Acts 24:23

24:23 He ordered the centurion ¹  to guard Paul, ²  but to let him have some freedom, ³  and not to prevent any of his friends ⁴  from meeting his needs. ⁵ 

Acts 27:1

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ⁶  would sail to Italy, ⁷  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ⁸  of the Augustan Cohort ⁹  named Julius.

Acts 27:3

27:3 The next day we put in ¹⁰  at Sidon, ¹¹  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ¹²  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ¹³ 

Acts 28:16

28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ¹⁴  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

[24:23]  ¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[24:23]  ² tn Grk “that he was to be guarded.” The passive construction (τηρεῖσθαι, threisqai) has been converted to an active one in parallel with the following clauses, and the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:23]  ³ tn BDAG 77 s.v. ἄνεσις 1 states, “lit. relaxation of custodial control, some liberty, ἀ. ἔχειν have some freedom Ac 24:23.”

[24:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).

[24:23]  ⁵ tn Grk “from serving him.”

[27:1]  ⁶ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ⁷ sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1]  ⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ⁹ tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[27:3]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Σιδῶνα Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ¹¹ sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  ¹² tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ¹³ tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[28:16]  ¹⁴ tn Or “to stay.”