Acts 21:33

33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him and commanded that he be bound with two chains, and demanded who he was and what he had 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 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar,

32 who immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down unto them; and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left off beating Paul.

33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him and commanded that he be bound with two chains, and demanded who he was and what he had done.

34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude. And when he could learn nothing with certainty because of the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.

35 And when Paul came upon the stairs, so it was that he had to be borne by the soldiers because of the violence of the people.