Acts 22:27-28

Context
22:27 So the commanding officer¹ came and asked² Paul,³ “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”⁴ He replied,⁵ “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer⁶ answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.”⁷ “But I was even⁸ born a citizen,”⁹ Paul replied.¹⁰

Acts 16:37

Context
16:37 But Paul said to the police officers,¹¹ “They had us beaten in public¹² without a proper trial¹³ – even though we are Roman citizens¹⁴ – and they threw us¹⁵ in prison. And now they want to send us away¹⁶ secretly? Absolutely not! They¹⁷ themselves must come and escort us out!”¹⁸

Acts 25:16

Context
25:16 I answered them¹⁹ that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone²⁰ before the accused had met his accusers face to face²¹ and had been given²² an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation.²³

[22:27] ¹tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27] ²tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27] ³tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27] ⁴tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27] ⁵tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28] ⁶tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28] ⁷sn 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] ⁸tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28] ⁹tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28] ¹⁰tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:37] ¹¹tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37] ¹²tn 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] ¹³tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37] ¹⁴tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37] ¹⁵tn 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] ¹⁶tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37] ¹⁷tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37] ¹⁸sn 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.

[25:16] ¹⁹tn 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] ²⁰tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).

[25:16] ²¹tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”

[25:16] ²²tn Grk “and receives.”

[25:16] ²³tn 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.”