Kisah Para Rasul 16:37-39

16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ¹  “They had us beaten in public ²  without a proper trial ³  – even though we are Roman citizens ⁴  – and they threw us ⁵  in prison. And now they want to send us away ⁶  secretly? Absolutely not! They ⁷  themselves must come and escort us out!” ⁸  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ⁹  were Roman citizens ¹⁰  16:39 and came ¹¹  and apologized to them. After ¹²  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ¹³  to leave the city.

Kisah Para Rasul 25:10-12

25:10 Paul replied, ¹⁴  “I am standing before Caesar’s ¹⁵  judgment seat, ¹⁶  where I should be tried. ¹⁷  I have done nothing wrong ¹⁸  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ¹⁹  25:11 If then I am in the wrong ²⁰  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ²¹  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ²²  no one can hand me over to them. ²³  I appeal to Caesar!” ²⁴  25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ²⁵  Festus ²⁶  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ²⁷  to Caesar ²⁸  you will go!” ²⁹ 

[16:37]  ¹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ² tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ³ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ⁴ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ⁵ tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:37]  ⁶ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ⁷ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ⁸ sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.

[16:38]  ⁹ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ¹⁰ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

[16:39]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and coming, they apologized.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:39]  ¹² tn Grk “and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[16:39]  ¹³ tn The verb ἐρώτων (erwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” brings out the iterative force in the translation.

[25:10]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ¹⁵ tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ¹⁶ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.

[25:10]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:10]  ¹⁷ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ¹⁸ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”

[25:11]  ²⁰ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ²¹ tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11]  ²² tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11]  ²³ sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11]  ²⁴ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:11]  sn The appeal to Caesar was known as the provocatio ad Caesarem. It was a Roman citizen’s right to ask for a direct judgment by the emperor (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96). It was one of the oldest rights of Roman citizens.

[25:12]  ²⁵ tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12]  ²⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12]  ²⁷ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ²⁸ tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12]  ²⁹ sn “To Caesar you will go!” In all probability Festus was pleased to send Paul on to Rome and get this political problem out of his court.