Acts 22:24

the chief captain, &c. Probably the chief captain knew nothing of what St Paul had been saying, and would be surprised at the outbreak of rage on the part of the people, and conclude from it that there was some serious charge laid against him which he might best ascertain by subjecting his prisoner to torture till he should confess.

wherefore they cried so against him The Rev. Ver.has "for what cause they so shouted against him," and the verb is rendered "gave a shout" (Acts 12:22), but there it is the voice of the applauding crowd that is spoken of. In this verse and Luke 23:21 (the only other passage in which the word is found in N. T.) "cry" seems to express better in English the utterance of an infuriated mob. It is true that a different verb is rendered by "cry" in Acts 22:23, but that proves that the Greeks had two verbs which they could use for the noise of a mob, while in English we appear not to be so rich. In the A. V. "shout" seems always used of triumph and exultation.