Acts 21:33

33 The commander went over to Paul, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked, "Who is this man, and what has he done?"

Acts 21:33 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 21:33

Then the chief captain came near
To the place where the Jews were beating Paul:

and took him
the Arabic version adds, "from them"; he rescued him out of their hands, as he himself says, ( Acts 23:27 ) .

And commanded him to be bound with two chains:
partly to appease the people, and partly to secure Paul; who, he supposed, had been guilty of some misdemeanour, which had occasioned this tumult; these two chains were put, one on one arm, and the other on the other arm; and were fastened to two soldiers, who walked by him, having hold on those chains, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left; and thus Agabus's prophecy in ( Acts 21:11 ) was fulfilled:

and demanded who he was;
or asked and inquired about him, who he was, of what nation he was, what was his character, business, and employment: this inquiry was made, either of the apostle himself, or of the people; and so the Arabic version renders it, "he inquired of them who he was"; also

and what he had done;
what crime he had been guilty of, that they used him in such a manner.

Acts 21:33 In-Context

31 The mob was trying to kill Paul, when a report was sent up to the commander of the Roman troops that all of Jerusalem was rioting.

32 At once the commander took some officers and soldiers and rushed down to the crowd. When the people saw him with the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33 The commander went over to Paul, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked, "Who is this man, and what has he done?"

34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing, others something else. There was such confusion that the commander could not find out exactly what had happened, so he ordered his men to take Paul up into the fort.

35 They got as far as the steps with him, and then the soldiers had to carry him because the mob was so wild.