Acts 21:31

21:31 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 

Acts 21:37

21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ⁷  he said ⁸  to the commanding officer, ⁹  “May I say ¹⁰  something to you?” The officer ¹¹  replied, ¹²  “Do you know Greek? ¹³ 

Acts 22:24-28

22:24 the commanding officer ¹⁴  ordered Paul ¹⁵  to be brought back into the barracks. ¹⁶  He told them ¹⁷  to interrogate Paul ¹⁸  by beating him with a lash ¹⁹  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ²⁰  was shouting at Paul ²¹  in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ²²  Paul said to the centurion ²³  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ²⁴  without a proper trial?” ²⁵  22:26 When the centurion ²⁶  heard this, ²⁷  he went to the commanding officer ²⁸  and reported it, ²⁹  saying, “What are you about to do? ³⁰  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ³¹  22:27 So the commanding officer ³²  came and asked ³³  Paul, ³⁴  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ³⁵  He replied, ³⁶  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ³⁷  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ³⁸  “But I was even ³⁹  born a citizen,” ⁴⁰  Paul replied. ⁴¹ 

Acts 23:10

23:10 When the argument became ⁴²  so great the commanding officer ⁴³  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ⁴⁴  he ordered the detachment ⁴⁵  to go down, take him away from them by force, ⁴⁶  and bring him into the barracks. ⁴⁷ 

Acts 23:17-22

23:17 Paul called ⁴⁸  one of the centurions ⁴⁹  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ⁵⁰  for he has something to report to him.” 23:18 So the centurion ⁵¹  took him and brought him to the commanding officer ⁵²  and said, “The prisoner Paul called ⁵³  me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 23:19 The commanding officer ⁵⁴  took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want ⁵⁵  to report to me?” 23:20 He replied, ⁵⁶  “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council ⁵⁷  tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ⁵⁸  because more than forty of them ⁵⁹  are lying in ambush ⁶⁰  for him. They ⁶¹  have bound themselves with an oath ⁶²  not to eat or drink anything ⁶³  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ⁶⁴  23:22 Then the commanding officer ⁶⁵  sent the young man away, directing him, ⁶⁶  “Tell no one that you have reported ⁶⁷  these things to me.”

[21:31]  ¹ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ² tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ³ tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  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.

[21:31]  ⁵ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ⁶ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:37]  ⁷ 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.”

[21:37]  ⁸ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ¹¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ¹² tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ¹³ 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.

[22:24]  ¹⁴ 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.

[22:24]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹⁶ 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.”

[22:24]  ¹⁷ 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.

[22:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹⁹ 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.

[22:24]  ²⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ²¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ²² tn Grk “for the thongs” (of which the lash was made). Although often translated as a dative of means (“with thongs”), referring to thongs used to tie the victim to the whipping post, BDAG 474-75 s.v. ἱμάς states that it “is better taken as a dat. of purpose for the thongs, in which case οἱ ἱμάντες = whips (Posidonius: 87 fgm. 5 Jac.; POxy. 1186, 2 τὴν διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων αἰκείαν. – Antiphanes 74, 8, Demosth. 19, 197 and Artem. 1, 70 use the sing. in this way).”

[22:25]  ²³ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ²⁴ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ²⁵ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26]  ²⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ²⁷ tn The word “this” 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.

[22:26]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ²⁹ tn The word “it” 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.

[22:26]  ³⁰ tn Or perhaps, “What do you intend to do?” Although BDAG 627 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.α lists this phrase under the category “be about to, be on the point of,” it is possible it belongs under 1.c.γ, “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; what do you intend to do?”

[22:26]  ³¹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ³² tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ³³ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ³⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ³⁵ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ³⁶ tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28]  ³⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ³⁸ sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.

[22:28]  ³⁹ tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ⁴⁰ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:10]  ⁴² tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ⁴³ 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.

[23:10]  ⁴⁴ 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.

[23:10]  ⁴⁵ 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.

[23:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ⁴⁷ 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.”

[23:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “calling…Paul said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:17]  ⁴⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ⁵² tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ⁵³ tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:19]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “you have,” but the expression “have to report” in English could be understood to mean “must report” rather than “possess to report.” For this reason the nearly equivalent expression “want to report,” which is not subject to misunderstanding, was used in the translation.

[23:20]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “He said.”

[23:20]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “do not be persuaded by them.” The passive construction μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς (mh peisqh" autoi") has been converted to an active construction in the translation, and the phrase “to do this” supplied to indicate more clearly the object of their persuasion.

[23:21]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “forty men of them.” In the expression ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες (ex autwn andre") “men” is somewhat redundant and has not been included in the English translation.

[23:21]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “for him, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:21]  ⁶² tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone… ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.”

[23:21]  ⁶³ tn The word “anything” 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.

[23:21]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “waiting for your approval,” “waiting for your agreement.” Since it would be possible to misunderstand the literal translation “waiting for your approval” to mean that the Jews were waiting for the commander’s approval to carry out their plot or to kill Paul (as if he were to be an accomplice to their plot), the object of the commander’s approval (their request to bring Paul to the council) has been specified in the translation as “their request.”

[23:22]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:22]  ⁶⁶ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγγέλλω has “to make an announcement about someth. that must be done, give orders, command, instruct, direct of all kinds of persons in authority, worldly rulers, Jesus, the apostles…παραγγέλλειν w. an inf. and μή comes to mean forbid to do someth.: π. τινί w. aor. inf. Lk 5:14; 8:56; without the dat., which is easily supplied fr. the context Ac 23:22.” However, if the direct discourse which follows is to be retained in the translation, a different translation must be used since it is awkward to introduce direct discourse with the verb to forbid. Thus the alternative to direct was used.

[23:22]  ⁶⁷ tn On this verb, see BDAG 325-26 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 2. The term was frequently used of an official report to authorities. In modern terms, this was a police tip.