Acts 18:14-17

18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak,¹ Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy,² I would have been justified in accepting the complaint³ of you Jews,⁴ 18:15 but since it concerns points of disagreement⁵ about words and names and your own law, settle⁶ it yourselves. I will not be⁷ a judge of these things!” 18:16 Then he had them forced away⁸ from the judgment seat.⁹ 18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue,¹⁰ and began to beat¹¹ him in front of the judgment seat.¹² Yet none of these things were of any concern¹³ to Gallio.

¹tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

²tn BDAG 902 s.v. ῥᾳδιούργημα states, “From the sense ‘prank, knavery, roguish trick, slick deed’ it is but a short step to that of a serious misdeed, crime, villainy…a serious piece of villainy Ac 18:14 (w. ἀδίκημα).”

³tn According to BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνέχω 3 this is a legal technical term: “Legal t.t. κατὰ λόγον ἂν ἀνεσχόμην ὑμῶν I would have been justified in accepting your complaint Ac 18:14.”

⁴tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

⁵tn Or “dispute.”

⁶tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).

⁷tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.

⁸tn Grk “driven away,” but this could result in a misunderstanding in English (“driven” as in a cart or wagon?). “Forced away” conveys the idea; Gallio rejected their complaint. In contemporary English terminology the case was “thrown out of court.” The verb ἀπήλασεν (aphlasen) has been translated as a causative since Gallio probably did not perform this action in person, but ordered his aides or officers to remove the plaintiffs.

⁹sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

¹⁰tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

¹¹tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

¹²sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

¹³tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

sn Rome was officially indifferent to such disputes. Gallio understood how sensitive some Jews would be about his meddling in their affairs. This is similar to the way Pilate dealt with Jesus. In the end, he let the Jewish leadership and people make the judgment against Jesus.