I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, reveals a surprising impartiality here. While he understood the accusations were about Jewish religious disputes, he clearly distinguished between those internal debates and any crime deserving Roman punishment. His official assessment is that Paul is innocent of anything worthy of death or imprisonment by Roman law.
I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, is writing a letter to Governor Felix to explain why he sent Paul to Caesarea. After rescuing Paul from a violent mob in Jerusalem, Lysias discovered that the accusations against Paul were essentially internal Jewish disputes about their law, particularly concerning the resurrection, and not crimes punishable by Roman law. He's sending Paul to Felix so the governor can hear the case properly and to protect Paul from the Jewish leaders' plot to kill him.
Paul was being accused by his own people. What was it all about, and why did it seem so trivial to an outsider?
When the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, investigated the uproar, he realized the charges against Paul stemmed from internal Jewish disputes.
Religious Squabbles
He understood that the core of the accusations involved 'questions of their law.' This points to theological debates within Judaism, likely concerning the resurrection of the dead and the identity of Jesus – specifically, whether he was the Christ.
Roman Law vs. Jewish Law
To Lysias, a Roman official, these were 'idle and foolish questions,' as he put it. He was concerned with crimes against the Roman state, not with disagreements over religious doctrine that were internal to Judaism. He saw no threat to Roman peace or order.
Despite the intense accusations and near-death experience, a Roman commander found Paul legally innocent. What does this tell us about God's protection?
Claudius Lysias, though a Gentile and likely not understanding the theological nuances, delivered a clear verdict based on Roman legal standards.
No Capital Crime
He explicitly states that Paul was charged with 'nothing deserving death or imprisonment.' This means that whatever the Jews accused Paul of, it did not constitute a crime punishable by the Roman authorities.
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Divine Providence at Work
This declaration of innocence from a non-believer is a testament to God's sovereign hand. Even when surrounded by hostility and false accusations, God raised up an instrument, the Roman captain, to protect His servant and declare his innocence according to the prevailing law of the land.
Understand the original words
nomos · Greek Noun
Refers to the Mosaic Law or the body of Jewish religious, moral, and civil regulations that defined the life and identity of the Jewish people.
The Roman commander's assessment highlights a key tension: the deep theological disputes within Judaism that were baffling to Roman authorities, who only recognized crimes against Roman law as worthy of severe punishment.
c. AD 57— this verse
Paul's Arrest in Jerusalem
A mob attacks Paul in the Temple, and the Roman commander Claudius Lysias intervenes, rescuing Paul to prevent his death.
c. AD 57
Lysias's Letter to Felix
The Roman commander sends Paul to Governor Felix in Caesarea, along with a letter explaining the situation and asserting Paul's innocence of Roman capital crimes.
c. AD 57
Jewish Leaders Accuse Paul
The Jewish Sanhedrin, along with accusers, present their case against Paul to Governor Felix in Caesarea, but their charges are vague and unsubstantiated.
c. AD 59
Felix's Recall to Rome
Governor Felix is recalled to Rome to face accusations of corruption, leaving Paul imprisoned. He leaves Paul behind, hoping to curry favor with the Jewish leaders.
c. AD 59-60
Paul appeals to Caesar
When Governor Festus replaces Felix, Paul, facing continued Jewish hostility and uncertain justice, appeals his case to Emperor Nero in Rome.
This verse highlights Pilate's famous question to Jesus, 'What is truth?', showing a similar Roman perspective that struggles to grasp the spiritual or theological 'questions' at the heart of Jewish accusations.
Acts 18:15This passage describes Gallio's dismissal of a similar dispute between Jews and Paul, stating he would not judge 'questions about words and names and your own law,' paralleling the Roman official's inability or unwillingness to delve into intricate religious matters.
Acts 25:19Here, the Jewish accusers present their case against Paul to Festus, mentioning 'certain questions about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive,' which echoes the 'questions of their law' mentioned in Acts 23:29.
Deuteronomy 17:8-10This Old Testament passage outlines a process for dealing with difficult legal and religious disputes, showing that while the Romans saw these as trivial 'questions,' they were matters of profound importance and divine law to the Israelites.
ellicottActs 23:29: "Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds."
(29) Accused of questions of their law. —The points which probably presented themselves to the chiliarch’s mind as the result of his inquiries were—(1) that the prisoner was accused of transgressing the rules of the Temple; (2) that the question at issue seemed to be whether he had seen a teacher named Jesus risen from the dead; (3) whether that teacher was…
gillActs 23:29: "Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds."
Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law,.... As about the resurrection of the dead, and a future state, which some in the council denied, and some asserted, which with this heathen man were idle and foolish questions; or about the defiling of the temple, and speaking contemptibly of the law of Moses, the people of the Jews, and the holy pla…
The Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, reveals a surprising impartiality here. While he understood the accusations were about Jewish religious disputes, he clearly distinguished between those internal debates and any crime deserving Roman punishment. His official assessment is that Paul is innocent of anything worthy of death or imprisonment by Roman law.
The Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, is writing a letter to Governor Felix to explain why he sent Paul to Caesarea. After rescuing Paul from a violent mob in Jerusalem, Lysias discovered that the accusations against Paul were essentially internal Jewish disputes about their law, particularly concerning the resurrection, and not crimes punishable by Roman law. He's sending Paul to Felix so the governor can hear the case properly and to protect Paul from the Jewish leaders' plot to kill him.
The Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, is writing a letter to Governor Felix to explain why he sent Paul to Caesarea. After rescuing Paul from a violent mob in Jerusalem, Lysias discovered that the accusations against Paul were essentially internal Jewish disputes about their law, particularly concerning the resurrection, and not crimes punishable by Roman law. He's sending Paul to Felix so the governor can hear the case properly and to protect Paul from the Jewish leaders' plot to kill him.
"I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment." — The Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, reveals a surprising impartiality here. While he understood the accusations were about Jewish religious disputes, he clearly distinguished between those internal…
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Last reviewed October 2026