Acts 21:33

Acts 21:33 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.
• New International Version (NIV)The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done.

Context of Acts 21:33

31The angry crowd was trying to kill Paul. But someone sent a message to the leader of the Roman soldiers. The message was, ‘People are fighting everywhere in the city.’ 32So the soldiers' leader quickly took some other officers and a large group of soldiers and they ran down to the crowd. The angry crowd of people saw the leader with his soldiers. So then they stopped hitting Paul. The Roman soldiers' leader went to Paul and he took hold of him. He said to his men, ‘Tie two chains round the arms of this man.’ Then he asked the people in the crowd, ‘Who is this man and what has he done?’ 34Some people in the crowd shouted one thing and other people shouted something different. There was so much noise that the leader of the soldiers was not sure about the true facts. He did not know what had really happened. So he said to his soldiers, ‘Take this man up into our strong building!’ 35The soldiers then led Paul as far as the steps of their building. Then they had to carry him because the crowd was so angry.

Acts 21:33 word by word

τότε ἐγγίσας ὁ χιλίαρχος ἐπελάβετο αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκέλευσεν δεθῆναι ἁλύσεσιν δυσὶν καὶ ἐπυνθάνετο τίς εἴη καὶ τί ἐστιν πεποιηκώς.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thenτότεtote · thenG5119
• the chief captainὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the chief captainχιλίαρχοςchiliarchos · military officerG5506
• came nearἐγγίζωeggizō · to come nearG1448
• and tookἐπιλαμβάνωepilambanomai · to catchG1949
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• commandedκελεύωkeleuō · to orderG2753
• to be boundδέωdeō · to bindG1210
• with twoδύοduo · twoG1417
• chainsἅλυσιςhalusis · chainG254
• demandedπυνθάνομαιpunthanomai · to inquireG4441
• whoτίςtis · which?G5101
• ·ἄνan · ifG302
• he wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• doneποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160

Cross-references for Acts 21:33

• Acts 21:11Agabus came to where we were. He took Paul's belt and he tied it around his own feet and hands. He said, ‘Listen to this message from the Holy Spirit. “The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will take hold of the man who has this belt. They will tie his hands and his feet. Then they will give him to the Gentiles to be their prisoner.” ’
• Acts 12:6It was the night before King Herod wanted to bring Peter out of the prison and judge him. The soldiers had tied Peter to themselves with chains. So Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. Some other soldiers were guarding the doors of the prison.
• Acts 20:23But I do know that much trouble will come to me. The Holy Spirit has told me about that. He said to me, “People will put you in prison and they will hurt you.”
• Acts 22:25So the soldiers tied Paul's arms and they were ready to hit him. But Paul spoke to the soldiers' officer who stood near to him. He said, ‘I am a citizen of Rome. So it is not right for you to hit me like that. No judge has agreed that I have done anything wrong.’
• Acts 28:20That is why I want to talk with you now. I want to tell you why I am a prisoner here. It is because I believe in the one that God promised to send to us who are Jews.’
• Judges 15:13They said, ‘We agree. We will only tie you up and give you to them. We promise that we will not kill you.’ So they tied him up with two new ropes. They took him with them away from the cave.
• Judges 16:8So the Philistine rulers gave Delilah seven new strings for bows. She used them to tie Samson up while he was asleep.
• Ephesians 6:20God has sent me to tell people the good news on his behalf. And that is why I am now in prison. So pray that I will speak God's message bravely, as I ought to speak it.
• Acts 22:24The leader of the soldiers said to his men, ‘Take this man into our building. Then hit him with whips. We must find out what he has done. He must tell us why the Jews are shouting so loudly against him.’
• Acts 25:16I answered them, “You are saying that this man has done wrong things. He must first stand in front of you who are speaking against him. Then he can answer you, and I can judge who is right. That is what our Roman law says must happen.”
• John 18:29So Pilate, the Roman ruler, went outside to meet them. He asked them, ‘What wrong thing do you say that this man has done?’

Commentaries on Acts 21:33

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 33And took him - With great violence, according to Acts 24:7, probably meaning an armed force. To be bound with two chains - To be bound between two soldiers; his right hand chained to the left hand of the one, and his left hand to the right of the other. See the note on Acts 12:6.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 33To be bound with two chains - To show to the enraged multitude that he did not intend to rescue anyone from justice, but to keep the peace. Paul‘s Being thus bound would convince them of his determination that justice should be done in the case. Probably he was bound between two soldiers, his right arm to the left arm of the one, and his left arm to the right arm of the other. See the notes on Acts 12:6. Or, if his hands and feet were bound, it is evident…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-40Verses 27-40 In the temple, where Paul should have been protected as in a place of safety, he was violently set upon. They falsely charged him with ill doctrine and ill practice against the Mosaic ceremonies. It is no new thing for those who mean honestly and act regularly, to have things laid to their charge which they know not and never thought of. It is common for the wise and good to have that charged against them by malicious people, with which they…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26-36The concerns of the Christian leaders were well-founded (21:20–25). When Paul and the other men had almost completed their vow, some Jews from Asia falsely accused Paul and raised a mob against him. They intended to kill Paul, but the Roman commander rescued him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3333. commanded him to be bound with two chains--(See on Ac 12:6).Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 21:33

• Chains
• Claudius Lysius
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Prisoners
• Soldiers
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• Appeal
• Claudius
• Discover
• James
• John
• Lysias, Claudius
• Ready
• Unlade
• Acts of the Apostles
• Andrew

Commentaries on Acts 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings