Acts 22:28

King James Version

And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
"I am, too," the commander said. "My citizenship cost me everything I had. How much did it cost you?"Paul said, "Nothing. I was born a Roman citizen."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The commander answered, "I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money." And Paul said, "But I was actually born a citizen."

Legacy Standard Bible
And the commander answered, "I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money." And Paul said, "But I have been born a citizen."

Bible in Basic English
And the chief captain said, I got Roman rights for myself at a great price. And Paul said, But I had them by birth.

Darby Translation
And the chiliarch answered, *I*, for a great sum, bought this citizenship. And Paul said, But *I* was also [free] born.

New King James Version
The commander answered, "With a large sum I obtained this citizenship." And Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

Christian Standard Bible®
The commander replied, "I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money." "But I was born a citizen," Paul said.

World English Bible
The commanding officer answered, "I bought my citizenship for a great price." Paul said, "But I was born a Roman."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He said, Yea. And the tribune answered, I purchased this freedom with a great sum of money.

Weymouth's New Testament
"I paid a large sum for my citizenship," said the Tribune. "But I was born free," said Paul.

King James Version (1611)
And the chiefe captaine answered, With a great summe obteined I this freedome. And Paul said, But I was free borne.

Literal Translation
And the chiliarch answered, I bought this citizenship with a great sum. And Paul said, But I even was born free .

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the vpper captayne answered: With a greate summe optayned I this fredome.But Paul sayde: As for me, I am a Romayne borne.

Mace New Testament (1729)
he answer'd, yes. the officer rejoin'd, my freedom cost me a considerable sum. but I had it, said Paul, by right of birth.

THE MESSAGE
The captain was impressed. "I paid a huge sum for my citizenship. How much did it cost you?" "Nothing," said Paul. "It cost me nothing. I was free from the day of my birth."

Amplified Bible
The commander replied, "I purchased this citizenship [of mine] for a large sum of money [so how did you acquire yours?]." Paul said, "But I was actually born a citizen."

American Standard Version
And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this citizenship. And Paul said, But I am a Roman born.

Revised Standard Version
The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And the captayne answered: with a greate some obtayned I this fredome. And Paul sayde: I was fre borne.

Update Bible Version
And the colonel answered, With a great sum I obtained this citizenship. And Paul said, But I am [a Roman] born.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the chief captain answered, With a great sum I obtained this freedom. And Paul said, But I was [free] born.

Young's Literal Translation
and the chief captain answered, `I, with a great sum, did obtain this citizenship;' but Paul said, `But I have been even born [so].'

New Century Version
The commander said, "I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen." But Paul said, "I was born a citizen."

New English Translation
The commanding officer answered, "I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money." "But I was even born a citizen," Paul replied.

Berean Standard Bible
"I paid a high price for my citizenship," said the commander. "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied.

Contemporary English Version
The commander then said, "I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen." But Paul replied, "I was born a Roman citizen."

Complete Jewish Bible
The commander replied, "I bought this citizenship for a sizeable sum of money." "But I was born to it," Sha'ul said.

English Standard Version
The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I am a citizen by birth."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the chiefe captaine answered, With a great summe obtained I this freedome. Then Paul sayd, But I was so borne.

George Lamsa Translation
And the captain answered and said, I obtained Roman citizenship with a great sum of money. Paul answered, But I was free born to it.

Hebrew Names Version
The commanding officer answered, "I bought my citizenship for a great price." Sha'ul said, "But I was born a Roman."

International Standard Version
Then the tribune replied, "I paid a lot of money for this citizenship of mine." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

Etheridge Translation
The tribune answered, and said to him, I with much money purchased the Roman-right. [fn] Paulos said to him, But I was born in it.

Murdock Translation
The Chiliarch replied and said to him: With much money I acquired Roman citizenship. Paul said to him: And I was born in it.

New Living Translation
"I am, too," the commander muttered, "and it cost me plenty!" Paul answered, "But I am a citizen by birth!"

New Life Bible
The captain said, "I had to pay a lot of money to be a citizen." Paul said, "But I was born a Roman."

English Revised Version
And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this citizenship. And Paul said, But I am a Roman born.

New Revised Standard
The tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the captain answered - I, for a large sum, this citizenship acquired! And, Paul, said - But, I, am even, free- born!

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the tribune answered: I obtained the being free of this city with a great sum. And Paul said: But I was born so.

Lexham English Bible
And the military tribune replied, "I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money." And Paul said, "But I indeed was born a citizen.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the chiefe captaine aunswered: With a great summe obteyned I this freedome. And Paul saide: I was free borne.

Easy-to-Read Version
The commander said, "I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen." But Paul said, "I was born a citizen."

New American Standard Bible
The commander answered, "I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money." And Paul said, "But I was actually born a citizen."

Good News Translation
The commander said, "I became one by paying a large amount of money." "But I am one by birth," Paul answered.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide, Yhe. And the tribune answeride, Y with myche summe gat this fredom. And Poul seide, And Y was borun a citeseyn of Rome.

Contextual Overview

²² And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. ²³ And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, ²⁴ The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. ²⁵ And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? ²⁶ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. ²⁷ Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. ²⁸ And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. ²⁹ Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. ³⁰ On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

But: It is extremely probable that the inhabitants of Tarsus, born in that city, had the same rights and privileges as Roman citizens, in consequence of a grant or charter from Julius Cesar, from whom it was called Juliopolis. But if this were not the case, St. Paul's father, or some of his ancestors, might have been rewarded with the freedom of the city of Rome, for his fidelity and bravery in some military service, as Josephus says several of the Jews were; or his father might have obtained it by purchase, as in the instance of the chief captain. Acts 22:28

Reciprocal: Acts 22:25 - Is it

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the chief captain answered, with a great sum obtained I this freedom,.... For, it seems, he was not a Roman born, but very likely a Grecian, or Syrian, by his name Lysias; and as all things were now venal at Rome, the freedom of the city was to be bought with money, though a large sum was insisted on for it: this the chief captain said, as wondering that so mean a person, and who he understood was a Jew by birth, should be able to procure such a privilege, which cost him so much money:

and Paul said, but I was free born; being born at Tarsus; which, as Pliny says l, was a free city, and which had its freedom given it by Mark Antony, and which was before the birth of Paul; and therefore his parents being of this city, and free, he was born so.

l Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 27.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

With a great sum obtained I this freedom - The freedom or privilege of Roman citizenship. From this it would seem that the privilege of being a Roman citizen might be purchased, unless perhaps he refers to the expenses which were necessarily attendant in passing through the proper forms of becoming a Roman citizen. The argument of the tribune in this case is this: “I obtained this privilege at a great price. Whence did you, Paul, thus poor and persecuted, obtain the means of becoming a Roman citizen?” Paul had informed him that he was a native of Tarsus Acts 21:39; and the chief captain supposed that that was not a free city, and that Paul could not have derived the privilege of citizenship from his birth.

But I was free born - I was born a Roman citizen, or I am such in virtue of my birth. Various opinions have been formed on the question in what way or for what reasons Paul was entitled to the privileges of a Roman citizen. Some have supposed that Tarsus was a Roman colony, and that he thus became a Roman citizen. But of this there does not appear to be sufficient proof. Pliny says (Acts 21:27) that it was a free city. Appian says that it was endowed with the privileges of a free city by Augustus Caesar after it had been greatly afflicted and oppressed by wars. Dio Chrysost. says to the people of Tarsus, “He (Augustus) has conferred on you everything which anyone could bestow on his friends and companions, a country (that is, a free country), laws, honor, authority over the river (Cydranus) and the neighboring sea.” Free cities were permitted in the Roman empire to use their own laws, customs, and magistrates, and they were free from being subject to Roman guards. They were required only to acknowledge the supremacy and authority of the Roman people, and to aid them in their wars. Such a city was Tarsus; and, having been born there, Paul was entitled to these privileges of a free man. Many critics have supposed that this privilege of Roman citizenship had been conferred on some of the ancestors of Paul in consequence of some distinguished military service. Such a conferring of the rights of citizenship was not unusual, and possibly might have occurred in this case. But there is no direct historical proof of it; and the former fact that he was born in a free city, will amply account for his affirmation that he was free born. Compare the notes on Acts 16:37.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 22:28. With a great sum obtained I this freedom — So it appears that the freedom, even of Rome, might be purchased, and that it was sold at a very high price.

But I was free born. — It has been generally believed that the inhabitants of Tarsus, born in that city, had the same rights and privileges as Roman citizens, in consequence of a charter or grant from Julius Caesar. Calmet disputes this, because Tarsus was a free not a colonial city; and he supposes that Paul's father might have been rewarded with the freedom of Rome for some military services, and that it was in consequence of this that Paul was born free. But that the city of Tarsus had such privileges appears extremely probable. In Acts 21:39, Paul says he was born at Tarsus in Cilicia, and in Acts 22:28, he says he was free born; and, at Acts 22:26, he calls himself a Roman; as he does also Acts 16:37. From whence it has been concluded, with every show of reason, that Tarsus, though no Roman colony, yet had this privilege granted to it, that its natives should be citizens of Rome. PLINY, in Hist. Nat. lib. v. 27, tells us that Tarsus was a free city. And APPIAN, De Bello Civil. lib. v. p. 1077, edit. Tollii, says that Antony, Ταρσεας ελευθερους ηφιει, και ατελεις φορων, made the people of Tarsus free, and discharged them from paying tribute. DIO CASSIUS, lib. xlvii. p. 508, edit. Reimar, farther tells us, Adeo Caesari priori, et ejus gratia etiam posteriori, favebant Tarsenses, ut urbem suam pro Tarso JULIOPOLIN vocaverint: "that, for the affection which the people of Tarsus bore to Julius Caesar, and afterwards to Augustus, the former caused their city to be called Juliopolis." The Greek text is as follows:- οὑτω προσφιλως τῳ Καισαρι προτερῳ, και δι' εκεινον τῳ δευτερῳ, οἱ Ταρσεις ειχον, ὡϚε και Ιουλιοπολιν σφας απ' αυτου μετονομασαι. To which I add, that PHILO, de Virt. vol. ii. p. 587, edit. Mang., makes Agrippa say to Caligula, φιλων ενιων πατριδας ὁλας της Ῥωμαΐκης ηξιωσας πολιτειας· You have made whole countries, to which your friends belong, to be citizens of Rome. Acts 21:39. These testimonies are of weight sufficient to show that Paul, by being born at Tarsus, might have been free born, and a Roman. See Bishop Pearce on Acts 16:37.