Acts 22:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

NIV: The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

NASB: Now on the next day, wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.

CSB: The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene. He brought Paul down and placed him before them.

NLT: The next day the commander ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. He wanted to find out what the trouble was all about, so he released Paul to have him stand before them.

KJV: On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

NKJV: The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

Despite occupying Jerusalem with a strong military presence, the Romans in Judea must tread lightly. They need to maintain peace and order without resorting to the type of violent overtures that cost Pontius Pilate his job. It doesn't help that the Jewish religion is so strange, with its invisible God.

Because of this, the tribune finds it difficult to uncover why a violent mob was trying to tear apart a Jewish man in the temple courtyard. The tribune has learned that the man is Paul from Tarsus, speaks fluent Greek, is a Roman citizen, and is not an Egyptian conman who tricked a bunch of Jews into rebelling against the Roman occupation (Acts 21:27–39). The tribune has already asked the mob, itself, with no luck (Acts 21:33–34). He's even let Paul speak to the mob, which led to more shouting and general mayhem. Finally, he resorted to the Roman tradition of flogging, but was stopped before the first stroke by Paul's Roman citizenship (Acts 22:22–29).

Since the attack occurred in the temple grounds, the tribune assumes the offense is related to religion. He decides to send Paul to the Sanhedrin—the ruling Jewish council—in hopes they can explain. He doesn't know that Paul is far cleverer than the priests, scribes, and elders, and soon has them fighting amongst themselves (Acts 23:3–10). After discovering an assassination plot against Paul, the tribune decides the entire affair is above his paygrade and sends Paul to the governor (Acts 23:12, 23–33).

Acts 22:23–30 describes how the Roman army tribune continues to seek understanding. A mob of Jews on the temple mount want Paul dead (Acts 21:27–40). The officer let Paul speak, hoping to uncover the cause, but Paul only managed to agitate the crowd more (Acts 22:1–22). Now, the tribune tries the traditional Roman way of uncovering the truth: flogging. Unfortunately, he missed the part where Paul is a Roman citizen. Even the chains on Paul's wrists are illegal. The next morning, the tribune will try one last tactic: the Sanhedrin. It doesn't end well (Acts 23:1–10).

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.