The Meaning of Acts 25:10 Explained

Acts 25:10

KJV: Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest.

YLT: and Paul said, 'At the tribunal of Caesar I am standing, where it behoveth me to be judged; to Jews I did no unrighteousness, as thou dost also very well know;

Darby: But Paul said, I am standing before the judgment-seat of Caesar, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou also very well knowest.

ASV: But Paul said, I am standing before Caesar's judgment-seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou also very well knowest.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  said  Paul,  I stand  at  Caesar's  judgment seat,  where  I  ought  to be judged:  to the Jews  have I done  no  wrong,  as  thou  very well  knowest. 

What does Acts 25:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 25:1-12 - Granting Appeal To Caesar
How inveterately must these Jews have hated Paul, when after two years they still thirsted for his blood! It would never have done for the trial to be transferred to Jerusalem, as the Jews had requested. If Paul had been brought thither, many plots might have been set on foot for the purpose of ending his life, especially if Festus proved as amenable to a bribe as had his predecessor. Festus was quite prepared to humor the Jews by granting such a transference, and there was no way of averting it other than Paul's availing himself of his right as a Roman citizen to be tried by the emperor himself.
The appeal was a great surprise. Festus himself was probably annoyed. It would not be agreeable to him to have his jurisdiction superseded on this the first occasion of holding a public inquiry. But there was no question that the appeal was admissible, and Festus had therefore no alternative. How strangely God was fulfilling His own word, So must thou bear witness also at Rome! Paul had always desired to visit the imperial city, to bear thither the message of the Cross; but he never expected to go under the safeguard of Roman soldiers and at Roman expense. "Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill" God fulfills His purposes. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 25

1  The Jews accuse Paul before Festus
8  He answers for himself,
11  and appeals unto Caesar
14  Afterwards Festus opens his matter to king Agrippa;
23  and he is brought forth
25  Festus clears him of having done anything worthy of death

Greek Commentary for Acts 25:10

I am standing before Caesar‘s judgment-seat [εστως επι του βηματος Καισαρος ειμι]
Periphrastic present perfect indicative Paul means to say that he is a Roman citizen before a Roman tribunal. Festus was the representative of Caesar and had no right to hand him over to a Jewish tribunal. Festus recognized this by saying to Paul “wilt thou” (τελεις — theleis). [source]
Where I ought to be judged [ου με δει κρινεσται]
Rather, “Where I must be judged,” for δει — dei expresses necessity (it is necessary). Paul exposes the conduct of Festus with merciless precision. As thou also very well knowest (ως και συ καλλιον επιγινωσκεις — hōs kai su kallion epiginōskeis). “As thou also dost understand (hast additional knowledge, επιγινωσκεις — epiginōskeis) better” (than thou art willing to admit). That this is Paul‘s meaning by the use of the comparative καλλιον — kallion (positive καλως — kalōs) is made plain by the confession of Festus to Agrippa in Acts 25:18. Paul says that Festus knows that he has done no wrong to the Jews at all (ουδεν ηδικηκα — ouden ēdikēka) and yet he is trying to turn him over to the wrath of the Jews in Jerusalem. [source]
As thou also very well knowest [ως και συ καλλιον επιγινωσκεις]
“As thou also dost understand (hast additional knowledge, επιγινωσκεις — epiginōskeis) better” (than thou art willing to admit). That this is Paul‘s meaning by the use of the comparative καλλιον — kallion (positive καλως — kalōs) is made plain by the confession of Festus to Agrippa in Acts 25:18. Paul says that Festus knows that he has done no wrong to the Jews at all (ουδεν ηδικηκα — ouden ēdikēka) and yet he is trying to turn him over to the wrath of the Jews in Jerusalem. [source]
Very well [κάλλιον]
The force of the comparative should be preserved: “thou knowest better than thy question implies.” [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 25:10

Acts 25:6 Sat on the judgment seat [κατισας επι του βηματος]
A legal formality to give weight to the decision. Ingressive aorist active participle. For this use of βημα — bēma for judgment seat, see Matthew 27:19, John 19:13, Acts 12:21, Acts 18:12, Acts 25:10. Same phrase repeated in Acts 25:17. To be brought (αχτηναι — achthēnai). First aorist passive infinitive of αγω — agō after εκελευσεν — ekeleusen (commanded). Same words repeated in Acts 25:17 by Festus. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 25:10 mean?

Said then - Paul Standing before the judgment seat of Caesar I am where me it behooves to be judged To [the] Jews nothing I have done wrong as also you very well know
Εἶπεν δὲ Παῦλος Ἑστὼς ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος Καίσαρος» εἰμι οὗ με δεῖ κρίνεσθαι Ἰουδαίους οὐδὲν ἠδίκησα ὡς καὶ σὺ κάλλιον ἐπιγινώσκεις

Εἶπεν  Said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Παῦλος  Paul 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Παῦλος  
Sense: Paul was the most famous of the apostles and wrote a good part of the NT, the 4 Pauline epistles.
Ἑστὼς  Standing 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἵστημι  
Sense: to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set.
ἐπὶ  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
βήματος  judgment  seat 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: βῆμα  
Sense: a step, pace, the space which a foot covers, a foot-breath.
Καίσαρος»  of  Caesar 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Καῖσαρ  
Sense: the surname of Julius Caesar, which adopted by Octavius Augustus and his successors afterwards became a title, and was appropriated by the Roman emperors as part of their title.
εἰμι  I  am 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
οὗ  where 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὗ  
Sense: where.
με  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
δεῖ  it  behooves 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: δεῖ  
Sense: it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper.
κρίνεσθαι  to  be  judged 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Root: κρίνω  
Sense: to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose.
Ἰουδαίους  To  [the]  Jews 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: Ἰουδαῖος  
Sense: Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race.
οὐδὲν  nothing 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: οὐδείς 
Sense: no one, nothing.
ἠδίκησα  I  have  done  wrong 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἀδικέω  
Sense: absolutely.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
κάλλιον  very  well 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular, Comparative
Root: καλός  
Sense: better.
ἐπιγινώσκεις  know 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιγινώσκω  
Sense: to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly.