Acts 16:21

16:21 and are advocating ¹  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ²  or practice, ³  since we are ⁴  Romans.”

Acts 16:38

16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ⁵  were Roman citizens ⁶ 

Acts 22:27

22:27 So the commanding officer ⁷  came and asked ⁸  Paul, ⁹  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ¹⁰  He replied, ¹¹  “Yes.”

Acts 2:10

2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, ¹²  and visitors from Rome, ¹³ 

Acts 22:25-26

22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ¹⁴  Paul said to the centurion ¹⁵  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ¹⁶  without a proper trial?” ¹⁷  22:26 When the centurion ¹⁸  heard this, ¹⁹  he went to the commanding officer ²⁰  and reported it, ²¹  saying, “What are you about to do? ²²  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²³ 

Acts 23:27

23:27 This man was seized ²⁴  by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ²⁵  when I came up ²⁶  with the detachment ²⁷  and rescued him, because I had learned that he was ²⁸  a Roman citizen. ²⁹ 

Acts 16:37

16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ³⁰  “They had us beaten in public ³¹  without a proper trial ³²  – even though we are Roman citizens ³³  – and they threw us ³⁴  in prison. And now they want to send us away ³⁵  secretly? Absolutely not! They ³⁶  themselves must come and escort us out!” ³⁷ 

Acts 22:29

22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ³⁸  from him, and the commanding officer ³⁹  was frightened when he realized that Paul ⁴⁰  was ⁴¹  a Roman citizen ⁴²  and that he had had him tied up. ⁴³ 

Acts 25:16

25:16 I answered them ⁴⁴  that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone ⁴⁵  before the accused had met his accusers face to face ⁴⁶  and had been given ⁴⁷  an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. ⁴⁸ 

Acts 28:17

Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome

28:17 After three days ⁴⁹  Paul ⁵⁰  called the local Jewish leaders ⁵¹  together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, ⁵²  although I had done ⁵³  nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, ⁵⁴  from Jerusalem ⁵⁵  I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. ⁵⁶ 

[16:21]  ¹ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ² tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ³ sn Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).

[16:21]  ⁴ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[16:38]  ⁵ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ⁶ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

[22:27]  ⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ¹¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ¹² tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ¹³ tn Grk “He said.”

[2:10]  ¹³ tn According to BDAG 595 s.v. Λιβύη, the western part of Libya, Libya Cyrenaica, is referred to here (see also Josephus, Ant. 16.6.1 [16.160] for a similar phrase).

[2:10]  ¹⁴ map For location see JP4 A1.

[22:25]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ¹⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ²⁰ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26]  ²¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ²² 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]  ²³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[23:27]  ²⁵ tn The participle συλλημφθέντα (sullhmfqenta) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The remark reviews events of Acts 21:27-40.

[23:27]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and was about to be killed by them.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:27]  ²⁷ tn Or “approached.”

[23:27]  ²⁸ 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.

[23:27]  ²⁹ tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.

[23:27]  ³⁰ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[16:37]  ²⁹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ³⁰ tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ³¹ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ³² tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ³³ tn The word “us” 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.

[16:37]  ³⁴ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ³⁵ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ³⁶ sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.

[22:29]  ³³ 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.

[22:29]  ³⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ³⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ³⁶ tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29]  ³⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ³⁸ 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.

[25:16]  ³⁷ tn Grk “to whom I answered.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 16.

[25:16]  ³⁸ tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).

[25:16]  ³⁹ tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”

[25:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “and receives.”

[25:16]  ⁴¹ tn Or “indictment” (a legal technical term). BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 states, “legal t.t.…ἀπολογία περὶ τοῦ ἐ. defense against the accusation Ac 25:16.” L&N 56.6 defines ἔγκλημα (enklhma) as “(a technical, legal term) a formal indictment or accusation brought against someone – ‘indictment, accusation, case.’ …‘and might receive an opportunity for a defense against the indictment’ Ac 25:16.”

[28:17]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “It happened that after three days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[28:17]  ⁴² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ⁴³ tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”

[28:17]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[28:17]  ⁴⁵ tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[28:17]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:17]  ⁴⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”