“What is that thou hast to tell me?”
The full verse · Acts 23:19 · KJV
the chief by the , went with him , and him, thou to ?
Asked by
Roman Commander: the chief captain of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem, Claudius Lysias, who held Paul in the castle (Acts 23:10, 26)
Asked to
Paul's Nephew: "Paul's sister's son," a young man who heard of the plot against Paul and was sent by Paul to the chief captain (Acts 23:16-18)
The Scene
More than forty Jews have sworn not to eat or drink until they kill Paul, and Paul's sister's son, having heard of it, is brought by a centurion to the chief captain in the castle at Jerusalem (Acts 23:12-18).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe chief captain wanted to know plainly why Paul had sent this young man to him. The centurion had said only that he had "something to say unto thee" (Acts 23:18). So the commander took him by the hand, drew him aside where no one could overhear, and asked. Barnes sees the gesture as "an expression of kindness and civility," and Matthew Henry says he took him "as a friend or father, to encourage him, that he might not be put out of countenance." The privacy fits what followed: the captain charged him, "See thou tell no man" (Acts 23:22).
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe young man told him everything. The Jews would ask him to "bring down Paul to morrow into the council," but "there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men" sworn to kill him (Acts 23:20-21). He urged, "do not thou yield unto them." The commander sent him away with the charge, "See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me" (Acts 23:22). That same night he sent Paul to Caesarea under a guard of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen (Acts 23:23-24).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe "chief captain" (the ESV says "tribune") commanded the Roman soldiers in Jerusalem; his name was Claudius Lysias (Acts 23:26). He had already rescued Paul from a mob and from the council (Acts 21:31-32; Acts 23:10), and he knew Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:27-29). The "castle" was the barracks where Paul was being held.
The young man is the only relative of Paul mentioned in Acts. Barnes writes, "This is all that we know of the family of Paul." Gill suggests Paul "might have a sister living in Jerusalem," or that the nephew was there for his studies, but the text does not say.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyGod had just promised Paul, "as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome" (Acts 23:11). The next morning more than forty men swore to kill him (Acts 23:12-13). This question is the hinge where God's promise meets their plot. Through an unnamed nephew and a Roman officer who was willing to listen, the plan was exposed.
Matthew Henry puts it well: "God has many ways of bringing to light the hidden works of darkness." No miracle is recorded here. God kept His word through ordinary people doing ordinary things: a young man who spoke up, a prisoner who sent him, and a commander who asked a simple question and took the answer seriously.
Look Closer
What did God promise Paul the night before the plot was formed?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, when I feel surrounded by things I cannot control, how are You already at work through ordinary people and moments I might overlook?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Paul's nephew could have kept quiet, but he spoke up. What keeps you from speaking up when you know something that could protect someone?
- Tell about a time God used an ordinary person or an unexpected conversation to help you through a hard situation.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
God's promises do not always come true through dramatic rescues. Sometimes He keeps His word through a relative who hears something, an officer who passes it on, and someone in authority who is willing to ask, "What is that thou hast to tell me?" (Acts 23:19).
You may be one of those ordinary links. If you know of real danger to someone, speak to the person who can act, as Paul's nephew did. And if you are in a position to listen, take people seriously, even when they are young or have no standing. The chief captain did, and a life was saved.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
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