the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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King James Version
Acts 23:5
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Paul took a deep breath and then said, "I didn't know he was the high priest. He sure doesn't act like one. But that doesn't matter. The Good Book says to treat your rulers with respect."
And Paul said, "I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.'"
And Paul said, "I was not aware, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
And Paul said, Brother, I had no idea that he was the high priest: for it has been said, You may not say evil about the ruler of your people.
And Paul said, I was not conscious, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evilly of the ruler of thy people.
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.' " Exodus 22:28">[fn]
"I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest," replied Paul. "For it is written, You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people. "
Paul said, "I didn't know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Then said Paul, I was not aware, brethren, that it was the high priest; for it is written, Thou shalt not revile the ruler of thy people.
"I did not know, brethren," replied Paul, "that he was the High Priest; for it is written, `Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of Thy people.'"
Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that hee was the high Prist: For it is written, Thou shalt not speake euill of the ruler of thy people.
And Paul said, Brothers, I did not know that he is high priest; for it has been written, "You shall not speak evil" "of a ruler of your people." Ex. 22:28
And Paul sayde: Brethre, I wyst not that he was the hye prest. For it is wrytte: The ruler of thy people shalt thou not curse.
Paul replied, I did not consider, brethren, that he was the high priest. it is indeed written , "thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people."
Paul acted surprised. "How was I to know he was Chief Priest? He doesn't act like a Chief Priest. You're right, the Scripture does say, ‘Don't speak abusively to a ruler of the people.' Sorry."
Paul said, "I was not aware, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.'"
And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.
And 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.'"
Then sayd Paul: I wist not brethren that he was the hye preste. For it is writte thou shalt not curse the rular of thy people.
And Paul said, I didn't know, brothers, that he was high priest: for it is written, You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.
Then said Paul, I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.
and Paul said, `I did not know, brethren, that he is chief priest: for it hath been written, Of the ruler of thy people thou shalt not speak evil;'
Paul said, "Brothers, I did not know this man was the high priest. It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must not curse a leader of your people.'"
Paul replied, "I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘ You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people .'"
"Brothers," Paul replied, "I was not aware that he was the high priest, for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'"
Paul replied, "Oh! I didn't know he was the high priest. The Scriptures do tell us not to speak evil about a leader of our people."
Sha'ul said, "I didn't know, brothers, that he was the cohen hagadol; for it says in the Torah, ‘ You are not to speak disparagingly of a ruler of your people .'"
And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Then sayd Paul, I knewe not, brethren, that he was the hie Priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speake euill of the ruler of thy people.
Then Paul said to them, Brothers, I did not know that he was a high priest: for it is written, You shall not revile the ruler of your people.
Sha'ul said, "I didn't know, brothers, that he was Kohen Gadol. For it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Paul answered, "I didn't realize, brothers, that he is the high priest. After all, it is written, 'You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.'"Exodus 22:28">[fn]Exodus 22:28; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Acts 24:17; 2 Peter 2:10; Jude 1:8;">[xr]
Paulos said to them, I knew not, my brethren, that he is the priest; for it is written, Of the chief of thy people thou shalt not speak evil.
Paul said to them: I was not aware, my brethren, that he was the priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people.
"I'm sorry, brothers. I didn't realize he was the high priest," Paul replied, "for the Scriptures say, ‘You must not speak evil of any of your rulers.'"
Paul said, "Brother Jews, I did not know that he was God's head religious leader. I know the Holy Writings say, ‘You must not speak against the leader of your people.'"
And Paul said, I wist not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.
And Paul said, "I did not realize, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a leader of your people.'"
And Paul said - I was not aware, brethren, that he was high-priest; because it is written - Of a ruler of thy people, shalt thou not speak injuriously.
And Paul said: I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of the prince of thy people.
And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Then sayde Paul: I wyst not brethren, that he was the hye priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people.
Paul said, "Brothers, I did not know this man was the high priest. The Scriptures say, ‘You must not say bad things about a leader of your people.'"
And Paul said, "I was not aware, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: 'YOU SHALL NOT SPEAK EVIL OF A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE.'"
Paul answered, "My fellow Israelites, I did not know that he was the High Priest. The scripture says, ‘You must not speak evil of the ruler of your people.'"
And Poul seide, Britheren, Y wiste not, that he is prince of preestis; for it is writun, Thou schalt not curse the prince of thi puple.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
I wist: Soon after the holding of the first council at Jerusalem, Ananias, son of Nebedenus, was deprived of the high priest's office, for certain acts of violence, and sent to Rome, whence he was afterwards released, and returned to Jerusalem. Between the death of Jonathan, who succeeded him and was murdered by Felix, and the high priesthood of Ismael, who was invested with that office by Agrippa, an interval elapsed in which this dignity was vacant. This was the precise time when Paul was apprehended; and the Sanhedrin being destitute of a president, Ananias undertook to discharge the office. It is probable that Paul was ignorant of this circumstance. Acts 24:17
Thou: Exodus 22:28, Ecclesiastes 10:20, 2 Peter 2:10, Jude 1:8, Jude 1:9
Reciprocal: Exodus 34:29 - wist 2 Samuel 15:3 - there is 2 Samuel 16:9 - curse 2 Samuel 19:6 - thou regardest Job 34:18 - General Psalms 138:1 - before John 18:22 - Answerest Titus 3:2 - speak
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest,.... Or I did not know that he was the high priest; and the sense is, that he did not really know him, either because he had been long absent from Jerusalem; and besides there were new high priests made, sometimes every year, and sometimes oftener, that it is no wonder he should not know him; or because he might not sit in his usual place; or chiefly because he was not, in his habit, an high priest; for the priests, both the high priest, and the common priests, only wore their priestly robes, when they ministered in their office, and at other times they wore other clothes, as laymen did, according to Ezekiel 44:19 which the Targum paraphrases thus;
"when they (the priests) shall go out of the holy court into the outer court, to be mixed with the people, they shall put off their garments in which they ministered, and lay them up in the holy chamber, and shall clothe themselves with other garments, that they may not be mingled with the people, בלבושיהון, "in their garments".''
For as soon as they had performed their office, there were servants that attended them, who stripped them of their robes, and laid them up in chests which were in the temple r till they came to service again, and put them on common garments; for they might not appear among the common people in their priestly garments; which when they were off of them, they were, as Maimonides says s, כזרים, "as strangers", or as laymen, like the rest of the people; for which reason Paul might not know Ananias to be the high priest: and this points to another sense of these words; for it was a rule with the Jews t, that
"at the time the priests' garments were upon them, their priesthood was upon them, but when their garments were not on them, אין כהונתם עליהן, "there was no priesthood upon them"; for lo, they were as strangers.''
And then the sense is, Ananias not being in the discharge of his office, nor in his habit, the apostle did not know, or own him as an high priest, or consider him as in such a station; or rather, since the priesthood was changed, and there was no other high priest of God but Jesus Christ, he did not own him as one; had he, he should not have spoke to him in the manner he did. Moreover, if this was Ananias, the son of Nebedaeus, as is the opinion of many, he had no right to the office of the priesthood when he was first made an high priest; after which he was sent a prisoner to Rome; during which time several succeeded in the priesthood; and at this time not he, though he had got the management of affairs in his hands, was high priest, but Jesus the son of Gamaliel; so that the apostle's sense might be, he did not own or acknowledge him high priest. Some take the apostle's words in an ironical sense; he an high priest, I should not have known him to be an high priest, he looks and acts more like a furioso, a madman, an unjust judge, and a tyrant, than an high priest, who ought to behave in another guise manner. But what follows shows rather that the apostle spoke seriously, unless the words can be thought to be a citation made by Luke,
for it is written, in Exodus 22:28 "thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people"; which the Jewish writers generally understand of the head of the great sanhedrim, as Ananias might be, or of a king u.
r Misna Tamid c. 5. sect. 3. & Bartenora in ib. s Hilchot Cele Hamikdash, c. 10. sect. 4. t Maimon. Hilchot Cele Hamikdash, c. 10. sect. 4. u Maimon. Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 26. sect. 1. & Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Torn, pr. neg. 209.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Then said Paul, I wist not - I know not; I was ignorant of the fact that he was high priest. Interpreters have been greatly divided on the meaning of this expression. Some have supposed that Paul said it in irony, as if he had said, “Pardon me, brethren, I did not consider that this was the high priest. It did not occur to me that a man who could conduct thus could be God’s highest. Others have thought (as Grotius) that Paul used these words for the purpose of mitigating their wrath, and as an acknowledgment that he had spoken hastily, and that it was contrary to his usual habit, which was not to speak evil of the ruler of the people. As if he had said, “I acknowledge my error and my haste. I did not consider that I was addressing him whom God had commanded me to respect.” But this interpretation is not probable, for Paul evidently did not intend to retract what he had said.
Dr. Doddridge renders it, “I was not aware, brethren, that it was the high priest,” and regards it as an apology for having spoken in haste. But the obvious reply to this interpretation is, that if Ananias was the high priest, Paul could not but be aware of it. Of so material a point it is hardly possible that he could be ignorant. Others suppose that, as Paul had been long absent from Jerusalem, and had not known the changes which had occurred there, he was a stranger to the person of the high priest. Others suppose that Ananias did not occupy the usual seat which was appropriated to the high priest, and that he was not clothed in the usual robes of office, and that Paul did not recognize him as the high priest. But it is wholly improbable that on such an occasion the high priest, who was the presiding officer in the Sanhedrin, should not be known to the accused. The true interpretation, therefore, I suppose, is what is derived from the fact that Ananias was not then properly the high priest; that there was a vacancy in the office, and that he presided by courtesy, or in virtue of his having been formerly invested with that office.
The meaning then will be: “I do not regard or acknowledge him as the high priest, or address him as such, since that is not his true character. Had he been truly the high priest, even if he had thus been guilty of manifest injustice, I would not have used the language which I did. The office, if not the man, would have claimed respect. But as he is not truly and properly clothed with that office, and as he was guilty of manifest injustice, I did not believe that he was to be shielded in his injustice by the Law which commands me to show respect to the proper ruler of the people.” If this be the true interpretation, it shows that Luke, in this account, accords entirely with the truth of history. The character of Ananias as given by Josephus, the facts which he has stated in regard to him, all accord with the account here given, and show that the writer of the “Acts of the Apostles” was acquainted with the history of that time, and has correctly stated it.
For it is written - Exodus 22:28. Paul adduces this to show that it was his purpose to observe the Law; that he would not intentionally violate it; and that, if he had known Ananias to be high priest, he would have been restrained by his regard for the Law from using the language which he did.
Of the ruler of thy people - This passage had not any special reference to the high priest, but it inculcated the general spirit of respect for those in office, whatever that office was. As the office of high priest was one of importance and authority, Paul declares here that he would not be guilty of showing disrespect for it, or of using reproachful language in regard to it.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Acts 23:5. I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest — After all the learned labour that has been spent on this subject, the simple meaning appears plainly to be this:-
St. Paul did not know that Ananias was high priest; he had been long absent from Jerusalem; political changes were frequent; the high priesthood was no longer in succession, and was frequently bought and sold; the Romans put down one high priest, and raised up another, as political reasons dictated. As the person of Ananias might have been wholly unknown to him, as the hearing was very sudden, and there was scarcely any time to consult the formalities of justice, it seems very probable that St. Paul, if he ever had known the person of Ananias, had forgotten him; and as, in a council or meeting of this kind, the presence of the high priest was not indispensably necessary, he did not know that the person who presided was not the sagan, or high priest's deputy, or some other person put in the seat for the time being. I therefore understand the words above in their most obvious and literal sense. He knew not who the person was, and God's Spirit suddenly led him to denounce the Divine displeasure against him.
Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people. — If I had known he was the high priest, I should not have publicly pronounced this execration; for respect is due to his person for the sake of his office. I do not see that Paul intimates that he had done any thing through inadvertence; nor does he here confess any fault; he states two facts:-
1. That he did not know him to be the high priest.
2. That such a one, or any ruler of the people, should be reverenced. But he neither recalled or made an apology for his words: he had not committed a trespass, and he did not acknowledge one. We must beware how we attribute either to him in the case before us.
