The big picture
The Book of Acts, chapter 25, shows how little changes merely because the governor does. Festus inherits Paul's case almost immediately, along with a renewed attempt to move the prisoner toward an ambush. He keeps the hearing in Caesarea, where serious accusations again fail to produce proof. When Festus later proposes Jerusalem, Paul appeals to Caesar rather than accept another transfer. That appeal fixes the legal route toward Rome, but Festus still lacks a coherent charge to send with the prisoner. Agrippa's arrival creates another hearing, and the chapter ends with a striking contrast: great pomp surrounds a man whom Festus has found guilty of nothing worthy of death and about whom he admits he has no certain criminal accusation to write. The ceremonial audience is impressive; the case is not.
In this chapter
- The New Administration Inherits the Old Hostility Acts 25:1-5
Festus has been in the province only three days when Paul's case is placed before him in Jerusalem.
- Paul Appeals Rather Than Accept Another Transfer Acts 25:6-12
At Caesarea, the complaints are many and serious, but the Book of Acts adds the decisive qualification: the accusers cannot prove them.
- Festus Can Describe the Dispute Without Understanding Its Center Acts 25:13-22
Festus can summarize Paul's case to Agrippa, but his summary reveals how little he understands its center.
- The Impressive Audience Faces an Unimpressive Case Acts 25:23-27
Agrippa and Bernice enter with "great pomp," joined by military officers and leading citizens, while Paul is brought in by command as the prisoner.
Scripture beside the summary
Acts · King James Version · 27Acts 25:1-5
The New Administration Inherits the Old Hostility
Festus has been in the province only three days when Paul's case is placed before him in Jerusalem. Two years without a recorded conviction have not dissolved the hostility. The leaders ask for a favor: transfer Paul to Jerusalem. The Book of Acts immediately tells the reader what the request does not tell the governor, that an ambush is being planned along the road to kill the prisoner. The proposed change of venue is therefore not simply procedural preference. It is meant to create the opportunity for murder before another hearing can occur. Festus refuses the transfer and says Paul will remain in Caesarea, where capable representatives may come and accuse him if there is wickedness to charge. The Book of Acts does not say Festus knows about the ambush, so his refusal need not be turned into secret insight. Its practical effect is enough. The prisoner is protected because the new governor requires the accusation to travel to the court instead of moving the accused into the path prepared for him.
Deep dive
Only three days separate Festus's arrival in the province from his visit to Jerusalem. Paul's case quickly becomes an item placed before the new governor, although the two years under Felix have produced no recorded conviction. Delay has not dissolved the hostility.
The request for a change of location carries a purpose hidden from its official presentation: killing Paul on the road. Acts identifies the planned ambush directly. It is not necessary to assume that Festus knows it in order to understand why his refusal protects the prisoner.
His answer keeps Paul in Caesarea and requires capable representatives to travel there with their accusation. The condition concerns actual wrongdoing, not simply the strength of the demand against him. The episode repeats a pattern from chapter 23: a proposed movement toward a hearing conceals a plan to prevent the prisoner from reaching one. This time protection comes through the governor's stated arrangements rather than a reported warning from Paul's family.
Words to trace: Festus, Jerusalem, Paul, sarea, able, accuse
Verse-by-verse path
- Acts 25:1
“Come into the province” means took up his office. A new governor going up to Jerusalem within three days was sensible politics: the city was the heart of the nation he now ruled, and its leaders were the men he would have to manage.
- Acts 25:2
By now the high priest was probably Ishmael son of Phiabi, appointed by Agrippa II; Ananias of 23:2 had been replaced. The man at the top has changed and so has the governor, but the petition against Paul is the first thing put on the new man’s desk.
- Acts 25:3
“Favour” is charis, the same word as the “pleasure” Felix did the Jews in 24:27. The leaders ask the new governor for a gift at the start of his term. The ambush plan revives the plot of 23:15, two years on.
- Acts 25:4
“Kept” is the language of custody, held under guard. Festus gives a practical reason: he is about to return to Caesarea himself, and the prisoner is already there.
- Acts 25:5
“Which among you are able” may mean men of influence or simply those able to make the journey. “Wickedness” is atopon, literally out of place, anything amiss. The new governor speaks of the case in the mildest possible terms.
Acts 25:1-5
King James Version1Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Cæsarea to Jerusalem.
2Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him,
3And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.
4But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Cæsarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither.
5Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him.
Acts 25:6-12
Paul Appeals Rather Than Accept Another Transfer
At Caesarea, the complaints are many and serious, but the Book of Acts adds the decisive qualification: the accusers cannot prove them. Paul answers across the range of allegations by denying offense against Jewish law, the temple, or Caesar. Festus then asks whether he will go to Jerusalem for judgment, and the Book of Acts connects the proposal with the governor's desire to please the accusers. Paul refuses the transfer, insisting that he already stands at Caesar's judgment seat where he ought to be judged. His appeal is not a claim to immunity. He explicitly says that if he has done something worthy of death, he does not refuse death. What he rejects is being delivered over when the charges lack substance. After consultation, Festus accepts the appeal to Caesar. The Book of Acts now gives legal form to the Rome destination named earlier, but the road there will be the road of a prisoner, not that of a free traveler choosing his own itinerary.
Deep dive
The complaints are many and grave, but Acts expressly says they cannot be proved. Paul answers their range by denying offense against the Jewish law, the temple, and Caesar. Those three points keep the hearing from treating a religious dispute as an established crime against the imperial order.
Festus's proposal to hear the case at Jerusalem is connected with his wish to please the accusers. Paul insists that he already stands before the appropriate judgment seat and refuses to be handed over without a substantiated offense. His declaration includes willingness to die if he has committed a capital crime. The appeal is therefore not an assertion that his mission places him above every court.
After consultation, Festus accepts the appeal to Caesar. The destination Paul first named in chapter 19 now acquires a legal route, though not one involving unrestricted travel. Acts does not describe the appeal as trust in Caesar's spiritual authority or as a substitute for dependence on God. It is the action of a prisoner resisting an unjust transfer within the system presently holding him.
Words to trace: Jews, Paul, Festus, Jerusalem, judged, judgment
Verse-by-verse path
- Acts 25:6
Some manuscripts say he stayed “not more than eight or ten days”. The judgment seat is the bema, the raised tribunal from which a Roman magistrate gave formal decisions, and Festus sits on it the morning after his return.
- Acts 25:7
“Grievous” is barea, heavy. The Book of Acts does not list the charges, only that they surrounded him and could not prove them; the three denials of the next verse show what they were.
- Acts 25:8
Law, temple and Caesar. The third is new and the most dangerous, since an offence against Caesar was treason, maiestas, and could carry death. The emperor’s name enters the chapter here, three verses before Paul appeals to him.
- Acts 25:9
“To do the Jews a pleasure” repeats the phrase used of Felix in 24:27: a new governor with the old motive. “Before me” is meant to reassure, but it would put Paul back on the road where the ambush was waiting.
- Acts 25:10
The governor’s tribunal was Caesar’s by delegation, so Paul says he is already where he belongs. “As thou very well knowest” is literally “as you know better”, a blunt remark to a Roman magistrate that he knows the charges are empty.
- Acts 25:11
“Deliver me unto them” is charisasthai, to hand over as a favour, from the same root as the favour sought in verse 3. Paul refuses to be a present. In Greek the appeal is two words, Kaisara epikaloumai. The Caesar was Nero, still in the early, well regarded years of his reign.
- Acts 25:12
“The council” here is symboulion, Festus’s own panel of legal advisers, not the Sanhedrin. His reply turns Paul’s appeal into a question and then a sentence, both with Caesar in the place of emphasis.
Acts 25:6-12
King James Version6And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Cæsarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought.
7And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
8While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Cæsar, have I offended any thing at all.
9But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me?
10Then said Paul, I stand at Cæsar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest.
11For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Cæsar.
12Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Cæsar? unto Cæsar shalt thou go.
Acts 25:13-22
Festus Can Describe the Dispute Without Understanding Its Center
Festus can summarize Paul's case to Agrippa, but his summary reveals how little he understands its center. He expected accusations of the kind that fit ordinary criminal categories and instead encountered questions about religion and "one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive." The Book of Acts lets a Roman governor reduce the dispute to a sentence that is factually recognizable while still standing outside its meaning. For Paul, resurrection explains his hope and commission; for Festus, it is the puzzling reason the case will not settle into the shape he anticipated. The governor also presents himself as committed to Roman procedure, emphasizing an accused person's right to face accusers and answer charges. His account attributes the Jerusalem proposal to uncertainty, while the earlier passage also named his wish to please the accusers. Both facts remain in the Book of Acts. Agrippa's interest now creates an audience before someone Festus believes can help him understand what kind of matter he is actually sending to Caesar.
Deep dive
The governor presents the Roman principle of allowing an accused person to meet the accusers and answer the charge. His explanation to Agrippa emphasizes orderly procedure. As with Lysias's letter, the account allows an official to describe his own actions while the surrounding chapters supply the fuller sequence.
The accusations were not what Festus had expected. Instead he found questions about their religion and about Jesus, who had died and whom Paul declares alive. The formulation reduces the dispute to a point Festus can report but has not resolved. For Paul, resurrection is the ground of the commission; for the governor, it is the perplexing subject preventing an ordinary criminal case from taking shape.
Festus attributes his proposed Jerusalem hearing to uncertainty about such questions. Acts has already supplied his wish to please the accusers as another element. Neither account needs to be suppressed: the official explanation and the disclosed incentive are both present. Agrippa's desire to hear Paul leads to the next audience, which will give the prisoner space to explain precisely the resurrection hope Festus finds so difficult to classify.
Words to trace: certain, Festus, accusers, Agrippa, commanded, days
Verse-by-verse path
- Acts 25:13
This is Herod Agrippa II, son of the Agrippa who died in chapter 12, ruling lands north and east of Galilee with the right to appoint the high priest. Bernice was his sister and constant companion; gossip in Rome later made much of it, and she became the mistress of Titus.
- Acts 25:14
The case comes up almost casually during a long state visit. “Left in bonds by Felix” puts the responsibility on the previous governor: Festus presents Paul as a problem he inherited.
- Acts 25:15
“Judgment against him” is katadike, a sentence of condemnation. As Festus tells it, the leaders did not ask for a trial but for a verdict already decided.
- Acts 25:16
The principle that the accused must meet the accusers face to face and answer was a point of Roman pride, stated in Roman legal writings. “To deliver” uses the same favour verb Paul used in verse 11: Festus insists Rome does not hand men over as gifts.
- Acts 25:17
Festus stresses his promptness, sitting the very next day. Against Felix’s two years of delay it is a real difference, and Festus wants the king to notice it.
- Acts 25:18
He expected crimes, ponera in some manuscripts, the kind of evil acts a governor punishes. What came instead did not fit any of his categories.
- Acts 25:19
“Superstition” is deisidaimonia, the word behind Paul’s “too superstitious” at Athens (17:22). It could mean religion in a neutral sense, and Festus, speaking to a Jewish king, probably meant it that way. “One Jesus” is the phrase of a man who has never had to think about him.
- Acts 25:20
“Doubted” is aporeo, to be at a loss with no way through. It is the verb Luke used for the women at the empty tomb, “much perplexed thereabout” (Luke 24:4). The governor and the women are stuck on the same question.
- Acts 25:21
“Augustus” here is not the first emperor but a title, Sebastos in Greek, the revered one, held by every emperor; the reigning one was Nero. “Hearing” is diagnosis, a formal judicial decision.
- Acts 25:22
“I would also hear” is literally “I too was wanting to hear”, a wish of some standing. His great uncle Herod Antipas had long wanted to see Jesus (Luke 23:8), and got his wish in the same kind of setting.
Acts 25:13-22
King James Version13And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto Cæsarea to salute Festus.
14And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul’s cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix:
15About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.
16To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.
17Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth.
18Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed:
19But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
20And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters.
21But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Cæsar.
22Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.
Acts 25:23-27
The Impressive Audience Faces an Unimpressive Case
Agrippa and Bernice enter with "great pomp," joined by military officers and leading citizens, while Paul is brought in by command as the prisoner. The Book of Acts makes the visible difference in status impossible to miss and then quietly empties the spectacle of legal weight. Festus tells the assembled dignitaries that people have cried for Paul's death, but he himself has found nothing worthy of death. Because Paul has appealed to Augustus, he will be sent onward. The governor's problem is embarrassingly practical: he has no certain charge to put in writing. He hopes examination before Agrippa will give him something coherent to report. His final remark exposes the absurdity plainly. Sending a prisoner without specifying the crimes against him seems unreasonable. The elaborate gathering therefore exists around a gap in the case. The next chapter will give the bound man a long, organized defense before officials who still cannot state what criminal offense justifies the chains they see.
Deep dive
The entrance is marked by great pomp, and the gathering includes people of substantial rank. Paul enters by command as the prisoner. Acts establishes the visible difference in status without allowing the size of the audience to supply missing evidence against him.
Festus says he has found nothing worthy of death, but Paul's appeal means that he has determined to send him. The governor's immediate problem is written justification: he has no certain thing to report to his superior. The hearing is therefore not introduced as Agrippa receiving authority to reverse an existing conviction.
The closing observation is almost painfully practical. Sending a prisoner without specifying his crimes appears unreasonable even to the man preparing to send him. The whole ceremonial occasion has been arranged around that gap. The contrast gives Paul's next speech unusual force: the bound man will offer a coherent account of his hope and commission before officials who have still not produced a coherent criminal charge.
Words to trace: Agrippa, Festus, here, king, send, write
Verse-by-verse path
- Acts 25:23
“Pomp” is phantasia, show or display, from which “fantasy” comes. Five cohorts were stationed at Caesarea, so the chief captains were probably five tribunes. Agrippa’s father had died after appearing in royal splendour before the crowd in this same city (12:21–23).
- Acts 25:24
“Dealt with me” is entunchano, to petition. “All the multitude of the Jews” is a governor’s exaggeration; the cry that he ought not to live echoes the Jerusalem crowd of 22:22.
- Acts 25:25
“Nothing worthy of death” matches Pilate’s verdict on Jesus in Luke’s Gospel, repeated after Herod Antipas had examined him too (Luke 23:15). A Roman governor and a Herod face another innocent prisoner.
- Acts 25:26
“My lord” is kyrios. Augustus and Tiberius refused the title, but by Nero’s day it had become usual for the emperor. The word Paul uses for Jesus is here given to Caesar. “Examination” is anakrisis, a preliminary inquiry.
- Acts 25:27
A governor sending an appellant to Rome had to send a written report with him. “Unreasonable” is alogon, without logic. Festus has a prisoner, an appeal and a ship, and nothing to put in the letter.
Acts 25:23-27
King James Version23And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus’ commandment Paul was brought forth.
24And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.
25But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
26Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
27For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.
Questions to keep in mind while reading
- Track who acts, who speaks, who is affected, and what changes.
- Notice repeated promises, failures, rescues, and consequences.
- Do not assume the account approves every action that is reported.
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
Questions beneath the surface
- What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Acts 25?
- Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
- What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral lesson?
- Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?
Questions for serious personal contemplation
These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.
Observe without rushing
What part of Acts 25 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?
Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?
Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Acts 25 develops its own movement around Festus, Paul, Jerusalem, Jews, Agrippa?
What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?
Examine your inner life honestly
Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?
What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?
Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?
If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?
Respond with wisdom and courage
What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?
How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?
What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?
What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
