Acts 21:35-37

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Acts 21:35 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2. Acts 21:35 sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.
3. Acts 21:35 tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).
4. Acts 21:36 tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plēthos) is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.
5. Acts 21:36 tn The word “them” 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.
6. Acts 21:37 tn 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.”
7. Acts 21:37 tn Grk “says” (a historical present).
8. Acts 21:37 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
9. Acts 21:37 tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).
10. Acts 21:37 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11. Acts 21:37 tn Grk “said.”
12. Acts 21:37 sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.