Translation commentary on Acts 24:8

In Greek, this verse is a continuation of the sentence begun in verse 7 and is actually a dependent clause. The Good News Translation has changed the participle “having given orders” to a finite verb with the subject stated explicitly: Lysias gave orders. The expression gave orders or “ordered” may require direct discourse—for example, “Lysias ordered us, You must accuse Paul before Governor Felix.”

The expression learn from him implies that what Lysias would learn would be that the accusations made by Tertullus against Paul were true. Therefore one may translate as “you will learn from him that all these things we are accusing him of are true.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 24:8

24:8a

[ordering his accusers to come before you]: The pronoun his refers to Paul. The Jewish leaders accused Paul of starting riots (24:5). But Lysias sent Paul to Felix and told the Jewish leaders to go there for court.

24:8b

By examining him yourself, you will be able to learn the truth: Here Tertullus claimed that if Felix questioned Paul about the events, he would learn that the accusations against Paul were true. Other ways to translate this clause are:

If you question this man, you yourself will be able to learn from him (Good News Translation)
-or-
By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
When you cross-examine him, you’ll be able to find out from him (God’s Word)

24:8c

about all our charges against him: This phrase in Greek is literally “of what we accuse him.” For example:

about everything of which we accuse him (Revised Standard Version)

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