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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act_18:12-17
12But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13saying, "This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law." 14But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; 15but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters." 16And he drove them away from the judgment seat. 17And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
Act_18:12 "Gallio" From biblical and extra-biblical sources we learn that this was a fair and competent political leader. His brother, Seneca, says of him, "Even those who love my brother Gallio to the utmost of their power do not love him enough" and "no man was ever as sweet to one as Gallio is to all." This political appointee helps us to date Paul's journeys. He was a proconsul for two and one half years starting in a.d. 51.
▣ "Gallio was proconsul of Achaia" Luke is an accurate historian. The names of Roman officials in this area had changed since a.d. 44; "proconsul" (cf. Act_13:7; Act_19:38) was correct because Emperor Claudius gave this province to the Senate.
▣ "the Jews with one accord" Luke uses this phrase many times to express the unity of the believers (cf. Act_1:14; Act_2:1; Act_2:46; Act_4:24; Act_5:12; Act_8:6; Act_15:25), but here it denotes the unity of the jealousy and anti-gospel rebellion of the Jews of Corinth (cf. Act_18:6). Other examples of the use of this phrase in a negative sense are Act_7:57; Act_12:20; and Act_19:29. The term "Jews" often has a pejorative sense in Luke's writings.
▣ "brought him before the judgment seat" This is the word bçma (literally, "step"). It was the seat or raised platform of Roman justice (cf. Mat_27:19; Joh_19:13; Act_25:6; Act_25:10; Act_25:17; 2Co_5:10).
Act_18:13 "to worship God contrary to the law" This Jewish claim that Christianity was a violation of their laws and, therefore, not a part of Judaism, was a very important legal issue. If Gallio had ruled on this charge, Christianity would have become an illegal religion. But, as it was, Christianity enjoyed political protection (it was seen as a sect of Judaism, which was a legal religion) under Roman law until Nero's persecution, 10-12 years later.
It is even possible that one of Luke's purposes in writing Acts was to document that Christianity was not a threat to Roman authority. Every Roman official is recorded as recognizing this fact.
Act_18:14 "If" This is a second class conditional sentence. It is a rare construction that makes a false statement in order to make a point or continue a discussion. It is often called "contrary to fact" condition. This should be translated "if it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, which it is not, then it would be reasonable for me to put up with you, which it is not."
Act_18:15 "if" This is a first class conditional sentence. The legal issue was, in reality, a religious issue. Gallio wisely recognized the true motive of the Jews. He could not and would not act as a judge in these kinds of matters.
Act_18:16 "he drove them away" This is the only occurrence of this verbin the NT, but it was used several times in the Septuagint (cf. 1Sa_6:8; Eze_34:12). It is an intensified form of elaunô, which means to expel forcibly.
Act_18:17 "they all took hold of Sosthenes" "They all" refers to the Jews of Act_18:12 or possibly to Greeks, which shows the underlying anti-Semitism of these Greek cities. A Sosthenes is mentioned in 1Co_1:1; whether he is the same one or not is uncertain, but it is a rather rare name. This Sosthenes had taken Crispus' place as leader of the synagogue. Why the Jews should beat him is uncertain. Maybe he let Paul speak at the synagogue.
▣ "But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things" This Roman political leader, unlike Pilate, would not be swayed by the crowd.