Acts 22:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."

NIV: The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!"

NASB: They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, 'Away with such a man from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!'

CSB: They listened to him up to this point. Then they raised their voices, shouting, "Wipe this man off the face of the earth! He should not be allowed to live!"

NLT: The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, 'Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!'

KJV: And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

NKJV: And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”

Paul's defense has failed. After walking around Jerusalem with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, Paul stands accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple (Acts 21:27–29). He didn't, but he wants to explain why he was with Trophimus in the first place. He talks about how he first came to trust Jesus for salvation. He notes how Jesus told him the Jews would not accept his story, but the Gentiles would (Acts 22:1–21).

With the mention of Paul's mission to the Gentiles, the crowd remembers why they are angry. They cannot accept that a Jew who still follows the Mosaic law would associate with Gentiles, let alone intentionally have fellowship with them. The mob is so angry, in fact, they plot his murder (Acts 23:12–15).

The Roman army tribune only allowed Paul to speak because he didn't understand why the mob was so upset. He still doesn't understand, so he falls back on a Roman tradition: flogging information out of a prisoner. This turns out to be a mistake, since Paul is a Roman citizen and cannot be tortured unless he is convicted in a fair trial. The next day, the tribune takes Paul to the Sanhedrin where Paul first accidentally insults the high priest and then—seemingly intentionally—takes the attention off himself by setting the Pharisees and Sadducees against each other (Acts 23:1–10). When the tribune learns of the murder plot, he sends Paul to the governor (Acts 23:23–24). This is more than a young officer can handle.

Acts 22:17–22 comes after a mob has accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the temple. He did not, but he has traveled to Jerusalem with them. He's trying to explain how years ago, Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus and not only saved him but selected him. Paul's new role was to bring that same message of forgiveness to the Gentiles, including the man seen with Paul in the city. The crowd rejects Paul's explanation, the Romans arrest him, and he stays under house arrest for five years. Paul's conversion experience is described in Acts 9:1–19 and he repeats his story in Acts 26:12–18.

In Acts 22, a young Roman military officer realizes he cannot control Jews who do not wish to be controlled. He has just rescued Paul from a crowd that largely doesn't know why they want to kill Paul. In hopes of gathering information, the tribune allows Paul to speak to the crowd. The crowd listens only briefly, then explodes again. The tribune tries flogging but is foiled by Paul's Roman citizenship. Finally, the tribune schedules a meeting with the Sanhedrin. It does not go well (Acts 23:1–10).

Paul came to Jerusalem to tell the church of his ministry's success with Gentiles. The leaders are more worried about a rumor that Paul no longer respects the Jewish law. Paul agrees to perform a very Jewish ritual, but in the process is falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. A mob assaults him, and the Roman tribune arrests him (Acts 21:17–36). The tribune tries to uncover the truth by letting Paul speak to the crowd, then almost flogging him (Acts 21:37—22). Next, he will bring Paul to the Sanhedrin, to no avail (Acts 23:1–10).

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.