Acts 23:27
This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman. This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.
Lysias reported that Paul had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed, and that he himself had come with soldiers and rescued him after learning that Paul was a Roman citizen, with that citizenship prompting his intervention and protection. The rescue led to Paul being sent under armed guard to Caesarea in a secret night transfer, which protected him from a murderous attack and from the danger of a riot, while also sparing Lysias from being accused of allowing Paul to be murdered. When Paul reached Caesarea, his Christian companions there recognized him and were saddened by his changed circumstances.
The verse belongs to the account of Paul's arrest and transfer to Roman custody that led to his later proceedings, where trial at Rome required his accusers to appear in person. Their delay exposed him to prolonged detention, as Felix had previously kept him in custody, and his enemies used the delay to prepare an effort to influence the emperor. Lysias bore testimony in his letter to Felix about Paul's conduct that agreed with Paul's own earnest and sincere defense and carried conviction, and together with Paul's plain statement of the facts it helped Felix understand more clearly that the Jews were governed by corrupt motives in trying to convict Paul of sedition and treasonable conduct. In light of that testimony, Felix would not gratify the Jews by unjustly condemning a Roman citizen nor give him up to be put to death without a fair trial.