Bible Dictionary
MURDERERS
The “murderers” in Acts 21:38 were assassins, members of violent bands who used daggers to kill political opponents. The Roman commander mistakenly thought Paul was their leader.
Definition
The murderers in Acts 21:38 were assassins, members of violent bands who used daggers to kill political opponents. The Greek term is related to the Latin word for a small sword or dagger.
Biblical Usage
The Roman commander mistakenly supposed that Paul was the Egyptian leader of these assassins. The Revised Version renders the King James Version “murderers” as “assassins.”
Historical Background
Bands of hired assassins had existed among political agitators in Rome, and Judea later became infested with the same type of violent offender. The Roman commandant therefore used a familiar term for them.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>mur'-der-erz (Ac 21:38 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "assassins"): Represents a word only once mentioned in the New Testament, the Greek word sikarios, Latin sicarius from sica, "a small sword," or "dagger." The word describes the hired assassin, of whom there were bands in the pay of agitators in Rome in the last days of the Republic, who employed them to remove surreptitiously their political opponents. In the later days of the Jewish commonwealth, Judea became infested with the same type of ruffian, and it is natural that the Roman commandant at Jerusalem should describe them by the name so well known in the imperial city.</p><p>See ASSASSINS.</p><p>T. Nicol.</p>