SEV Biblia, Chapter 16:37
Entonces Pablo les dijo: Azotados pblicamente sin ser condenados, siendo hombres romanos, nos echaron en la crcel; y ¿ahora nos echan encubiertamente? No, de cierto, sino vengan ellos y squennos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 16:37
Verse 37. They have beaten us openly-being Romans] St. Paul well knew the Roman laws; and on their violation by the magistrates he pleads. The Valerian law forbade any Roman citizen to be bound. The Porcian law forbade any to be beaten with rods. "Poreia lex virgas ab omnium civium Romanorum corpore amovit." And by the same law the liberty of a Roman citizen was never put in the power of the lictor. "Porcia lex libertatem civium lictori eripuit." See CICERO, Orat. pro Rabirio. Hence, as the same author observes, In Verrem, Orat. 5: "Facinus est vinciri civem Romanum, scelus verberari." It is a transgression of the law to bind a Roman citizen: it is wickedness to scourge him. And the illegality of the proceedings of these magistrates was farther evident in their condemning and punishing them unheard. This was a gross violation of a common maxim in the Roman law.
Causa cognita, possunt multi absolvi; incognita, nemo condemnari potest.
Cicero. "Many who are accused of evil may be absolved, when the cause is heard; but unheard, no man can be condemned." Every principle of the law of nature and the law of nations was violated in the treatment these holy men met with from the unprincipled magistrates of this city.
Let them come themselves and fetch us out.] The apostles were determined that the magistrates should be humbled for their illegal proceedings; and that the people at large might see that they had been unjustly condemned, and that the majesty of the Roman people was insulted by the treatment they had received.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 37. But Paul said unto them , etc.] The sergeants, who were present when the jailer reported to Paul the message they came with from the magistrates; though the Syriac version reads in the singular number, Paul said to him, to the jailer: they have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison ; what the magistrates ordered to be done to them, is reckoned all one as if they had done it themselves; and which was done openly, before all the people, in the most public manner; to their great reproach, being put to open shame, as if they had been the most notorious malefactors living; when they were uncondemned, had done nothing worthy of condemnation, being innocent and without fault, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render the word; nor was their cause heard, or they suffered to make any defence for themselves; and what was an aggravation of all this, that this was done in a Roman colony, and by Roman magistrates; and to persons that were Romans, at least one of them, Paul, who was of the city of Tarsus: for, according to the Porcian and Sempronian laws, a Roman citizen might neither be bound nor beaten f830 ; but these magistrates, not content to beat Paul and Silas, without knowing the truth of their case, had cast them into prison as malefactors, and for further punishment: and now do they thrust us out privily? nay, verily ; or so it shall not be: this shows, that the apostle was acquainted with the Roman laws, as well as with the rites and customs of the Jews; and acted the wise and prudent, as well as the honest and harmless part; and this he did, not so much for the honour of the Roman name, as for the honour of the Christian name; for he considered, that should he and his companion go out of the prison in such a private manner, it might be taken for granted, that they had been guilty of some notorious offence, and had justly suffered the punishment of the law for it, which would have been a reproach to Christianity, and a scandal to the Gospel: wherefore the apostle refuses to go out in this manner, adding, but let them come themselves, and fetch us out ; that by so doing, they might own the illegality of their proceedings, and declare the innocence of the apostles.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 35-40 - Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without an desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. It was not a mere point of honou that the apostle stood upon, but justice, and not to himself so much a to his cause. And when proper apology is made, Christians should neve express personal anger, nor insist too strictly upon personal amends The Lord will make them more than conquerors in every conflict; instea of being cast down by their sufferings, they will become comforters of their brethren __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
ο 3588 T-NSM δε 1161 CONJ παυλος 3972 N-NSM εφη 5346 5713 V-IXI-3S προς 4314 PREP αυτους 846 P-APM δειραντες 1194 5660 V-AAP-NPM ημας 2248 P-1AP δημοσια 1219 A-DSF 1219 ADV ακατακριτους 178 A-APM ανθρωπους 444 N-APM ρωμαιους 4514 A-APM υπαρχοντας 5225 5723 V-PAP-APM εβαλον 906 5627 V-2AAI-3P εις 1519 PREP φυλακην 5438 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ νυν 3568 ADV λαθρα 2977 ADV ημας 2248 P-1AP εκβαλλουσιν 1544 5719 V-PAI-3P ου 3756 PRT-N γαρ 1063 CONJ αλλα 235 CONJ ελθοντες 2064 5631 V-2AAP-NPM αυτοι 846 P-NPM ημας 2248 P-1AP εξαγαγετωσαν 1806 5628 V-2AAM-3P
Vincent's NT Word Studies
37. They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans. Hackett remarks that "almost every word in this reply contains a distinct allegation. It would be difficult to find or frame a sentence superior to it in point of energetic brevity." Cicero in his oration against Verres relates that there was a Roman citizen scourged at Messina; and that in the midst of the noise of the rods, nothing was heard from him but the words, "I am a Roman citizen." He says: "It is a dreadful deed to bind a Roman citizen; it is a crime to scourge him; it is almost parricide to put him to death."
Robertson's NT Word Studies
16:37 {Unto them} (pros autous). The lictors by the jailor. The reply of Paul is a marvel of brevity and energy, almost every word has a separate indictment showing the utter illegality of the whole proceeding. {They have beaten us} (deirantes hemas). First aorist active participle of derw, old verb to flay, to skin, to smite. The _Lex Valeria_ B.C. 509 and the _Lex Poscia_ B.C. 248 made it a crime to inflict blows on a Roman citizen. Cicero says, "To fetter a Roman citizen was a crime, to scourge him a scandal, to slay him--parricide." Claudius had "deprived the city of Rhodes of its freedom for having crucified some citizen of Rome" (Rackham). {Publicly} (demosiai). this added insult to injury. Common adverb (hodwi) supplied with adjective, associative instrumental case, opposed to idiai or kat' oikous, #Ac 20:20) {Uncondemned} (akatakritous). this same verbal adjective from kata-krinw with a privative is used by Paul in #22:25 and nowhere else in the N.T. Rare in late Greek like akatagnwstos, but in late _Koin_ (papyri, inscriptions). The meaning is clearly "without being tried." Paul and Silas were not given a chance to make a defence. They were sentenced unheard (#25:16). Even slaves in Roman law had a right to be heard. {Men that are Romans} (anqrwpous romaious huparcontas). The praetors did not know, of course, that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens any more than Lysias knew it in #Ac 22:27. Paul's claim is not challenged in either instance. It was a capital offence to make a false claim to Roman citizenship. {Have cast us into prison} (ebalan eis fulaken). Second aorist active indicative of ballw, old verb, with first aorist ending as often in the _Koin_ (-an, not -on). this was the climax, treating them as criminals. {And now privily} (kai nun laqrai). Paul balances their recent conduct with the former. {Nay verily, but} (ou gar, alla). No indeed! It is the use of gar so common in answers (ge+ara) as in #Mt 27:23. alla gives the sharp alternative. {Themselves} (autoi). As a public acknowledgment that they had wronged and mistreated Paul and Silas. Let them come themselves and lead us out (exagagetwsan, third person plural second aorist active imperative of exagw). It was a bitter pill to the proud praetors.
