Acts 24:4

Friday, 26 January 2024

Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us. Acts 24:4

The words more literally read, “And so not upon you further I should hinder, I implore you to hear us briefly, in your indulgence” (CG).

In the previous verse, the orator Tertullus completed his opening platitudes to Felix. He now transitions towards the main argument against Paul. His words are suited to an orator, some being rare or uncommon. He begins with, “And so not upon you further I should hinder.”

The words imply that he could go on and on about Felix and how great he is. However, he doesn’t want to be a continued hindrance to his obviously busy schedule as governor. As Felix was such a busy and important man, Tertullus didn't want his continued accolades to keep him from his job of governing.

His statement introduces a new word to Scripture, egkoptó. It is a verb signifying to hinder or interrupt. As the mood of the verb is subjunctive, it gives the sense of “should hinder.” With that said, he continues with, “I implore you to hear us briefly.”

This is the second and last use of suntomós in the New Testament. It is an adverb giving the sense of cutting something short through conciseness or promptness. However, the first use of the word (Mark 16:20) is only found in some manuscripts.

In this case, Tertullus intensifies the previous clause – “So I don’t hinder you, please hear us briefly.” He then further intensifies the thought by finishing with, “in your indulgence.”

Again, another new word is introduced, epieikeia. It is an intensification of what is fair or equitable. Thus, it is a petition for going beyond what would be expected. It is defined by HELPS Word Studies as “(‘true equity’) is a ‘sweet reasonableness’ that knows when to ‘relax the strict legal requirements concerning others . . . to carry out the real spirit of the law.’”

In essence, the sense of Tertullus’ words is, “O great governor, we know how precious your time is, so we are cutting short our praises, we are asking just a short petition of our grievances, and we know that even in that – which is our rightful due – we must petition for your indulgence in the matter.”

Tertullus is really slathering on the butter in his words to the governor. His obvious talent as an orator is evident in the choice of words he uses.

Life application: The sweet-tongued words of Tertullus have taken up three verses. It may be that Felix accepted them as deserving of his supposedly great position, or it may be that Felix was chuckling inside at the verbal groveling he was hearing.

Either way, the words are unnecessarily verbose and are of no real value in the case to be presented against Paul. This is often the situation with people who have an invalid or weak argument concerning their stand on a position concerning some particular matter.

Be attentive to how things are presented, and you can often get a feeling for the soundness of an argument even before you have gotten to the substance of what is being said. If someone uses technical or complicated words, it is often intended to make him appear smarter on a given subject than others.

If a person states his qualifications, it is often an attempt to promote himself, even if his argument is weak. By saying, “As a doctor of theology, my position on this matter is...” the person is trying to get the upper hand even before presenting his position.

These types of approaches are known as fallacies. Anything that obscures an argument diminishes another’s view even before it is heard, sideswipes the main argument, etc., is a fallacy. From time to time, read up on the various fallacies that exist. This will help keep your mind attuned to illogical or underhanded presentations that arise in general discourse.

Lord God, Your word says that You desire truth in the inward parts of man. Help us to be truthful inwardly so that what we say outwardly will be a true reflection of who we are and what we believe. Keep us from silly arguments and presentations that do not convey the truth. May our inner convictions be revealed in honesty and faithfulness. Amen.