Acts 21:37-38

[37] And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May speak unto Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? [38] not thou that Egyptian, which before days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?

What is the context of Acts 21:37-38?

What does Acts 21:37-38 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The commander had assumed that Paul was a certain Egyptian who had appeared in Jerusalem three years earlier. This man claimed to be a prophet of God and announced that the wall of Jerusalem would collapse at his command. He further claimed that he would lead his followers from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem where they would defeat the Romans and throw off their yoke. The Romans , however, attacked this man"s followers first and killed many of them, but he had escaped.

The Egyptian"s followers came from the ranks of the Assassins (lit. dagger-men). These were radicals who mingled with crowds with daggers hidden under their cloaks and stabbed Romans and Proverbs -Roman Jews stealthily in an attempt to gain Jewish independence from Rome. ^[1]

Claudius Lysias evidently thought this man had returned to the temple area to recruit more followers and the people who now recognized him as an impostor had turned against him.