Bible Strands
Acts 25:20
Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate these matters, I asked if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Festus speaks to King Agrippa and his sister, explaining his procedural dilemma after hearing the Jewish leaders' charges against Paul. He recounts asking Paul whether he would consent to travel to Jerusalem for trial.
The words — ἀποροῦμενος (aporoumenos) means "being perplexed" or "at a loss," describing Festus's inability to navigate the religious disputes. ζήτησιν (zētēsin) translates to "inquiry" or "investigation," referring to the legal and theological questions raised by the accusers.
The thread — Festus repeats his earlier proposal in Acts 25:9, where he offered Paul the same trial option to placate the Jewish leadership. The jurisdictional tension over religious disputes mirrors the pattern of Roman officials deferring to local customs in Acts 25:9.
Why it lands — The text records a Roman governor's procedural uncertainty regarding Jewish religious law. It requires the reader to observe how civil authority handles theological disputes without endorsing either side.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters.
Cross-references
- Acts 25:9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to stand trial before me on these charges?”