Agrippa is in charge of the meeting. Paul begins his “defense” (apologia) of the gospel by first stretching out his hand as a sign of respect for the Jewish king, not as a sign for silencing the crowd (Bruce, Book of Acts, 461). Paul then makes a generous comment to the king (capitatio benevolentiae), noting the king’s familiarity with Jewish customs. He then respectfully asks Agrippa to listen patiently to his defense.
