^21:31While they were trying¹¹² to kill him, a report¹¹³ was sent up¹¹⁴ to the commanding officer¹¹⁵ of the cohort¹¹⁶ that all Jerusalem was in confusion.¹¹⁷^21:32He¹¹⁸ immediately took¹¹⁹ soldiers and centurions¹²⁰ and ran down to the crowd.¹²¹ When they saw¹²² the commanding officer¹²³ and the soldiers, they stopped beating¹²⁴ Paul. ^21:33Then the commanding officer¹²⁵ came up and arrested¹²⁶ him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains;¹²⁷ he¹²⁸ then asked who he was and what¹²⁹ he had done.

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Footnotes

112 Grk “seeking.”
113 Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; φάσις).
114 Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.
115 Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (chiliarchos) literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
116 A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.
117 συγχέω has “Pass. act.force be in confusion … ὅλη συγχύννεται Ἰερουσαλήμ 21:31.”
118 Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
119 Grk “taking … ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
120 See the note on the word centurion in .
121 Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
122 Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idontes) has been taken temporally.
123 Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. .
124 The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.
125 Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. .
126 Grk “seized.”
127 The two chains would be something like handcuffs ( ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).
128 Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.
129 Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos. Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the commander approached, took him into custody, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.

NLTNew Living Translation

As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul.

Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And as they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the military tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He immediately took along soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the military tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the military tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what it was that he had done.

KJV 1900King James Version

And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.

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