ACTS 26:29 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”
'Paul replied, 'Short time or long-I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.' - Paul's response shows his pastoral heart and his confidence in the gospel's power: he prays that 'not only you but all who are listening to me today' become Christians. His phrase 'except for these chains' (plēn tōn desmōn toutōn, plēn tōn desmōn toutōn) is poignant: he wishes for them his faith but not his suffering. His imprisonment is the cost of witness, not its essence. The prayer itself-directed to God-is prayer offered publicly before the king, an act of worship that positions God's will above Agrippa's authority.
Church Fathers on Acts 26:29
I pray that this day they may be all such as I am, except these bonds. Acts 26:29 He, the man that glories in his bonds, that puts them forth as a golden chain, deprecates them for these men: for they were as yet too weak in their minds, and it was rather in condescension that he so spoke. For what could be better than those bonds which always in his Epistles he prefers (to all things else), saying, Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ: Ephesians 3:1 and again, On this account I…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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