Acts 25:21 - But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.
But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, and Augustus is the name for the emperor. In fact, it is the Latin term for emperor.
Augustus, and in fact, the Greek word is SEVO. It means somebody who you show reverence towards. But Augustus is the Latin word for emperor.
I commanded him to be kept until I might send him to Caesar.
Acts 25:22 - Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.
Then king Agrippa said to Festus, I would also hear the man myself.
In the Greek text, it is the Imperfect Tense, and it shows that I have been continuously in the past wanting to hear the same guy. I've heard about him.
Acts 26:2 - I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
Paul says, I think myself happy, and right then and there you know that that's not what Paul said. The word happy is the word MAKARIOS. It is the same word used in the Sermon on the Mount for blessed is the one. It's the word for blessed or blessing.
But the Greek word MAKARIOS for blessing has nothing to do with human happiness. It literally means to experience the fullness of something. So, a blessed or happy person is someone who's satisfied. They're filled.
Acts 26:18 - To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
We have one of those little phrases again. It's by faith "into me." That is how it literally reads.
Acts 28:4 - And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
The word vengeance is HE DIKE, pronounced Hay-Dikay. It is the word for justice in Greek. It means the justice. HE DIKE is the name of the goddess of justice, the goddess of right and wrong.
So, what they're saying is HE DIKE is judging him, because the philosophy of the day, just like it is in our day unfortunately, is that bad things happen to bad people. You have to do something wrong to deserve such bad things. "A God of love would not allow you to suffer." And good things happen to good people!
Acts 28:7 - In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island. This is the governor of the island. His name is Publius. PUBLIUS means popular, and that is a title. I guess he named himself that. "Mr. popular!"
Acts 28:8 - And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
The phrase "bloody flux" is the word DUSENTERIA I the Greek and is where we get our word dysentery from.
Acts 28:2 - And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
So, it says in Verse 2, and the barbarous people, literally the barbarians, so all of a sudden you think of tribe people with spears. But the word barbarian is actually a word that is made up from the Greek language.
A barbarian to a Greek person is anybody that does not know Greek. Anybody that does not know Greek, they are barbarians because when they talk it sounds like they are saying "bar-bar."
In other words, nothing! So, to a Greek, a Hellenist, they would call non-Greek speaking people barbarians. That had nothing to do with their education or way of life. It was just a barbarous people.
Acts 28:3 - And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and basically what the Greek is saying is that he would go along and he would pick up all these sticks until it became a bundle, and he would put the bundle on the fire.
When Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand.
This viper is called ECHINDA, which means a small venomous snake. So, this viper came out of the heat. Some speculate that knowing what an ECHINDA looks like, that it looked like a stick.
With the cold weather going on, he was just "stiff," and Paul was picking up sticks. He can't see that well and he lays it in the fire. And of course, the heat woke it up. It would wake me up too!
Acts 27:17 - Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship;
Now it is interesting because BO ETHEO is the Greek word for helps, and in social life, that's what it means. It means to cry out for help. If you were in trouble and you cried out for help, it would be BO ETHEO. But when it is applied to ships, it means ropes.
So, when they put "helps" around the ship, it's the same word for ropes in nautical or navigational terms. And what they tried to do is put the ropes around the ship, underneath, and up above to try and hold the ship together so they wouldn't lose their cargo. That's the first thing they do when they're caught out in these storms.
And so, they used helps undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, they strake sail, and so were driven.
Acts 27:22 - And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
And now I exhort, or encourage you, to be of good cheer:
Yea right! What is this guy teaching, positive thinking? We been out there, it will be two weeks, in 150 to 160 miles per hour wind speeds, the ship is about torn apart and everybody thinks they're not going to live, and Paul says, "Cheer up!"
The word good cheer means have courage. Well, that is a nice pep talk to keep everybody in a good frame of mind, but it's not going to work! But he says, be of courage for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
Factual statement! Nobody onboard this ship is going to lose their life. We'll lose the ship but not loss of life.
Acts 26:24 - And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
"Beside thyself" is the Greek word maniac! Festus said, "Paul, you are a maniac," right in the middle of his testimony!
Acts 26:28 - Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuades me to be a Christian.
You've probably heard debates about this as to whether it's a question, "Are you trying to make me a Christian?" Or he's stopping him, saying, "You almost got me." Well, the word almost is not even "almost" close. In the Greek, it is literally OLIGOS which means a few or little. And it is associated not with time, but with words. So, Agrippa says to Paul, "With a few words, you are persuading me to be a Christian."
Acts 26:29 - And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
I would to God is an Optative Mood, which means it's a wish. I wish to God that not only you, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, that is, a little, and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.
Acts 27:14 - But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
The term "tempestuous" is where we get our word typhoon from. It is equivalent to our hurricane. It's called a typhonic wind. This was 150 to 160 miles an hour. EUROCLYDON actually means a north-easterner, the wind coming through.
They started sailing over and as soon as they got away, all of a sudden, this storm came up and they actually shipwrecked on Malta. And at that time, the storm will have raged for 14 days. So, you can imagine the scene they are up against.
They thought that because there was a soft wind and clear weather, that it was a sign that it was like approval for them. But as soon as they took off, all of a sudden, the winds came up. And the storm came up. A typhoon!
(Acts Part 56):
Acts 25:21 - But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar.
But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, and Augustus is the name for the emperor. In fact, it is the Latin term for emperor.
Augustus, and in fact, the Greek word is SEVO. It means somebody who you show reverence towards. But Augustus is the Latin word for emperor.
I commanded him to be kept until I might send him to Caesar.
Acts 25:22 - Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.
Then king Agrippa said to Festus, I would also hear the man myself.
In the Greek text, it is the Imperfect Tense, and it shows that I have been continuously in the past wanting to hear the same guy. I've heard about him.
Acts 26:2 - I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
Paul says, I think myself happy, and right then and there you know that that's not what Paul said. The word happy is the word MAKARIOS. It is the same word used in the Sermon on the Mount for blessed is the one. It's the word for blessed or blessing.
But the Greek word MAKARIOS for blessing has nothing to do with human happiness. It literally means to experience the fullness of something. So, a blessed or happy person is someone who's satisfied. They're filled.
Acts 26:18 - To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
We have one of those little phrases again. It's by faith "into me." That is how it literally reads.
Acts 28:4 - And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
The word vengeance is HE DIKE, pronounced Hay-Dikay. It is the word for justice in Greek. It means the justice. HE DIKE is the name of the goddess of justice, the goddess of right and wrong.
So, what they're saying is HE DIKE is judging him, because the philosophy of the day, just like it is in our day unfortunately, is that bad things happen to bad people. You have to do something wrong to deserve such bad things. "A God of love would not allow you to suffer." And good things happen to good people!
Acts 28:7 - In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island. This is the governor of the island. His name is Publius. PUBLIUS means popular, and that is a title. I guess he named himself that. "Mr. popular!"
Acts 28:8 - And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
The phrase "bloody flux" is the word DUSENTERIA I the Greek and is where we get our word dysentery from.
Acts 28:2 - And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
So, it says in Verse 2, and the barbarous people, literally the barbarians, so all of a sudden you think of tribe people with spears. But the word barbarian is actually a word that is made up from the Greek language.
A barbarian to a Greek person is anybody that does not know Greek. Anybody that does not know Greek, they are barbarians because when they talk it sounds like they are saying "bar-bar."
In other words, nothing! So, to a Greek, a Hellenist, they would call non-Greek speaking people barbarians. That had nothing to do with their education or way of life. It was just a barbarous people.
Acts 28:3 - And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and basically what the Greek is saying is that he would go along and he would pick up all these sticks until it became a bundle, and he would put the bundle on the fire.
When Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand.
This viper is called ECHINDA, which means a small venomous snake. So, this viper came out of the heat. Some speculate that knowing what an ECHINDA looks like, that it looked like a stick.
With the cold weather going on, he was just "stiff," and Paul was picking up sticks. He can't see that well and he lays it in the fire. And of course, the heat woke it up. It would wake me up too!
Acts 27:17 - Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship;
Now it is interesting because BO ETHEO is the Greek word for helps, and in social life, that's what it means. It means to cry out for help. If you were in trouble and you cried out for help, it would be BO ETHEO. But when it is applied to ships, it means ropes.
So, when they put "helps" around the ship, it's the same word for ropes in nautical or navigational terms. And what they tried to do is put the ropes around the ship, underneath, and up above to try and hold the ship together so they wouldn't lose their cargo. That's the first thing they do when they're caught out in these storms.
And so, they used helps undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, they strake sail, and so were driven.
Acts 27:22 - And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
And now I exhort, or encourage you, to be of good cheer:
Yea right! What is this guy teaching, positive thinking? We been out there, it will be two weeks, in 150 to 160 miles per hour wind speeds, the ship is about torn apart and everybody thinks they're not going to live, and Paul says, "Cheer up!"
The word good cheer means have courage. Well, that is a nice pep talk to keep everybody in a good frame of mind, but it's not going to work! But he says, be of courage for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
Factual statement! Nobody onboard this ship is going to lose their life. We'll lose the ship but not loss of life.
Acts 26:24 - And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
"Beside thyself" is the Greek word maniac! Festus said, "Paul, you are a maniac," right in the middle of his testimony!
Acts 26:28 - Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuades me to be a Christian.
You've probably heard debates about this as to whether it's a question, "Are you trying to make me a Christian?" Or he's stopping him, saying, "You almost got me." Well, the word almost is not even "almost" close. In the Greek, it is literally OLIGOS which means a few or little. And it is associated not with time, but with words. So, Agrippa says to Paul, "With a few words, you are persuading me to be a Christian."
Acts 26:29 - And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
I would to God is an Optative Mood, which means it's a wish. I wish to God that not only you, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, that is, a little, and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.
Acts 27:14 - But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
The term "tempestuous" is where we get our word typhoon from. It is equivalent to our hurricane. It's called a typhonic wind. This was 150 to 160 miles an hour. EUROCLYDON actually means a north-easterner, the wind coming through.
They started sailing over and as soon as they got away, all of a sudden, this storm came up and they actually shipwrecked on Malta. And at that time, the storm will have raged for 14 days. So, you can imagine the scene they are up against.
They thought that because there was a soft wind and clear weather, that it was a sign that it was like approval for them. But as soon as they took off, all of a sudden, the winds came up. And the storm came up. A typhoon!
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