Acts 22:23-30

Context
22:23 While they were screaming¹ and throwing off their cloaks² and tossing dust³ in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer⁴ ordered Paul⁵ to be brought back into the barracks.⁶ He told them⁷ to interrogate Paul⁸ by beating him with a lash⁹ so that he could find out the reason the crowd¹⁰ was shouting at Paul¹¹ in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash,¹² Paul said to the centurion¹³ standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen¹⁴ without a proper trial?”¹⁵ 22:26 When the centurion¹⁶ heard this,¹⁷ he went to the commanding officer¹⁸ and reported it,¹⁹ saying, “What are you about to do?²⁰ For this man is a Roman citizen.”²¹ 22:27 So the commanding officer²² came and asked²³ Paul,²⁴ “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”²⁵ He replied,²⁶ “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer²⁷ answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.”²⁸ “But I was even²⁹ born a citizen,”³⁰ Paul replied.³¹ 22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away³² from him, and the commanding officer³³ was frightened when he realized that Paul³⁴ was³⁵ a Roman citizen³⁶ and that he had had him tied up.³⁷

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer³⁸ wanted to know the true reason³⁹ Paul⁴⁰ was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council⁴¹ to assemble. He then brought⁴² Paul down and had him stand before them.

[22:23] ¹tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23] ²tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23] ³sn 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.

[22:24] ⁴tn 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] ⁵tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24] ⁶tn 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] ⁷tn 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] ⁸tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24] ⁹sn 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] ¹⁰tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24] ¹¹tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25] ¹²tn 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] ¹³sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25] ¹⁴tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25] ¹⁵tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26] ¹⁶sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26] ¹⁷tn 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] ¹⁸tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26] ¹⁹tn 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] ²⁰tn 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] ²¹tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

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

[22:27] ²³tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27] ²⁴tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27] ²⁵tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27] ²⁶tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28] ²⁷tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28] ²⁸sn 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] ²⁹tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28] ³⁰tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28] ³¹tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29] ³²tn 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] ³³tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29] ³⁴tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29] ³⁵tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29] ³⁶tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29] ³⁷sn 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.

[22:30] ³⁸tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30] ³⁹tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”

[22:30] ⁴⁰tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30] ⁴¹tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30] ⁴²tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) 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 been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.