Chapter

Acts 21:34

ESV Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
NIV Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.
NASB But among the crowd, some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks.
CSB Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.
NLT Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress.
KJV 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.
NKJV And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks.

What does Acts 21:34 mean?

The tribune of Jerusalem is confused. He was interrupted from his normal duties by word that a riot had broken out in the temple courtyard. He rushed out to find a mob of Jews beating a man. At the sight of the soldiers, the Jews parted. The tribune ordered soldiers to chain the man and asked what was going on (Acts 21:31–33).

The man is Paul. The crowd is beating him for two reasons. They heard a rumor that he teaches Jews they should not follow the Mosaic law, which is not true. They also believe Paul brought a Gentile into the temple, which is not accurate, either. In truth, Paul teaches that Gentiles do not have to follow the Law, and he had gone to the temple to help four Jewish men complete their Nazirite vow by paying for their sacrifices (Acts 21:20–30).

The tribune can't get a straight answer, however. He thinks Paul might be an Egyptian commander of 4000 would-be revolutionaries who tried to reclaim Jerusalem a few years prior. When Paul explains he's just a Jew from Tarsus, the tribune lets him speak to the crowd (Acts 21:37–40). This only riles up the mob even more. The tribune then turns to standard Roman procedure when seeking information from a prisoner: flog him until he tells the truth. Unbeknownst to the tribune, Paul is a Roman citizen, whose civil rights exclude both flogging and being chained before facing trial (Acts 22:1–29).

The situation deteriorates from there. The tribune brings Paul before the Sanhedrin in hopes they can explain, but in just a few short sentences Paul manages to set the Pharisees and Sadducees of the council against each other (Acts 22:30—23:10). When the tribune then learns the Sanhedrin is implicated in a plot to kill Paul, he gives up. He sends Paul to the governor in Caesarea Maritima and doesn't even show up for the hearing (Acts 23:12–35; 24:22).
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