SEV Biblia, Chapter 21:39
Entonces Pablo le dijo: Yo de cierto soy hombre judío, ciudadano de Tarso, ciudad conocida de Cilicia; pero te ruego que me permitas que hable al pueblo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 21:39
Verse 39. I am a man which am a Jew] A periphrasis for, I am a Jew. See the note on chap. vii. 2. Of Tarsus-no mean city] In the notes on chap. ix. 11, I have shown that Tarsus was a city of considerable importance, and in some measure a rival to Rome and Athens; and that, because of the services tendered to the Romans by the inhabitants, Julius Caesar endowed them with all the rights and privileges of Roman citizens. When St. Paul calls it no mean city, he speaks a language that was common to those who have had occasion to speak of Tarsus. XENOPHON, Cyri Anabas. i., calls it, polin megalhn kai eudaimona, a great and flourishing city. JOSEPHUS, Ant. lib. i. cap. 6, sec. 6, says that it was par autoiv twn polewn h axiologwtath mhtropoliv ousa, the metropolis and most renowned city among them (the Cilicians.) And AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS, xiv. 8, says, Ciliciam Tarsus nobilitat, urbs perspicabilis: "Tarsus, a very respectable city; adorns Cilicia."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 39. But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus , etc.] And not that Egyptian; he was not of that country, much less that man; but a Jew, both by birth and religion; he was born of Jewish parents, and brought up in the Jewish religion; though his native place was Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, where it is placed by Pliny f1117 , Ptolomy f1118 , and Mela f1119 ; and is by some thought to be the same with the Tarshish of the Old Testament: a citizen of no mean city ; Pliny calls it a free city, and Solinus says it is the mother, or chief of cities, and Curtius speaks of it as a very opulent one; which when Alexander drew near to with his army, the inhabitants of it set fire to, that he might not possess their riches; which he understanding, sent Parmenio to prevent it: through this city, as the same historian, in agreement with Pliny and others, observes, ran the river Cydnus; and it being summer time when Alexander was here, and very hot weather, and being covered with dust and sweat, he put off his clothes, and cast himself into the river to wash himself; but as soon as he was in, he was seized with such a numbness of his nerves, that had he not been immediately taken out by his soldiers, and for the extraordinary care of his physician, he had at once expired. Josephus calls this city the most famous of the cities in Gallicia; and derives it, and the whole country, from Tarshish, the grandson of Japheth, ( Genesis 10:4) his words are, Tharsus gave name to the Tharsians, for so Cilicia was formerly called, of which this is an evidence; for the most famous of the cities with them, and which is the metropolis, is called Tarsus; Theta being changed into Tau for appellation sake.
Though some say it was built by Perseus, the son of Jupiter and Danae, and called Tharsus, of the hyacinth stone, which is said to be found about it: others think it was so called, para to tersanyhnai , because the places of this country were first dried up after the flood: it was not only a city of stately buildings, as it was repaired by Sardanapalus, and increased after the times of Alexander; but there was a famous academy in it, which, for men of learning, exceeded Athens and Alexandria f1124 ; though these exceeded that in number of philosophers: here it is thought lived Aratus the poet, from whom the apostle cites a passage, in ( Acts 17:28) and of this place was the famous Chrysippus, who is called tarseuv , a Tarsian f1125 , as the apostle is here. Hermogenes, a very celebrated rhetorician, some of whose works are still extant, came from hence f1126 . Jerom reports it as a tradition, that the parents of the Apostle Paul were of Giscalis, a town in Judea; which with the whole province being destroyed by the Romans, they removed to Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, whither Paul when a young man followed them; but certain it is, that the apostle was born there, as he himself says, in ( Acts 22:3). Ignatius, in the second century, writing to the church at Tarsus, calls them citizens and disciples of Paul; citizens, because he was of this city; and disciples, because of the same faith with him; and very likely the first materials of the church in this place were converts of his; since it is evident that he went hither after he was a preacher; (see Acts 9:30, 11:25). And I beseech thee suffer me to speak unto the people ; first he desired to speak with the captain, and that was in order to obtain leave to speak to the people; and which he asks in a very handsome and submissive manner, and hopes to have his request granted him, since he was not the person he took him for, but was a Jew by birth, and a citizen of a very considerable Roman city; and was not a mean, sordid, vagabond creature, nor need he fear that he would sow any discord and sedition among the people.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 27-40 - In the temple, where Paul should have been protected as in a place of safety, he was violently set upon. They falsely charged him with il doctrine and ill practice against the Mosaic ceremonies. It is no ne thing for those who mean honestly and act regularly, to have thing laid to their charge which they know not and never thought of. It is common for the wise and good to have that charged against them by malicious people, with which they thought to have obliged them. God often makes those a protection to his people, who have no affection to them, but only have compassion for sufferers, and regard to the publi peace. And here see what false, mistaken notions of good people an good ministers, many run away with. But God seasonably interposes for the safety of his servants, from wicked and unreasonable men; and give them opportunities to speak for themselves, to plead for the Redeemer and to spread abroad his glorious gospel __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
ειπεν 2036 5627 V-2AAI-3S δε 1161 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM παυλος 3972 N-NSM εγω 1473 P-1NS ανθρωπος 444 N-NSM μεν 3303 PRT ειμι 1510 5748 V-PXI-1S ιουδαιος 2453 A-NSM ταρσευς 5018 N-NSM της 3588 T-GSF κιλικιας 2791 N-GSF ουκ 3756 PRT-N ασημου 767 A-GSF πολεως 4172 N-GSF πολιτης 4177 N-NSM δεομαι 1189 5736 V-PNI-1S δε 1161 CONJ σου 4675 P-2GS επιτρεψον 2010 5657 V-AAM-2S μοι 3427 P-1DS λαλησαι 2980 5658 V-AAN προς 4314 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM λαον 2992 N-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
39. Mean (ashmou). Lit., without a mark or token (shma). Hence used of uncoined gold or silver: of oracles which give no intelligible response: of inarticulate voices: of disease without distinctive symptoms. Generally, as here, undistinguished, mean. There is a conscious feeling of patriotism in Paul's expression.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
21:39 {I am} (egw men eimi). In contrast with the wild guess of Lysias Paul uses men and de. He tells briefly who he is: {a Jew} (ioudaios) by race, {of Tarsus in Cilicia} (tarseus tes kilikias) by country, belonging to Tarsus ( this adjective tarseus only here and #Ac 9:11), and proud of it, one of the great cities of the empire with a great university. {A citizen of no mean city} (ouk asemou polews polites). Litotes again, "no mean" (asemos, old adjective, unmarked, a privative and sema, mark, insignificant, here only in the N.T.). this same litotes used by Euripides of Athens (_Ion_ 8). But Paul calls himself a citizen (polites) of Tarsus. Note the "effective assonance" (Page) in polews polites. Paul now (de) makes his request (deomai) of Lysias. {Give me leave} (epitreyon moi). First aorist active imperative of epitrepw, old and common verb to turn to, to permit, to allow. It was a strange request and a daring one, to wish to speak to this mob howling for Paul's blood.
