Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?” He replied, “Can you speak Greek?” Acts 21:37

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The NKJV is more of a paraphrase. Although clunky, the Greek reads, “And being about to be brought into the barracks, Paul says to the commander, ‘If lawful to me to say something to you?’ And he said, ‘Do you know Greek?’”

In the previous verses, Paul was picked up by the Romans and started to be carried up the stairs while the crowd hemmed him in shouting, “Away with him.” Now, that continues with, “And being about to be brought into the barracks.”

This is still on the stairs, as will be seen in verse 40. He is probably at a much more elevated point by now and thus safely out of the grasp of the people. And yet, he was still not confined indoors.

Therefore, this was the most opportune time to speak to the crowd. As such, it next reads, “Paul says to the commander, ‘If lawful to me to say something to you?’”

If you think about it, the question is a bit ironic. “Can I ask you something?” “I think you just did!” Despite this, Paul’s question is the first time there has been any communication between the two. The commander never bothered to ask Paul what was going on. It shows the abrupt and rigorous military nature of how the Romans dealt with such things. As for the response to the question, we next read, “And he said, ‘Do you know Greek?’”

The irony continues. If Paul spoke in Greek under such dire circumstances, it meant that this was his normal language. By speaking in Greek, the commander’s question makes their exchange almost comedic.

The substance of what has happened in these words is that Paul’s question was to ask for permission to formally address the commander. Despite the irony, it was right of him to ask if he could do so. The commander’s response was simply a surprised rhetorical question because he expected Paul to only speak Aramaic, or maybe Hebrew at best. Only more learned people or a Hellenistic Jew would immediately break out in fluent Greek. A commoner would go to his default language to speak.

With these questions now asked, Paul will have an opportunity to explain his situation and ask for freedom to address his accusers. These things will be seen in the next few verses.

Life application: In 1 Corinthians 14:18, Paul says, “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all.” The meaning of these words is not that Paul was constantly flooded with supernatural gifts of speaking in many tongues. Rather, it meant that he was able to speak in numerous languages.

He certainly knew and spoke Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew. He would have spoken the dialect of his native home of Tarsus, it probably being its own unique tongue. Being a Roman citizen, it is likely he spoke Latin. In his travels, he would have certainly picked up numerous other variations of the languages he already knew.

Paul was grateful for this because it allowed him to communicate the gospel effectively to others in their native tongues. He knew that it was pointless to speak in other languages when nobody in the room could do so. Understanding this, the words concerning tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 make sense. He is not referring to unknown languages at all. The word translated as tongues simply means a known language or a nation distinguished by its speech.

The unfortunate continued rendering of the word as “tongues” in modern Bibles leaves the reader thinking there is more to what is being conveyed than there actually is. Don’t get duped into the nutty teachings of denominations that say you have to “speak in tongues” in order to prove you are Spirit-filled. If you can speak a language, you are speaking in a tongue. If you only know one language, that is fine. If you have accepted the gospel, you are a Spirit-sealed believer. Deal done.

Heavenly Father, the most sensational message of all is that Jesus came to take away our sin through His perfect life, followed by His death upon the cross to atone for our wrongdoing. By faith in that, we are saved. We don’t need to add anything to that to prove our salvation. Thank You for the eternal security we possess because of what Jesus has done. Thank You for the simplicity of salvation, O God. Amen.