Passage
Acts 26.26
Book: Acts · NASB95
Immediate context (±2 verses)
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ASV
24. And as he thus made his defense, Festus saith with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning is turning thee mad. 25. But Paul saith, I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth words of truth and soberness.
26. For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner.
- King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28. And Agrippa said unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian. (Acts 26:24-28, ASV)
WEB
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 he 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.
- 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?” (Acts 26:24-28, WEB)
KJV
24. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. 25. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
26. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
- King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. (Acts 26:24-28, KJV)
YLT
24. And, he thus making a defence, Festus with a loud voice said, 'Thou art mad, Paul; much learning doth turn thee mad;' 25. and he saith, 'I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness the sayings I speak forth;
26. for the king doth know concerning these things, before whom also I speak boldly, for none of these things, I am persuaded, are hidden from him; for this thing hath not been done in a corner;
- thou dost believe, king Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that thou dost believe!' 28. And Agrippa said unto Paul, 'In a little thou dost persuade me to become a Christian!' (Acts 26:24-28, YLT)
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Setting
- Speaker: Paul, in his defense before Agrippa II
- Audience: King Agrippa II, Bernice, the governor Festus, and the assembled dignitaries
- Location: Caesarea Maritima, in the audience hall
- Time period: c. AD 59 to 60, during Paul's Roman custody before the appeal to Caesar
Theological reading
A claim staked on public checkability. "For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner."
The last clause, ou gar estin en gōnia pepragmenon touto, is the operative one. Paul is not appealing to a private revelation, a mystery reserved for initiates, or an experience only he can vouch for. He is asserting that the events under discussion happened in public, within the memory and jurisdiction of the man he is addressing, and that the king can check.
Why this is a strong form of argument. A claim made in a corner cannot be falsified and therefore cannot be evidence. A claim made to a hostile official with local knowledge, in a formal legal setting, on the record, is exposed. Paul chooses the exposed form. The phrase "in a corner" is itself a Hellenistic idiom, used by Plato and Epictetus of philosophy conducted in private obscurity, which suggests Paul is deliberately claiming the opposite status for his message.
What it does and does not establish. It establishes that the early Christian claim was made as a public historical claim rather than as a private religious one, and that the speaker expected an informed hearer to have background knowledge of the events. It does not establish that Agrippa agreed, and the narrative is careful not to say he did; verse 28 has him deflecting.
Apologetic use. This verse belongs at the center of the answer to the chain-of-custody objection at The Bible Is Just Second-Hand Sources Objection Defeater, alongside 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 and its "most of whom remain until now," which is the same move: an invitation to verify against living witnesses. Both passages behave the way a claim behaves when its maker believes it can survive checking.
The honest limit: an invitation to check is not the same as a completed check, and no record survives of anyone taking either invitation up. What the invitations show is the character of the claim, not its truth.
Key words
- gōnia (G1137), corner, angle; the idiom of private obscurity.
- parrēsiazomai (G3955), to speak boldly, freely, with confidence; the term for frank public speech.
- lanthanō (G2990), to escape notice, be hidden; negated here.
- peithō (G3982), to persuade, be persuaded.
Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 15:5-8, the parallel invitation to check against living witnesses
- Luke 1:2, the eyewitness source chain
- 2 Peter 1:16, the denial of cleverly devised tales
- John 9:25, testimony under hostile interrogation
- The Bible Is Just Second-Hand Sources Objection Defeater, where the public-claim argument is developed
Quoted in
Arguments and defeaters:
Passages:
Notes
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Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.