When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!” As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
brought Greeks into the temple - "Verse 29 explains that the crowd assumed (though it was untrue) that Paul had taken Trophimus, a Gentile, into the inner courts of the Temple, which were reserved for Jews only. This was an offense punishable by death." (Ryrie)
"The outer court of the temple, which was called the Court of the Gentiles, was open to everybody. Then there was an inner court, which was known by the name of the Court of Israel. This court was separated from the outer court by the middle wall of partition. There were barriers and pillars with inscriptions in Greek and Latin, warning strangers under the penalty of death not to advance into that holy court. Inside the barrier was a high wall, which surrounded the inner court, and in this wall were doors (Verse 30). The eastern part of the Court was reserved for women; then a colonnade ran around the Court of the women: in its angles were chambers. One of these was called the House of the Nazarites, where the Nazarites boiled the peace offerings, shaved their heads, and burnt the hair. Here most likely the Jews from Asia discovered the despised and hated Apostle. Now their hour had come to carry out the satanic desire of putting the Apostle out of the way." (Gaebelein)
"Meaning the inner portion of the temple. The outer 'Court of the Gentiles' was open to all. Beyond that was a raised narrow platform bounded by a lofty wall, through which admittance was obtained by gates to a raised plateau containing the temple proper, with its court of the Women, Court of the Israelites, and Court of the Priests. The actual boundary for Gentiles was a low stone barrier, three cubits in height, which ran round the court at the foot of the steps leading to the narrow platform, and therefore down below the lofty wall. Josephus tells us (Antiq. XV.11.6; Wars XV.5.2), that it contained pillars at intervals with inscriptions forbidding Gentiles to go beyond. One of these has been recovered and reads, 'No man of another nation to enter within the fence and enclosure around the temple. And who so is caught will have himself to blame that his death ensues'. This was 'the middle wall of partition' referred to in Eph. 2:14. Seeing the apostle busy with ceremonies in the company of others in the inner court, the Asian Jews supposed that he had taken Trophimus beyond the prescribed barrier." (Walker)
word came to the tribune - "The cloisters or colonnades in the Court of the Gentiles communicated at the north-west corner by a flight of steps with the fortress of Antonia, which was built on a rocky eminence close by and commanded a view of the temple and what went on there. It had originally been built as a fortress palace by Herod the Great, but was now occupied by the Roman garrison. The near presence of this fortress was a constant source of irritation to the Jews. News of the commotion proceeding in the temple was carried up to the fortress, the soldiers of which were kept in readiness under arms at festival seasons to quell disturbances..." (Walker)
the tribune of the cohort - "Or, 'the chiliarch of the cohort'. The military tribune in question was in command of a thousand men, of whom 750 would be infantry and 250 cavalry." (Walker)
"Immediately the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, with a detachment of soldiers, ran down to investigate and restore order." (Stam)
centurions - "Officers subordinate to him, each commanding a hundred soldiers." (Walker)
was actually carried by the soldiers - "... the confusion was so great that it was impossible for Lysias to get at the root of the trouble. As it had been Ephesus, 'some cried one thing, some another' (Cf. Ver. 34 with 19:32). Lysias therefore 'commanded him to be carried into the castle,' and Paul actually had to be carried up the stairs by the soldiers, so great was 'the violence of the people.'" (Stam)
“May I say something to you?” - "The fact that Paul addressed him in Greek surprised the chief captain, who had supposed him to be an Egyptian with whom Rome had previously had trouble." (Stam)
the Egyptian - "The historian Josephus records such an event in A.D. 54. The leader disappeared. The tribune jumps to the conclusion that Paul is he." (Ryrie)
"Josephus tells us (Wars ii.13.5) that an Egyptian, posing as a prophet, got together 30,000 men and led them to the Mount of Olives, with intent to overpower the Roman garrison and seize Jerusalem, but that Felix fore-stalled him by attacking him, when the Egyptian ran away and the greater part of his followers were destroyed or taken prisoners. In another account of the same event (Antiq. xx.8.6), he says that only 400 were slain and 200 taken alive; so that his numbers are clearly unreliable, while the incident itself is authentic. The event was quite a recent one, so that it was natural for the chief captain to think that the run-away 'Egyptian' had returned to make a fresh attempt at insurrection." (Walker)
from Tarsus in Cilicia - "A city with a renowned university. This would account, in the chief captain's eyes, for Paul's Greek culture." (Walker)
a citizen - "This refers to the municipal, not the imperial, franchise (Acts 22:25-29). He was an enfranchised citizen of Tarsus as a Greek municipality, as well as a Roman citizen of the empire (Acts 16:37-38)." (Walker)
of no obscure city - "In other words, 'of a distinguished city'. Tarsus ranked high among the intellectual cities of the Roman East, and bore upon its coins the proud titles 'metropolis' and 'autonomous' (self-governing). The adjective mean or undistinguished occurs only in this verse." (Walker)
he addressed them in the Hebrew language - "But now Lysias is in for another surprise, for Paul turns at the top of the stairs to address the multitude, not in Greek, which all could understand, but in Hebrew! In his alertness and presence of mind, the apostle had at least two reasons for this. First, to conciliate the Jews. They would expect him to address them in Greek; instead he does so in the language which none but the Circumcision could understand and which was associated in their minds with all that was sacred in the Judaism they fought for. This would speak to them of loyalty to God's law rather than apostasy from it (See Acts 22:2). Secondly, he did not wish Lysias to understand. To Lysias he had just said: 'I am ... a Jew of Tarsus ... a citizen of no mean city' (Ver. 39) but to the Jews he now says in Hebrew: 'I am verily ... a Jew, born in Tarsus ... yet brought up in this city ...' (Acts 22:3). To them he places Tarsus in the back ground and places the emphasis upon Jerusalem. Also, it would be better if Lysias did not hear how he had persecuted many of his kinsmen 'to the death' or he might prejudice the captain against him." (Stam)
brought Greeks into the temple - "Verse 29 explains that the crowd assumed (though it was untrue) that Paul had taken Trophimus, a Gentile, into the inner courts of the Temple, which were reserved for Jews only. This was an offense punishable by death." (Ryrie)
"The outer court of the temple, which was called the Court of the Gentiles, was open to everybody. Then there was an inner court, which was known by the name of the Court of Israel. This court was separated from the outer court by the middle wall of partition. There were barriers and pillars with inscriptions in Greek and Latin, warning strangers under the penalty of death not to advance into that holy court. Inside the barrier was a high wall, which surrounded the inner court, and in this wall were doors (Verse 30). The eastern part of the Court was reserved for women; then a colonnade ran around the Court of the women: in its angles were chambers. One of these was called the House of the Nazarites, where the Nazarites boiled the peace offerings, shaved their heads, and burnt the hair. Here most likely the Jews from Asia discovered the despised and hated Apostle. Now their hour had come to carry out the satanic desire of putting the Apostle out of the way." (Gaebelein)
"Meaning the inner portion of the temple. The outer 'Court of the Gentiles' was open to all. Beyond that was a raised narrow platform bounded by a lofty wall, through which admittance was obtained by gates to a raised plateau containing the temple proper, with its court of the Women, Court of the Israelites, and Court of the Priests. The actual boundary for Gentiles was a low stone barrier, three cubits in height, which ran round the court at the foot of the steps leading to the narrow platform, and therefore down below the lofty wall. Josephus tells us (Antiq. XV.11.6; Wars XV.5.2), that it contained pillars at intervals with inscriptions forbidding Gentiles to go beyond. One of these has been recovered and reads, 'No man of another nation to enter within the fence and enclosure around the temple. And who so is caught will have himself to blame that his death ensues'. This was 'the middle wall of partition' referred to in Eph. 2:14. Seeing the apostle busy with ceremonies in the company of others in the inner court, the Asian Jews supposed that he had taken Trophimus beyond the prescribed barrier." (Walker)
word came to the tribune - "The cloisters or colonnades in the Court of the Gentiles communicated at the north-west corner by a flight of steps with the fortress of Antonia, which was built on a rocky eminence close by and commanded a view of the temple and what went on there. It had originally been built as a fortress palace by Herod the Great, but was now occupied by the Roman garrison. The near presence of this fortress was a constant source of irritation to the Jews. News of the commotion proceeding in the temple was carried up to the fortress, the soldiers of which were kept in readiness under arms at festival seasons to quell disturbances..." (Walker)
the tribune of the cohort - "Or, 'the chiliarch of the cohort'. The military tribune in question was in command of a thousand men, of whom 750 would be infantry and 250 cavalry." (Walker)
"Immediately the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, with a detachment of soldiers, ran down to investigate and restore order." (Stam)
centurions - "Officers subordinate to him, each commanding a hundred soldiers." (Walker)
was actually carried by the soldiers - "... the confusion was so great that it was impossible for Lysias to get at the root of the trouble. As it had been Ephesus, 'some cried one thing, some another' (Cf. Ver. 34 with 19:32). Lysias therefore 'commanded him to be carried into the castle,' and Paul actually had to be carried up the stairs by the soldiers, so great was 'the violence of the people.'" (Stam)
“May I say something to you?” - "The fact that Paul addressed him in Greek surprised the chief captain, who had supposed him to be an Egyptian with whom Rome had previously had trouble." (Stam)
the Egyptian - "The historian Josephus records such an event in A.D. 54. The leader disappeared. The tribune jumps to the conclusion that Paul is he." (Ryrie)
"Josephus tells us (Wars ii.13.5) that an Egyptian, posing as a prophet, got together 30,000 men and led them to the Mount of Olives, with intent to overpower the Roman garrison and seize Jerusalem, but that Felix fore-stalled him by attacking him, when the Egyptian ran away and the greater part of his followers were destroyed or taken prisoners. In another account of the same event (Antiq. xx.8.6), he says that only 400 were slain and 200 taken alive; so that his numbers are clearly unreliable, while the incident itself is authentic. The event was quite a recent one, so that it was natural for the chief captain to think that the run-away 'Egyptian' had returned to make a fresh attempt at insurrection." (Walker)
from Tarsus in Cilicia - "A city with a renowned university. This would account, in the chief captain's eyes, for Paul's Greek culture." (Walker)
a citizen - "This refers to the municipal, not the imperial, franchise (Acts 22:25-29). He was an enfranchised citizen of Tarsus as a Greek municipality, as well as a Roman citizen of the empire (Acts 16:37-38)." (Walker)
of no obscure city - "In other words, 'of a distinguished city'. Tarsus ranked high among the intellectual cities of the Roman East, and bore upon its coins the proud titles 'metropolis' and 'autonomous' (self-governing). The adjective mean or undistinguished occurs only in this verse." (Walker)
he addressed them in the Hebrew language - "But now Lysias is in for another surprise, for Paul turns at the top of the stairs to address the multitude, not in Greek, which all could understand, but in Hebrew! In his alertness and presence of mind, the apostle had at least two reasons for this. First, to conciliate the Jews. They would expect him to address them in Greek; instead he does so in the language which none but the Circumcision could understand and which was associated in their minds with all that was sacred in the Judaism they fought for. This would speak to them of loyalty to God's law rather than apostasy from it (See Acts 22:2). Secondly, he did not wish Lysias to understand. To Lysias he had just said: 'I am ... a Jew of Tarsus ... a citizen of no mean city' (Ver. 39) but to the Jews he now says in Hebrew: 'I am verily ... a Jew, born in Tarsus ... yet brought up in this city ...' (Acts 22:3). To them he places Tarsus in the back ground and places the emphasis upon Jerusalem. Also, it would be better if Lysias did not hear how he had persecuted many of his kinsmen 'to the death' or he might prejudice the captain against him." (Stam)
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