Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 26:27

"King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest." — Acts 26:27 (ASV)

King Agrippa. This courteous personal address is an instance of Paul's felicitous manner of appeal. He uses it to bring in Agrippa's testimony to counter the charge from Festus that he was deranged.

Do you believe the prophets? This question refers to the prophecies concerning the character, sufferings, and death of the Messiah.

I know that you believe. Agrippa was a Jew and, as such, he naturally believed the prophets. Perhaps, too, from what Paul knew of his personal character, he could confidently affirm that Agrippa professed to be a believer. Therefore, instead of waiting for an answer, Paul anticipates it, stating that he knows Agrippa professes to believe all these prophecies concerning the Messiah. His design is evident. It is:

1. To counter the charge of derangement and to bring in the testimony of Agrippa, who well understood the subject, regarding the importance and truth of what Paul was saying.
2. To press on the conscience of his royal hearer the evidence of the Christian religion, and to secure, if possible, his conversion.

Paul's implied argument is: "Since you believe the prophecies, and since I have shown that they are fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth—that he corresponds in person, character, and work with the prophets—it follows that his religion is true." Paul lost no opportunity to press the truth upon every class of people. He had such a conviction of the truth of Christianity that he was not deterred by rank, station, or office, nor by any fear of the rich, the great, or the learned; instead, he everywhere urged the evidence of that religion as indisputable. In this lay the secret of a significant part of his success. A person who really believes the truth will be ready to defend it. A person who truly loves religion will not be ashamed of it anywhere.