Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 22:24

"the chief captain commanded him be brought into the castle, bidding that he should be examined by scourging, that he might know for what cause they so shouted against him." — Acts 22:24 (ASV)

The castle. The tower of Antonia. There, he would be entirely removed from the wrath of the Jews.

Should be examined. anetazesyai. The word examine, in common usage, means to inquire, to question, to search for, or to look carefully into a subject. The word used here is commonly applied to metals, whose nature is tested or examined by fire; it then means to subject to torture or torments to extort a confession when persons were accused of a crime.

This practice was often resorted to by the ancients. The usual mode has been by the rack, but various kinds of torments have been invented to extort confessions of guilt from those who were accused. The whole practice has been one of the most flagrant violations of justice and one of the foulest blots on human nature.

In this case, the tribune saw that Paul was violently accused by the Jews. He was ignorant of the Hebrew language and had probably not understood Paul's address. He supposed from the extraordinary excitement that Paul must have been guilty of some flagrant offense, and he therefore resolved to subject him to torture to extort a confession from him.

By scourging. That is, by the scourge or whip. . This was one mode of torture used to extort a secret from those who were accused.