Thongs
Thongs
The word translation thongs (pi. of ) in Act 22:25 (Authorized Version and Revised Version ) refers to the leather straps with which a captive or criminal was tied in a leaning posture to an inclined post, preparatory to flogging. In carrying out the order of the chiliarch that St. Paul should be examined by torture, the centurion directed his subordinates to bind him in this fashion, the thongs being the instruments used to effect their purpose. In Revised Version margin the term is taken to signify the leather strands or lashes of the scourge (horribile flagellum) with which the torture was inflicted. The thongs are thus regarded as a synonym for whip () in Act 22:24. It is doubtful, however, whether the word in the plural is ever used in this sense. Grimm admits that it may bear either signification, but in the present instance prefers the latter.
W. S. Montgomery.