Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 22:25

"And when they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?" — Acts 22:25 (ASV)

And as they bound him with thongs.—The words have sometimes been translated as, “they stretched him forward for the straps”—that is, they put him into the position required for the use of the scourge. Grammatically, the words allow for this meaning. The Authorized Version, however, is believed to be correct.

The Greek word for “thong” is always used in the New Testament in connection with the idea of tying (Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16; John 1:27). It appears here to be expressly distinguished from the “scourges” mentioned in Acts 22:24, and in Acts 22:29, we find that St. Paul had actually been bound.

He was, that is, according to Roman custom, stripped to the waist and tied with leather thongs to the column or whipping-post used within the fortress for this type of torture, just as our Lord had been. In both instances, it will be noted, the order for the punishment came from a Roman officer.

Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman . . .?—Emphasis is placed on both points. It was unlawful to scourge a Roman citizen under any circumstances; it was an even greater offense to torture him in this way—as slaves were tortured—merely as a means of inquiry. Regarding the whole question of the rights of Roman citizens, and St. Paul’s claim to those rights, see the note on Acts 16:37.