we accept it in all ways and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.
Parallel Translations
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we accept it in all ways and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.
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that alowe we ever and in all places most myghty Felix with all thankes.
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We acknowledge it wholy, and in all places most noble Felix, with all thankes,
Cross-references (3)
Passages linked to Acts 24:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Acts 23:26 “Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.
- Acts 26:25 But he said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.
- Luke 1:3 it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (8 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 3 We accept it always, and in all places,…
3 We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.
Ver. 3. We accept it always] So they say, the sooner to ingratiate; when in truth they worthily hated Felix for his oppression and cruelty. Nota hypocrisin cum assentatione, saith Beza. "In his estate shall stand up a vile person," Dan 11:21, that is, Antiochus Epiphanes. And yet Josephus reports that the Samaritans writing to him, because he tormented the Jews, to excuse themselves that they were no Jews, styled him, by flattery, Antiochus the mighty God. Romani, propter omnia quae a Nerone fiebant etiam scelera, quasi gratias agentes, sacra faciebant: such was their baseness, and such were these Jews.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain We accept it; we commend and admire it. It…
We accept it; we commend and admire it. It is most certain, that inferiors enjoy many benefits by the means of their governors, who bear the burden for the people, watching and caring for them; and that a bad government is better than none; and therefore not only Tertullus, (who may well be thought to speak out of flattery), but St. Paul himself, Act 24:10, speaks with great respect unto Felix.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain We accept it always, and in all places,.... The…
We accept it always, and in all places,.... The sense is, that the Jews observed with pleasure the provident care the governor took of their nation, and at all times spoke well of him; and wherever they came commended his conduct, and owned the favours they received from him, and the blessings they enjoyed under his government: and then giving him his title of honour,
most noble Felix; Tertullus adds, that this the Jews did
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with all thankfulness; as sensible of the obligations they were under to him; but this was all a farce, mere artifice, and wretched flattery.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. We accept it always, and in all…
Verse 3. We accept it always, and in all places] We have at all times a grateful sense of thy beneficent administration, and we talk of it in all places, not only before thy face, but behind thy back.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain We accept it always - We admit that it…
We accept it always - We admit that it is owing to your vigilance, and we accept your interposition to promote peace with gratitude.
Always, and in all places - Not merely in your presence, but we always acknowledge that it is owing to your vigilance that the land is secure. “What we now do in your presence, we do also in your absence; we do not commend you merely when you are present” (Wetstein).
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Most noble Felix - This was the title of office.
With all thankfulness - In this there was probably sincerity, for there was no doubt that the peace of Judea was owing to Felix. But at the same time that he was an energetic and vigilant governor, it was also true that he was proud, avaricious, and cruel. Josephus charges him with injustice and cruelty in the case of Jonathan, the high priest (Antiq., book 20, chapter 8, section 5), and Tacitus (History, book 5, chapter 9) and Suetonius (Life of Claudius, chapter 28) concur in the charge.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. we accept it always [Better, in all ways]…
3. we accept it always [Better, in all ways] and in all places] The word rendered “in all ways” is only found here in N. T. and does not mean “always.” Some would join “in all ways and in all places” with the former part of the sentence thus: “evils are corrected for this nation in all ways and in all places.” “We accept it” means “we acknowledge and are glad of it.”
most noble [R. V. excellent] Felix] The adjective is the same title which was given to Felix in the letter from Claudius Lysias, and which is afterwards given to Festus by St Paul (Act_26:25).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain In all ways for always, A.V.; excellent for noble,…
In all ways for always, A.V.; excellent for noble, A.V. Meyer connects in all ways and in all places with the preceding diorqwmatwn ginomenwn: "reforms and improvements that have taken place on all sides and in all places." Panth or panth, found only here in the New Testament, means "on all sides," "in every direction.
Most noble Felix;" or, the power of the flatterer.
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Felix was not noble at all. Tacitus says of him that "in the practice of all kinds of lust, crime, and cruelty, he exercised the power of a king with the temper of a slave." Tertullus had an end to gain, and adopted flattery as a means. He was a hired pleader, and selected for the sake of his glib eloquence. He could talk well. Men of his class were found in most of the provincial towns of the Roman empire, They were necessary because the local lawyers would not be sufficiently familiar with the proceedings at the Roman courts, or with the minute details of Roman law. Tertullus had "learned the trick of his class, and began with propitiating the judge by flattery." Canon Farrar says, "Tertullus was evidently a practiced speaker, and St. Luke has faithfully preserved an outline of his voluble plausibility. Speaking with polite complaisance, as though he were himself a Jew, he began by a fulsome compliment to Felix, which served as the usual captatio benevolentiae. Alluding to the early exertions of Felix against the banditti, and the recent suppression of the Egyptian false Messiah, he began to assure his excellency, with truly legal rotundity of verbiage, of the quite universal and uninterrupted gratitude of the Jews for the peace which he had secured to them, and for the many reforms which had been initiated by his prudential wisdom." The subject suggested for our consideration is this What are the limits of praise? How far may we go in conciliating othersby words of approval and congratulation? At once it may be answered that no praise may go beyond the truth or be out of harmony with the truth. But in practical life we have to remember that different persons have different estimates of personal character.
1. Some are incompetent to form sound judgment, and such persons give praise that is simply unsuitable, but is not spoken with any purpose of flattering.
2. Others are prejudiced, and can only see the evil sides of a man"s character and actions. Their estimates are wholly unworthy.
3. Others are just as blind to the evil and as prejudiced to the good, and their estimates, though seemingly flattering, are really only exaggerated and untrustworthy; they lack criticism, but are not insincere.
4. Yet others praise with some object which does not appear; they have an end to gain, and the praise is regarded simply as a means towards obtaining the end. These are the flatterers, and their characteristic is insincerity. The following points may be illustrated concerning the power of the flatterer:
I HIS MOTIVES. Always some personal end is in view. Usually the flatterer seeks to get something that is not in itself right. It is an agency to use when a man"s case is bad. If a man lacks arguments, he will flatter the judge. He means to throw him off his guard, and to get him into a favorable mind by praises.
II HIS AIDS IN THE PERSON FLATTERED. There is in us all, even in the best of men, a self-love that makes praise pleasant. If the flattery is kept well in hand and skillfully disguised, even noble natures, even humble natures, may be swayed by it. If the flattery is too open and intense, good men are put on their guard and resent the insult.
III THE MORAL MISCHIEF OF HIS WORK. Show the injury that is done to the flatterer himself, who is confirmed in his insincerity when he finds flattery succeed. A man may get into such a habit of flattering that he will lose the power to recognize the truth, and come to believe in his own exaggerations. Show the injury that is done to the person flattered, who may be led to form an undue estimate of himself, and so be placed in positions of extreme moral peril when the hour of temptation comes. If it is wrong for us to think of ourselves above that which we ought to think, it must be wholly wrong for any one to flatter us so that our self-opinion is unduly raised. Felix was really pushed a little nearer to his fall by. this flattery of Tertullus. For Scripture teachings concerning flattery, see Psa_36:2 Psa_78:36; Pro_2:16 Pro_20:19 Pro_26:28 Pro_29:5, etc. Press the apostolic counsel, "Speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another". R.T. (Eph_4:25)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain See notes on verse 2
See notes on verse 2
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.