Acts 21:33-40 - A citizen of no mean city

21:33-36

So Paul was arrested by the Romans and bound in chains. The commander then sought to find out what was going on. The crowd, unsurprisingly, gave an inconsistent message. Paul was then taken to the barracks. The crowd were vehemently against Paul.

21:37,38

It now becomes clear that the Romans didn’t have much of a clue about what was going on at all. On his way to the barracks Paul asked if he could speak to them. They seemed surprised that he could speak Greek. Apparently they thought he was an Egyptian rebel rouser. There were various rebels who arose periodically. The one they mixed him up with had led four thousand terrorists into the wilderness.

21:39,40

Paul informs them that he is both a Jew and a citizen of Tarsus, “no mean city”. He is making them aware that he is more important than they imagine him to be. So Paul is given permission to speak to the crowd. Given Paul’s record of his speeches ending up in a riot, this may not have been a wise decision on the part of the Romans! He motions to the crowd to be still, and then addresses them in Aramaic, their own language.