After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in.
See how restless malice is: Paul bears his imprisonment patiently, yet his enemies cannot bear even a three-day delay in pursuing him to death. They rush upon Festus the moment he arrives, trying to prejudge the cause before any fair trial.
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Commenting on Acts 25:1-12
The text presents difficulty: some of the best copies read 'no more than eight or ten days' rather than 'more than ten.' The historian Luke was uncertain of the exact number and expressed himself accordingly, which is honest reporting. Festus went down to Caesarea and the very next day took his seat on the judgment bench, eager to examine the apostle's case himself.
AI summary
The manuscript evidence strongly favors 'no more than eight or ten days' as the true reading, and the best scholars have admitted it into the text. Festus held court on his first day in Caesarea, sitting on the tribunal to try Paul's case, commanding the prisoner be brought from his place of custody to the judgment hall.
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