Act 21:40 | KingComments | STEP | Paul does not want to evade his persecutors just like that. He is not someone who gratefully takes advantage of his liberation from the hands of those who want to kill him. Because of his love for them, he wants to defend or justify himself for them. He is always out to win the Jews for the gospel. He asks the commander for permission to speak to them, thus recognizing the power of the one whose prisoner he is. Paul speaks to the commander in Greek, the language of civilization. The commander is surprised about this, because he had a totally different impression of the man who was the cause of such a tumult. He thought he had scored big and got hold of the Egyptian who had managed to lead no less than the four thousand men of the Assassins out of the city into the wilderness in order to make new attempts among the people. The Assassins, or Sicarians, are the members of a fanatical Jewish party that mixed with the people during the festivities to secretly stab their opponents with a short sword, the sica. Paul states that he does not belong to such a party. On the contrary, he has a respectable Jewish background and an equally respectable bourgeois status, coming from the famous university town of Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia. The commander must have been surprised to learn that Paul is a Jew and wondered what these Jews boiling with anger would have against him. Also the place of origin of this Jewish man must have surprised him. In any case, the commander is satisfied with that information to allow Paul’s request. After Paul has received the requested permission, he motions with his hand as a request for silence and with the purpose of saying something. A deep silence arises. Paul stands full of dignity on the steps of the fortress, while he must have been full of blood and wounds because of the mistreatment of the people he is about to address. He speaks to them in Hebrew, their own language, the language they used among themselves as members of God’s people.

‏ Acts 21:40

Paul Wants to Speak to the People

Paul does not want to evade his persecutors just like that. He is not someone who gratefully takes advantage of his liberation from the hands of those who want to kill him. Because of his love for them, he wants to defend or justify himself for them. He is always out to win the Jews for the gospel. He asks the commander for permission to speak to them, thus recognizing the power of the one whose prisoner he is.

Paul speaks to the commander in Greek, the language of civilization. The commander is surprised about this, because he had a totally different impression of the man who was the cause of such a tumult. He thought he had scored big and got hold of the Egyptian who had managed to lead no less than the four thousand men of the Assassins out of the city into the wilderness in order to make new attempts among the people. The Assassins, or Sicarians, are the members of a fanatical Jewish party that mixed with the people during the festivities to secretly stab their opponents with a short sword, the sica.

Paul states that he does not belong to such a party. On the contrary, he has a respectable Jewish background and an equally respectable bourgeois status, coming from the famous university town of Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia. The commander must have been surprised to learn that Paul is a Jew and wondered what these Jews boiling with anger would have against him. Also the place of origin of this Jewish man must have surprised him. In any case, the commander is satisfied with that information to allow Paul’s request.

After Paul has received the requested permission, he motions with his hand as a request for silence and with the purpose of saying something. A deep silence arises. Paul stands full of dignity on the steps of the fortress, while he must have been full of blood and wounds because of the mistreatment of the people he is about to address. He speaks to them in Hebrew, their own language, the language they used among themselves as members of God’s people.