On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
Parallel translations
- WEB But on the next day they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the barracks.
- BSB The next day they returned to the barracks and let the horsemen go on with him.
- NKJV The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks.
- NASB But on the next day they let the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to the barracks.
- NLT They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The mounted escort continues with Paul to Caesarea while the foot soldiers return to Jerusalem. It shows the careful Roman effort to protect Paul from the plot against his life.
Overview
Having moved Paul out of Jerusalem by night, the larger infantry escort is no longer needed once they are clear of danger, so they return to the barracks while the horsemen complete the journey. The detail underscores how seriously the tribune Lysias took the conspiracy against Paul. God providentially uses Roman law and military order to preserve his servant for the witness still ahead in Caesarea and Rome (Acts 23:11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Acts 23:10And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
- Acts 23:23And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 23:32 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.