Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Acts 26:25 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 25. 25But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Answers Festus with truth and sober words.
Madness, almost, and a case already locked by appeal
This verse is one part of that explanation in Acts 26:24–26:32. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Acts 26:24–26:32
Read Acts 26:25 with 26:24–26:32. In isolation, this contribution—answers Festus with truth and sober words—can be mistaken for the scene's whole claim, detached from its speaker or narrator, or separated from its outcome. The complete unit establishes: Festus calls Paul mad, Paul answers soberly and appeals to Agrippa's knowledge of public events and prophets, Agrippa resists the personal pressure, and the rulers agree Paul deserves neither death nor bonds though appeal now controls the case.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Answers Festus with truth and sober words. This precise contribution belongs inside “Festus, Agrippa, and Paul contest the meaning of the testimony” because Festus calls Paul mad, Paul answers soberly and appeals to Agrippa's knowledge of public events and prophets, Agrippa resists the personal pressure, and the rulers agree Paul deserves neither death nor bonds though appeal now controls the case.
What Remains True
Acts 26:25's particular contribution—answers Festus with truth and sober words—shows that faithful witness remains accountable to the verse's speaker, narrated setting, affected people, and the complete movement of Acts 26:24–26:32.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Acts 26:24–26:32 — Festus, Agrippa, and Paul contest the meaning of the testimonySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
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 26:24–26:32, 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 26:24-26:32
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 26:24-26:32
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 26:24–26:32
Open source ↗