Acts 21:30-32

21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ¹  and the people rushed together. ²  They seized ³  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ⁴  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ⁵  to kill him, a report ⁶  was sent up ⁷  to the commanding officer ⁸  of the cohort ⁹  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ¹⁰  21:32 He ¹¹  immediately took ¹²  soldiers and centurions ¹³  and ran down to the crowd. ¹⁴  When they saw ¹⁵  the commanding officer ¹⁶  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ¹⁷  Paul.

Acts 22:23

22:23 While they were screaming ¹⁸  and throwing off their cloaks ¹⁹  and tossing dust ²⁰  in the air,

Acts 23:10-15

23:10 When the argument became ²¹  so great the commanding officer ²²  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ²³  he ordered the detachment ²⁴  to go down, take him away from them by force, ²⁵  and bring him into the barracks. ²⁶ 

23:11 The following night the Lord ²⁷  stood near ²⁸  Paul ²⁹  and said, “Have courage, ³⁰  for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, ³¹  so you must also testify in Rome.” ³² 

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ³³  the Jews formed ³⁴  a conspiracy ³⁵  and bound themselves with an oath ³⁶  not to eat or drink anything ³⁷  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ³⁸  23:14 They ³⁹  went ⁴⁰  to the chief priests ⁴¹  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ⁴²  not to partake ⁴³  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ⁴⁴  request the commanding officer ⁴⁵  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ⁴⁶  his case ⁴⁷  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ⁴⁸  We are ready to kill him ⁴⁹  before he comes near this place.” ⁵⁰ 

[21:30]  ¹ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ² tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”

[21:30]  ³ tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[21:30]  ⁴ tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ⁵ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ⁶ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ¹¹ 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.

[21:32]  ¹² tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32]  ¹³ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ¹⁷ 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.

[22:23]  ¹⁸ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ¹⁹ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  ²⁰ sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[23:10]  ²¹ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ²² 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]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ²⁶ 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.”

[23:11]  ²⁷ sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.

[23:11]  ²⁸ tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:11]  ²⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:11]  ³⁰ tn Or “Do not be afraid.”

[23:11]  ³¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:11]  ³² sn Like Jesus went to Jerusalem, Paul would now go to Rome. This trip forms the concluding backdrop to Acts. This is the second notice about going to Rome (see Acts 19:21 for the first).

[23:12]  ³³ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ³⁴ tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poihsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:12]  ³⁵ tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean – 2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).

[23:12]  ³⁶ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[23:12]  ³⁷ 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.

[23:13]  ³⁸ tn L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunwmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some institution, with the implication of an oath binding the conspirators – ‘conspiracy, plot.’ …‘there were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy’ Ac 23:13.”

[23:14]  ³⁹ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ⁴¹ sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.

[23:14]  ⁴² tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.

[23:14]  ⁴³ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”

[23:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ⁴⁸ tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ⁴⁹ sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.

[23:15]  ⁵⁰ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.