Acts 21:39

Myles Coverdale Bible

Paull sayde: I am a man which am a Iewe off Tharsis, a citesyn of a famous cite in Celicia: I beseke the, suffre me to speake vnto the people.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Paul sayde, Doubtlesse, I am a man which am a Iewe, and citizen of Tarsus, a famous citie of Cilicia, and I beseech thee, suffer mee to speake vnto the people.

Christian Standard Bible®
Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Now I ask you, let me speak to the people.”

Hebrew Names Version
But Sha'ul said, "I am a Yehudi, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

Darby Translation
But Paul said, *I* am a Jew of Tarsus, citizen of no insignificant city of Cilicia, and I beseech of thee, allow me to speak to the people.

Easy-to-Read Version
Paul said, "No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people."

Amplified Bible
Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia (Mersin Province, Turkey), a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

American Standard Version
But Paul said, I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I beseech thee, give me leave to speak unto the people.

Berean Standard Bible
But 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."

Contemporary English Version
"No!" Paul replied. "I am a Jew from Tarsus, an important city in Cilicia. Please let me speak to the crowd."

Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; and I ask your permission to let me speak to the people."

International Standard Version
Paul replied, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you to let me speak to the people."Acts 9:11; 22:3;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Paulos said to him, I am a man a Jihudoya from Tarsos of Cilicia, an illustrious city in which I was born: I pray you permit me to speak to the people.

Murdock Translation
Paul said to him: I am a Jew, a man of Tarsus, a noted city in Cilicia, in which I was born: I pray thee, suffer me to speak to the people.

King James Version (1611)
But Paul said, I am a man which am a Iew of Tarsus, a citie in Cilicia, a citizen of no meane citie: & I beseech thee suffer me to speake vnto the people.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Paul saide: I am a man which am a Iewe, of Tarsus, a citie in Cilicia, a citezin of no vyle citie, and I beseche the suffer me to speake vnto the people.

English Revised Version
But Paul said, I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I beseech thee, give me leave to speak unto the people.

King James Version
But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.

Lexham English Bible
But Paul said, "I am a Jewish man from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no unimportant city. Now I ask you, allow me to speak to the people."

Literal Translation
But Paul said, Indeed I am a man, a Jew of Tarsus, of Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city. And I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.

New Century Version
Paul said, "No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people."

New English Translation
Paul answered, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Please allow me to speak to the people."

New King James Version
But Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people."

New Living Translation
"No," Paul replied, "I am a Jew and a citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia, which is an important city. Please, let me talk to these people."

New Revised Standard
Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; I beg you, let me speak to the people."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Paul said - I, indeed, am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, - a citizen, of no obscure city; but I beseech thee, give me leave to speak unto the people!

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Paul said to him: I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city. And I beseech thee, suffer me to speak to the people.

George Lamsa Translation
But Paul said, I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cili''cia, a citizen of a well-known city: I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.

Good News Translation
Paul answered, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Please let me speak to the people."

Webster's Bible Translation
But Paul said, I am a man [who am] a Jew of Tarsus, [a city] of Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I beseech thee suffer me to speak to the people.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But Paul said, I am a man who am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak to the people.

Weymouth's New Testament
"I am a Jew," replied Paul, "belonging to Tarsus in Cilicia, and am a citizen of no unimportant city. Give me leave, I pray you, to speak to the people."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Poul seide to hym, For Y am a Jew, of Tharse of Cilicie, a citeseyn, which citee is not vnknowun. And Y preye thee, suffre me to speke to the puple.

Young's Literal Translation
And Paul said, `I, indeed, am a man, a Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, of no mean city a citizen; and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.'

World English Bible
But Paul said, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

Revised Standard Version
Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cili'cia, a citizen of no mean city; I beg you, let me speak to the people."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But Paul sayde: I am a ma which am a Iewe of Tharsus a cite in Cicill a Citesyn of no vyle cite I beseche ye soffre me to speake vnto ye people.

Update Bible Version
But Paul said, I am a Jewish man, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I urge you, give me leave to speak to the people.

Bible in Basic English
But Paul said, I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, which is not an unimportant town: I make a request to you to let me say a word to the people.

New American Standard Bible
But Paul said, "I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

Mace New Testament (1729)
Paul replied, I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of that famous city: and I beg you would give me leave to speak to the people: which being granted,

THE MESSAGE
Paul said, "No, I'm a Jew, born in Tarsus. And I'm a citizen still of that influential city. I have a simple request: Let me speak to the crowd."

New Life Bible
Paul said, "No! I am a Jew and a citizen of a large city. I am from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I ask you to let me speak to the people."

Simplified Cowboy Version
"No, sir," said Paul. "I'm a Jew from the important city of Tarsus in Cilicia. Please give me just a moment to talk to all these folks."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Paul said, "I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

Legacy Standard Bible
But Paul said, "I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

Contextual Overview

²⁷ But whan the seuen dayes were allmost fulfylled, the Iewes of Asia sawe him in the temple, and moued all the people, layed handes vpon him, ²⁸ and cryed: Ye men of Israel, helpe, this is the man, that teacheth all men euery where agaynst oure people, the lawe, and this place. He hath broughte Grekes also in to the temple, and hath defyled this holy place. ²⁹ For they had sene Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the cite, him they thoughte yt Paul had broughte in to the temple. ³⁰ And all the cite was moued, and the people ranne together. And they toke Paul, and drue him out off the temple, and forth with the dores were shut to. ³¹ But whan they wete aboute to kyll him, tydinges came to the chefe captayne of the company, that all Ierusalem was moued. ³² Which immediatly toke soudyers and captaynes vnto him, and ranne in amoge them. Whan they sawe the captayne and the soudyers, they lefte smytinge of Paul. ³³ Whan the captayne came nye, he toke him, and commaunded him to be bounde with two cheynes, and axed what he was, and what he had done. ³⁴ One cried this, another that amonge the people. But whan he coulde not knowe the certente because of the rumoure, he commaunded him to be caried in to the castell. ³⁵ And wha he came to the steppes, it fortuned that he was borne of ye soudyers because of the violence of the people. ³⁶ For the multitude off the people folowed after, and cryed: Awaye with him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I am: Acts 9:11, Acts 9:30, Acts 22:3, Acts 23:34

Cilicia: Acts 6:9, Acts 15:23, Acts 15:41

a citizen: Acts 16:37, Acts 22:25-29, Acts 23:27

suffer: Acts 21:37, 1 Peter 3:15, 1 Peter 4:15, 1 Peter 4:16

Reciprocal: Acts 11:25 - to Tarsus Acts 18:14 - when Acts 19:30 - Paul Acts 27:5 - Cilicia Galatians 1:21 - Cilicia

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus,.... 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 n, Ptolomy o, and Mela p; and is by some thought to be the same with the Tarshish of the Old Testament:

a citizen of no mean city; Pliny q calls it a free city, and Solinus r says it is the mother, or chief of cities, and Curtius s 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 t 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, παρα το τερσανθηναι, 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 u; 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 ταρσευς, "a Tarsian" w, as the apostle is here. Hermogenes, a very celebrated rhetorician, some of whose works are still extant, came from hence x. Jerom y 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 z 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.

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.

n Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 27. o Geograph. l. 5. c. 8. p De orbis situ, l. 1. c. 13. q Ib. ut supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 27.) r Polyhist. c. 51. s Hist. l. 3. c. 4. t Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6. sect. 1. u Strabo, Geograph. l. 14. w Laert. Vit. Philosoph. l. 7. x Vid. Fabricii Bibl. Graec. l. 4. c. 31. sect. 4. 5. y Catalog. Script. Eccles. sect. 15. fol. 90. G. & Comment. in Philemon. ver. 23. Tom. 9. fol. 116. L. z Ep. ad Tarsenses, p. 75.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A Jew of Tarsus - A Jew by birth.

Of no mean city - Not obscure, or undistinguished. He could claim an honorable birth, so far as the place of his nativity was concerned. See the notes on Acts 9:11. Tarsus was much celebrated for its learning, and was at one time the rival of Alexandria and Athens. Xenophon calls it a great and flourishing city. Josephus (Antiq., book 2, chapter 6, section 6) says that it was the metropolis, and most renowned city among them (the Cilicians).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 21:39. I am a man which am a Jew — A periphrasis for, I am a Jew. Acts 7:2.

Of Tarsus - no mean city — In Clarke's notes on "Acts 9:11", 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, πολιν μεγαλην και ευδαιμονα, a great and flourishing city. JOSEPHUS, Ant. lib. i. cap. 6, sec. 6, says that it was παρ' αυτοις των πολεων ἡ αξιολογωτατη μητροπολις ουσα, 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."