Bible Strands
Acts 22:28
“I paid a high price for my citizenship,” said the commander. “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Roman commander addresses Paul, who is bound and awaiting interrogation, immediately after Paul confirmed his Roman status in Acts 22:27.
The words — ἐγὼ (egō) and πολλοῦ κεφαλαίου (pollou kephalaiou) record the commander’s claim that he secured his status through a large payment rather than by birth.
The thread — The contrast between purchased and inherited citizenship appears in Acts 22, where legal standing dictates procedural rights and directly triggers the commander’s alarm in Acts 22:29.
Why it lands — It forces the reader to see how legal privilege overrides the immediate charges, making the outcome of the interrogation a matter of Roman statute rather than the accusers' arguments.
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
And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.