John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. But the chief captain Lysias came upon us , etc.] Suddenly, and at unawares, immediately, and with great haste, before they could execute their designs; which were not to judge Paul according to law, but to kill him, in the manner the zealots did: and with great violence took him away out of our hands ; for he came with an army, and rescued him, ( Acts 23:27) Some copies add, and sent him to thee; and so the Syriac version reads.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - See here the unhappiness of great men, and a great unhappiness it is to have their services praised beyond measure, and never to be faithfully told of their faults; hereby they are hardened an encouraged in evil, like Felix. God's prophets were charged with being troublers of the land, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that he perverted the nation; the very same charges were brought against Paul. The selfis and evil passions of men urge them forward, and the graces and power of speech, too often have been used to mislead and prejudice men agains the truth. How different will the characters of Paul and Felix appea at the day of judgement, from what they are represented in the speec of Tertullus! Let not Christians value the applause, or be troubled a the revilings of ungodly men, who represent the vilest of the huma race almost as gods, and the excellent of the earth as pestilences an movers of sedition.
Greek Textus Receptus
παρελθων 3928 5631 V-2AAP-NSM δε 1161 CONJ λυσιας 3079 N-NSM ο 3588 T-NSM χιλιαρχος 5506 N-NSM μετα 3326 PREP πολλης 4183 A-GSF βιας 970 N-GSF εκ 1537 PREP των 3588 T-GPF χειρων 5495 N-GPF ημων 2257 P-1GP απηγαγεν 520 5627 V-2AAI-3S
Robertson's NT Word Studies
24:7 this whole verse with some words at the end of verse #6 and the beginning of verse #8 in the Textus Receptus ("And would have judged according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come unto thee") is absent from Aleph A B H L P 61 (many other cursives) Sahidic Bohairic. It is beyond doubt a later addition to the incomplete report of the speech of Tertullus. As the Revised Version stands, verse #8 connects with verse #6. The motive of the added words is clearly to prejudice Felix against Lysias and they contradict the record in #Ac 21. Furneaux holds them to be genuine and omitted because contradictory to #Ac 21. More likely they are a clumsy attempt to complete the speech of Tertullus.
