426. anetazó

Lexical Summary

anetazó: To examine, to question, to investigate thoroughly.

Original Word: ἀνετάζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: anetazó
Pronunciation: an-et-ad'-zo
Phonetic Spelling: (an-et-ad'-zo)
KJV: (should have) examined(-d)
NASB: examine, examined
Word Origin: [from G303 (ἀνά - each) and etazo "to test"]

1. to investigate (judicially)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

examine, investigate

From ana and etazo (to test); to investigate (judicially) -- (should have) examined(-d).

see GREEK ana

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from ana and etazó (to examine)
Definition
to examine judicially
NASB Translation
examine (1), examined (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 426: ἀνετάζω

ἀνετάζω; present passive ἀνετάζομαι; (ἐτάζω to examine, test); to investigate, examine; τινα, to examine judicially: Acts 22:24, 29. (Judges 6:29 manuscript Alex.; Susanna (i. e. Daniel (Theod.) at the beginning) 14; (Anaph. Pilati A 6, p. 417, Tischendorf edition). Not found in secular authors.)

Topical Lexicon

Root concept and scope

The verb conveys an official, coercive examination aimed at extracting information or a confession, typically through beating or torture. It does not describe casual inquiry but a state-authorized procedure in which physical pain is viewed as a legitimate investigative tool.

Occurrences in the New Testament

Acts 22:24 records the Roman chiliarch’s order: “the commander ordered that he be brought into the barracks and instructed that he be examined by scourging, so that he could learn why the people were shouting against him.”

Acts 22:29 continues, “Those who were about to examine him withdrew at once, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him.”

Both instances appear in the same narrative episode, underscoring the term’s judicial flavor and its immediate cessation once Paul claims lawful protection.

First-century judicial background

Roman procedure distinguished sharply between citizens and non-citizens. Non-citizens could be tortured in the quest for truth; citizens were ordinarily exempt. The very proposal to scourge Paul before trial betrays (1) the routine nature of such violence toward provincials, and (2) the chiliarch’s ignorance of Paul’s status. When Paul invokes his citizenship, the legal machinery halts, illustrating Rome’s grudging respect for codified rights even in an occupied land.

Theological significance

1. Divine sovereignty over civil authority. Paul’s birthright becomes an instrument through which God preserves His apostle for future ministry in Rome (Acts 23:11). The narrative shows that even pagan legal systems can be turned to protect God’s servants until their appointed work is done.
2. Suffering within God’s plan. The razor’s edge between scourging and deliverance highlights a recurrent biblical tension: believers may face brutal treatment (Matthew 10:17; 2 Corinthians 11:25), yet the Lord sets boundaries (Job 1:12; 1 Peter 3:14).
3. The gospel versus coercion. While the Roman state relies on force to reach “truth,” the gospel rests on witness, conscience, and the persuasive power of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:2). Acts contrasts these approaches.

Historical echoes and parallels

• Jesus Himself is scourged under Pontius Pilate (John 19:1), illustrating Rome’s willingness to use such methods when citizenship protections do not apply.
• Peter and the other apostles are flogged by the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:40), a Jewish equivalent of coercive inquiry.
• Paul’s later letter to the Romans (Romans 13:1–7) recognizes governmental authority yet implicitly calls rulers to uphold justice, not unchecked brutality.

Practical ministry applications

• Advocacy: Paul’s appeal encourages believers to use lawful means to protect life and liberty when possible, not as an act of cowardice but as stewardship of God-given rights.
• Integrity under pressure: though threatened with torture, Paul does not compromise the gospel; he simply asserts lawful protections. Modern Christians under hostile regimes may follow this balance of bold witness and wise self-defense.
• Pastoral care for the persecuted: The passage legitimizes compassionate concern for prisoners and victims of state violence (Hebrews 13:3), reminding the church that physical suffering in interrogation remains a reality in many contexts.

Related biblical themes

Justice: Deuteronomy 25:1–3 sets limits on corporal punishment; Proverbs 17:26 warns against flogging the innocent.

Truth and testimony: Luke 12:11–12 promises Spirit-given words when believers stand before authorities.

Human dignity: Genesis 1:26 implies inherent worth, violated when bodies are used as instruments for forced confession.

Summary

Strong’s Greek 426 centers on state-sponsored interrogation by scourging. In Acts 22 it frames a dramatic encounter where Paul’s legal standing thwarts injustice, revealing God’s providence, exposing the brutality of worldly power, and providing lasting instruction on the believer’s conduct, suffering, and reliance on divine oversight amid hostile inquiry.

Forms and Transliterations

ανεταζειν ἀνετάζειν ανεταζεσθαι ανετάζεσθαι ἀνετάζεσθαι ανήταζον anetazein anetázein anetazesthai anetázesthai

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 22:24 V-PNM/P
GRK: εἴπας μάστιξιν ἀνετάζεσθαι αὐτὸν ἵνα
NAS: stating that he should be examined by scourging
KJV: that he should be examined by scourging;
INT: having directed by flogging to be examined him that

Acts 22:29 V-PNA
GRK: μέλλοντες αὐτὸν ἀνετάζειν καὶ ὁ
NAS: who were about to examine him immediately
KJV: which should have examined him: and
INT: being about him to examine and the

Strong's Greek 426
2 Occurrences

ἀνετάζειν — 1 Occ.
ἀνετάζεσθαι — 1 Occ.