Paragraph 25:10–11
25:10a
Paul answered respectfully here but he may have implied a rebuke in 25:10c.
replied: The Greek word is literally “said.” But Paul answered the question of Festus, so many English versions translate the Greek verb as replied.
I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar: The phrase am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar is emphasized in the Greek clause. Paul emphasized the fact that he was in a Roman court and therefore should not be put under the control of the Jews in any way. He even did not want a place favorable for the Jews to sway Festus as judge. If possible, emphasize the phrase in your translation. For example:
It is Caesar’s court that I am now standing in/before
-or-
I am now standing before Caesar’s court (New International Version)
-or-
This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. (New Living Translation (2004))
the judgment seat of Caesar: This phrase indicates that the judge in this court was there by the authority of Caesar, leader of the Romans. It was a court of Roman law. Caesar himself was not there. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
the official Roman court (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the judge appointed by Caesar
25:10b
where I ought to be tried: This clause in Greek is literally “where it is necessary for me to be judged.” Paul said here that it was right or proper for a Roman judge such as Festus to judge him. Other ways to translate this clause are:
where it is required that I be tried/judged
-or-
where it is only proper for me to stand trial ⌊for these accusations⌋
25:10c
I have done nothing wrong to the Jews: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as done…wrong refers to doing something unjust or not righteous.
If, for example, you translate “righteous” as “upright,” you may want to translate this clause as:
I have not done anything to the Jews that is not upright
© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.