Acts 23:20

"The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”"

Key Reflection

This passage highlights a moment of personal interaction and vulnerability amidst potential conflict. The commanding officer's action in taking Paul by the hand signals a willingness to engage beyond the formal setting, suggesting a deeper interest or respect for what Paul has to say that transcends mere protocol.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 20. And he said, etc. In what way this young man had received intelligence of this, we can only conjecture. It is not improbable that he was a student under some one of the Jewish teachers, and that he might have learned it of him. It is not at all probable that the purpose of the forty men would be very closely kept. Indeed, it is evident that they were not themselves very anxious about concealing their oath, as they mentioned it fully to the chief priests and elders, Ac 23:14.

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