Acts 16:37-38

16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ¹  “They had us beaten in public ²  without a proper trial ³  – even though we are Roman citizens ⁴  – and they threw us ⁵  in prison. And now they want to send us away ⁶  secretly? Absolutely not! They ⁷  themselves must come and escort us out!” ⁸  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ⁹  were Roman citizens ¹⁰ 

Acts 22:25-28

22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ¹¹  Paul said to the centurion ¹²  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ¹³  without a proper trial?” ¹⁴  22:26 When the centurion ¹⁵  heard this, ¹⁶  he went to the commanding officer ¹⁷  and reported it, ¹⁸  saying, “What are you about to do? ¹⁹  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁰  22:27 So the commanding officer ²¹  came and asked ²²  Paul, ²³  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ²⁴  He replied, ²⁵  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ²⁶  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ²⁷  “But I was even ²⁸  born a citizen,” ²⁹  Paul replied. ³⁰ 

[16:37]  ¹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ⁴ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ⁷ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ⁸ 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.

[16:38]  ⁹ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ¹⁰ 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.

[22:25]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ¹³ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ²² tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ²³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁴ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁵ tn Grk “He said.”

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

[22:28]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ²⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  ³⁰ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.