Bible Strands
Acts 21:32
Immediately he took some soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Roman commander acts upon receiving a report of Jerusalem-wide turmoil while a mob attempts to kill Paul. He deploys troops to the scene at the precise moment the violence peaks.
The words — The Greek ἐξαυτῆς (exautēs) translates literally to "at once," marking the commander's immediate reaction. The verb κατέδραμεν (katedramen) means "ran down," describing his rapid descent toward the disturbance.
The thread — This intervention aligns with the commander's later explanation in Acts 23:27, where he recounts rescuing Paul from the same Jewish plot. The scene also reflects the structural warning in Isaiah 3:15 against those who crush God's people.
Why it lands — The text requires noting that rescue arrives through sudden human authority rather than overt supernatural display. It asks the reader to acknowledge that earthly intervention can halt violence without validating the motives of those who wield it.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.
Cross-references
- Acts 23:27 This man was seized by the Jews, and they were about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue him. For I had learned that he is a Roman citizen,
- Isaiah 3:15 Why do you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
- Acts 5:40 At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.
- Acts 18:17 At this, the crowd seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
- Acts 22:19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.
- Acts 23:23 Then he called two of his centurions and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea in the third hour of the night.
- Acts 24:6 and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.