Acts 18:14

μέλλοντος δὲ τοῦ Παύλου�, but when Paul was about to open his mouth. The Roman proconsul has too much contempt for the whole matter and all who are concerned in it to listen to any defence. For the law of the Jews, its breach or its observance, he has no care, and will not be used by either party. Chrysostom praises Gallio’s conduct. ἐπιεικής τις ἄνθρωπος οὗτος εἶναι μοι δοκεῖ, καὶ δῆλον ἐξ ὧν�.

εἶπεν ὁ Γαλλίων πρὸς τοὺς Ιουδαίους, Gallio said unto the Jews. He declines to hear any argument, for he is determined to give no opinion.

εἰ μὲν ἦν�, if it had been a matter of wrong or wicked villany. The two things of which the magistrate would take account are (1) any evil-doing (cp. Acts 24:20), an act of injustice, or (2) any unscrupulous conduct involving moral wrong. He would be, that is, a minister of law and equity, for that was his duty.

κατὰ λόγον ἂν�, reason would that I should have borne with you. A very happy idiomatic rendering of the Greek, like many others in the A.V. Gallio shews by his language how far he feels the Roman citizen above the tolerated Jews. But if their case had called for its exercise they should have had the benefit of toleration, and he would have inquired into matters that were the business of his office.