Bible > Acts > Chapter 21 > Verse 38
◄ Acts 21:38 ►
"Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?"
"Aren't you the Egyptian who led a rebellion some time ago and took 4,000 members of the Assassins out into the desert?"
Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"
"Aren't you the Egyptian who incited a rebellion some time ago and led four thousand members of the 'Assassins' into the wilderness?"
Are you not, then, the Egyptian, the one before these days having led a revolt and having led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the 'Assassins?'"
Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?
Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?"
Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"
Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago raised a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"
Then you are not [as I assumed] the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led those 4,000 men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"
Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led four thousand men of the Assassins into the wilderness? "
Aren't you the Egyptian who raised a rebellion some time ago and led 4,000 Assassins into the wilderness?"
Art thou not then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?
"Are you not that Egyptian who before these days made a disturbance and led four thousand criminal men to the wilderness?"
"Aren't you that Egyptian who started a riot not long ago and led 4,000 terrorists into the desert?"
Art not thou that Egyptian who before these days didst raise a tumult, and didst lead forth into the desert four thousand men that were murderers?
Art thou not then the Egyptian, which before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?
Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolution not long ago and led four thousand terrorists into the desert?"
"Then you are not that Egyptian fellow who some time ago started a revolution and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?"
You're not the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led 4,000 assassins into the desert, are you?"
Are you not, then, the Egyptian who made an uprising before these days, and led the four thousand men of the assassins into the desert?"
So then you are not the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led the four thousand assassins into the desert?"
Then you're not that Egyptian who started a rebellion and led the four thousand men of the 'Assassins' into the wilderness some time ago?"
Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?"
Are you not then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?"
Art not thou that Egyptian, who before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?
"Are you not the Egyptian who some years ago excited the riot of the 4,000 cut-throats, and led them out into the Desert?"
Aren't you then the Egyptian who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?"
art not thou, then, the Egyptian who before these days made an uprising, and did lead into the desert the four thousand men of the assassins?'
Paul Speaks to the People
37As they were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?" "Do you speak Greek?" he replied. 38" Aren't you the Egyptian who incited a rebellion some time ago and led four thousand members of the 'Assassins' into the wilderness?" 39But Paul answered, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to speak to the people."…
So if they tell you, 'There He is in the wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Here He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.
And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.
(Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
Are not you that Egyptian, which before these days made an uproar, and led out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?
that.
Acts 5:36,37
For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought…
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
Ago Chance Desert Egyptian Excited Four Government Led Madest Murderers Raised Revolt Riot Sedition Started Stirred Thousand Time Uproar Waste Wilderness Worked
1. Paul calls at the house of Philip, whose daughters prophesy.
10. Agabus, foretelling what should befall him at Jerusalem,
13. he will not be dissuaded from going thither.
17. He comes to Jerusalem;
27. where he is apprehended, and in great danger, but by the chief captain is rescued;
37. and requests, and is permitted to speak to the people.
(38) Art not thou that Egyptian?--The Greek has an illative particle which is wanting in the English: Art not thou then that Egyptian? This was the inference drawn by the chief captain from the fact that his prisoner spoke in Greek. The Egyptian was a false prophet, who a short time before this, under the procuratorship of Felix, had led 30, 000 men (?) to the Mount of Olives, promising them that they should see Jerusalem destroyed (Jos. Ant. xx. 8, ? 6; Wars, ii. 13, ? 5). His followers were routed by Felix, but he himself escaped; and the chief captain infers from the tumult raised by a Greek-speaking Jew, that the Egyptian must have reappeared. Probably this was one of the vague reports in the confused clamour of the multitude. The words of the question have, however, been taken, on grammatical grounds, in a different sense: Thou art not, then, that Egyptian? as though his speaking Greek had changed the chiliarch's previous impression. Against this, however, there is the fact that an Egyptian Jew, coming from the very land of the Septuagint, would naturally speak Greek, and the inference that St. Paul was not the Egyptian because he knew that language would hardly be intelligible.
Four thousand men that were murderers.--Josephus, as has been said, gives a much larger number, but his statistics, in such cases, are never to be relied on. The word for murderer (sicarii, literally, dagger-bearers) was applied to the cut-throat bands who about this period infested well-nigh every part of Palestine, and who differed from the older robbers in being, like the Thugs in India, more systematically murderous (Jos. Wars, ii. 13, ? 3). In the siege of Jerusalem, their presence, sometimes in alliance with the more fanatic of the zealots, tended to aggravate all its horrors.
Verse 38. - Art thou not then the for art not thou that, A.V.; stirred up to sedition for madest an uproar, A.V.; led for leddest, A.V.; the four thousand men of the Assassins for four thousand men that were murderers, A.V. Art thou not then, etc.? or as Meyer, "Thou art not then;" either way implying that Lysias had concluded that he was the Egyptian, but had now discovered his mistake. The Egyptian, etc. He whom Josephus calls (' Bell. Jud.,' it. 13:5) "the Egyptian false prophet," and relates that, having collected above thirty thousand followers, he advanced from the desert to the Mount of Olives, intending to overpower the Roman garrison and make himself tyrant of Jerusalem, with the help of his δορυφόροι, or body-guard, who might very probably be composed of the Assassins or Sicarii, mentioned in the text. Stirred up to sedition (ἀναστατώσας) The difference between the A.V. and the R.V. is that the former takes the verb in an intransitive sense, "to make an Uproar," the latter in a transitive sense, governing the "four thousand men." In the only two other places were it occurs in the New Testament (Acts 17:6; Galatians 5:12) it is transitive. It is not a classical word. The four thousand men. Josephus, in the above-cited passage, reckons the followers of the Egyptian impostor at above thirty thousand. But such discrepancies are of no account, partly because of the known looseness with which numbers are stated, and Josephus's disposition to exaggerate; partly because of the real fluctuation in the numbers of insurgents at different periods of an insurrection; and partly because it is very possible that a soldier like Lysias would take no count of the mere rabble, but only of the disciplined and armed soldiers such as these Sicarii were. It may be added that Josephus himself seems to distinguish between the rabble and the fighting men, because, though in the 'Bell. Jud.,' it. 13:5 he says that Felix attacked or took prisoners "most of his followers," in the 'Ant. Jud.,' 20. 8:6 he makes the number of slain "four hundred," and of prisoners "two hundred" - a very small proportion of thirty thousand. The Egyptian had premised his deluded followers that the walls of Jerusalem would fall down like those of Jericho. It is not known exactly in what year the insurrection took place, but it was, as Renan says, "pen de temps auparavant" ('St. Paul,' p. 525). The Egyptian himself contrived to run away and disappear; hence the thought that he was the author of this new tumult at Jerusalem. The Sicarii were a band of fanatical murderers, who, in the disturbed times preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, went about armed with daggers, and in broad daylight and in the public thoroughfares murdered whoever was obnoxious to them. Among others they murdered the high priest Jonathan at the instigation of Felix (Josephus, 'Ant. Jud.,' 20. 6:7; 'Bell. Jud.,' 2, 13:3).
εἶ (ei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
σὺ (sy)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Singular
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Αἰγύπτιος (Aigyptios)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 124: Egyptian. From Aiguptos; an Eyyptian or inhabitant of Egyptus.
incited a rebellion
ἀναστατώσας (anastatōsas)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 387: From a derivative of anistemi; properly, to drive out of home, i.e. to disturb.
some time ago
ἐξαγαγὼν (exagagōn)
Strong's 1806: To lead out, sometimes to death, execution. From ek and ago; to lead forth.
four thousand
τετρακισχιλίους (tetrakischilious)
Strong's 5070: Four thousand. From the multiplicative adverb of tessares and chilioi; four times a thousand.
ἄνδρας (andras)
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
'Assassins'
Σικαρίων (Sikariōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 4607: An assassin, murderer, bandit; one of the Sicarii. Of Latin origin; a dagger-man or assassin; a freebooter.
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
wilderness?"
ἔρημον (erēmon)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2048: Lonesome, i.e. waste.
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NT Apostles: Acts 21:38 Aren't you then the Egyptian who before (Acts of the Apostles Ac)