God’s Word Translation
Acts 26:24
24As Paul was defending himself in this way, Festus shouted, “Paul, you’re crazy! Too much education is driving you crazy!”
Acts 26:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
- New International Version (NIV)At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
Context of Acts 26:24
22“God has been helping me to this day so that I can stand and testify to important and unimportant people. I tell them only what the prophets and Moses said would happen. 23They said that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to come back to life and would spread light to Jewish and non-Jewish people.” As Paul was defending himself in this way, Festus shouted, “Paul, you’re crazy! Too much education is driving you crazy!” 25Paul replied, “I’m not crazy, Your Excellency Festus. What I’m saying is true and sane. 26I can easily speak to a king who knows about these things. I’m sure that none of these things has escaped his attention. None of this was done secretly.
Read all of Acts 26Acts 26:24 word by word
Ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀπολογουμένου ὁ Φῆστος μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ φησιν· μαίνῃ Παῦλε· τὰ πολλά σε γράμματα εἰς μανίαν περιτρέπει.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andδέde · thenG1161
- as heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- thusοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- spake for himselfἀπολογέομαιapologeomai · to defend oneselfG626
- FestusΦῆστοςPhēstos · FestusG5347
- saidφημίphēmi · to assertG5346
- with a loudμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
- voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456
- PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
- thou art beside thyselfμαίνομαιmainomai · to raveG3105
- muchπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
- learningγράμμαgramma · something writtenG1121
- doth makeπεριτρέπωperitrepō · to drive insaneG4062
- theeσύsu · youG4771
- ·εἰςeis · towardG1519
- madμανίαmania · insanityG3130
Cross-references for Acts 26:24
- Acts 22:1“Brothers and fathers, listen as I now present my case to you.”
- Acts 17:32When the people of the court heard that a person had come back to life, some began joking about it, while others said, “We’ll hear you talk about this some other time.”
- Acts 24:25As Paul discussed the subjects of God’s approval, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became afraid and said, “That’s enough for now. You can go. When I find time, I’ll send for you again.”
- Acts 25:19They were disputing with him about their own religion and about some man named Jesus who had died. But Paul claimed that Jesus is alive.
- Acts 26:11I even went to each synagogue, punished believers, and forced them to curse ⌞the name of Jesus⌟. In my furious rage against them, I hunted them down in cities outside ⌞Jerusalem⌟.
- 2 Kings 9:11Jehu came out to his master’s officials. One of them asked him, “Is everything alright? Why did this lunatic come to you?” He answered, “You know the man and the kind of things he says.”
- Jeremiah 29:26The Lord made you priest instead of Jehoiada so that there would be officials for the Lord’s temple. You should put any lunatic who acts like a prophet in prison and in shackles.
- Hosea 9:7The time for them to be punished will come. The time for them to pay for their sins will come. ⌞When this happens,⌟ Israel will know it. ⌞They think that⌟ prophets are fools and that spiritual people are crazy. They have sinned a lot, and they are very hostile.
- Mark 3:21When his family heard about it, they went to get him. They said, “He’s out of his mind!”
- John 8:48The Jews replied to Jesus, “Aren’t we right when we say that you’re a Samaritan and that you’re possessed by a demon?”
- John 10:20Many of them said, “He’s possessed by a demon! He’s crazy! Why do you listen to him?”
- 1 Corinthians 1:23but our message is that Christ was crucified. This offends Jewish people and makes no sense to people who are not Jewish.
- 1 Corinthians 2:13We don’t speak about these things using teachings that are based on intellectual arguments like people do. Instead, we use the Spirit’s teachings. We explain spiritual things to those who have the Spirit.
- 1 Corinthians 4:10We have given up our wisdom for Christ, but you have insight because of Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.
- 2 Corinthians 5:13So if we were crazy, it was for God. If we are sane, it is for you.
Commentaries on Acts 26:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24Paul, thou art beside thyself - "Thou art mad, Paul!" "Thy great learning hath turned thee into a madman." As we sometimes say, thou art cracked, and thy brain is turned. By the it is likely that Festus meant no more than this, that Paul had got such a vast variety of knowledge, that his brain was overcharged with it: for, in this speech, Paul makes no particular show of what we call learning; for he quotes none of their celebrated authors, as he did on…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24Festus said with a loud voice - Amazed at the zeal of Paul. Paul doubtless evinced deep interest in the subject, and great earnestness in the delivery of his defense. Thou art beside thyself - Thou art deranged; thou art insane. The reasons why Festus thought Paul mad were, probably: (1) His great earnestness and excitement on the subject. (2) his laying such stress on the gospel of the despised Jesus of Nazareth, as if it were a matter of infinite…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-32Verses 24-32 It becomes us, on all occasions, to speak the words of truth and soberness, and then we need not be troubled at the unjust censures of men. Active and laborious followers of the gospel often have been despised as dreamers or madmen, for believing such doctrines and such wonderful facts; and for attesting that the same faith and diligence, and an experience like their own, are necessary to all men, whatever their rank, in order to their…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24You are insane, Paul!: Festus, a Roman, thought Paul's talk about the prophets and resurrection was crazy (compare 17:18, 32). He concluded that Paul had studied so much it drove him to madness.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. Festus said with a loud voice--surprised and bewildered. Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad--"is turning thy head." The union of flowing Greek, deep acquaintance with the sacred writings of his nation, reference to a resurrection and other doctrines to a Roman utterly unintelligible, and, above all, lofty religious earnestness, so strange to the cultivated, cold-hearted skeptics of that day--may account for this sudden…Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 26:24
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Acts 26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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