Acts 22 27

Acts 22:27 kjv

Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

Acts 22:27 nkjv

Then the commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" He said, "Yes."

Acts 22:27 niv

The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered.

Acts 22:27 esv

So the tribune came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes."

Acts 22:27 nlt

So the commander went over and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I certainly am," Paul replied.

Acts 22 verses

Acts 22 27 Meaning

This verse describes the Roman commander's surprise that Paul was a Roman citizen, indicated by his ability to speak Greek and the question he posed. It reveals a legal privilege previously unknown to the commander, which altered the situation significantly for Paul.

Acts 22 27 Context

The preceding verses in Acts 22 describe Paul's defense before the Jerusalem crowd, explaining his conversion and calling. He recounts his divine commission to go to the Gentiles. When he states this, the crowd becomes incensed, crying out that he should be removed from the earth and that he is not fit to live. In response to the ensuing commotion, the Roman commander Claudius Lysias intervenes. He orders Paul to be brought into the barracks to be interrogated by scourging, intending to find out why the Jews were shouting such accusations against him. It is at this critical moment, just before Paul is to be tortured, that he reveals his Roman citizenship to the centurion. This act shifts the immediate dynamics as the centurion, realizing Paul's status, reports this to the commander.

Acts 22 27 Word Analysis

• καὶ (kai): "and" - A conjunction, continuing the narrative flow and linking this statement to the previous action.
• εἶπεν (eipen): "he said" - Third person singular aorist active indicative of λέγω (lego), "to say." It denotes a completed action in the past.
• πρὸς (pros): "to" - A preposition indicating direction or to whom the statement was made.
• αὐτόν (auton): "him" - Third person singular masculine accusative pronoun, referring to the centurion.
• Σὺ (Su): "You" - Second person singular nominative pronoun, emphasizing the commander's identity.
• Ἑλληνιστὶ (Hellēnisti): "in Greek" - Adverbial form of Ἑλληνιστής (Hellēnistēs). Refers to speaking the Greek language, the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean world at that time. This detail is significant because it implies Paul's education and cultured background, making his utterance in Greek more notable.
• λαλῶν (lalōn): "speaking" - Present participle active of λαλῶ (lalō), "to speak." Describes the ongoing action or state of Paul.
• εἶ; (ei): "Are you?" - Interrogative particle introducing a question, coupled with the second person singular nominative of the verb "to be."

Word Group Analysis:

• "And when he had turned to him...": This phrase signifies a physical change of direction by Paul towards the centurion who had intervened, indicating direct engagement with the individual who had approached him.
• "...he said to him, 'Are you a Roman, you who are speaking Greek?'": This is the crux of the statement. The commander expresses surprise and perhaps disbelief that a person capable of speaking Hellenistic Greek (indicating a level of education and cultural background associated with more prominent individuals) could be a mere Jew, implicitly expecting a Greek speaker to be something else. The surprise stems from the combination of visible status (likely appearing as a simple Jew caught in a riot) and the intellectual ability displayed by speaking Greek.

Acts 22 27 Bonus Section

The Roman legal system placed a high value on citizenship. A Roman citizen could not be scourged (Acts 22:25), and any legal process against him had to be conducted in a Roman court, with the right of appeal to Caesar. This was a profound protection against arbitrary arrest and mistreatment by local authorities, whether Roman officials or local populations. Paul, by being a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 16:37; 22:28), possessed a legal status that could be leveraged to protect his life and facilitate his mission. His educated background, evidenced by his ability to speak Greek, lent credibility to his claim of citizenship. The commander's reaction underscores the significant legal chasm between Roman citizens and non-citizens within the Roman Empire.

Acts 22 27 Commentary

The commander's question reveals a typical Roman perspective of the era, where citizenship conferred distinct privileges and protections. His surprise at Paul speaking Greek likely stemmed from a general assumption about who would possess such an education and command of the language, associating it more with educated Greeks or Romans rather than a Jewish prisoner apprehended in a riot. Paul's ability to speak Greek, a testament to his upbringing in Tarsus (a significant Hellenistic city), instantly elevated his perceived status in the commander's eyes, foreshadowing the legal protections that Roman citizenship afforded. This incident highlights how an individual's background and education could unexpectedly alter their legal standing in Roman society.