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King James Bible - Acts 23:3

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SEV Biblia, Chapter 23:3

Entonces Pablo le dijo: Dios te herir� a ti , pared blanqueada; ¿y est�s t� sentado para juzgarme conforme a la ley, y contra la ley me mandas herir?

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Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 23:3

Verse 3. God shall smite thee, thou whited wall] Thou hypocrite! who sittest on the seat of judgment, pretending to hear and seriously weigh the defense of an accused person, who must in justice and equity be presumed to be innocent till he is proved to be guilty; and, instead of acting according to the law, commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law, which always has the person of the prisoner under its protection; nor ever suffers any penalty to be inflicted but what is prescribed as the just punishment for the offense. As if he had said: "Thinkest thou that God will suffer such an insult on his laws, on justice, and on humanity, to pass unpunished?"

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John Gill's Bible Commentary

Ver. 3. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee , etc.] Which may be considered either as a prophecy of what would be, that God would smite him with some judgment here, or with death quickly, or with eternal damnation hereafter; taking up his own words, and suggesting that a retaliation would be made, and that the measure he meted, would be measured to him again; or else as an imprecation upon him; for the words may be rendered, �may God smite thee�; the future tense being often used by the Jews for the imperative, and that in this very phrase; for certain it is, that this is the form of an imprecation with them: for it is said, if anyone should say, �whla hkky , �may God smite�, or �so may God smite�; this is hla , �a curse�, written in the law f1143 ; though this instance of the apostle ought not to be drawn into example, any more than those of other saints, who might be under a direction of the Holy Ghost to deliver out such things, which would come to pass in righteous judgment: and if this was Ananias, the son of Nebedaeus, as is generally thought, it is remarkable, that five years after this, in the beginning of the wars of the Jews with the Romans, this Ananias, hiding himself under the ruins of a conduit, was discovered, and taken out, and killed f1144 : and no doubt but he very fitly calls him thou whited wall ; or hypocrite, in like manner as Christ compares the hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees to whited sepulchres, ( Matthew 23:27). for sittest thou to judge me after the law ; the law of Moses, which was the rule of judgment in the sanhedrim, at least professed to be, and which was allowed of by the Romans, especially in matters relating to the Jewish religion: and commandest me to be smitten contrary to law ? which condemns no man before he is heard, and much less punishes him, ( John 7:51) and which is contrary not only to the Jewish laws, but to the Roman laws, and all others founded upon the law of nature and reason.

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Matthew Henry Commentary

Verses 1-5 - See here the character of an honest man. He sets God before him, an lives as in his sight. He makes conscience of what he says and does and, according to the best of his knowledge, he keeps from whatever i evil, and cleaves to what is good. He is conscientious in all his word and conduct. Those who thus live before God, may, like Paul, have confidence both toward God and man. Though the answer of Paul containe a just rebuke and prediction, he seems to have been too angry at the treatment he received in uttering them. Great men may be told of their faults, and public complaints may be made in a proper manner; but the law of God requires respect for those in authority.

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Greek Textus Receptus

τοτε 5119 ADV ο 3588 T-NSM παυλος 3972 N-NSM προς 4314 PREP αυτον 846 P-ASM ειπεν 2036 5627 V-2AAI-3S τυπτειν 5180 5721 V-PAN σε 4571 P-2AS μελλει 3195 5719 V-PAI-3S ο 3588 T-NSM θεος 2316 N-NSM τοιχε 5109 N-VSM κεκονιαμενε 2867 5772 V-RPP-VSM και 2532 CONJ συ 4771 P-2NS καθη 2521 5736 V-PNI-2S-ATT κρινων 2919 5723 V-PAP-NSM με 3165 P-1AS κατα 2596 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM νομον 3551 N-ASM και 2532 CONJ παρανομων 3891 5723 V-PAP-NSM κελευεις 2753 5719 V-PAI-2S με 3165 P-1AS τυπτεσθαι 5180 5745 V-PPN

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Vincent's NT Word Studies

3. Shall smite thee (tuptein se mellei). More strictly, is about to smite. The words are not an imprecation, but a prophecy of punishment for his violent dealing. According to Josephus, in the attack of the Sicarii upon Jerusalem, he was dragged from his hiding-place, in a sewer of the palace, and murdered by assassins.

Thou whited wall. Compare Matt. xxiii. 27.

Contrary to the law (paranomwn). A verb. Lit., transgressing the law.

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Robertson's NT Word Studies

23:3 {Thou whited wall} (toice kekoniamene). Perfect passive participle of konia" (from konia, dust or lime). The same word used in #Mt 23:27 for "whited sepulchres" (tafoi kekoniamenoi) which see. It is a picturesque way of calling Ananias a hypocrite, undoubtedly true, but not a particularly tactful thing for a prisoner to say to his judge, not to say Jewish high priest. Besides, Paul had hurled back at him the word tuptein (smite) in his command, putting it first in the sentence (tuptein se mellei ho qeos) in strong emphasis. Clearly Paul felt that he, not Ananias, was living as a good citizen in God's commonwealth. {And sittest thou to judge me?} (kai su kaqei krinwn me?) Literally, "And thou (being what thou art) art sitting (kaqei, second person singular middle of kaqemai, late form for kaqesai, the uncontracted form) judging me." Cf. #Lu 22:30. kai su at the beginning of a question expresses indignation. {Contrary to the law} (paranomwn). Present active participle of paranomew, old verb to act contrary to the law, here alone in the N.T., "acting contrary to the law."