Here the word "they" probably refers to the Gentiles at the court. They reacted against the Jews who had brought Paul before the judgment seat. (See: [Acts 18:12](./12.md))
"Gallio dismissed them from the judgment seat." Here "judgment seat" refers to the place where Gallio sits to make legal decisions in court. AT: "Gallio made them leave his presence in the court" or "Gallio made them leave the court" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
This may be an exaggeration to emphasize the strong feelings the people had. AT: "many people seized" or "many of them grabbed" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])
# So they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judgment seat
Possible meanings are 1) the Gentiles beat Sosthenes in the court in front of the judgment seat because he was the Jewish leader or 2) it is possible that Sosthenes was a believer in Christ, so the Jews beat him in front of the court.
# Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue
"Sosthenes" was the Jewish ruler of the synagogue at Corinth. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])