Acts 21:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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?

NIV: As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?" "Do you speak Greek?" he replied.

NASB: As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he *said to the commander, 'May I say something to you?' And he said, 'Do you know Greek?

CSB: As he was about to be brought into the barracks, Paul said to the commander, "Am I allowed to say something to you?" He replied, "You know how to speak Greek?

NLT: As Paul was about to be taken inside, he said to the commander, 'May I have a word with you?' 'Do you know Greek?' the commander asked, surprised.

KJV: And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

NKJV: Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?” He replied, “Can you speak Greek?

The arrest which Holy Spirit has been warning Paul of is finally happening (Acts 20:22–23; 21:33). Jews from modern-day Turkey falsely accuse him of bringing a Gentile into the temple, and the Roman military outpost has him in chains. Paul doesn't seem to regard them as a mob of enraged Jews who want to kill him. He sees a group of lost souls who need Jesus. While he has them there, he wants to share his story (Acts 22:1–21).

First, he must convince the tribune to let him speak. For some reason, the tribune has Paul confused with someone else entirely.

Three years prior, according to ancient historian Josephus, an Egyptian huckster convinced a group of Jews that he could lead them into a battle that would expel the Roman overlords from Jerusalem. They camped at the Mount of Olives where he told the militia to wait until he commanded the walls to fall. They would then invade the Roman garrison, the Antonia Fortress, and take control of the city. Instead, Felix, the procurator of Judea, sent soldiers to the encampment where they killed or imprisoned several hundred of the would-be revolutionaries. According to Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 20.8.6, the Egyptian quietly escaped. The tribune thinks Paul is that Egyptian. He's shocked when his "Egyptian" speaks to him in cultured Greek.

The barracks are the Antonia Fortress, the Roman military's outpost that houses 600 peace-keeping forces. The large building rises from the city level to above the northwest corner of the temple mount; from there, the guards can see much of the courtyard. Below and along the north wall of the mount are a courtyard and several smaller buildings. Herod the Great built it in 35 BC and named it after Marc Antony.

Acts 21:37–40 explains how Paul convinces a Roman military officer to allow him to jump from a dangerous situation into something even worse. A mob at the temple has just tried to kill him. Paul, of course, wants to explain; not to defend himself against the false accusation that inspired the mob, but to share the story of his faith in Jesus of Nazareth. The tribune is confused, thinking Paul is an Egyptian revolutionary. He allows Paul to speak, and immediately regrets it.

In Acts 21, Paul returns to Judea from his third missionary journey and promptly gets arrested. He begins by visiting Philip in Caesarea Maritima. Church elders in Jerusalem ask Paul to help men fulfill a Nazirite vow, to dispel rumors he has apostatized his Jewishness. While doing so, Ephesian Jews accuse Paul of bringing one of his Gentile Ephesian companions into the temple. The Roman military tribune keeps the enraged crowd from tearing Paul limb from limb by arresting him.

Acts 21 fulfills the fears of many of Paul's friends. Throughout the last part of his third missionary journey the Holy Spirit has been telling him he will be arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23–25). When Paul reacts to dire personal prophecy, the Jesus-followers in Caesarea Maritima try to stop him from going on (Acts 21:8–14). Through a complicated trail of rumors, lies, and wrong assumptions, things go according to the Holy Spirit's foreknowledge and Roman soldiers arrest Paul. He will face the next 5 years in custody in Caesarea and Rome, but he will spread Jesus' story the entire time (Acts 22—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.