Paul Is Put in Chains (Acts 21:26–36)
Paul, in accordance with the instruction of James and the elders, purified himself along with the four men who had taken a Nazarite vow and entered the Temple to fulfill the days of their purification (Acts 21:26). While he was in the Temple, Jews from Asia recognized him and stirred up the crowd by falsely accusing him of teaching against the Law and defiling the Temple by bringing Greeks into it—having seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him earlier (Acts 21:27–29).
The entire city was provoked, and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple. Immediately, the Temple doors were shut (Acts 21:30). As they were seeking to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar (Acts 21:31). He quickly took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; when the crowd saw the commander and the soldiers, they ceased beating Paul (Acts 21:32).
The commander arrested Paul, ordering him to be bound with two chains (Acts 21:33). He attempted to learn the reason for the outcry, but the crowd gave conflicting accusations, making it impossible to determine the truth (Acts 21:34). Due to the violence of the mob, the soldiers had to carry Paul to the barracks (Acts 21:35), while the multitude followed, crying out against him (Acts 21:36).
Paul Defends Himself Before the Jews (Acts 21:37–22:23)
As Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he requested permission from the commander to speak to the people (Acts 21:37). The commander was surprised that Paul spoke Greek, having assumed he was an Egyptian rebel (Acts 21:38). Paul clarified that he was a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a city of significance, and asked to address the crowd (Acts 21:39). Permission was granted, and Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to quiet the people. He then spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect (Acts 21:40–22:2).
Paul began by identifying himself as a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, educated at the feet of Gamaliel, and trained according to the strictness of the ancestral Law. He was zealous for God and had formerly persecuted followers of the Way, binding and imprisoning both men and women (Acts 22:3–5). The high priest and elders could bear witness to this. He had even traveled to Damascus with authority to bring believers bound to Jerusalem for punishment.
He then recounted his conversion. On the road to Damascus, around midday, a great light suddenly shone around him (Acts 22:6). He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 22:7–8). Though those with him saw the light, they did not understand the voice that spoke (Acts 22:9). Paul asked what he should do, and the Lord told him to go into Damascus, where he would be told all that was appointed for him to do (Acts 22:10). Having been blinded by the glory of the light, Paul was led by the hand into the city (Acts 22:11).
There, a devout man named Ananias came to him and restored his sight (Acts 22:12–13). Ananias declared that Paul had been chosen to know God’s will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear His voice. Paul would be His witness to all men concerning what he had seen and heard. Ananias then urged Paul to be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:14–16).
Paul also spoke of a later vision he had while praying in the Temple. He fell into a trance and saw the Lord telling him to leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people would not receive his testimony (Acts 22:17–18). Paul reasoned that the Jews knew his past zeal in persecuting the Church—even his approval of Stephen’s death (Acts 22:19–20). Nevertheless, the Lord commanded him to go, for He would send him far away to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21).
At this statement, the crowd erupted in outrage, rejecting Paul’s testimony and crying out against him (Acts 22:22–23).
The Commander Learns Paul Is a Roman Citizen (Acts 22:24–29)
The commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks and examined by scourging, intending to find out why the people were shouting against him (Acts 22:24). However, as they were preparing to scourge him, Paul questioned whether it was lawful to scourge a Roman citizen who had not been condemned (Acts 22:25). Upon hearing this, the centurion informed the commander, who came and asked Paul directly about his citizenship (Acts 22:26–27).
The commander revealed that he had obtained his Roman citizenship by a large sum of money, but Paul responded that he was born a citizen (Acts 22:28). This likely points to Paul’s family having been among the privileged citizens of Tarsus who were granted Roman citizenship by imperial decree. After the defeat of the Cilician pirates in 67 B.C., Pompey made Tarsus the provincial capital. Later, in 42 B.C., Mark Antony granted the city free status as a reward for loyalty, and citizenship was extended to certain inhabitants. Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Augustus were known to have granted such privileges.
As a result of Paul’s statement, those who were about to examine him withdrew immediately, and the commander himself was afraid, having bound a Roman citizen without trial (Acts 22:29).
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