon their assembly, said, Men, brethren, I in all good conscience have conversed before Aloha, unto this day.
And when Paul had looked on the assembly of them, he said: Men, my brethren; I have lived in all good conscience before God up to this day.
Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: "Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!"
Paul looked straight at the court and said, "Brother Jews, I have lived for God with a heart that has said I am not guilty to this day."
And Paul, looking stedfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day.
While Paul was looking intently at the council he said, "Brothers, up to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God."
And Paul, looking steadfastly, at the High-council, said - Brethren! I, in all good conscience have used my citizenship for God until this day.
And Paul, looking upon the council, said: Men, brethren, I have conversed with all good conscience before God until this present day.
And looking intently at the Sanhedrin, Paul said, "Men and brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God to this day."
And Paul earnestlie beholdyng the counsell, saide: Men & brethren, I haue lyued in al good conscience before God vntyll this day.
Paul looked at the council members and said, "Brothers, I have lived my life in a good way before God. I have always done what I thought was right."
Now looking intently at the Council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day."
Paul looked straight at the Council and said, "My fellow Israelites! My conscience is perfectly clear about the way in which I have lived before God to this very day."
And Poul bihelde in to the counsel, and seide, Britheren, Y with al good conscience haue lyued bifore God, `til in to this dai.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
earnestly: Acts 23:6, Acts 6:15, Acts 22:5, Proverbs 28:1
Men: Acts 22:1
I have: Acts 24:16, 1 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 1:12, 2 Corinthians 4:2, 2 Timothy 1:3, Hebrews 13:18, 1 Peter 3:16
Reciprocal: Genesis 17:1 - walk Isaiah 58:4 - and to smite Jeremiah 37:18 - General Matthew 10:17 - for Mark 13:9 - take Luke 1:6 - walking Acts 1:16 - Men Acts 5:27 - set Acts 25:8 - Neither Acts 28:17 - though Romans 2:15 - their conscience Galatians 2:11 - because 1 Timothy 1:5 - a good
Cross-References
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Paul earnestly beholding the council,.... Fastening his eyes upon them, looking wistly and intently at them, and thereby discovering a modest cheerfulness, and a becoming boldness, confidence, and intrepidity, as being not conscious of any guilt, and well assured of the goodness of his cause:
said, men and brethren; see Acts 22:1.
I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day; not only from the time of his conversion, but throughout the whole of his life; for though, strictly speaking, there is no good conscience but what is awakened by the Spirit of God, and is unprincipled by his grace, and is purged from sin by the blood of Christ; in which sense he could only have a good conscience, since he believed in Christ; yet whereas in his state of unregeneracy, and even while he was a blasphemer, and persecutor, he did not act contrary to the dictates of his conscience, but according to them, in which his view was to the glory of God, and the honour of his law; he therefore says he lived before God, or unto God, in all good conscience, though an erroneous and mistaken one; he thought he ought to do what he did; and what he did, he did with a zeal for God though it was not according to knowledge: besides, the apostle has here respect to his outward moral conversation, which, before and after conversion, was very strict, and even blameless, at least unblemished before men; nobody could charge him with any notorious crime, though he did not live without sin in the sight of the omniscient God.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And Paul, earnestly beholding - ἀτενίσας atenisas. Fixing his eyes intently on the council. The word denotes “a fixed and earnest gazing; a close observation.” See Luke 4:20. Compare the notes on Acts 3:4. Paul would naturally look with a keen and attentive observation on the council. He was arraigned before them, and he would naturally observe the appearance, and endeavor to ascertain the character of his judges. Besides, it was by this council that he had been formerly commissioned to persecute the Christians, Acts 9:1-2. He had not seen them since that commission was given. He would naturally, therefore, regard them with an attentive eye. The result shows, also, that he looked at them to see what was the character of the men there assembled, and what was the proportion of Pharisees and Sadducees, Acts 23:6.
The council - Greek: the Sanhedrin, Acts 22:30. It was the great council, composed of seventy elders, to whom was entrusted the affairs of the nation. See the notes on Matthew 1:4.
Men and brethren - Greek: “Men, brethren”; the usual form of beginning an address among the Jews. See Acts 2:29. He addressed them still as his brethren.
I have lived in all good conscience - I have conducted myself so as to maintain a good conscience. I have done what I believed to be right. This was a bold declaration, after the tumult, and charges, and accusations of the previous day Acts 22:0; and yet it was strictly true. His persecutions of the Christians had been conducted conscientiously, Acts 26:9, “I verily thought with myself,” says he, “that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” Of his conscientiousness and fidelity in their service they could bear witness. Of his conscientiousness since, he could make a similar declaration. He doubtless meant to say that as he had been conscientious in persecution, so he had been in his conversion and in his subsequent course. And as they knew that his former life had been with a good conscience, they ought to presume that he had maintained the same character still. This was a remarkably bold appeal to be made by an accused man, and it shows the strong consciousness which Paul had of his innocence. What would have been the drift of his discourse in proving this we can only Conjecture. He was interrupted Acts 23:2; but there can be no doubt that he would have pursued such a course of argument as would tend to establish his innocence.
Before God - Greek: to God - τῷ Θεῷ tō Theō. He had lived to God, or with reference to his commands, so as to keep a conscience pure in his sight. The same principle of conduct he states more at length in Acts 24:16; “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men.”
Until this day - Including the time before his conversion to Christianity, and after. In both conditions he was conscientious; in one, conscientious in persecution and error, though he deemed it to be right; in the other, conscientious in the truth. The mere fact that a man is conscientious does not prove that he is right or innocent. See the note on John 16:2.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER XXIII.
Paul defending himself before the high priest, he commands him
to be smitten on the mouth, 1, 2.
Paul sharply reproves him, and, being reproved for this by one
of the attendants, accounts for his conduct, 3-5.
Seeing that the assembly was composed of Pharisees and
Sadducees, and that he could expect no justice from his judges,
he asserts that it was for his belief in the resurrection that
he was called in question, on which the Pharisees declare in
his favour, 6-9.
A great dissension arises, and the chief captain, fearing lest
Paul should be pulled to pieces, brings him into the castle,
10.
He is comforted by a dream, 11.
More than forty persons conspire his death, 12-15.
Paul's sister's son, hearing of it, informs the captain of the
guard, 16-22.
He sends Paul by night, under a strong escort of horse and
foot, to Caesarea, to Felix, and with him a letter, stating
the circumstances of the case, 23-33.
They arrive at Caesarea, and Felix promises him a hearing when
his accusers shall come down, 34, 35.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXIII.
Verse Acts 23:1. I have lived in all good conscience — Some people seem to have been unnecessarily stumbled with this expression. What does the apostle mean by it? Why, that, while he was a Jew, he was one from principle of conscience; that what he did, while he continued Jew, he did from the same principle; that, when God opened his eyes to see the nature of Christianity, he became a Christian, because God persuaded his conscience that it was right for him to become one; that, in a word, he was sincere through the whole course of his religious life, and his conduct had borne the most unequivocal proofs of it. The apostle means, therefore, that there was no part of his life in which he acted as a dishonest or hypocritical man; and that he was now as fully determined to maintain his profession of Christianity as he ever was to maintain that of Judaism, previously to his acquaintance with the Christian religion.
