Discovery BoxActs 21:33-34 
Context21:33 Then the commanding officer 1 came up and arrested 2 him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; 3 he 4 then asked who he was and what 5 he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, 6 and when the commanding officer 7 was unable 8 to find out the truth 9 because of the disturbance, 10 he ordered Paul 11 to be brought into the barracks. 12
Acts 21:40
Context21:40 When the commanding officer 13 had given him permission, 14 Paul stood 15 on the steps and gestured 16 to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, 17 he addressed 18 them in Aramaic, 19
Acts 22:29
Context22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away 20 from him, and the commanding officer 21 was frightened when he realized that Paul 22 was 23 a Roman citizen 24 and that he had had him tied up. 25
Acts 23:10
Context23:10 When the argument became 26 so great the commanding officer 27 feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, 28 he ordered the detachment 29 to go down, take him away from them by force, 30 and bring him into the barracks. 31
Acts 23:18
Context23:18 So the centurion 32 took him and brought him to the commanding officer 33 and said, “The prisoner Paul called 34 me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”
Acts 22:24
Context22:24 the commanding officer 35 ordered Paul 36 to be brought back into the barracks. 37 He told them 38 to interrogate Paul 39 by beating him with a lash 40 so that he could find out the reason the crowd 41 was shouting at Paul 42 in this way.
Acts 22:30
Context22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer 43 wanted to know the true reason 44 Paul 45 was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council 46 to assemble. He then brought 47 Paul down and had him stand before them.
Acts 23:15
Context23:15 So now you and the council 48 request the commanding officer 49 to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine 50 his case 51 by conducting a more thorough inquiry. 52 We are ready to kill him 53 before he comes near this place.” 54
1 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
2 tn Grk “seized.”
3 tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).
4 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.
5 tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”
6 tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”
7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”
9 tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).
10 tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).
11 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
13 tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
15 tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
16 tn Or “motioned.”
17 tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”
18 tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”
19 tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
20 tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.
21 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.
22 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.
24 tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.
25 sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.
26 tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).
27 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
28 tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.
29 tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.
30 tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”
31 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
32 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
33 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
34 tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
35 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
36 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
37 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
38 tn Grk “into the barracks, saying.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the participle εἴπας (eipas), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. The direct object “them” has been supplied; it is understood in Greek.
39 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40 sn To interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash. Under the Roman legal system it was customary to use physical torture to extract confessions or other information from prisoners who were not Roman citizens and who were charged with various crimes, especially treason or sedition. The lashing would be done with a whip of leather thongs with pieces of metal or bone attached to the ends.
41 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
43 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.
44 tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”
45 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
46 tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
47 tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.
48 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
49 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
50 tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”
51 tn Grk “determine the things about him.”
52 tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).
53 sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.
54 tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
