Discovery BoxActs 21:31-38 
Context21:31 While they were trying 1 to kill him, a report 2 was sent up 3 to the commanding officer 4 of the cohort 5 that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 6 21:32 He 7 immediately took 8 soldiers and centurions 9 and ran down to the crowd. 10 When they saw 11 the commanding officer 12 and the soldiers, they stopped beating 13 Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer 14 came up and arrested 15 him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; 16 he 17 then asked who he was and what 18 he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, 19 and when the commanding officer 20 was unable 21 to find out the truth 22 because of the disturbance, 23 he ordered Paul 24 to be brought into the barracks. 25 21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul 26 had to be carried 27 by the soldiers because of the violence 28 of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people 29 followed them, 30 screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, 31 he said 32 to the commanding officer, 33 “May I say 34 something to you?” The officer 35 replied, 36 “Do you know Greek? 37 21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion 38 and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’ 39 into the wilderness 40 some time ago?” 41
1 tn Grk “seeking.”
2 tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).
3 tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.
4 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.
5 sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.
6 tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”
7 tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
8 tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
9 sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.
10 tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.
12 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
13 sn The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.
14 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
15 tn Grk “seized.”
16 tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).
17 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.
18 tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”
19 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.”
20 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 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.”
22 tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).
23 tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).
24 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 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.”
26 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.
28 tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).
29 tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plhqo") is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.
30 tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
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 “says” (a historical present).
33 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
34 tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).
35 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
36 tn Grk “said.”
37 sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.
38 tn L&N 39.41 has “οὐκ ἄρα σὺ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστατώσας ‘then you are not that Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion’ Ac 21:38.”
39 tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”
sn The term ‘Assassins’ is found several times in the writings of Josephus (J. W. 2.13.3 [2.254-257]; Ant. 20.8.10 [20.186]). It was the name of the most fanatical group among the Jewish nationalists, very hostile to Rome, who did not hesitate to assassinate their political opponents. They were named Sicarii in Latin after their weapon of choice, the short dagger or sicarius which could be easily hidden under one’s clothing. In effect, the officer who arrested Paul had thought he was dealing with a terrorist.
40 tn Or “desert.”
41 tn Grk “before these days.”
