Acts 22:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:

NIV: When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:

NASB: And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,

CSB: When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter.

NLT: When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.

KJV: (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

NKJV: And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said:

This event takes place on the steps of the Antonia Fortress, the outpost of the Roman army in Jerusalem on the northwest corner of the temple mount. Paul is defending himself against charges that he brought a Gentile into the temple (Acts 21:27–29). Paul would never do this. First to do so would be highly against the Mosaic law. Second, to do so would be to desecrate a religious structure, which was a capital offense according to the Roman law, and a cohort of the Roman military could literally look through their windows and see the temple court.

Paul's accusers rile up the crowd to attack Paul; the Roman army tribune rescues him by arresting him. The accusers likely speak Greek, as they're from modern-day Turkey. Paul speaks fluent Greek and Aramaic. The tribune, whose post is probably only for a year, likely only speaks Greek and his home dialect. The crowd, many of whom may not speak Greek, doesn't know what's going on (Acts 21:33–34). The tribune has no idea. He lets Paul address the crowd, but Paul does so in Aramaic—the "Hebrew dialect" (Acts 21:30–37).

It's reasonable to assume Paul's accusers speak Greek. After their cry, a group of men grab Paul and drag him out of the temple. A mob witnesses the struggle and join the attack on Paul despite not understanding what's going on, possibly due to a language barrier. The soldiers report the melee to their tribune who orders Paul's arrest. Paul convinces the tribune to let him talk to the crowd to explain (Acts 21:30–40). When he does, he speaks in the language of the crowd.

Acts 22:1–5 begins Paul's defense against false rumors he brought a Gentile into the temple. He reminds the crowd how much he formerly hated Jesus-followers. Gamaliel, the great Pharisee rabbi, trained Paul in the strict ways of the law. Paul embodied that training by chasing down Christians and imprisoning them. In fact, he chased them far from Jerusalem—as far as Damascus. The incidents described in the early part of Paul's speech are also explained in Acts 9:1–2.

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.