Acts 23:11

τῇ ἐπι. νυκτί., see Knabenbauer's note, p. 385, on Hilgenfeld's strictures; and below on the need and fitness of the appearance of the Lord on this night. ἐπιστὰς, cf. Acts 12:7, and Acts 18:9. ὁ κ., evidently Jesus, as the context implies. θάρσει : only in the imperative in N.T. (seven times); the word on the lips of Christ had brought cheer to the sick and diseased, Matthew 9:2; Matthew 9:22; Mark 10:49; to the disciples sailing on the sea, Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50; to the same disciples in an hour of deeper need, John 16:33, cf. its use in LXX as a message of encouragement (elsewhere we have the verb θαρρεῖν, so in Paul and Heb., but cf. Apoc. of Peter, v., Blass, Gram., p. 24). The Apostle might well stand in need of an assurance after the events of the day that his labours would not be cut short before his great desire was fulfilled. The words of the Lord as given to us by St. Luke intimate that the Evangelist regarded Paul's visit to Rome as apex Evangelii, so far as his present work was concerned. διεμαρτύρω : the word seems to imply the thoroughness of the Apostle's testimony, and to show that his method of bearing it was approved by his Lord, see on Acts 2:40.