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 22:25

22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ⁵  Paul said to the centurion ⁶  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ⁷  without a proper trial?” ⁸ 

Acts 21:37

21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ⁹  he said ¹⁰  to the commanding officer, ¹¹  “May I say ¹²  something to you?” The officer ¹³  replied, ¹⁴  “Do you know Greek? ¹⁵ 

[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.

[22:25]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ⁸ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[21:37]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ¹² tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ¹³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ¹⁵ 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.