And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.

And when he was come to the stairs, it fell out that he was carried by the soldiers, because of the violence of the people.

But when he got upon the stairs it was so that he was borne by the soldiers on account of the violence of the crowd.

and when he came upon the steps, it happened he was borne by the soldiers, because of the violence of the multitude,

When Paul was going up the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;

And when he came on to the steps, he was lifted up by the armed men, because of the force of the people;

And when he had arrived at the stairs, it happened that he was carried up by the soldiers, because of the threat of violence from the people.

When Paul reached the steps, he was actually being carried by the soldiers, owing to the violence of the mob;

Upon the stairs - The stairs which led from the temple to the castle of Antonia. Josephus says (Jewish Wars, book 5, chapter 5, section 8), that the castle of Antonia "was situated at the corner of two cloisters of the temple, of that on the west, and of that on the north; it was erected on a rock of 50 cubits (75 feet) in height, and was on a great precipice. On the corner where it joined to the two cloisters of the temple, it had passages down to them both, through which the guards went several ways among the cloisters with their arms, on the Jewish festivals, etc." It was on these stairs, as the soldiers were returning, that the tumult was so great, or the crowd so dense, that they were obliged to hear Paul along to rescue him from their violence.
The violence of the people - The rush of the multitude.

And when he came upon the stairs - Those mentioned in the note on Acts 21:31.

And when he came upon the stairs,.... Or steps, which led up to the castle; for it was built upon a very high place, as appears from the account of it in the preceding verse; to which agrees what Aristaeas (g) says of it in the following words;
"in order to have knowledge of all things, we went up to a castle adjoining to the city, which is situated in a very high place, fortified with very high towers, built with large stones, as we supposed for the preservation of the places about the temple, if there should be any lying in wait, or tumult, or enemies should enter; so that none might be able to make way in at the walls about the temple; for in the towers of the castle lay very sharp darts and various instruments, and the place was upon a very great eminence.''
So it was that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people: the sense is, either that the crowd of the people was so great, and they so pressed upon Paul and the soldiers that conducted him, that he was even thrown upon them, and bore up by them; or else such was the rage of the people against him, that the soldiers were obliged to take him up in their arms, and carry him, in order to secure him from being tore in pieces by them.
(g) Hist. de 70 Interpret. p. 36. Ed. Oxon.

Away with him--as before of his Lord (Luke 23:18; John 19:15).

When he came upon the stairs - The castle of Antonia was situate on a rock fifty cubits high, at that corner of the outward temple, where the western and northern porticos joined, to each of which there were stairs descending from it.