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Acts 23:23

King James Version (KJV)

And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

Translations

Acts 23:23 - Amplified Bible

Then summoning two of the centurions, he said, Have two hundred footmen ready by the third hour of the night (about 9:00 p.m.) to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen.

Acts 23:23 - American Standard Version

And he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night:

Acts 23:23 - Bible in Basic English

And he sent for two captains and said, Make ready two hundred men, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, to go to Caesarea, at the third hour of the night:

Acts 23:23 - Darby Bible

And having called to [him] certain two of the centurions, he said, Prepare two hundred soldiers that they may go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred light-armed footmen, for the third hour of the night.

Acts 23:23 - English Standard Version

Then he called two of the centurions and said, "Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.

Acts 23:23 - King James Version

And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

Acts 23:23 - La Biblia de las Americas

Y llamando a dos de los centuriones, dijo: Preparad doscientos soldados para la hora tercera de la noche (I.e., las nueve de la noche), con setenta jinetes y doscientos lanceros, para que vayan a Cesarea.

Acts 23:23 - The Message

The captain called up two centurions. "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go immediately to Caesarea. Also seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry. I want them ready to march by nine o’clock tonight. And you’ll need a couple of mules for Paul and his gear. We’re going to present this man safe and sound to Governor Felix."

Acts 23:23 - New American Standard Bible

And he called to him two of the centurions and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready by (I.e. 9 p.m.) the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen."

Acts 23:23 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Y llamando a dos de los centuriones, dijo: "Preparen 200 soldados para las nueve de la noche, con setenta jinetes y 200 lanceros, para que vayan a Cesarea."

Acts 23:23 - World English Bible

He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, "Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen, and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night."

Acts 23:23 - Young's Living Translation

and having called near a certain two of the centurions, he said, `Make ready soldiers two hundred, that they may go on unto Caesarea, and horsemen seventy, and spearmen two hundred, from the third hour of the night;

Acts 23:23 - Additional Comments

Felix, aka Antonius Felix, was from Roman procurator (governor) of the Judean province from 52-58 AD. Felixruelty and licentiousness, coupled with his accessibility to bribes (see 24:26), led to a great increase of crime in Judaea. He partnered with a violent sect, the Sicarii ("Dagger-men"), by whose aid he contrived the murder of the high priest Jonathan. The period of his rule was marked by internal feuds and disturbances, which he put down with severity. After Paul went to Rome, Felix was accused of having taken advantage of a dispute between the Jews and Syrians of Caesarea to slay and plunder the inhabitants. He was married three times. His second wife Drusilla (Acts 24:24) - her father was Herod Agrippa, who died in 44 AD. She died along with her son and his wife in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 24 August 79. Mount Vesuvius is 6 miles east of Naples, Italy, and is close to the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.
It has erupted many times since and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people now living close to it and its tendency towards explosive eruptions. It is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world.
Claudius Lysias (23:26) is the commander of the garrison of Jerusalem (vs 21:31). He had protected Paul from the Jews in Jerusalem. He called for centurions, officers of the Roman army who were commanders of 100 men (and thus the name). He orders the centurions and their soldiers, along with horsemen and spearmen, to take Paul from Jerusalem to Felix in Caesarea. Caesarea is apparently from where Felix ruled Judea. They first go to Antipatris, about half way between Jerusalem and Caesarea. At Antipatris, only the horsemen continue with Paul, and the others return to Jerusalem (vss 31-32).
Wow, they were prepared for battle. The commander sent about 500 military men to accompany Paul. They must have been concerned about the number of Jews prepared to kill Paul, 40 who had verbally committed (vs 21), and probably many others who were also interested.
"The third hour of the night" was, by Jewish time, 9 PM, but by Roman time, 3 AM. Since these were Romans, and they were leaving surrepticiosly, it was probably 3 AM.

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