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Acts 21:38-40
New Catholic Bible
Acts 21:38-40
New Catholic Bible
38 Then you are not the Egyptian[a] who recently started a revolt and led the four thousand assassins into the desert.” 39 Paul asserted, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city. May I have your permission to speak to the people?” 40 When the permission was granted, Paul stood on the steps and raised his hand to the people for silence. As soon as quiet was restored, he started speaking to them in Aramaic.[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 21:38 The Egyptian: in A.D. 54, an Egyptian agitator, Ben Stada, had stirred up the Jewish nationalists to whom reference is made here, as we know from the historian Flavius Josephus. The Roman authorities were forced to put down the riot, and thousands were killed. Assassins: literally, sicarii, violent nationalists who carried a short dagger, called sica in Latin, and did not hesitate to use it.
- Acts 21:40 Aramaic: the language spoken by Jews at this time; Hebrew was no longer spoken or understood by the people after the Babylonian exile (587 B.C.).
Acts 21:38-40
New International Version
Acts 21:38-40
New International Version
38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness(A) some time ago?”(B)
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus(C) in Cilicia,(D) a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned(E) to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic[a]:(F)
Footnotes
- Acts 21:40 Or possibly Hebrew; also in 22:2
New International Version (NIV) 
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