Acts 21:32

Act 21:32. Ἐξαυτῆς, immediately) He supposed that delay is dangerous: Act 21:38.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 21:32 . ἐξαυτῆς , cf. Act 10:33 . παραλ . στρ . καὶ ἑκατοντ ., indicating that he thought the tumult considerable. κατέδραμεν ἐπʼ αὐτούς , “ran down upon them” from Antonia, so R.V. vividly; verb found only here in N.T. In Job 16:10 (11) A we have the verb with accusative and ἐπί . ἐπαύσαντο τύπτοντες after παύομαι : the act or state desisted from, indicated by the addition of a present participle, frequent in Luke, cf. Luk 5:4 , Act 5:42 ; Act 6:13 ; Act 13:10 ; Act 20:31 ; cf. also Eph 1:16 , Col 1:9 , so in LXX, Grimm, sub v. , Winer-Moulton, xlv. 4.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

the chief captain--"the chiliarch," or tribune of the Roman cohort, whose full number was one thousand men.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 32. Ran down unto them] Ran down the stairs to the porticoes mentioned above.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

32. And when they saw the chief captain. Those whose fury neither the majesty of God, nor yet the reverence of the temple, could once stay, begin to relent when they see a profane man. Whereby it appeareth that they were set on fire rather with barbarous cruelty than zeal. Now, whereas the chief captain bindeth Paul with chains, he declareth thereby sufficiently that he came not to ease him. The unbelievers would attribute this to fortune; but the Spirit hath depainted out unto us the providence of God as in a table [picture] reigning amidst the confused uproars of men. And though this be very hard that this holy minister of God is so shamefully handled, yet the equity of the chief captain is to be commended if he be compared with the Jews. He bindeth him with chains, as if he were some evil-doer, or some wicked person; yet doth he vouchsafe to hear him when he is bound, whom they did beat unmercifully; neither doth he determine to handle him hardly before he knew his ca, use. Yea, this was the best way to mitigate their cruelty, because they thought [hoped] that Paul should be punished immediately.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

32. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions] Clearly he had charge of a considerable troop, which perhaps might just then be augmented in anticipation of any disturbance to which such a concourse, as would come together for the feast, might give rise.

and ran down unto them] Rev. Ver. “upon them.” The tower was on the height above the temple, so that the verb is very correct.

and when they saw … left beating of Paul] The Rev. Ver. alters the last four words into “left off beating Paul” which gives a rhythm not so pleasant, and the older English was not misunderstood. The mob probably knew that Roman law would do justice, and that if the Apostle were found by the chief captain to have been wrongfully treated they would be brought to an account.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who immediately took soldiers and centurions,.... A very large number of soldiers, for they are called an army, in Act 23:27 with a sufficient number of officers called centurions, who were each of them over an hundred men, to command them, and put them in order:

and ran down unto them: from the tower to the temple, the outer part of it; perhaps the mountain of the house, where they had dragged Paul, and were beating him; hither the captain, with his officers and soldiers, came in great haste; all which shows his vigilance, prudence, and quick dispatch; and in which there was a remarkable appearance of divine providence in favour of the apostle, who otherwise in all likelihood would have quickly lost his life:

and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers; coming down upon them in great haste, with sword in hand:

they left beating of Paul; this beating was what the Jews call , "the rebels' beating"; or beating, on account of rebellion and obstinacy; and differed from whipping or scourging, which was done by the order of the sanhedrim, and in measure with forty stripes save one; but this beating was without any order from a court of judicature, and was without measure and mercy: this was inflicted upon various offenders, particularly on such who received not admonitions given them, or transgressed by doing what was forbidden by the words of the wise men (c); or if any defiled person entered into the court of the women; and such the people would fall upon at once, and beat them unmercifully with their fists, or with clubs and staves, and which often issued in death; so, for instance, when a priest ministered in his uncleanness, his brethren the priests did not bring him to the sanhedrim, but the young priests brought him without the court, and dashed his brains out with clubs (d).

(c) Maimon. Hilchot Sanhedrin, c, 18. sect. 5. (d) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 9. sect. 6.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.

Ver. 32. Who immediately took soldiers] An admirable example of God’s good providence, who delighteth to reserve his hand for a dead lift, to save those that are forsaken of their hopes. He cometh unlooked for, as it were out of an engine, απο μηχανης.

They left beating of Paul] Who could better bear it, because he had felt worse fingers than theirs, when that messenger of Satan buffeted him, 2Co 12:7. And surely if the philosopher (when brayed in a mortar by his cruel Scythians) could bear it patiently, saying, Beat on Anacharsis’ wind bang, meaning his body, {a} much more could the apostle by the force of his faith. Especially, since his suffering reached only to his flesh, his soul was untouched thereby, Col 1:24.

{a} Tundite Anach. folliculum.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Centurions - Captains of 100 men.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

A wonderful providence of God for Paul’s preservation, that the chief captain should be so near, as to be able to hinder the massacring of Paul; and especially that he should be defended and preserved by one that was a stranger to him, and an enemy to his religion!

They left beating of Paul, lest they should have been set upon by the soldiers, for breaking the peace, &c. The fear of man caused them to forbear what the fear of God could not.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

32. Left beating—The sight of the approaching military, even before its arrival, checks the violence of the mob. Wonderfully swift of wing is the Roman eagle lighting down upon his prey!

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And forthwith he for who immediately, A.V.; upon for unto, A.V.; and they, when, etc., left off for and when they, etc., they left, A.V.; beating for beating of, A.V. Ran down upon (katedramen ejpi). Katatrecw only occurs here in the New Testament, but is used in the LXX of sw, 1Ki_19:20, followed by ojpi to run after. In classical Greek it governs an accusative or genitive of the person or thing attacked. Here the force of kata seems to be merely the running down from the castle of Antonia, and therefore the A.V. unto seems preferable to the R.V. upon.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 31

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

General Information:

The first word "he" and the word "He" refer to the chief captain of the guard mentioned in Acts 21:31.

ran down

From the fortress, there are stairs going down into the court.

the chief captain

a Roman military officer or leader of about 600 soldiers

laid hold of Paul

"took hold of Paul" or "arrested Paul"

commanded him to be bound

This can be stated in active form. AT: "commanded his soldiers to bind him" (See: Active or Passive)

with two chains

This means they bound Paul to two Roman soldiers, one on each side of him.

he asked who he was and what he had done.

This can be stated as a direct quotation. AT: "He asked, 'Who is this man? What has he done?'" (See: Direct and Indirect Quotations)

he asked who he was

The chief captain is speaking to the crowd, not to Paul.

translationWords

soldier

centurion

Paul

command

bind

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

32. στρατιώτας καὶ ἑκατοντάρχας, soldiers and centurions. Clearly the χιλίαρχος had charge of a considerable troop, which might perhaps just at the feast be augmented in anticipation that the incourse of so many foreigners might lead to a disturbance.

κατέδραμεν ἐπ’ αὐτούς, ran down upon them. The tower was on the height above the Temple, so the verb is very correct.

ἐπαύσαντο τύπτοντες τὸν Παῦλον, they left beating of Paul. The mob probably knew that Roman law would do justice, and that if the Apostle were found by the chief captain to have been wrongfully treated they would be brought to an account.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Centurions. See on Luk 7:2.

Unto them [επ αυτους] . Better, upon them.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.