Acts 22:17-29 Lesson 272

Acts 22:17-29
Lesson 272

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Paul concludes his speech to the angry mob.

"It is not fit that he should live." (22:22)

Paul speaks to the mob.

By the Providence Lithograph Co. (1897).

Study Tip:

Make a list of your favorite Bible verses.

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 22:17-29
Paul is a Roman

17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

22 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.

23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.

25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

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

28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

Margin notes:

"When I was come again to Jerusalem." (22:17) - "When I returned to Jerusalem." Paul made five trips to Jerusalem after his conversion.

"I was in a trance." (22:17) - This is the fourth of Paul's six visions. See Acts 9:3-6,16:9-10, 18:9-10, 23:11, and 27:23-24 to review the other five.

"Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat...them that believed on thee." (22:19) - See Acts 8:3 and 22:4-5.

"Martyr." (22:20) - From the Greek word "martys," meaning "witness." So many Christians "witnessing" for Christ were killed that the word took on its current meaning. That is, a person who prefers to die rather than deny their beliefs.

"Kept the raiment of them that slew him." (22:20) - Paul held the murderer's coats as they killed Stephen (Acts 7:57-59).

"They gave him audience unto this word." (22:22) - "They listened to him (Paul) until he said that word (Gentiles)."

"They cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air." (22:23) - The crowd went into a rage and tore at their clothes. Throwing dust in the air showed anger and contempt (2 Samuel 16:12-13).

"Examined by scourging." (22:24) - Means to be whipped until you talk. The officer (Claudius Lysias) didn't understand Aramaic spoken by the mob and didn't know who Paul was (21:38), or why the mob wanted him dead. Perhaps the whip could sort it out.

"They bound him with thongs." (22:25) - "They tied him (Paul) with leather straps." Victims were tied to a scourging post to expose their backs to the whip. According to Julian Law, it was illegal to bind Roman citizens unless they had been convicted of a crime.

"Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?" (22:25) - "Is it legal to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been convicted?" No, that wasn't legal either (22:29).

"Take heed what thou doest." (22:26) - "Be careful what you do." The centurion is telling Claudius Lysias that Paul is a Roman citizen.

"With a great sum obtained I this freedom." (22:28) - There were four ways to become a Roman citizen; 1) Be natural-born like Paul; 2) Purchase it like Claudius; 3) Earn it through service to Rome; 4) Be a freed slave.

"I was free born." (22:28) - "I was born a (Roman) citizen."

"Straightway they departed." (22:29) - "Immediately they left."

New Living Translation

Acts 22:17-29

17 "After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.

18 I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't accept your testimony about me.'

19 "'But Lord,' I argued, 'they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.

20 And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.'

21 "But the Lord said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'"

22 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!"

23 They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.

Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship

24 The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious.

25 When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried?"

26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"

27 So the commander went over and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?"

"Yes, I certainly am," Paul replied.

28 "I am, too," the commander muttered, "and it cost me plenty!"

Paul answered, "But I am a citizen by birth!"

29 The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Why was the crowd angry when Paul mentioned the Gentiles? (22:21-22)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. For generations, Jews were taught that they were a light unto the world and that the Messiah would someday come to liberate them. They believed that Gentiles had to become Jews to know God. For Paul to say that God sent him to minister to Gentiles was nothing short of blasphemy.

Application thought for the day:

Paul never forgot his part in the murder of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (22:20).
Although forgiven, a Christian never forgets their past sins.
Instead, they remain humble and repentant of their transgressions.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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