Bible Strands
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,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Claudius Lysias writes to Governor Felix recounting his arrival with troops. He states he rescued a man the Jews were about to kill because he had learned the man was a Roman citizen.
The words — συλλημφθέντα (sullēmphthenta) literally means "having been seized." Ἰουδαίων (Ioudaíōn) identifies the group that laid hands on him.
The thread — The commander’s intervention fulfills the warning in Acts 23:10 about mob violence. The Roman citizenship claim directly parallels Paul’s later legal defense in Acts 22:25.
Why it lands — The text records that military rescue and civic status prevented execution. Interpreters note this shows Roman law temporarily overriding Jewish jurisdiction, but the verse itself only reports the factual sequence of events.
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
This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.
Cross-references
- Acts 22:25 But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”
- Acts 21:31 While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman regiment received a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil.
- Acts 23:10 The dispute grew so violent that the commander was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove him by force and bring him into the barracks.
- Acts 24:6 and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.