Acts

22:1-29

5. The Gospel reaches Rome, 21:1-28:31

iv] Paul's testimony

The commander of the Roman squad who has arrested Paul, allows him to address the mob which was only minutes earlier beating him to a pulp. When they hear Paul addressing them in Hebrew, they settle down. Paul presents his testimony, recounting his early training, his persecution of believers, his own conversion and divine appointment as apostle to the Gentiles. On hearing of his mission to the Gentiles, the mob erupts again, and the commander has Paul led into the barracks and prepared for interrogation. It is at this point that Paul explains that he is a Roman citizen.

Paul's apostolic credentials - a faithful son of Abraham, set apart by God to fulfil his purpose of extending the promised blessings of the covenant to all mankind.

i] Context: See 21:1-16..

ii] Background:

iii] Structure: Paul's testimony:

iv] Interpretation:

v] Homiletics: Seeing the Light

Paul's Testimony, v1-29: i] Addressing the crowd, Paul presents his apologia, his argument in defence, v1-21. Paul's opening address is the same as Stephen's, a respectful address to contemporaries and seniors.

thV .... apologiaV (a) gen. "[my] defence" - [men, brothers and fathers, hear] the defence [of me]. Genitive of direct object after the verb "to hear". Note how the genitive pronoun mou, "of me" (possessive), has been brought forward for emphasis.

proV + acc. "-" - toward [you]. The preposition is used to introduce an indirect object instead of a dative.

By using the "Hebrew" dialect, Paul is able to quieten the crowd

akousanteV (akouw) aor. part. "when they heard" - [but/and] having heard. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what they heard.

autoiV dat. pro. "them" - [he was speaking to] them. Dative of direct object after the proV prefix verb "to speak to".

th/ ... dialektw/ (oV) dat. adj. "in Aramaic" - in the [hebrew] dialect [they caused = became more quiet, and he says]. The dative is instrumental, expressing means, "by means of the Hebrew dialect"; "When they heard him addressing them in the Hebrew language, they were still quieter", Barclay / "they quietened down all the more", BDAG. The verb qhsin, "says", "resumes Paul's speech", Kellum; "and he addressed them in these words", Cassirer.

In the form of a typical CV of the day, Paul specifies his birth, rearing and education. It is unclear where Paul was brought up, but it seems likely that the sense here is that Paul was born a Jew in Tarsus, reared and educated in Jerusalem. His education under Gamaliel the Elder, ticks all the boxes.

egw "I" - i [i am a jewish man]. Emphatic by position and use.

gegennhmenoV (gennaw) perf. mid. part. "born" - having been fathered = born [in tarsus]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "man"; "I am a Jew who was born ....."

thV KilikiaV (a) gen. "of Cilicia" - of cilicia. The genitive is adjectival, descriptive, idiomatic / local; "Tarsus located in the province of Cilicia".

anateqrammenoV (anatrefw) perf. mid. part. "[but] brought up" - [but/and] having been nourished [in this city and having been instructed, educated beside the feet of gamaliel]. The participle, as for "having been instructed", is adjectival, attributive, limiting "man".

kata + acc. "-" - according to. Expressing a standard.

nomou (oV) gen. "in the law" - [precise meaning, fastidiousness, strictness] of the [ancestral] law. The genitive is adjectival, possibly verbal, objective, but better descriptive, idiomatic, "according to the precise meaning which is dictated by the ancestral law". "The ancestral law", "the law of the fathers", amounts to the tradition of the elders, ie., the law and its associated interpretation as received from previous generations. The Pharisees, along with the Scribes, were the experts in interpreting God's law with reference to received tradition.

uJparcwn (uJparcw) pres. part. "I was just as [zealous]" - being [zealous]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "man"; "a Jewish man ....... who was zealous for God just as you are today".

tou qeou (oV) gen. "for God" - of god [as, just as, like all you are today]. The genitive is adjectival, limiting the noun "zealous, enthusiastic, loyal", possibly verbal, objective, "zealous for God", as NIV, or, given that the noun is verbal, adverbial, reference / respect, "with respect to God".

Paul points out that he participated in the persecution of the church of the Way, although "to their death" is probably a rhetorical overstatement. Other than Stephen, there is not evidence that Paul, nor the authorities, were involved in the wholesale murder of members of the Way. "I was such a persecutor of the Way that I wished to put its followers to death", Barclay.

o}V pro. "-" - who [persecuted this way]. Instead of using a participle to form an attributive modifier of "man", Luke now uses a relative pronoun for the same purpose; "a Jewish man ...... who persecuted ....."

acri + gen. "to [their death]" - up to [death]. Expressing extension up to. A rhetorical statement, "to the death", ESV, ie., "went at them hammer and tongs", Peterson. The following participles specify the extent of the persecution, ie., arrest and delivery to the religious authorities. The punishment for association with an illegal Jewish sect would be a beating, not execution.

desmeuwn (dew) pres. part. "arresting" - binding [and delivering into jail]. This participle, as with "delivering", is adverbial, best treated as instrumental, expressing means / modal, expressing manner, "by binding and delivering"

te kai "and" - both [men] and [women]. Together forming correlative construction, "both .... and".

Paul is making the point that the Jewish leadership can testify to his devotion to the law. There are some minor differences evident between the account of Paul's actions in chapter 9 with his own account here, eg., the High Priest's charge to arrest Jewish believers in Damascus also comes with the authority of to presbuterion, "the council of elders" = "the Sanhedrin".

wJV "as" - as, just as, like [and the high priest bears witness to me]. The comparative conjunction serves here to introduce a dependent statement of evidential support; "and this is a fact that can be corroborated by the high priest and all the members of the Sanhedrin". The dative pronoun moi, "to me", serves as a dative of indirect object / interest, advantage, "for me".

kai "and" - and [all the elders]. Adjunctive; "and also all the members of the Sanhedrin".

par (para) "-" - beside [whom and = also]. Here expressing source / origin; "from whom I also received ....." A relative pronoun would normally introduce a relative clause, with a modifying preposition following the pronoun.

dexamenoV (decomai) aor. part. "I [even] obtained" - having received [letters toward the brothers, i was going into damascus]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the imperfect verb "to go"; "From them I also received letters of authority and set off toward Damascus".

axwn (agw) fut. part. "to bring " - leading, bringing [and = also]. The participle is adverbial, final, expressing purpose; "in order also to bring these people"

ontaV (eimi) "these people" - the ones being [there]. The participle serves as a substantive, accusative direct object of the participle "bringing".

dedemenouV (dew) perf. mid. part. "as prisoners" - having been bound [into jerusalem]. The participle serves as the accusative complement of the direct object "the ones being there" standing in a double accusative construction and asserting a fact about the object.

iJna + subj. "to [be punished]" - that [they might be punished, tormented]. Here serving to introduce a final clause expressing purpose, "in order that they might be punished"; "and there, arrest, shackle, and return to Jerusalem for punishment", Junkins.

To the account of the theophany provided in chapter 9, we have the extra information that the light appeared peri meshmbrian, "about midday", and that it was fwV iJkanon, "a very bright light". As in chapter 9, the verb periastraptw, "to shine", is used, the punctiliar aorist possibly implying the sense "flash", as NIV.

egeneto de "-" - but/and it happened. Transitional marker, indicating a step in the narrative. The subject of this impersonal verb is what happened; this is formed by the infinitive periastrayai "to shine around", "a bright light from heaven shone (inf) around me about midday happened / became to me." "However, this is what happened. I was on that journey, and had nearly reached Damascus, when suddenly, about midday, a powerful light coming from the sky flashed round me", Cassirer.

moi "-" - to me. Dative of indirect object of the verb "to happen".

poreuomenw/ (poreuomai) dat. pres. part. "as I came near" - going [and coming near to]. The participle, as with "coming near to ", is adjectival, limiting the dative pronoun moi, "to me", descriptive, idiomatic / temporal; "It chanced to happen to me, while travelling and coming near to Damascus, that .....".

Damaskw/ (oV) dat. "Damascus" - damascus. Dative of direct object after the participle "coming near to".

ek + gen. "from [heaven]" - [suddenly] from [heaven]. Expressing source / origin; "a great light from the sky flashed around me", Barclay.

periastrayai (peristraptw) aor. inf. "flashed" - [a sufficient = bright light] shone, flashed [about me]. The infinitive forms a nominal clause, subject of the impersonal verb "it happened", cf., notes on an infinitive serving as the subject of an impersonal verb, plhrwqhnai, 1:16.

Some variants for this verse reflect the account of the theophany in 26:14. It is interesting how, in that account, Luke records Paul stating that Jesus spoke to him in Ebraidi, "Hebrew / Aramaic" (I always thought that God spoke in Elizabethan English, as recorded the Authorised Version; "Thou ....."!!!).

te "-" - and. Coordinating conjunction introducing a further explanation of what happened.

legoushV (legw) gen. pres. part. "say" - [i fell into the ground and i heard a voice] saying. As Kellum notes, the participle is serving to introduce direct speech, but certainly not as the usual attendant circumstance participle. Technically, it functions to limit the genitive noun "voice", so adjectival, attributive, "I heard a voice which addressed me with the words 'Saul! Saul ......'" Culy also suggests a complementary classification, such that it serves as the genitive complement of the direct object "voice" standing in a double genitive construction and asserting a fact about the "voice", namely that it is speaking.

moi dat. pro. "to me" - to me, [saul, saul, why are you persecuting me]? Dative of indirect object.

Another extra piece of information is added to the original account of the theophany, namely oJ NazwraioV, "the Nazarene". Often translated as "of Nazareth", in the sense "Jesus from Nazareth", but it is more likely a title standing in apposition to "Jesus", a prophetic designation of the messiah - "it was said through the prophets that he would be called a Nazarene", Matt.2:23. So, Jesus is using a messianic title, a self-effacing title often used negatively of him. As Nathanael put it, "Can anything good come from there?"

tivV pro. "who [are you, Lord]?" - [but/and i answered, you are] whom [lord? and he said toward me, i am jesus, the nazarene, whom you are persecuting]. The interogative pronoun, serving as the predicated nominative of the verb to be, introduces a direct question. Note again how Luke has used the preposition proV to introduce an indirect object, "and he said to me."

We do seem to have a continuity error with chapter 9, although it all depends on what "hearing the voice, but no one seeing" means, 9:7. In that verse, Luke is possibly telling us that those with Paul heard Paul speaking to someone ("heard the voice of Paul"), but didn't see with whom he was speaking ("but did not see anyone with him"). So, "no one seeing" probably refers to their not seeing the person with Paul, rather than their not seeing the light. This seems likely, given that such a continuity error would be just too obvious. If correct, we have here in v9 a restatement of the fact that those travelling with Paul heard Paul speaking, but ouk hkousan, "did not hear", the person Paul was speaking with. The new information we are provided with is that the fellow travellers saw the flash of light, although they weren't blinded from it. As with the NIV, some modern translations attempt to solve the continuity error by translating hkousan as "understand" rather than "hear".

oiJ ... onteV (eimi) pres. part. "my companions" - the ones being [with me]. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to see".

men .... de "but" - on the one hand [saw the light,] but on the other hand. Adversative contrastive construction

tou lalountoV (lalew) gen. pres. part. "who was speaking" - [they did not hear the voice] of the one speaking. The participle serves as a substantive, the genitive being adjectival, possessive, "the voice belonging to the one speaking to me."

moi dat. pro. "to me" - to me. Dative of indirect object.

The "everything that has been appointed / assigned / commissioned for you to do" is spelt out in detail in the third account of the theophany 26:16.

poihsw (poiew) aor. subj. "[what] shall I do" - [but/and i said, what] may i do [lord]? The deliberative subjunctive is used with the interrogative pronoun tiv to introduce a direct question.

anastaV (anisthmi) aor. part. "get up" - [but/and the lord said toward me] having arisen [go into damascus]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to go"; "rise and go".

soi dat. pro. "you [will be told]" - [and there it will be said] to you. Dative of indirect object.

peri + gen. "[all]" - about [everything]. Here expressing reference / respect; "concerning, with respect to everything", ie., the divine will enabling Paul to perform his role as apostle to the Gentiles. The prepositional phrase is adverbial, modifying the verb "to say"; "it will be told with respect to everything to you" = "you will be told everything".

w|n gen. pro. "that" - what [has been commissioned]. The relative pronoun, genitive by attraction (properly accusative a{), introduces a nominal phrase, accusative subject of the infinitive poihsai, "to do", "what has been commissioned / appointed / ordered / fixed / assigned for you to do".

poihsai (poiew) aor. inf. "to do" - [for you] to do. The infinitive serves to introduce a nominal phrase subject of the impersonal verb "it will be said, told"; "what has been commissioned for you to do will be told to you concerning everything". The dative pronoun soi, "to/for you", is a dative of interest, advantage, "for you". Note that Rogers, Culy and Kellum classify the infinitive as introducing indirect discourse. "Everything you have been commissioned to do will be told you".

Paul is blinded apo, "from = by", the doxhV of the light. Translations opt for "brightness, brilliance, glare, ....", but the sense may not be literal, so possibly Paul is blinded by the "glory" of the light, the divine theophany evident in the light.

wJV "-" - [but/and] as [i was not seeing]. In this position in a sentence the conjunction is usually temporal, although often translated as causal here, "and since I could not see", ESV; "However, on being blinded by the glory of that light"

apo + gen. "because [the brilliance]" - from [the glory]. Expressing source / origin, here leaning toward a causal sense, as NIV.

tou fwtoV (wV wtoV) gen. "of the light" - of the [that] light. The genitive is adjectival, limiting the noun "glory", descriptive, idiomatic / source, "the glory radiating from that light" / local, "the divine glory infused within that light" / ......

ceiragwgoumenoV (ceiragwgew) pres. mid. part. "by the hand" - being led by the hand. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to come, go"; "I was led by the hand ....... and came into Damascus". Kellum opts for a passive voice and an instrumental classification; "by being led by the hand".

uJpo + gen. "-" - by. Expressing agency; "by my companions".

twn sunontwn (suneimi) gen. pres. part. "[my] companions [led me]" - the ones being with [me, i came into damascus]. The participle serves as a substantive. The dative pronoun moi, "me", serves as a dative of direct object after the sun prefix verb "to be with".

Paul recounts his meeting with Ananias from his own perspective, describing what Ananias did for him. He leaves out many of the original details in the account recorded in chapter 9, and in particular, calls Ananias "a devout man according to the law", rather than a maqhthV, "disciple". Of course, a Jewish believer can be both, and what Paul's audience needs to hear is that the divine appointment of Paul is at the hands of a highly respected Jew.

kata + acc. "-" - [but/and, a certain ananias, a devout man,] according to [the law]. Here expressing a standard; "who was a careful observer of the law and was well spoken of by all the inhabitants of Damascus", Cassirer.

marturoumenoV (marturew) pres. mid. part. "and highly respected" - being born witness to. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "Ananias"; "who had a good reputation ....", Moffatt.

uJpo + gen. "by" - by [all the jews]. Expressing agency.

katoikountwn (katoikew) gen. pres. part. "living there" - living, settling, dwelling. The participle is adjectival, limiting "the Jews", attributive, "all the Jews who live there", although attributed makes better sense, "all the Jewish inhabitants", Moffatt.

In comparison to 9:17, the account of the healing is abbreviated somewhat. Repeating the verb anablepw, we have Ananias telling Paul to "look up", and we have Paul "looking up". The extra eiV auton, "into = at him", is somewhat superfluous and so is left out of some manuscripts, ie., "Ananias said, 'Brother Saul receive you sight', and there and then, I recovered my sight".

elqwn (ercomai) aor. part. "-" - having come [toward me and having stood besides, he said]. Along with "having stood beside", attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say"

moi dat. pro. "-" - to me. Dative of indirect object.

auth/ th/ wJra/ (a) dat. "at that very moment" - [brother saul, look up = receive sight, and i,] in this hour, [looked up into = at him]. The dative is adverbial, temporal. An idiomatic temporal phrase meaning "in an instant". See Barrett on the position of the pronoun auth/. For "at the same hour", the pronoun would take the attributive position th/ auth/ wJra/, although Barrett suggests that here the sense is "that very hour". Either way, immediacy is intended.

In the account of the divine commissioning, we have Ananias, a devout Jew, classing Paul as a fellow devotee of Israel's God. Paul goes on to describe his God-ordained vocation. The Greek of v14-15 is not overly clear, although the sense is clear enough: God appointed Paul as a witness "to all people" and to that end, gave him the appropriate apostolic credentials, namely: to know the divine will, the knowledge that will enable Paul to serve as the exegete of Jesus' teachings; to see the Christ, the messiah, face-to-face, just as the apostles saw him; and to hear his voice, in the same way as the other apostles heard him speak with them.

oJ de "then he [said]" - but/and he [he said]. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Paul to Ananias.

proeceirisato (proceirizw) aor. mid. "has chosen" - [the god of the fathers of us] chose, set apart / appointed / fore-ordained [you to know the will of him and to see the righteous one and to hear a call from the mouth of him]. Most translations take se, "you", as the direct object of the verb, and the three infinitives as adverbial, final, expressing purpose (so Culy, Kellum), "The God of our ancestors has handpicked you with the intention that (in order that) you may be instructed on his action plan ....." A consecutive sense is possible, expressing result, "The God of our fathers has set you apart such that (with the result that) you will know his will, .....". On the other hand, the accusative pronoun "you" may serve as the accusative subject of the infinitive gnwnai, "to know". The three infinitives would then serve to introduce object clauses / dependent statements of indirect speech expressing what God has determined with respect to Paul (Rogers Gk suggests an epexegetic classification); "Our fathers' God has fore-ordained / determined beforehand that you will know his will, that you will see the Righteous One, and that you will hear him speak with his own lips."

oJti "-" - because / that. Usually taken as causal, introducing a causal clause, "because"; "for you will be a witness........", ESV. Possibly recitative, introducing a dependent statement of indirect or direct speech further stating what God has determined; "and (with respect to) what thou hast seen and heard, thou shalt testify before all men", Knox.

autw/ dat. pro. "his [witness]" - [you will be a witness] to him [toward all men]. The NIV takes the dative as possessive, but also possibly a dative of indirect object / interest, advantage, "for him".

w\n gen. pro. "of what" - of what [you have seen and heard]. The genitive pronoun introduces a headless relative clause, probably adverbial, reference / respect; "With respect to / concerning / about what you have seen and heard, you will be his witness to everyone you meet".

The call for decision expands on the original account, cf., 9:18. The rhetorical question by Ananias serves as a call for decision, expressed with the verb mellw, "to be about", although here with the absolute sense "to delay"; "So, why wait any longer?" The act of conversion entails repentance and faith, ie., a calling on the name (the person and authority of Jesus) for the forgiveness of sins (enabling a state / status of righteousness in the sight of God), which act is expressed outwardly by seeking water baptism (the middle voice of the verb "to baptise" implies acting to have it performed, or performing it on oneself). Given the condensed nature of the clause, it could be argued that the washing away of sins is achieved by the act of baptism itself, but of course, forgiveness of sins is a gift of divine grace through faith in Jesus Christ, while baptism is but an outward expression of "calling on his name" / repentance and faith, which expression symbolically represents the washing away of sins.

anastaV (anisthmi) aor. part. "get up, [be baptized]" - [and now, why do you about to = delay?] having arisen [be baptised and wash away the sins of you]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the imperative verb "be baptised", although unlike "be baptised", it takes the active voice, so "Get up". The two imperatives "be baptised" and "wash away" are in the middle voice, serving as permissive middle verbs; "Rise to your feet, receive your baptism and wash yourself clean of your sins", Cassirer.

epikalesamenoV (epikalew) aor. mid. part. "calling" - having called [on the name of him]. The function of this participle is unclear. Often treated as adverbial, instrumental, expressing means, "by calling on the name of the Lord", although as Culy notes, it would technically have to relate to all three imperatives. It doesn't really serve to complement a verb (supplementary), but it is functioning to provide a supplementary piece of information to the act of receiving baptism and the washing away of sin. Kellum suggests the aorist indicates the action is prior to that action, so the sense could be "Rise up, and having invoked his name, receive your baptism and wash yourself clean of your sins".

Paul's defence skips the events in Damascus after his conversion (chapter 9) and condenses what happened in Jerusalem, while at the same time, it adds a significant piece of information. The account serves to reveal Paul as a devout Jew praying within the sanctity of the temple, but more importantly, as a prophet, who like Isaiah, has a vision of the Lord there. And like the prophets of old, Paul, the faithful Jew, will find himself apart from a faithless people. We can imagine that, at this point, the mood of the crowd begins to turn against Paul.

egeneto de "-" - but/and it happened. Transitional, indicating a major step in the narrative. The verb "to become, happen" serves as the main verb for the sentence covering v17 and 18. The sentence is introduced by a genitive absolute, "while I was praying in temple". The subject of the verb is the coordinated infinitival construction which extends to the end of v18, "me to become (I came to be) in a trance and to see (saw) him saying to me, hurry and get out .............. happened". The verb is followed by a dative pronoun of reference modified by an adjectival participle, "........ happened to me (with respect to me) having returned (who had returned) to Jerusalem"

proseucomenou (proseucomai) pres. part. "when ..... praying" - [me] praying [in the temple] - The genitive participle and its genitive subject mou form a genitive absolute construction, temporal.

uJposteryanti (uJpostrefw) dat. aor. part. "I returned" - [to me] having returned [into jerusalem]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting the pronoun, dative of respect, moi, "to me"; "happened concerning me who had returned to Jerusalem".

genesqai (ginomai) aor. inf. "I fell [into a trance]" - [me] came to be [in a trance and to see]. Along with "to see", the infinitive serves to form a nominal phrase subject of the verb "to become, happen." The accusative subject of the infinitive is me, "me".

legonta (legw) pres. part. "speaking [to me]" - [him] saying [to me]. Technically, the participial phrase "speaking to me" serves as the accusative complement of the direct object auton, "him", standing in a double accusative construction and asserting a fact about the object. Yet, its main function in the discourse narrative is to introduce direct speech.

en + dat. "[quick]" - [make haste and go out] in [quickness from jerusalem]. Adverbial use of the preposition turning the noun "quickness" into a modal adverb expressing manner; "quickly"; "get out quickly".

dioti "because" - because [they will not receive your witness about, concerning me]. Causal conjunction serving to introduce a causal clause.

Paul provides further information to support his claim that, although a member of the sect of the Way, he is still fundamentally a pious Jew, even a zealot who once persecuted the Way.

autoi pro. "these people" - [and i said lord] they [they know]. Emphatic use of the pronoun; "they themselves know", Barclay.

oJti "that" - that. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what they know.

fulakizwn (fulakizw) pres. part. "I [went from one synagogue to another] to imprison" - [i was] imprisoning [and beating according to the synagogues]. As with "beating", the present participle with the imperfect verb to-be h[mhn forms an imperfect periphrastic construction, probably serving to emphasise durative aspect. The preposition kata, "according to [the synagogues]", is distributive, as NIV, rather than the NRSV, "in every synagogue"

touV pisteuontaV (pisteuw) pres. part. "those who believe [in you]" - the ones believing [upon you]. The participle serves as a substantive, accusative direct object of the periphrases "I was imprisoning" and "I was beating".

As Barrett notes, Paul is, in a sense, denying the revelation that "the people will not accept your testimony", by explaining that his decision to be part of the Way must have been driven by "overwhelming considerations", given his commitment to Judaism, even to participating in the murder of a Christian martuV, "witness". Note that the NIV, as with many other translations, has "martyr", ie., a witness who sheds their blood for the cause. None-the-less, "witness" is probably intended, as ESV, NRSV, REB, NJB.

oJte "when" - [and] when [the blood of stephen was poured out]. The temporal conjunction serves to introduce a temporal clause.

tou marturoV (r roV) gen. "[your] martyr" - the witness [of you]. Standing in apposition to "Stephen", genitive in agreement; "When Stephen, your witness, was murdered".

autoV pro. "-" - [and = also] he = myself. Emphatic use of the pronoun; "I was personally on hand with approval", Berkeley.

efestwV (efisthmi) perf. part. "[I] stood there" - [i was] attending, standing over [and approving and guarding]. As with the participles "approving" and "guarding", this participle, with the imperfect verb to-be h[mhn, forms an imperfect periphrastic construction, possibly used to emphasise durative aspect; "I was right there, holding the coats of the murderers and cheering them on", Peterson.

twn anairountwn (anairew) gen. pres. part. "of those who were killing [him]" - of the ones destroying, killing [him]. The participle serves as a substantive, the genitive being adjectival, possessive, "the cloths belonging to those who were stoning him to death".

Paul's debate with the Lord, as to whether his Jewish piety can win over his opponents, is cut short with the command "Just get going, and do what you're told!" - "Be on your way", Barclay (durative present tense). Paul's ministry is not to his fellow countrymen, but to Gentiles / nations makran, "far away" = "far away in foreign lands" - Paul is to serve as a light to the Gentiles.

proV + acc. "to [me]" - [and he said] toward [me, go]. Used to introduce a direct object instead of a dative.

oJti "-" - because [i i will send you into gentiles / nations far away]. Here the conjunction is causal, introducing a causal clause. Note the emphatic use of the personal pronoun egw, "I": "I myself am personally sending you far away." Note also the unexpected future tense of the verb "to send". "The tense is probably affected by the thought that the fulfilment of the mission belongs to the future", Barrett.

ii] Paul's incarceration, v22-29. The implication of Jesus' words, as recorded in Luke 4:27, is that the God of Israel is the God of all humanity - "there were many lepers in Israel in Elisha the prophet's time, and none of them were cured, but only Naaman the Syrian." The blessings of the covenant were always intended to reach beyond Israel to humanity at large. Paul is to be God's servant to that end, but he now gets the same response from the bigoted mob that Jesus got in Nazareth.

autou gen. pro. "Paul" - [but/and they heard] him. Genitive of direct object after the verb "to hear, listen to".

acri + gen. "until" - up to [this word]. Temporal use of the preposition expressing extension of time up to a point.

legonteV (legw) pres. part. "and shouted" - [and they lifted up the voice of them] saying. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to lift up", semi-redundant, serving to introduce direct speech. For an adverbial classification see legonteV 1:6.

apo + gen. "-" - [take away] from [the earth such a one]. Here expressing separation, "away from"

gar for. "-" - for. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the earth should be rid of such a person as Paul.

zhn (zaw) pres. inf. "[he's not fit] to live" - [him] to live [is not proper, fitting]. The infinitive forms a nominal phrase serving as the subject of the verb "to be proper, fitting". The accusative pronoun auton, "he", serves as the accusative subject of the infinitive; "He does not deserve to be alive", Cassirer.

The exact significance of each of the three actions of the crowd remains unclear, but Peterson Gk. suggests that they are visibly rejecting the blasphemous words of Paul, even to the extent of pJiptoutwn, "shaking out the dust from their cloths". "All hell broke loose; They shook their fists, and filled the air with their curses", cf., Peterson.

te "-" - and. Introducing a correlative construction which with kai coordinates three genitive absolute participles.

kraugazontwn (kraugazw) gen. pres. part. "as they were shouting" - [they] crying out, [and casting off the garments and throwing dust into the air]. This genitive participle, along with its genitive subject autwn, "them", and the genitive participles "casting off" and "throwing", forms a compound genitive absolute construction, temporal, as NIV. "At that moment they screemed abuse, waved their cloaks in the air, and threw anything they could lay their hands on."

Flogging / "scourging", the Roman version of waterboarding, is an effective means of loosening the tongue, and was often employed on slaves and non-Romans. The implement used consisted of a wooden handle with narrow leather straps. Bone, or metal pieces, were attached to the end of the straps.

eisagesqai (eisagw) pres. mid. inf. "that [Paul] be taken into" - [the commander ordered he] to be brought into [into the barracks]. The infinitive serves to introduce an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what the commander ordered, as NIV. The accusative subject of the infinitive is auton, "him = he".

eipaV (legw) aor. part. "he directed" - saying. Attendant circumstnce participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to command"; "the tribune ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks and said ............"

anetazesqai (anetazw) pres. mid. inf. "[flogged and] interrogated" - [he] to be examined [in = with whips]. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what the commander said; "that he should be examined by flogging", ESV. The accusative subject of the infinitive is auton, "him = he". The dative mastizin, "in / with / by flogging" is instrumental, expressing means; "interrogated by means of a whip."

iJna + subj. "in order to find out" - that he may know. Introducing a final clause, expressing purpose, as NIV.

di h}n aitian "why" - because of which reason. A strange order of words; see Culy. The object of the subjunctive verb "to know" is the noun aitian, "reason, cause"; "to know the reason". The reason is limited by an attributive modifier in the form of a relative clause introduced by h}n, "which", turned into the intensive rhetorical interrogative "why" by the causal preposition dia; "he wanted to know the real reason why they were reviling him".

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - [they were shouting out against] him [thus, in this way]. Dative of direct object after the epi prefix verb "to shout against, at"; "why they were shouting out against = reviling him this way".

The extension of Roman citizenship to free men and women was a gradual process, completed by Caracalla in AD 212. The extension of citizenship to Jews was not widely practised at this time, but is noted by Josephus. As in Paul's case, the extension of citizenship to Jews is probably related to social status within the Greco-Roman provinces. Luckily, Paul's citizenship saves him from a flogging, because citizens can't be punished without first facing a formal judicial hearing.

wJV "as [they stretched him out]" - [but/and] as = when [they stretched out him]. Temporal use of the conjunction serving to introduce a temporal clause, as NIV.

toiV iJmasin (as atoV) dat. "to flog" - in the straps, thongs. The dative is adverbial, often taken as final, expressing purpose, as NIV, so Barrett; "stretched him out for the purpose of the whips / for the purpose of scourging". Possibly instrumental, expressing means, "with thongs", used to tie his hands and feet so he could be stretched out, ie., tied to the whipping frame with thongs.

eJstwta (iJsthmi) perf. part. "standing there" - [paul said toward the centurion] having stood. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "centurion", "who was standing by watching".

ei "is [it legal]" - if [a man is a roman and uncondemned, to scourge him is lawful to = for you]? Here the indefinite conjunction serves to introduce a question. The infinitive mastizein, "to scourge", serves as the subject of the impersonal verb "it is lawful". The dative pronoun uJmin is adverbial, reference / respect; "Is it lawful for you ...." "Does the law allow you to flog an uncondemned Roman citizen?"

"To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him an abomination, to slay him is almost an act of murder", Cicero. The tribune has every reason to be concerned.

akousaV (akouw) aor. part. "when [the centurion] heard this" - [but/and] having heard. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal.

proselqwn (prosercomai) aor. part. "he went" - [the centurion] having come to [the commander announced = reported]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to come to"; "On hearing this, the captain went and reported the matter to the commander".

legwn (legw) pres. part. "-" - saying. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to announce", "reported and said", semi-redundant, serving to introduce direct speech.

poiein (poiew) pres. inf. "to do" - [what you about] to do? Complementary infinitive, completing the sense of the verb "to be about". The sense of the question, introduced by the interrogative pronoun ti, "what", "What are you about to do?", is somewhat vague. The REB opts for "What are you about?", a question which infers that the tribune is querying the commander's instructions, given that it it is possibly contrary to protocol; "Do you know what you are about to do?", Bock. The NIV "What are you going to do?" implies that the tribune is asking for further instructions, given the revelation that Paul is a Roman citizen.

gar "-" - for [this man is a roman]. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the tribune is asking the question.

"Is it true that you are a Roman citizen?", Cassirer.

proselqwn (prosercomai) aor. part. "went to" - [the commander] having come to, approached [said]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say".

autw/ dat. pro. "-" - to him. Dative of indirect object.

moi dat. pro. "me" - [say] to me [are you a roman?]. Dative of indirect object.

oJ de "he [answered]" - but/and the = he [he said, yes]. Transitional construction, indicating a change in subject from the commander to Paul.

In the 1st century, citizenship-rights were sold for "great amounts", Dio, with the new citizen usually taking the name of the emperor at the time. So, the commander probably purchased his citizenship-rights during the reign of Claudius, AD 41-54.

egw pro. "I" - [but/and the commander answered] i. The personal pronoun is emphatic by position and use. Possibly a piece of one-upmanship which backfires when Paul points out, again with an emphatic egw, that he was born a citizen - a status well above a purchased citizenship.

kefalaiou (on) gen. "a [lot] of money" - of [much] capital, sum of money [acquired, obtained this citizenship, but/and paul said, i and = even / indeed have been born a citizen]. The genitive is adjectival, descriptive, idiomatic / price; "I purchased this citizenship with a large sum of money".

"That put a stop to the interrogation. And it put the fear of God into the captain. He had put a Roman citizen in chains and come within a whisker of putting him under torture", Peterson. The situation would require some astute political manoeuvring on the part of the commander. To justify his arrest of Paul, he determines to use the Jewish authorities, but as it turns out, that just makes a bad situation worse.

oun "-" - therefore. Inferential, drawing a logical conclusion.

oJ mellonteV (mellw) pres. part. "those who were about [to interrogate]" - the ones being about [to inquire = examine him, withdrew from him]. The participle serves as a substantive, subject of the verb "to depart, withdraw". The participle is completed by the complementary infinitive anetazein, "to examine".

kai "-" - [but/and the commander] and = also [was afraid]. Here adverbial, adjunctive, "also".

epignouV (epiginwskw) aor. part. "when he realized" - having known, recognised. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV, but possibly causal, "because he realised", so ESV.

oJti "that" - that [he is a roman and] that [he had bound him]. The conjunction is used twice to introduce an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what the commander realised.

Acts Introduction

Exegetical Commentaries

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