And as they cried out and threw off their garments and cast dust into the air,
κραζοντων κραυγαζοντων δε αυτων και ριπτουντων τα ιματια και κονιορτον βαλλοντων εις τον αερα
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
"They threw off their garments," he says, "and tossed dust into the air." They did this to create greater confusion, or to frighten the commander. And see: they do not point to his guilt, because they could say nothing. Instead they think to have an effect by shouting, though the accusers ought to have been questioned.
Then the tribune commanded that the apostle be brought into the fortress. In order to learn precisely of what he was guilty, he wished to subject him to torture.
Paul had already been stretched out with straps for this purpose. But he appealed to the protection of his rank as a Roman citizen, which he possessed by birth. This saved him from undeserved blows.
When the tribune learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, he was afraid even because he had bound him (v. 29). Nevertheless, wishing to know reliably what the Jews accused him of, he did not release him.
On the next day he freed him from the bonds and ordered the chief priests and the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul out of the fortress and set him before them (v. 30).
The eastern mob, maddened by powerless rage, howled, roared, cursed, gnashed their teeth, waved their arms, tore their garments, and threw handfuls of dust into the air. They accompanied all this with the wildest bodily motions of which unrestrained fanaticism is capable.
They threw off their garments and tossed dust into the air. This was a savage expression of savage fanaticism and rage against Paul, stirred up to the highest pitch. They threw off their garments as if preparing to stone the hated man; compare the note on Acts 7:58. They tossed dust as if hurling stones at him.
The outburst of indignation by the Jews against the Apostle Paul is understandable. They now fully understood who and what he was in relation to their beliefs and expectations.
They treated the highest bearer of Paul’s hopes in the same way, the very Author of faith, Christ Himself, and delivered Him to death.
More surprising is the attitude toward him of the military commander, who until now had seemed to protect him. Clearly he was heartless in a Roman fashion. Therefore he ordered Paul to be beaten without having learned his guilt.
Apparently this was a means of discovering guilt, yet not a legal one. It was arbitrary and exceedingly crude. The savagery of the Jews’ attitude toward Paul probably affected him also.
Their indignation was truly bestial. Demanding Paul’s death, in their frenzy they threw their garments upward. They tore up the earth and threw it into the air, as some animals do in anger.
According to Saint John Chrysostom, “the commander delivered the apostle to scourging to please the crowd. He was not concerned to calm their utterly unjust anger. Pilate acted in a similar way when he delivered Jesus Christ to be scourged (see Jn 19:1).”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 13 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS