# Acts 21.40-22.2 **Book:** [Acts](/codex/acts/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 38. Art thou not then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins? 39. But Paul said, I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I beseech thee, give me leave to speak unto the people. > > **40. And when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with the hand unto the people; and when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, saying, 22:1. Brethren and fathers, hear ye the defence which I now make unto you. 22:2. And when they heard that he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, they were the more quiet: and he saith,** > > 22:3. I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye all are this day: 22:4. and I persecuted this Way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. (Acts 21:38-22:4, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 38. Aren’t you then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?” 39. But Paul said, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” > > **40. When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying, 22:1. “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.” 22:2. When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,** > > 22:3. “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today. 22:4. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. (Acts 21:38-22:4, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 38. Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? 39. But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. > > **40. And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying, 22:1. Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. 22:2. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)** > > 22:3. I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 22:4. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. (Acts 21:38-22:4, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 38. art not thou, then, the Egyptian who before these days made an uprising, and did lead into the desert the four thousand men of the assassins?' 39. And Paul said, 'I, indeed, am a man, a Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, of no mean city a citizen; and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.' > > **40. And he having given him leave, Paul having stood upon the stairs, did beckon with the hand to the people, and there having been a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew dialect, saying: 22:1. 'Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my defence now unto you;' 22:2. and they having heard that in the Hebrew dialect he was speaking to them, gave the more silence, and he saith,** > > 22:3. 'I, indeed, am a man, a Jew, having been born in Tarsus of Cilicia, and brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, having been taught according to the exactitude of a law of the fathers, being zealous of God, as all ye are to-day. 22:4. 'And this way I persecuted unto death, binding and delivering up to prisons both men and women, (Acts 21:38-22:4, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** _TBD_ - **Audience:** _TBD_ - **Location:** _TBD_ - **Time period:** _TBD_ ## Theological reading _Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._ ## Key words _Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._ - None of the words in this verse has its own lexicon entry yet. ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [Anonymous Gospels Objection Defeater](/codex/anonymous-gospels-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21.1-18](/codex/acts-21-1-18/) - [Argument from Prophecy Fulfillment](/codex/argument-from-prophecy-fulfillment/), via [Acts 21.20](/codex/acts-21-20/) - [Christians Not Under Mosaic Law](/codex/christians-not-under-mosaic-law/), via [Acts 21](/codex/acts-21/), [Acts 21.17-26](/codex/acts-21-17-26/), [Acts 21.25](/codex/acts-21-25/) - [Failed Messianic Prophecy Objection Defeater](/codex/failed-messianic-prophecy-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21.20](/codex/acts-21-20/) - [Jesus Never Founded Christianity Objection Defeater](/codex/jesus-never-founded-christianity-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21](/codex/acts-21/), [Acts 21.20](/codex/acts-21-20/) - [Messiahs Before Jesus Objection Defeater](/codex/messiahs-before-jesus-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21.38](/codex/acts-21-38/) - [Misogyny in the Bible Objection Defeater](/codex/misogyny-in-the-bible-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21.9](/codex/acts-21-9/) - [Mosaic Law Binding for True Israelites Objection Defeater](/codex/mosaic-law-binding-for-true-israelites-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21](/codex/acts-21/), [Acts 21.20-21](/codex/acts-21-20-21/), [Acts 21.24](/codex/acts-21-24/), [Acts 21.25](/codex/acts-21-25/) - [Religious Pluralism Objection Defeater](/codex/religious-pluralism-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21.38](/codex/acts-21-38/) - [The Bible Is Just Second-Hand Sources Objection Defeater](/codex/the-bible-is-just-second-hand-sources-objection-defeater/), via [Acts 21.1-18](/codex/acts-21-1-18/) **Concepts:** - [Biblical Figures Confirmed by Archaeology](/codex/biblical-figures-confirmed-by-archaeology/), via [Acts 21.38](/codex/acts-21-38/) - [Biblical Prophecy](/codex/biblical-prophecy/), via [Acts 21.9-11](/codex/acts-21-9-11/) - [Church at Jerusalem](/codex/church-at-jerusalem/), via [Acts 21](/codex/acts-21/) - [Evangelist](/codex/evangelist/), via [Acts 21.8](/codex/acts-21-8/), [Acts 21.9](/codex/acts-21-9/) - [Historical Evidence for the Martyrs](/codex/historical-evidence-for-the-martyrs/), via [Acts 21.8](/codex/acts-21-8/) - [James Ossuary](/codex/james-ossuary/), via [Acts 21.18](/codex/acts-21-18/) - [Mosaic Law](/codex/mosaic-law/), via [Acts 21.25](/codex/acts-21-25/) - [Prophet](/codex/prophet/), via [Acts 21.11](/codex/acts-21-11/), [Acts 21.13](/codex/acts-21-13/), [Acts 21.9](/codex/acts-21-9/) **People:** - [Papias of Hierapolis](/codex/papias-of-hierapolis/), via [Acts 21.8-9](/codex/acts-21-8-9/) - [Paul the Apostle](/codex/paul-the-apostle/), via [Acts 21](/codex/acts-21/) - [Philip the Apostle](/codex/philip-the-apostle/), via [Acts 21.8](/codex/acts-21-8/), [Acts 21.8-9](/codex/acts-21-8-9/) **Lexicon:** - [G2205 - zelos](/codex/g2205-zelos/), via [Acts 21.20](/codex/acts-21-20/) - [G3933 - parthenos](/codex/g3933-parthenos/), via [Acts 21.9](/codex/acts-21-9/) ## Notes _Your annotations._ ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.