Acts 26
1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense.
2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because I am to make my defense before you today concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,
3 especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, which was from the beginning among my own nation, and at Jerusalem, all the Jews know;
5 having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6 Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,
7 which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa!
8 Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?
9 “I indeed myself thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.
11 Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12 “Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 at midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me.
14 When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15 I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you persecute.
16 But arise, and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things in which I will appear to you,
17 delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,
18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
20 but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
22 Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,
23 how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would first proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.”
24 As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”
25 But Paul said, “I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.
26 For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”
28 Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?”
29 Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.”
30 The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.
31 When they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, “This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Acts 26 Commentary
Chapter Overview
Acts 26 records Paul’s defense before King Agrippa, Bernice, Governor Festus, military officers, and prominent citizens. The hearing follows the uncertainty of Acts 25: Festus has agreed to send Paul to Caesar but cannot identify a clear criminal charge. Agrippa’s knowledge of Jewish customs makes him especially able to understand why resurrection and messianic hope stand at the center of the case.
Paul does more than deny wrongdoing. He connects his message to God’s promises to Israel, confesses his former persecution of believers, and recounts the appearance of the risen Jesus on the Damascus road. The testimony resembles Acts 9 and Acts 22, but here he emphasizes Christ’s commission to make him a witness to Israel and the Gentiles.
That commission summarizes the saving movement of the gospel: eyes are opened, people turn from darkness to light and from Satan’s power to God, sins are forgiven, and believers receive an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Christ. Paul insists that his ministry has obeyed this heavenly calling and agrees with what Moses and the prophets said about the Messiah.
Festus interrupts and calls Paul insane, but Paul calmly answers that his words are true and reasonable. He then addresses Agrippa directly about the prophets. Agrippa’s reply is difficult to translate with complete certainty, yet Paul’s desire is unmistakable: he wants everyone present to share his faith, though not his chains. The rulers again conclude that he deserves neither death nor imprisonment.
Key Themes
Paul begins with respectful gratitude rather than empty flattery. Agrippa understands Jewish customs and disputes, so Paul asks for patient attention from someone qualified to follow the argument. Respectful speech need not exaggerate a ruler’s virtue or soften the truth; it recognizes relevant knowledge and seeks a fair hearing.
Paul appeals to a publicly known life. His upbringing, Pharisaic commitment, and former reputation were not private claims invented for court. Personal testimony is strongest when it connects experience with facts others can examine, the witness of Scripture, and an honest account of what changed.
The “hope of the promise” joins the gospel to Israel’s story. Paul’s reference to the twelve tribes describes the covenant people’s shared expectation, not necessarily a claim that every tribe was visibly gathered or that all Israelites believed. He proclaims that the hope toward which Israel looked has reached fulfillment in the risen Messiah, as his sermon in Acts 13 also explained.
“Why is it judged incredible…if God raises the dead?” directs the question toward God’s identity and power. If the Creator gives life, resurrection is not logically impossible merely because it exceeds ordinary experience. Paul does not ask Agrippa to accept every miracle claim uncritically; he challenges the assumption that Israel’s God could not raise the dead.
Paul openly confesses that he once opposed Jesus. He imprisoned believers, tried to force blasphemy, and approved when some were put to death. The wording about casting a vote may indicate an official decision or simply active consent, but the central fact is clear: sincere religious conviction led Paul into grave evil. Sincerity is not a substitute for truth.
The light brighter than the midday sun and the fall of Paul’s companions emphasize the overwhelming character of Christ’s appearance. Differences among Acts’ three conversion accounts reflect their different settings and emphases rather than requiring word-for-word repetition. Jesus’ words also identify attacks on believers as attacks on him, showing his deep union with his suffering people.
“It is hard for you to kick against the goads” pictures an animal injuring itself by resisting a tool used to direct it. Saul’s campaign could not defeat Christ and was bringing destruction upon himself and others. The saying does not portray Jesus as cruel; it exposes the painful futility of resisting God.
Christ appoints Paul as a servant and witness and promises to preserve him for the mission. Deliverance does not mean freedom from all suffering, since Paul has already endured beatings, plots, imprisonment, and years of delay. It means opposition will not finally prevent the work Christ has assigned. Ministry authority therefore combines service, testimony, dependence, and endurance.
Paul is sent to open eyes and turn people from darkness and Satan’s authority to God. Only God creates spiritual sight, yet he uses human witnesses who speak, explain, reason, and call for response. Conversion is more than adding religious information; it is a transfer of allegiance from deception and bondage into God’s light and rule, a truth Paul also proclaimed in Acts 17.
Forgiveness and inheritance are received among those sanctified by faith in Jesus. Faith rests on Christ rather than human achievement. Sanctification here identifies people set apart as God’s own, while their new belonging also begins a continuing life of holiness. Grace grants both pardon and a place among God’s people.
Paul says he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. His summary of Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea, and the Gentiles compresses years of ministry rather than giving a complete itinerary. A calling is confirmed not by endlessly retelling a dramatic experience but by sustained obedience to what Christ commanded.
Paul preached that people should repent, turn to God, and do works consistent with repentance. Good works do not purchase forgiveness, but genuine repentance should alter conduct, loyalties, and relationships. The Ephesian believers demonstrated this costly change when they abandoned magical practices in Acts 19.
Paul identifies his gospel as the real reason he was seized in the temple. The accusation that he defiled the temple was false, as Acts 21 showed. Beneath the legal charge stood resistance to his proclamation of Jesus and the welcome of Gentiles. A defense may need to answer surface allegations while recognizing the deeper conflict behind them.
“Having obtained help from God, I stand to this day” interprets Paul’s survival through providence. God’s help came through Christ’s encouragement, a nephew’s warning, soldiers, hearings, and Paul’s legal appeal. Gratitude to God does not require ignoring human instruments; ordinary precautions and institutions can become means of divine care.
Paul claims to say nothing beyond Moses and the prophets. He means that the heart of his message—the Messiah’s suffering, resurrection, and light to Israel and the nations—fulfills Scripture. Jesus is “first” to rise in the sense of entering indestructible resurrection life and leading the final resurrection, not because no one had ever been restored temporarily to mortal life.
Festus concludes that Paul’s learning has made him insane. Paul answers without insult, calls him “most excellent,” and describes the message as truth and sound judgment. Faithful witness can combine conviction with composure. Mockery does not require mockery in return, and respect does not require surrendering the claim that the gospel is reasonable.
Paul says these events were not done in a corner. Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion, the public resurrection proclamation, and the church’s growth were open enough to invite investigation. Public visibility alone does not prove a claim, but Christianity appeals to events, witnesses, and consequences rather than resting only on an inaccessible private experience.
Paul asks whether Agrippa believes the prophets, moving from legal defense to personal invitation. Agrippa’s reply in verse 28 may ask whether Paul expects to persuade him so quickly or may be an ironic comment about becoming a Christian. Because the Greek permits more than one nuance, interpreters should not construct a detailed picture of Agrippa’s emotions from this sentence alone.
Paul avoids guessing about Agrippa’s sincerity. Whether persuasion takes little or much time, he prays that everyone present will share his faith. “Except for these bonds” combines evangelistic urgency with humane goodwill. He wants his hearers to receive Christ’s life, not to suffer simply because he has suffered.
The rulers conclude that Paul has done nothing worthy of death or chains, yet Agrippa says the appeal prevents immediate release. This does not prove Paul made a faithless mistake: before appealing, he faced a dangerous transfer and political pressure, and Christ had said he would testify in Rome in Acts 23. Decisions should be judged by the risks known at the time, not only by later possibilities.
Important Verses
Verses 6–8 identify resurrection as the fulfillment of Israel’s hope and challenge the assumption that God cannot raise the dead. Paul’s defense is theological as well as legal: the case turns on whether God’s promises have reached fulfillment in Jesus.
Verses 16–18 summarize Paul’s commission. Gospel witness calls people from darkness and Satan’s power to God so they may receive forgiveness and an inheritance among those sanctified through faith in Christ.
Verses 19–20 connect heavenly revelation with earthly obedience. Paul preached repentance, turning to God, and conduct consistent with repentance. A claimed spiritual experience should produce sustained faithfulness rather than merely an impressive story.
Verses 22–23 place Christ’s suffering, resurrection, and worldwide light within Moses and the prophets. The gospel announces the fulfillment of God’s long-promised saving purpose for Israel and the nations.
Verses 28–29 reveal Paul’s deepest desire. Whatever Agrippa’s exact tone, Paul wants every listener to become a believer—not merely to admire his argument or secure his release. Concern for their salvation exceeds concern for his chains.
Practical Applications
Tell your story truthfully, including the parts that expose former sin. A Christian testimony should magnify Christ’s mercy rather than make the speaker the hero. Connect personal change to Scripture and the gospel so hearers understand both what happened and who Jesus is.
Do not confuse sincerity with correctness. Paul once believed persecution was a duty. Strong feelings, tradition, and confidence can coexist with serious error. Remain teachable, test convictions by truth and Scripture, and repent when God exposes a cherished belief or practice as wrong.
Look for works consistent with repentance without treating them as payment for grace. Turning to God should affect habits, speech, money, relationships, and loyalties. Encourage visible change while remembering that forgiveness and inheritance are received through faith in Christ.
Respond calmly when Christian claims are mocked as irrational. Respectful reasoning is not opposed to faith. Explain what Christians believe, why they believe it, and how the message rests on God’s action in history. Do not answer contempt with contempt.
Let gospel concern exceed self-protection. Paul uses lawful rights and desires release, yet he turns his hearing into an appeal for his listeners to believe. Seek justice without losing concern for the souls and well-being of opponents, officials, and observers.