Paul’s reply to the commander (literally “but I am a man, a Jew”; see King James Version “I am a man which am a Jew”) is an unusual, but emphatic, way of saying merely I am a Jew (so most translations). Paul makes two emphases: (1) he is a Jew, and (2) he comes from a city outside of Palestine, which would help explain his relationship with the Greeks. Tarsus, the city of Paul’s birth, was an important city noted for its cultural, intellectual, and political significance. Luke literally says that this was a “not insignificant city” (see Phillips), which is translated “no mean city” by King James Version, Revised Standard Version, and New English Bible; what Luke means is that it was an important or a “well-known city” (Jerusalem Bible).

Let me speak to the people may be rendered as “grant me permission so that I may speak to the people.” It may, however, be necessary to use a term such as “mob” or “rioting people” so that it will be perfectly clear that Paul wishes to speak to those who have just tried to kill him.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .