Acts 22:30 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.
Acts 22:30 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.
Acts 22:30 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.
Acts 22:30 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.
Acts 22:30 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.
Acts 22 30 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 16:37 | "But Paul said to them, 'They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, Roman citizens..." | Paul asserts his Roman citizenship. |
| Acts 22:25 | "...Paul asked him, 'Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen...?" | Paul leverages his citizenship against the tribune. |
| Acts 21:33 | "Then the commander came up and arrested him..." | The initial arrest and detention of Paul. |
| Acts 23:10 | "As the disagreement became worse, the commander... ordered his soldiers to go down and take him out by force..." | The tumult surrounding Paul's arrest. |
| Acts 25:11 | "For if I have wronged anyone, or done anything worthy of death, I do not protest dying..." | Paul's willingness to face judgment. |
| Acts 25:25 | "But when I found that he had done nothing worthy of death... I decided to send him to Caesar." | Festus's inability to find fault. |
| Acts 28:19 | "But when the Jews did not expect it, and when I had found no cause for accusation against me..." | Paul before the Roman Jews in Rome. |
| Romans 13:1-7 | "...for rulers are God's servants... give to all what is due..." | Submission to governing authorities. |
| Philippians 1:7 | "...for it has been right for me to feel this way about you all, because I share you in my heart..." | Paul's commitment to his accusers/defenders. |
| 2 Timothy 4:16 | "At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me." | Paul's experience of abandonment. |
| 1 Corinthians 4:3 | "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court." | Paul's ultimate accountability to God. |
| John 18:38 | "Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?' And when he had said this, he went again to the Jews..." | Roman authority's lack of understanding. |
| Luke 21:12 | "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you..." | Jesus' prophecy of persecution. |
| Jeremiah 29:7 | "Also, seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be exiled, and pray to the Lord for it..." | Praying for authorities and the city. |
| Acts 18:15 | "But if it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves..." | Roman officials disengaging from Jewish disputes. |
| Galatians 3:28 | "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female..." | Spiritual equality overriding earthly status. |
| 1 Corinthians 9:15 | "But I have used none of these rights. Nor do I write these things that they should be done so to me..." | Paul's voluntary limitations of rights. |
| Matthew 10:18 | "...and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the nations." | Gospel proclamation before earthly rulers. |
| 1 Peter 2:13-14 | "Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution..." | Submission to governing authorities. |
| 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 | "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one." | Paul's sufferings for the Gospel. |
Acts 22 verses
Acts 22 30 Meaning
This verse describes the Roman tribunal's decision to release Paul, as they had no grounds to proceed against him after they ascertained he was a Roman citizen. This demonstrates God's providential care over Paul, safeguarding him through his Roman citizenship.
Acts 22 30 Context
This verse occurs within a dramatic courtroom scene in Jerusalem. Paul has just delivered a passionate defense of his faith, which incited a riot among the Jewish crowd. The Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, rescued Paul and brought him to the Antonia Fortress. In the preceding verses (Acts 22:25-29), Lysias learns Paul is a Roman citizen and realizes his error in having him scourged without trial. In chapter 23, the Jewish Sanhedrin attempts to interrogate Paul, leading to further dissension. Paul is then transferred to Caesarea to stand before Governor Felix, where he is imprisoned for two years, awaiting his trial before Felix, then Festus, and finally appealing to Caesar. Verse 30 marks the immediate aftermath of the attempted scourging, where the commander, realizing Paul's legal standing, orders Paul to be taken back to his cell.
Acts 22 30 Word Analysis
- And (Greek: και, kai)
- A common coordinating conjunction, connecting phrases or clauses. Here, it links the commander's realization of Paul's citizenship to his subsequent action.
- knowing (Greek: εἰδώς, eidōs)
- Perfect participle of οἶδα (oida), meaning "to know" or "to be aware." It implies a settled knowledge or certainty.
- for certain (Greek: ἀσφαλές, asaphes)
- Meaning "secure," "certain," "safe." Here it refers to the certainty that Paul was indeed a Roman citizen, removing any doubt. This highlights the absolute nature of Roman citizenship rights.
- that he was a Roman. (Greek: Ῥωμαῖος ἦν, Rhōmaios ēn)
- Roman (Greek: Ῥωμαῖος, Rhōmaios)
- Refers to a citizen of Rome, possessing all the associated legal rights and protections. This was a crucial legal status in the Roman Empire, granting immunity from arbitrary punishment and the right to a fair trial, and the right to appeal to the emperor.
- was (Greek: ἦν, ēn)
- Imperfect indicative of εἰμί (eimi), "to be."
- Roman (Greek: Ῥωμαῖος, Rhōmaios)
Words Group Analysis:
- "knowing for certain that he was a Roman": This phrase emphasizes the commander's definitive confirmation of Paul's Roman status. It signifies that Lysias had moved beyond suspicion to a confirmed understanding, which triggered his legal obligations. This recognition meant he could no longer legally proceed against Paul without due process.
Acts 22 30 Bonus Section
The Roman citizenship of Paul was not merely a biographical detail but a critical legal shield that God used repeatedly to protect His apostle. This citizenship offered privileges that ordinary people, including many Jews and Greeks in the empire, did not possess. It underscores the apostle Paul's own strategic use of his rights when facing unjust persecution, as seen in Acts 16 and elsewhere. The text implies that Lysias himself, as a military tribune, was subject to Roman law, and by extension, Roman authority. The knowledge of Paul's citizenship changed the commander's behavior from aggressive subjugation to cautious adherence to protocol, ensuring Paul was not summarily condemned. This protection ultimately facilitated Paul's journey to Rome and his ministry there, as prophesied in Acts 23:11.
Acts 22 30 Commentary
Claudius Lysias, faced with the undeniable fact of Paul's Roman citizenship, immediately halts any further mistreatment or punitive action. His prior actions of ordering a scourging were illegal, a fact he now understood. His concern shifts from suppressing a disturbance to avoiding legal repercussions himself. This is not necessarily a change of heart towards Paul but a pragmatic realization of the law's application. The commander’s primary concern becomes maintaining Roman legal order and protecting himself from charges of exceeding his authority.