SEV Biblia, Chapter 25:11
Porque si alguna injuria, o cosa alguna digna de muerte he hecho, no rehuso morir; mas si nada hay de las cosas de que stos me acusan, nadie puede darme a ellos. A Csar apelo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 25:11
Verse 11. For if I be an offender] If it can be proved that I have broken the laws, so as to expose me to capital punishment, I do not wish to save my life by subterfuges; I am before the only competent tribunal; here my business should be ultimately decided. No man may deliver me unto them] The words of the apostle are very strong and appropriate. The Jews asked as a favour, carin, from Festus, that he would send Paul to Jerusalem, ver. 3. Festus, willing to do the Jews carin, this favour, asked Paul if he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged, ver. 9. Paul says, I have done nothing amiss, either against the Jews or against Caesar; therefore no man me dunatai autoiv carisasqai, can make a PRESENT of me to them; that is, favour them so far as to put my life into their hands, and thus gratify them by my death.
Festus, in his address to Agrippa, ver. 16, admits this, and uses the same form of speech: It is not the custom of the Romans, carizesqai, gratuitously to give up any one, &c. Much of the beauty of this passage is lost by not attending to the original words. See on ver. 16.
I appeal unto Caesar.] A freeman of Rome, who had been tried for a crime, and sentence passed on him, had a right to appeal to the emperor, if he conceived the sentence to be unjust; but, even before the sentence was pronounced, he had the privilege of an appeal, in criminal cases, if he conceived that the judge was doing any thing contrary to the laws. ANTE sententiam appellari potest in criminali negotio, si judex contra leges hoc faciat.-GROTIUS.
An appeal to the emperor was highly respected. The Julian law condemned those magistrates, and others having authority, as violaters of the public peace, who had put to death, tortured, scourged, imprisoned, or condemned any Roman citizen who had appealed to Caesar. Lege Julia de vi publica damnatur, qui aliqua potestate praeditus, Civem Romanum ad Imperatorem appellantem necarit, necarive jusserit, torserit, verberauerit, condemnaverit, in publica vincula duci jusserit. Pauli Recept. Sent. lib. v. t.
26.
This law was so very sacred and imperative, that, in the persecution under Trajan, Pliny would not attempt to put to death Roman citizens who were proved to have turned Christians; hence, in his letter to Trajan, lib. x. Ep.
97, he says, Fuerunt alii similis amentiae, quos, quia cives Romani erant, annotavi in urbem remittendos. 'There were others guilty of similar folly, whom, finding them to be Roman citizens, I have determined to send to the city." Very likely these had appealed to Caesar.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 11. For if I be an offender , etc.] Against the law of Moses, or the temple at Jerusalem, or Caesar the Roman emperor: or have committed anything worthy of death ; by the laws of the Romans, as sedition, murder, etc. I refuse not to die ; signifying that he did not decline going to Jerusalem, either through any consciousness of guilt, or fear of death; for if anything could be proved against him, that was of a capital nature, he did not desire to escape death; he was ready to die for it; this was no subterfuge, or shift, to evade or defer justice: but if there be none of these things ; to be found, or proved, and made to appear: whereof these accuse me ; pointing to the Jews, that came down to be his accusers, and had laid many and grievous charges against him: no man may deliver me unto them ; not justly, or according to the Roman laws; suggesting that Festus himself could not do it legally; I appeal unto Caesar ; to this the apostle was induced, partly by the conduct of the governor, who seemed inclined to favour the Jews; and partly by the knowledge he might have of their intention to lie in wait for him, should he go up to Jerusalem; and chiefly by the vision he had had, which assured him that he must bear witness of Christ at Rome, ( Acts 23:11).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-12 - See how restless malice is. Persecutors deem it a peculiar favour to have their malice gratified. Preaching Christ, the end of the law, wa no offence against the law. In suffering times the prudence of the Lord's people is tried, as well as their patience; they need wisdom. I becomes those who are innocent, to insist upon their innocence. Pau was willing to abide by the rules of the law, and to let that take it course. If he deserved death, he would accept the punishment. But if none of the things whereof they accused him were true, no man coul deliver him unto them, with justice. Paul is neither released no condemned. It is an instance of the slow steps which Providence takes by which we are often made ashamed, both of our hopes and of our fears and are kept waiting on God.
Greek Textus Receptus
ει 1487 COND μεν 3303 PRT γαρ 1063 CONJ αδικω 91 5719 V-PAI-1S και 2532 CONJ αξιον 514 A-ASN θανατου 2288 N-GSM πεπραχα 4238 5758 V-RAI-1S τι 5100 X-ASN ου 3756 PRT-N παραιτουμαι 3868 5736 V-PNI-1S το 3588 T-ASN αποθανειν 599 5629 V-2AAN ει 1487 COND δε 1161 CONJ ουδεν 3762 A-NSN εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S ων 3739 R-GPN ουτοι 3778 D-NPM κατηγορουσιν 2723 5719 V-PAI-3P μου 3450 P-1GS ουδεις 3762 A-NSM με 3165 P-1AS δυναται 1410 5736 V-PNI-3S αυτοις 846 P-DPM χαρισασθαι 5483 5664 V-ADN καισαρα 2541 N-ASM επικαλουμαι 1941 5731 V-PMI-1S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
11. Deliver (carisasqai). With an underlying sense of giving him up as a favor to the Jews.I appeal (epikaloumai). The technical phrase for lodging an appeal. The Greek rendering of the Latin formula appello.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
25:11 {If I am a wrong-doer} (ei men oun adikw). Condition of the first class with ei and the present active indicative of adikew (a privative and dike): "If I am in the habit of doing injustice," assuming it to be true for the sake of argument. {And have committed anything worthy of death} (kai axion qanatou pepraca). Same condition with the difference in tense (pepraca, perfect active indicative) of a single case instead of a general habit. Assuming either or both Paul draws his conclusion. {I refuse not to die} (ou paraitoumai to apoqanein). Old verb to ask alongside, to beg from, to deprecate, to refuse, to decline. See on Lu 14:18f. Josephus (_Life_, 29) has thanein ou paraitoumai. Here the articular second aorist active infinitive is in the accusative case the object of paraitoumai: "I do not beg off dying from myself." {But if none of these things is} (ei de ouden estin). de here is contrasted with men just before. No word for "true" in the Greek. estin ("is") in the Greek here means "exists." Same condition (first class, assumed as true). {Whereof these accuse me} (hwn houtoi kategorousin mou). Genitive of relative hon by attraction from ha (accusative with kategorousin) to case of the unexpressed antecedent toutwn ("of these things"). Mou is genitive of person after kategorousin. {No man can give me up to them} (oudeis me dunatai autois carisasqai). "Can" legally. Paul is a Roman citizen and not even Festus can make a free gift (carisasqai) of Paul to the Sanhedrin. {I appeal unto Caesar} (kaisara epikaloumai). Technical phrase like Latin _Caesarem appello_. Originally the Roman law allowed an appeal from the civil officer to the people (_provocatio ad populum_), but the emperor represented the people and so the appeal to Caesar was the right of every Roman citizen. Paul had crossed the Rubicon on this point and so took his case out of the hands of dilatory provincial justice (really injustice). Roman citizens could make this appeal in capital offences. There would be expense connected with it, but better that with some hope than delay and certain death in Jerusalem. Festus was no better than Felix in his vacillation and desire to curry favor with the Jews at Paul's expense. No doubt Paul's long desire to see Rome (#19:21; Ro 15:22-28) and the promise of Jesus that he would see Rome (#Ac 23:11) played some part in Paul's decision. But he made it reluctantly for he says in Rome (#Ac 28:19): "I was constrained to appeal." But acquittal at the hands of Festus with the hope of going to Rome as a free man had vanished.
