The governor read the letter and asked what province Paul was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia,
Parallel translations
- WEB When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said,
- KJV And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;
- NKJV And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia,
- NASB Now when he had read it, he also asked from what province Paul was, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia,
- NLT He read it and then asked Paul what province he was from. “Cilicia,” Paul answered.
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
Felix reads the letter and asks Paul's home province, learning he is from Cilicia. He is establishing jurisdiction over the case.
Overview
A Roman governor would confirm where a prisoner came from to determine whether he had authority to try him. Cilicia (Paul's native region, with Tarsus as its capital) fell under Roman administration linked to Syria, so Felix could proceed. The procedural care reflects the rule of law that, under God's hand, repeatedly shields Paul and gives him a platform to testify.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Acts 21:39But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to allow me to speak to the people.”
- Acts 25:1Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,
- Dan 6:1Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
- Dan 2:49And at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.
- Luke 23:6When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
- Acts 6:9But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They began to argue with Stephen,
- Esth 8:9At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127 provinces from India to Cush—writing to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
- Acts 15:41And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
- Esth 1:1This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
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 23:34 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.