Acts 24:26,27 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

He hoped also A vain and evil hope! So, when he heard, his eye was not single; no marvel then that he profited nothing by all Paul's discourses; that money would be given him by Paul Or by the Christians, for the liberty of so able a minister: and, waiting for this, unhappy Felix fell short of the treasure of the gospel. But after two years After Paul had been two years a prisoner at Cesarea; Porcius Festus came into Felix's room Succeeded him in the government of that province; and Felix Knowing that he had, by his oppressive administration, furnished the Jews with abundant matter of accusation against him; to show them a pleasure That is, to ingratiate himself with them, and prevent them from pursuing him with their complaints; left Paul bound Though he was, in his own conscience, not only persuaded of his innocence, but of the worth of his character. Thus the men of the world, to gratify one another, stretch forth their hands to the things of God! Yet the wisdom of Felix did not profit him, did not satisfy the Jews at all. Their accusations followed him to Rome, and would have utterly ruined him, had not the interest of his brother Pallas prevailed to have obtained his pardon from Nero. “How much more effectually would he have consulted the peace of his own mind, and, on the whole, his temporal interest, if he had reformed his life on Paul's admonition, and cultivated those serious impressions which were once so strongly made upon his conscience. It was during the two years of Paul's imprisonment here, that those contentions arose between the Jews and Gentiles, as to their respective rites in Cesarea, which, after many tumults and slaughters of the Jews, were inflamed rather than appeased by the hearing at Rome, and did a great deal toward exasperating the Jewish nation to that war which ended in its utter ruin.” Doddridge.