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Acts 22:27-29
New English Translation
Acts 22:27-29
New English Translation
27 So the commanding officer[a] came and asked[b] Paul,[c] “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”[d] He replied,[e] “Yes.” 28 The commanding officer[f] answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.”[g] “But I was even[h] born a citizen,”[i] Paul replied.[j] 29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away[k] from him, and the commanding officer[l] was frightened when he realized that Paul[m] was[n] a Roman citizen[o] and that he had had him tied up.[p]
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- Acts 22:27 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.
- Acts 22:27 tn Grk “and said to.”
- Acts 22:27 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Acts 22:27 tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.
- Acts 22:27 tn Grk “He said.”
- Acts 22:28 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.
- Acts 22:28 sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.
- Acts 22:28 tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”
- Acts 22:28 tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.sn Paul’s reference to being born a citizen suggests he inherited his Roman citizenship from his family.
- Acts 22:28 tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Acts 22:29 tn 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.
- Acts 22:29 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.
- Acts 22:29 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Acts 22:29 tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.
- Acts 22:29 tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.
- Acts 22:29 sn 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.
New English Translation (NET)
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