SEV Biblia, Chapter 23:27
A este varn, tomado de los judíos, y que lo comenzaban a matar, libr yo sobreviniendo con una compaía de soldados, entendiendo que era romano.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 27. This man was taken by the Jews , etc.] Meaning Paul, who was presented by the centurions to the governor, and was in his presence when the letter was opened and read, and who was taken by the Jews in the temple, and from thence dragged out and beaten by them: and should have been killed of them ; and would have been killed, had it not been for the chief captain; he was very near being killed by them, he was nigh unto death: then came I with an army and rescued him ; he came with the Roman band, which he had the command of, perhaps a thousand soldiers; for such a number he should have under him by his title; with these he came upon the Jews on a sudden, as they were beating Paul, and took him out of their hands, and saved him: having understood that he was a Roman ; but this he did not know till afterwards, after he had bound him with two chains, and after he had ordered him to be bound with thongs, and examined by scourging; all which he covers and hides from the governor, and suggests that it was his great concern for the Roman name, and for a Roman citizen, which put him upon this enterprise.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 25-35 - God has instruments for every work. The natural abilities and mora virtues of the heathens often have been employed to protect his persecuted servants. Even the men of the world can discern between the conscientious conduct of upright believers, and the zeal of fals professors, though they disregard or understand not their doctrina principles. All hearts are in God's hand, and those are blessed who pu their trust in him, and commit their ways unto him __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
τον 3588 T-ASM ανδρα 435 N-ASM τουτον 5126 D-ASM συλληφθεντα 4815 5685 V-APP-ASM υπο 5259 PREP των 3588 T-GPM ιουδαιων 2453 A-GPM και 2532 CONJ μελλοντα 3195 5723 V-PAP-ASM αναιρεισθαι 337 5745 V-PPN υπ 5259 PREP αυτων 846 P-GPM επιστας 2186 5631 V-2AAP-NSM συν 4862 PREP τω 3588 T-DSN στρατευματι 4753 N-DSN εξειλομην 1807 5639 V-2AMI-1S αυτον 846 P-ASM μαθων 3129 5631 V-2AAP-NSM οτι 3754 CONJ ρωμαιος 4514 A-NSM εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
27. Rescued. Bengel says, "a lie." Lysias wishes to make the impression that Paul's citizenship was the cause of his rescuing him; whereas he did not know of this until afterward. He says nothing about the proposed scourging.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
23:27 {Was seized} (sullemfqenta). First aorist passive participle of sullambanw. {Rescued him having learned that he was a Roman} (exeilamen maqwn hoti romaios estin). Wendt, Zoeckler, and Furneaux try to defend this record of two facts by Lysias in the wrong order from being an actual lie as Bengel rightly says. Lysias did rescue Paul and he did learn that he was a Roman, but in this order. He did not first learn that he was a Roman and qen rescue him as his letter states. The use of the aorist participle (maqwn from manqanw) after the principal verb exeilamen (second aorist middle of exairew, to take out to oneself, to rescue) can be either simultaneous action or antecedent. There is in Greek no such idiom as the aorist participle of subsequent action (Robertson, _Grammar_, pp. 1112-14). Lysias simply reversed the order of the facts and omitted the order for scourging Paul to put himself in proper light with Felix his superior officer and actually poses as the protector of a fellow Roman citizen.
