Acts 22:27
in Acts 22The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he answered.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the chief captain came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? And he said, Yea.
KJV
Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
⋯
This verse in Acts 22
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThen the chief captain came, and said unto him,.... To Paul: tell me, art thou a Roman? he had told him before that he was a Jew of Tarsus, and which was true, and had said nothing of his being a Roman; wherefore the chief captain desires that he would tell him the whole truth of the matter, whether he was a Roman or not: he said yea; that he was one.
This site's exposition
are you a Roman citizen
on Acts 22:27-29
The commander had paid a high price for his citizenship, likely by bribery, but Paul was born a citizen, his by birth in Tarsus. The commander was alarmed to have put a Roman citizen in chains.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
art thou a Roman?--showing that this being of Tarsus, which he had told him before (Ac 21:39) did not necessarily imply that he was a Roman citizen.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| προσελθὼν | proselthon | Having come near | G4334 → | 86 times |
| δὲ | de | then | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| χιλίαρχος | chiliarchos | commander | G5506 → | 21 times |
| εἶπεν | eipen | said | G2036 → | 925 times |
| αὐτῷ· | auto | to him; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| λέγε | lege | do tell | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| μοι, | moi | me, | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| σὺ | su | you yourself | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| Ῥωμαῖος | rhomaios | a Roman | G4514 → | 12 times |
| εἶ; | ei | are? | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | And | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| ἔφη· | ephe | he was saying; | G5346 → | 66 times |
| ναί. | nai | Yes. | G3483 → |
προσελθὼνHaving come near
proselthonG4334 →86 times
δὲthen
deG1161 →2765 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
χιλίαρχοςcommander
chiliarchosG5506 →21 times
εἶπενsaid
eipenG2036 →925 times
αὐτῷ·to him;
autoG846 →5565 times
λέγεdo tell
legeG3004 →1325 times
μοι,me,
moiG3165 →1936 times
σὺyou yourself
suG4771 →2973 times
Ῥωμαῖοςa Roman
rhomaiosG4514 →12 times
εἶ;are?
eiG1510 →2333 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
δὲAnd
deG1161 →2765 times
ἔφη·he was saying;
epheG5346 →66 times
ναί.Yes.
naiG3483 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Acts
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on Acts; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748) and William Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.