Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

22:30 unbound him. Since v. 29 implies Paul was already unbound, the tribune's unbinding him in v. 30 may mean he took him out of confinement.

23:3 Paul, like Jesus, used the metaphor of whitewash for hypocrisy (see Matt. 23:27). Ananias was a particularly bad high priest. For the illegality of Ananias's action, see Lev. 19:15.

23:5 It is quite possible that Paul did not know the high priest, since he had been absent from Jerusalem for many years. Other options for understanding this verse include appeals to poor eyesight for Paul, or that he did not realize the act came at the high priest's command.

23:8 The Pharisees believed in angels and spirits and in a future resurrection, though they did not accept Jesus' resurrection; the Sadducees rejected the very idea of a resurrection as well as belief in angels and spirits. Consistent with this, the Pharisees granted that a spirit or angel might have visited Paul (v. 9), while the Sadducees rejected this possibility altogether. For more on the difference between the Pharisees and Sadducees, see article on Jewish Groups at the Time of the New Testament.

23:11 Paul's testimony to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem was an especially significant fulfillment of the prophecy about his life in 9:15.