Actes 21:35

35 Et quand Paul fut sur les degrés, il dut être porté par les soldats, à cause de la violence de la populace,

Actes 21:35 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 21:35

And when he came upon the stairs
Or steps, which led up to the castle; for it was built upon a very high place, as appears from the account of it in the preceding verse; to which agrees what Aristaeas F7 says of it in the following words;

``in order to have knowledge of all things, we went up to a castle adjoining to the city, which is situated in a very high place, fortified with very high towers, built with large stones, as we supposed for the preservation of the places about the temple, if there should be any lying in wait, or tumult, or enemies should enter; so that none might be able to make way in at the walls about the temple; for in the towers of the castle lay very sharp darts and various instruments, and the place was upon a very great eminence.''

So it was that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the
people:
the sense is, either that the crowd of the people was so great, and they so pressed upon Paul and the soldiers that conducted him, that he was even thrown upon them, and bore up by them; or else such was the rage of the people against him, that the soldiers were obliged to take him up in their arms, and carry him, in order to secure him from being tore in pieces by them.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Hist. de 70 Interpret. p. 36. Ed. Oxon.

Actes 21:35 In-Context

33 Alors le tribun s'approcha, et se saisit de lui, et commanda qu'on le liât de deux chaînes; puis il demanda qui il était, et ce qu'il avait fait.
34 Mais dans la foule les uns criaient d'une manière, et les autres d'une autre; ne pouvant donc rien apprendre de certain, à cause du tumulte, il commanda qu'on le menât dans la forteresse.
35 Et quand Paul fut sur les degrés, il dut être porté par les soldats, à cause de la violence de la populace,
36 Car une foule de peuple le suivait, en criant: Fais-le mourir!
37 Comme Paul était sur le point d'entrer dans la forteresse, il dit au tribun: M'est-il permis de te dire quelque chose? Et celui-ci répondit: Tu sais donc le grec?
The Ostervald translation is in the public domain.