Section 109 of 13023:12–23:22Acts

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King James VersionActs 23:12–23:22

And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.

So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.

But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.

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.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Acts 23:12–23:22

A murder oath is exposed through Paul's nephew

A hunger oath to kill is overheard by a sister's son

More than forty men bind themselves under a curse neither to eat nor drink until they have killed Paul. They ask chief priests and elders to have the tribune bring Paul down as if for a fuller inquiry, so they can ambush him. Paul's sister's son hears of the lying in wait, enters the barracks, and tells Paul. Paul has a centurion take the young man to the tribune, who hears the plot privately and sends the informant away charged to tell no one that he has disclosed this.

The conspirators and any cooperating leaders are particular actors. A religious oath does not sanctify murder. A younger, less powerful relative becomes the decisive agent. The scene is not a verdict on a people.

How this should shape us

Take a murder plot seriously. Listen to younger and less powerful informants, move the report through a secure channel, and do not turn one conspiracy into a verdict on a people.

Teach it back

Explain Acts 23:12–23:22 in your own words, naming its movement, speaker or narrator role, one source-controlled detail, one uncertainty, one affected person, and one conclusion the passage does not authorize.

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The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.

Acts 23:12–23:22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.

SBLGNT official text, Acts 23:12-23:22

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for words explicitly discussed in this unit.

STEP Bible Data, TAGNT rows for Acts 23:12-23:22

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts

Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, geography, chronology, and historical notes actually printed for the unit.

NET Bible First Edition Acts PDF, printed pp. 2104-2205, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 23:12–23:22

Acts of the Apostles Course and Study Guides

Supports: Introductory critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, with contested judgments retained as interpretations.

Yale Bible Study Acts course, course unit 'The Defense of the Gospel,' Acts 21-23 study guide

The Acts of the Apostles

Supports: One complete confessional commentary reading, independently checked against the text and critical controls.

Thompson, online Acts commentary, heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Acts 23:12–23:22

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Supports: Abstract-supported control for Jewish continuity and Gentile inclusion in Acts 23:12–23:22, not a settlement of every conflict scene.

Smith, JTS 72.2 (2021), pp. 738-765, official abstract and bibliographic record

The Provincial Contexts of Paul's Imprisonments: Law Enforcement and Criminal Procedure in the Roman East

Supports: Roman law-enforcement comparison with explicit local variation and limits on reconstructing procedure.

Brelaz, JSNT 43.4 (2021), complete open HTML, section 1 and the named provincial, custody, citizenship, hearing, or conclusion paragraphs bearing on Acts 23:12–23:22

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and unit coverage.

Exact location: Acts 23:12–23:22, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control, without pretending one edition is a complete apparatus.

Exact location: SBLGNT official text, Acts 23:12-23:22

Open the Acts Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for words explicitly discussed in this unit.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data, TAGNT rows for Acts 23:12-23:22

Open source ↗

open translation and translator notes

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2006

Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, geography, chronology, and historical notes actually printed for the unit.

Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Acts PDF, printed pp. 2104-2205, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 23:12–23:22

Open source ↗

open university bible study course

Acts of the Apostles Course and Study Guides

Yale Divinity School faculty

Yale Bible Study, 2019

Supports: Introductory critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, with contested judgments retained as interpretations.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study Acts course, course unit 'The Defense of the Gospel,' Acts 21-23 study guide

Open source ↗

open confessional commentary

The Acts of the Apostles

Alan J. Thompson

The Gospel Coalition, 2023

Supports: One complete confessional commentary reading, independently checked against the text and critical controls.

Exact location: Thompson, online Acts commentary, heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Acts 23:12–23:22

Open source ↗

peer reviewed article abstract and metadata

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Joshua Paul Smith

The Journal of Theological Studies 72.2, 2021

Supports: Abstract-supported control for Jewish continuity and Gentile inclusion in Acts 23:12–23:22, not a settlement of every conflict scene.

Exact location: Smith, JTS 72.2 (2021), pp. 738-765, official abstract and bibliographic record

Open source ↗

peer reviewed open access scholarly article

The Provincial Contexts of Paul's Imprisonments: Law Enforcement and Criminal Procedure in the Roman East

Cedric Brelaz

Journal for the Study of the New Testament 43.4, 2021

Supports: Roman law-enforcement comparison with explicit local variation and limits on reconstructing procedure.

Exact location: Brelaz, JSNT 43.4 (2021), complete open HTML, section 1 and the named provincial, custody, citizenship, hearing, or conclusion paragraphs bearing on Acts 23:12–23:22

Open source ↗

Acts 23:12–23:22, King James Version

A hunger oath to kill is overheard by a sister's son

How this should shape us

Teach it back

Go deeper

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

STEP Bible Data

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Acts

Acts of the Apostles Course and Study Guides

The Acts of the Apostles

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

The Provincial Contexts of Paul's Imprisonments: Law Enforcement and Criminal Procedure in the Roman East