Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 21:34
And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.
34. And some cried [ R. V. shouted] another ] The verb is the same which St Luke uses for the din of the multitude which shouted against Jesus (Luk 23:21), “Crucify him;” also for the adulatory shouting in honour of Herod Agrippa (Act 12:22). No other New Testament writer uses the word. The chief captain appears to have made an effort to learn what was laid to the charge of the Apostle.
and when tumult [R. V. uproar]. Perhaps as at Ephesus (Act 19:32) a large part of the shouters hardly knew themselves for what the clamour was raised.
he to be carried [ R. V. brought] into the castle ] The Greek word signifies “an encampment,” but was employed to designate the barracks which the Romans had in the Tower of Antonia. The same word is rendered “army” in Heb 11:34.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Into the castle – The castle of Antonia, where the guard was kept. See the notes on Act 21:31. Compare Act 23:10, Act 23:16.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Some cried one thing, some another; as is usual in popular commotions, they agreed in doing mischief, but not in the reason of it.
Into the castle called Antonia, because it was built in honour of Mark Antony, on the north side of the temple.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
34. some cried one thingThedifficulty would be so to state his crimes as to justify theirproceedings to a Roman officer.
to be carried into thecastlerather, perhaps, “the barracks,” or that partof the fortress of Antonia appropriated to the soldiers. The fort wasbuilt by Herod on a high rock at the northwest corner of the greattemple area, and called after Mark Antony.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And some cried one thing, and some another, among the multitude,…. For though they agreed to beat him, and even to kill him, yet some of them knew not for what; being led by a blind zeal for Moses, the law and temple, or rather by fury and madness:
and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult; could not come at the truth of the matter, or any certain knowledge of it, not anything that could be depended upon, because of the noise of the people, and the different notes they were in:
he commanded him to be carried into the castle; of Antonio, formerly called Baris, of which Josephus e gives this account;
“on the north side (of the wall) was built a four square tower, well fortified and strong; this the kings and priests of the Asmonaean race, who were before Herod, built, and called it Baris; that there the priestly robe might be laid up by them, which the high priest only wore, when he was concerned in divine service:”
this tower King Herod made more strong, for the security and preservation of the temple; and called it Antonia, for the sake of Antony his friend, and the general of the Romans: the description of it, as given by Dr. Lightfoot f, which is collected by him out of Josephus and other writers, is this;
“upon the north side, and joining up to the western angle (but on the outside of the wall), stood the tower of Antonia, once the place where the high priests used to lay up their holy garments; but in after times a garrison of Roman soldiers, for the a wing of the temple: when it served for the former use, it was called Baris (it may be from , “ad extra”, because it was an outer building), but when for the latter, it bare the name of Antonia; Herod the great having sumptuously repaired and called it after the name of the Roman prince Antony: it stood upon the north west point of Moriah, and was a very strong and a very large pile; so spacious a building with all its appurtenances, that it took up to two furlongs’ compass; the rock it stood upon was fifty cubits high, and steep, and the building itself was forty cubits above it; it was four square, encompassed with a wall of three cubits high, which enclosed its courts, and had a turret at every corner, like the white tower at London; but that it was more spacious, and that the turrets were not all of an height; for those at the north east and north west corners were fifty cubits high, but those on the south east and south west were seventy cubits high, that they might fully overlook the temple: it had cloisters or walks about it, and baths and lodgings, and large rooms in it; so that it was at once like a castle, and like a palace. There was a passage out of it, into the north and west cloisters of the mountain of the house, and by that the Roman garrison soldiers went down at every festival of the Jews, to take care against tumults and seditions, in those great concourses of the people.”
And it was by this passage that the chief captain, with the centurions and soldiers, came down so quickly and suddenly upon the Jews, while they were beating Paul in the temple; and this castle being on such an eminence as described, hence he with the soldiers is said to run down, Ac 21:32 And it was in this way that the apostle was led up to the castle.
e Antiqu. l. 15. c. 11. sect. 4. Vid. ib. l. 18. c. 5. sect. 3. & de Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 3. sect. 3. c. 5. sect. 4. & c. 21. sect. 1. f The Temple described, c. 7. p. 1060.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Some shouting one thing, some another ( ). Same idiom of as in 19:32 which see. The imperfect of , to call out to, suits well the idiom. This old verb occurs in the N.T. only in Luke and Acts (already in 12:22).
When he could not know ( ). Genitive absolute of present middle participle of with negative and second aorist active infinitive of .
The certainty ( ). Neuter articular adjective from privative and , to make totter or fall. Old word, in the N.T. only in Acts 21:34; Acts 22:30; Acts 25:26; Phil 3:1; Heb 6:19.
Into the castle ( ). Koine word from , to cast in by the side of, to assign soldiers a place, to encamp (see on Lu 19:43). So comes to mean an interpolation, then an army drawn up (Heb 11:34), but mainly an encampment (Heb 13:11; Heb 13:13), frequent in Polybius and LXX. So here barracks of the Roman soldiers in the tower of Antonia as in verse Acts 21:37; Acts 22:24; Acts 23:10; Acts 23:16; Acts 23:32.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Castle [] . Better, barracks. The main tower had a smaller tower at each corner, the one at the southeastern corner being the largest and overlooking the temple. In this tower were the quarters of the soldiers. The word is derived from the verb paremballw, to put in beside, used in military language of distributing auxiliaries among regular troops and, generally, of drawing up in battle – order. Hence the noun means, a body drawn up in battle – array, and passes thence into the meaning of an encampment, soldiers ‘ quarters, barracks. In Heb 11:34, it occurs in the earlier sense of an army; and in Heb 13:11, 13; Rev 20:9, in the sense of an encampment. In grammatical phraseology it signifies a parenthesis, according to its original sense of insertion or interpolation.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude:” (alloi de allo ti epephonoun en to, ochlo) “Then some called out one thing and some another thing, totally unrelated, from among the rabble Jewish crowd.” Their charges were trumped-up, false, and exaggerated so that the arresting officers could not discern “heads or tails,” regarding any possible merit to their loose, contradictory charges.
2) “And when he could not know, “ (me dunamenou de autou gnonai) “And when he was not able to know, to determine,” because none of the accusers had a reasonable explanation for their mob violence conduct toward Paul.
3) “The certainty for the tumult,” (to asphales dia ton thorubon) “The certainty of the thing (the occasion) because of the mob confusion and uproar,” much like the theatre uproar in Ephesus over the trade union that made and sold the goddess, Diana, Act 19:32.
4) “He commanded him to be carried into the castle.” (ekeleusen agesthei auton eis ten parembolen) “He commanded (gave orders for) him to be brought into the castle or fort;” He appears to have been bodily picked up and carried by the two soldiers to whom he was chained, into the military barracks, or camp, Heb 13:13.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
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34. Some cried one thing, and some another. The madness of the raging people doth betray itself on every side. They make horrible outcries, whereof one is contrary to another. Nevertheless, they desire with one consent to have him put to death who was convicted of no offense. In the mean season, we need not doubt but that they were blinded with a color of holy zeal. But the truth of the cause well known maketh men truly zealous, as it maketh them true martyrs of God, but rage betrayeth devilish madness. Whereas mention is made in this place of the camp or fortress, we must know that the soldiers, which were placed to guard the city, had a place which was trenched and fortified on every side, which they might defend as if it were a castle, and from which they might beat back all assaults, if any sedition were raised. For it had not been good for them to have been dispersed here and there in diverse inns, − (493) seeing the people were treacherous, and the city troublesome. And we gather by this that the place was high, because Luke saith, that when they came to the steps, Paul was carried of [by] the soldiers. And whether the soldiers did lift Paul up on high that they might bring him safe to the station or camp, or he was thus tossed with the violence of the crowd, this was no duty [office] of favor. But the greater the cruelty of those which followed him was, God did more plainly declare that he was favorable to his servant in sparing his life, lest if he should have been murdered in the tumult, his death should have wanted due fruit. −
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Neque enim…. tutum fuisset in varia hospitia passim distribui ,” for it had not been safe for them to have been quartered up and down in various places.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(34) Some cried one thing, some another.We note the parallelism with the like confused clamour at Ephesus (Act. 19:32), which is described in exactly the same terms.
He commanded him to be carried into the castle.The Greek, which literally means encampment, is translated armies in Heb. 11:34. By a transition which reminds us of the connection between the words castrum and castellum, or castle, it came to be applied to a regular structure of stone or brick, such for example, as the Tower Antonia, described in the Note on Act. 21:31.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
34. Cried one thing It was difficult for the mob to make out a charge against the prisoner which would be intelligible to the Roman. If a Greek had entered into the holy place he was liable to death; but Paul was notoriously a Jew; nor was there any Greek to be found on the spot. The incoherent maledictions flung out upon Paul would therefore simply perplex the chiliarch.
Castle Literally, the pretorium, or camp; probably the barracks of the soldiers within the court of the castle Antonia. These barracks, or soldiers’ lodgings were in the interior area enclosed by the wall of the castle, and afforded rooms for at least a thousand men, kept as guard over the temple grounds. But the “whole cohort,” (Mat 27:27,) was probably kept in the “pretorium,” (of Joh 18:28,) in the western part of the city.
Paul was now taken in custody by the soldiers, and, with the chains fastened on his wrists, was led to the northwest corner of the Gentile court, where by a flight of stairs he would ascend to the gallery, and, entering the gate of the fort, would pass down into the barracks within its area.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And some shouted one thing, some another, among the crowd. And when he could not know the certainty for the uproar, he commanded him to be brought into the castle.’
The inexcusable nature of the situation comes out in that most of the crowd quite frankly did not know why they were beating Paul. They had simply been caught up in the general fervour. So some shouted one thing, and some another. Each had different ideas about this man whom they were beating to death, and why they were doing it. We can compare the similar situation with the Ephesus’ crowd in Act 19:32 where there is a parallel idea. Luke wants it to be quite clear to his readers that those involved in uproars against Paul usually had no good reason for it. At Ephesus it was evil Ephesian Gentiles who had raised the uproar, here it was evil Ephesian Jews. But in neither case were the crowds in agreement with them. The aims of the crowds were baseless. It would appear that Ephesians were adept at causing uproars. (And as we have seen Ephesians represented the Anti-God, the Satan).
Recognising that he was getting no sense from them the chief captain ordered that Paul be brought into the fortress. The first thing to do was to get this dangerous rogue to a place of safety, where he could be examined at more leisure.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.
Ver. 34. For the tumult ] All was on a hurry, as it was Act 19:23-29 at Ephesus, vel ut in regno Cyclopico.
Into the castle ] Called Antonia, near the temple, where the soldiers kept garrison.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
34. .] The camp or barracks attached to the tower Antonia; or perhaps ‘into the tower’ itself: but the other is the more usual meaning of . “For a full history and description of the fortress of Antonia, see Robinson, i. pp. 431, 435; Williams, Holy City, i. 99; ii. 403 411; Howson, ii. 311.” Wordsworth.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 21:34 . : if we read , see critical note, a verb peculiar to St. Luke, Luk 23:21 , Act 12:22 ; Act 22:24 = “shouted,” R.V., cf. Act 19:31 . ., see critical note. : adjective, three times in St. Luke with this same shade of meaning, Act 22:30 , Act 25:26 ( cf. Act 2:36 , and Wis 18:6 , ). .: the word may mean an army, Heb 11:34 , or the camp which it occupies (so in LXX = Heb. Jdg 4:16 ; Jdg 8:10 , 1Ma 5:28 ). In this passage may = the castle itself, as A. and R.V., or perhaps the barracks in the castle. A Macedonian word according to Phryn., but see Kennedy, Sources of N.T. Greek , pp. 15, 16, and also for its meaning here, Schrer, Jewish People , div. i., vol. ii., p. 55, E.T.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
cried = were crying out. Greek. boao, as in Act 17:6. The texts read epiphoneo, as in Act 12:22 (gave a shout) and Act 22:24.
multitude. Same as people, Act 21:27.
the certainty = the sure thing. Greek. asphales. Adjective meaning “safe”or “sure”. Occurs here, Act 22:30; Act 25:26. Php 1:3, Php 1:1. Heb 6:19.
for = on account of. Greek. dia. App-104. Act 21:2.
tumult. Same as uproar, Act 20:1.
castle. Greek. parembole. Occurs elsewhere, Act 21:37; Act 22:24; Act 23:10, Act 23:16, Act 23:32. Heb 11:34; Heb 13:11, Heb 13:13. Rev 20:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
34. .] The camp or barracks attached to the tower Antonia;-or perhaps into the tower itself: but the other is the more usual meaning of . For a full history and description of the fortress of Antonia, see Robinson, i. pp. 431, 435; Williams, Holy City, i. 99; ii. 403-411; Howson, ii. 311. Wordsworth.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 21:34. ) the castle, which the Roman guards (garrison) were holding possession of.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
some cried: Act 19:32
know: Act 22:30, Act 25:26
into: Act 21:37, Act 22:24, Act 23:10, Act 23:16
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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Act 21:34. The riotous clamor of the mob confused the captain so that he concluded to remove Paul from them for further investigation, all the while treating him very roughly. The castle was the place that contained the barracks of the soldiers.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 21:34. And some cried one thing, and some another, among the multitude. The same angry, confused murmur of voices and cries were heard among the crowd as at Ephesus in the amphitheater when the Jews accused Paul and his friends. The Greek words used to describe the confused cries of the populace are the same in both places (see chap. Act 19:32). Two verses further on (Act 21:36), we read how the same sounds fell on the ears of the Roman captain and his soldiery as twenty – five years before were listened to and obeyed by the Roman governor Pilate, when Another was accused and reviled by a Jewish mob of fanatics gathered together at a solemn feast in this same Jerusalem. Now as then, the people cried, Away with him! Poor misguided ones, they knew not what they asked!
He commanded him to be carried into the castle. The Greek word here translated castle signifies literally encampment. The meaning is, the Roman officer directed that Paul should be conveyed up the steps, away from the angry multitude who would have killed him, into that part of the fortress of Antonia used as the barracks of the imperial soldiery, where were no doubt strong guard – rooms set apart for the custody of prisoners.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 31
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 34
Into the castle; the castle or tower of Antonia.