And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
Paul seized in the very temple where he ought to have been safe, where his blood nearly mingles with the sacrifices themselves. The informers were Jews of Asia, men who lived abroad in pursuit of gain, yet now they appear zealous for a sanctuary they habitually neglected, profaning with their own hands the place they pretend to guard.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 21:27-40
Paul stood on the stairs, beyond the mob's reach, and raised his hand to demand silence, chains did not prevent that gesture. The captain's authority and the people's own curiosity produced the quiet he needed. He chose the Syro-Chaldean dialect, the common speech of those Jews since the captivity, not the pure Hebrew of earlier days.
AI summary
Paul waved his hand to signal silence and attention, then addressed them in Syro-Chaldaic, the mixed language the Jews actually spoke, not Greek. Speaking their own tongue was far more likely to win a hearing and soften a hostile crowd than a foreign speech would have done.
AI summary