The Meaning of Acts 22:27 Explained

Acts 22:27

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

YLT: and the chief captain having come near, said to him, 'Tell me, art thou a Roman?' and he said, 'Yes;'

Darby: And the chiliarch coming up said to him, Tell me, Art thou a Roman? And he said, Yes.

ASV: And the chief captain came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? And he said, Yea.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Acts 22:27 Mean?

Context Summary

Acts 22:17-30 - Saved For Further Service
To the story of his conversion, as given in Acts 9:1-43, the Apostle here adds a detailed account of that memorable interview in the Temple, when he questioned the advisability of the Lord's command that he should leave Jerusalem, and received his final and irrevocable commission to go to the Gentiles. It is a great privilege to be permitted to overhear this dialogue! How close and intimate is the disciple's relationship with his Lord! God allowed Abraham, Moses, and Jeremiah to reason with Him. He does not crush down our intelligence. It is His own word, "Come, let us reason together." But there is a point beyond which we may not go, when we must accept without question the final instructions of our Captain.
A free-born Roman was Paul. More than once he had asserted his rights as a Roman citizen, as at Philippi. There are various social and political advantages which we can turn to account in our service of the gospel, but they cannot carry us very far, and ultimately we are better off if we step out upon the unwonted waters, simply because Jesus says, Come! [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 22

1  Paul declares how he was converted to the faith,
17  and called to his apostleship
22  At the very mentioning of the Gentiles the people exclaim on him
24  He would have been scourged;
25  but claiming the privilege of a Roman, he escapes

Greek Commentary for Acts 22:27

Art thou a Roman? [Συ ομαιος ει]
(Συ ομαιος ει — Su Romaios ei̇). [source]
Thou [emphatic position)]
(emphatic position) a Roman? It was unbelievable. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 22:27

Acts 16:37 They have beaten us [δειραντες ημας]
First aorist active participle of δερω — derō old verb to flay, to skin, to smite. The Lex Valeria b.c. 509 and the Lex Poscia b.c. 248 made it a crime to inflict blows on a Roman citizen. Cicero says, “To fetter a Roman citizen was a crime, to scourge him a scandal, to slay him--parricide.” Claudius had “deprived the city of Rhodes of its freedom for having crucified some citizen of Rome” (Rackham). Publicly (δημοσιαι — dēmosiāi). This added insult to injury. Common adverb (οδωι — hodōi) supplied with adjective, associative instrumental case, opposed to ιδιαι — idiāi or κατ οικους — kat' oikous Acts 20:20) Uncondemned This same verbal adjective from κατακρινω — katȧkrinō with α — a privative is used by Paul in Acts 22:25 and nowhere else in the N.T. Rare in late Greek like ακαταγνωστος — akatagnōstos but in late Koiné (papyri, inscriptions). The meaning is clearly “without being tried.” Paul and Silas were not given a chance to make a defence. They were sentenced unheard (Acts 25:16). Even slaves in Roman law had a right to be heard. Men that are Romans (αντρωπους ομαιους υπαρχοντας — anthrōpous Romaious huparchontas). The praetors did not know, of course, that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens any more than Lysias knew it in Acts 22:27. Paul‘s claim is not challenged in either instance. It was a capital offence to make a false claim to Roman citizenship. Have cast us into prison Second aorist active indicative of βαλλω — ballō old verb, with first aorist ending as often in the Koiné This was the climax, treating them as criminals. And now privily (και νυν λατραι — kai nun lathrāi). Paul balances their recent conduct with the former. Nay verily, but No indeed! It is the use of γεαρα — gar so common in answers As a public acknowledgment that they had wronged and mistreated Paul and Silas. Let them come themselves and lead us out (εχαγω — exagagetōsan third person plural second aorist active imperative of exagō). It was a bitter pill to the proud praetors. [source]
Acts 16:37 Uncondemned [ακατακριτους]
This same verbal adjective from κατακρινω — katȧkrinō with α — a privative is used by Paul in Acts 22:25 and nowhere else in the N.T. Rare in late Greek like ακαταγνωστος — akatagnōstos but in late Koiné (papyri, inscriptions). The meaning is clearly “without being tried.” Paul and Silas were not given a chance to make a defence. They were sentenced unheard (Acts 25:16). Even slaves in Roman law had a right to be heard. Men that are Romans (αντρωπους ομαιους υπαρχοντας — anthrōpous Romaious huparchontas). The praetors did not know, of course, that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens any more than Lysias knew it in Acts 22:27. Paul‘s claim is not challenged in either instance. It was a capital offence to make a false claim to Roman citizenship. Have cast us into prison Second aorist active indicative of βαλλω — ballō old verb, with first aorist ending as often in the Koiné This was the climax, treating them as criminals. And now privily (και νυν λατραι — kai nun lathrāi). Paul balances their recent conduct with the former. Nay verily, but No indeed! It is the use of γεαρα — gar so common in answers As a public acknowledgment that they had wronged and mistreated Paul and Silas. Let them come themselves and lead us out (εχαγω — exagagetōsan third person plural second aorist active imperative of exagō). It was a bitter pill to the proud praetors. [source]
Acts 16:37 Men that are Romans [αντρωπους ομαιους υπαρχοντας]
The praetors did not know, of course, that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens any more than Lysias knew it in Acts 22:27. Paul‘s claim is not challenged in either instance. It was a capital offence to make a false claim to Roman citizenship. [source]
Acts 28:17 When they were come together [συνελτοντων αυτων]
Genitive absolute again. Paul could not go to the synagogue, as his custom was, being a bound prisoner. So he invited the Jewish leaders to come to his lodging and hear his explanation of his presence in Rome as a prisoner with an appeal to Caesar. He is anxious that they may understand that this appeal was forced upon him by Festus following Felix and lot because he has come to make an attack on the Jewish people. He was sure that false reports had come to Rome. These non-Christian Jews accepted Paul‘s invitation. Nothing against (ουδεν εναντιον — ouden enantion). Adjective here as in Acts 26:9, not preposition as in Acts 7:10; Acts 8:32. From εν — en and αντιος — antios (αντι — anti), face to face. Concessive participle ποιησας — poiēsas as in Acts 28:4 (διασωτεντα — diasōthenta) which see. Yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans This condensed statement does not explain how he “was delivered,” for in fact the Jews were trying to kill him when Lysias rescued him from the mob (Acts 22:27 -36). The Jews were responsible for his being in the hands of the Romans, though they had hoped to kill him first. [source]
Acts 28:17 Yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans [δεσμιος εχ Ιεροσολυμων παρεδοτην εις τας χειρας των ομαιων]
This condensed statement does not explain how he “was delivered,” for in fact the Jews were trying to kill him when Lysias rescued him from the mob (Acts 22:27 -36). The Jews were responsible for his being in the hands of the Romans, though they had hoped to kill him first. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 22:27 mean?

Having come near then the commander said to him Tell me you a Roman are - And he was saying Yes
Προσελθὼν δὲ χιλίαρχος εἶπεν αὐτῷ Λέγε μοι σὺ Ῥωμαῖος εἶ δὲ ἔφη Ναί

Προσελθὼν  Having  come  near 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: προσέρχομαι  
Sense: to come to, approach.
χιλίαρχος  commander 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: χιλίαρχος  
Sense: a chiliarch, the commander of a thousand soldiers.
εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Λέγε  Tell 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
μοι  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
Ῥωμαῖος  a  Roman 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ῥωμαῖος  
Sense: a resident of the city of Rome, a Roman citizen.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἔφη  he  was  saying 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: φημί  
Sense: to make known one’s thoughts, to declare.
Ναί  Yes 
Parse: Particle
Root: ναί  
Sense: yea, verily, truly, assuredly, even so.

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