Luke continues the account of Paul’s journey toward Jerusalem, narrating the transition from missionary travel to arrest, public accusation, and formal defense.
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Acts 21
Paul Goes to Jerusalem and Is Seized in the Temple
Acts 21 shows Paul walking knowingly into suffering for the name of Jesus, submitting to the Lord’s will, honoring the unity of the church, and becoming a chained witness through whom the gospel will advance.
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Chapter Summary
Acts 21 shows Paul walking knowingly into suffering for the name of Jesus, submitting to the Lord’s will, honoring the unity of the church, and becoming a chained witness through whom the gospel will advance.
Overview
Acts 21 argues that Spirit-led obedience may lead directly into suffering. Paul is repeatedly warned of what awaits him in Jerusalem, but he does not interpret suffering as disobedience. He is ready to be bound and even die for the name of the Lord Jesus. In Jerusalem, he honors the leaders and seeks peace with Jewish believers without compromising Gentile freedom. Yet false accusation still leads to violence, arrest, and the next stage of gospel witness.
Context
Theophilus and the wider church are being shown that Paul’s suffering in Jerusalem is not accidental but part of the Lord’s sovereign mission, repeatedly anticipated by the Spirit and embraced under the will of God.
Acts 21 moves from Miletus through Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Tyre, Ptolemais, Caesarea, and finally Jerusalem. The chapter begins with tearful travel and prophetic warning, then moves into fellowship with Jerusalem believers, temple controversy, mob violence, Roman intervention, and Paul preparing to speak to the crowd.
Acts 21 shows Paul walking knowingly into suffering for the name of Jesus, submitting to the Lord’s will, honoring the unity of the church, and becoming a chained witness through whom the gospel will advance.
Luke continues the account of Paul’s journey toward Jerusalem, narrating the transition from missionary travel to arrest, public accusation, and formal defense.
Theophilus and the wider church are being shown that Paul’s suffering in Jerusalem is not accidental but part of the Lord’s sovereign mission, repeatedly anticipated by the Spirit and embraced under the will of God.
Acts 21 moves from Miletus through Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Tyre, Ptolemais, Caesarea, and finally Jerusalem. The chapter begins with tearful travel and prophetic warning, then moves into fellowship with Jerusalem believers, temple controversy, mob violence, Roman intervention, and Paul preparing to speak to the crowd.
Social Pressure
- Paul faces grief-filled warnings from believers, prophetic prediction of imprisonment, pressure surrounding Jewish rumors about his ministry, public misunderstanding, temple accusations, mob violence, and Roman military custody.
Jerusalem remains deeply sensitive to issues involving the law, temple purity, Jewish identity, and Gentile inclusion. Jewish believers in Jerusalem remain zealous for the law, while rumors claim Paul teaches Jews among the Gentiles to abandon Moses. The temple becomes the flashpoint when Jews from Asia accuse Paul of defiling it by allegedly bringing Gentiles into restricted areas.
Acts 21 begins the final major section of Acts, moving Paul from free missionary activity into chains. The gospel witness now advances through arrest, public defense, Roman protection, and eventual movement toward Rome. Paul’s willingness to suffer in Jerusalem echoes the path of Christlike obedience under divine necessity.
Chapter Movement
Paul travels resolutely toward Jerusalem despite warnings, submits to the Lord’s will, reports Gentile mission fruit to the Jerusalem leaders, participates in a temple-related purification plan, is falsely accused and seized, and receives Roman protection before addressing the crowd.
Discourse Insight
Theological exposition and fulfillment
Acts 21 clarifies the gospel by showing Paul willing to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus and by preserving the Acts 15 distinction: Gentiles are received without being placed under the Mosaic law, while Jewish believers are treated with pastoral sensitivity. The gospel creates one people in Christ, but that unity must be guarded through truth, love, and costly witness.
Structural Flow
Paul’s journey toward Jerusalem is marked by repeated Spirit-given warnings, tearful fellowship, prayer, and submission to the Lord’s will.
Paul arrives in Jerusalem, is received by believers, and reports what God has done among the Gentiles.
The Jerusalem leaders address rumors about Paul and propose a public act to demonstrate his respect for Jewish believers and customs.
Jews from Asia falsely accuse Paul of defiling the temple, and a violent mob attempts to kill him.
The Roman commander rescues Paul from the crowd, arrests him, and permits him to address the people.
Chapter Outline
- 1-3: Paul and his companions depart from the Ephesian elders and travel by sea through several ports toward Tyre.
- 4-6: The disciples urge Paul through the Spirit not to go to Jerusalem, yet Paul continues after prayerful farewell.
- 7-9: Paul visits believers in Ptolemais and then stays with Philip the evangelist in Caesarea, whose daughters prophesy.
- 10-11: Agabus uses Paul’s belt to symbolize that Paul will be bound in Jerusalem and handed to Gentiles.
- 12-14: The believers plead with Paul not to go, but Paul is ready to suffer for Jesus, and they submit to the Lord’s will.
- 15-17: Paul travels to Jerusalem, stays with Mnason, and is warmly welcomed by the believers.
- 18-20A: Paul meets James and the elders, recounts Gentile mission fruit, and they praise God.
- 20B-25: The elders explain Jewish concerns and propose a purification action while reaffirming Gentile freedom from law-keeping as a salvation requirement.
- 26: Paul joins the men under a vow and participates in purification to avoid unnecessary offense.
- 27-29: Paul is falsely accused of teaching against the people, law, and temple and of bringing a Gentile into the temple.
- 30-31: The city is aroused, Paul is dragged from the temple, and the crowd attempts to kill him.
- 32-36: The commander rescues Paul, arrests him, binds him with chains, and has him carried into the barracks amid the violent crowd.
- 37-40: Paul identifies himself to the commander and receives permission to address the crowd in Aramaic.
Key Greek Terms
Pastoral Entry
Pastoral Definition
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μαθητής comes from the verb manthanō — to learn — and names a learner, a student, one who is under instruction from a teacher. But in the ancient world, especially in the Jewish rabbinical context, being a disciple was far more than attending lectures. The disciple lived with the teacher, watched how the teacher handled ordinary situations, absorbed the teacher's interpretive method, and aimed over time to become like the teacher. The relationship was not merely informational but formational.
In the Gospels, μαθητής is used for the twelve specifically but also more broadly for a larger group of people following Jesus. Jesus' disciples are contrasted with the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees — each rabbi or movement had its disciples who identified with and transmitted the teacher's way. What distinguished Jesus' call to discipleship from the rabbinic norm was the direction of the call: in rabbinic Judaism, the student chose a rabbi to follow; in Jesus' case, the teacher chose the disciples ('You did not choose me, but I chose you' — John 15:16).
Matthew 28:19-20 — the Great Commission — makes μαθητής the goal of the entire mission: 'Go therefore and make disciples (matheteusate) of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.' The commission does not say 'make converts' or 'make church members'; it says make disciples. The disciple-making process has two components in the commission: baptism (initiation, public identification) and teaching to observe (the ongoing formation of life around Jesus' commands). The church's mission is not complete when someone is baptized; it is complete only when they are learning to observe everything Jesus commanded.
In Acts, μαθητής becomes the term for Christians in general (6:1, 7; 9:19, 26) — not an elite inner circle but the regular designation for the community of followers. This is significant: to become a Christian was to become a disciple. The two categories were not separated into different tiers.
Sense Disciples, learners, followers
Definition Paul finds disciples in Tyre and later is accompanied by disciples from Caesarea.
References Acts 21:4, 16
Lexicon Disciples, learners, followers
Why it matters The journey is surrounded by Christian fellowship and shared discernment.
Pastoral Entry
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πνεῦμα means spirit, breath, or wind, and in the Pastoral Epistles the word must be read with careful attention to context. The letters use it for the Spirit who vindicates Christ, speaks warning through apostolic truth, indwells believers, helps guard the entrusted deposit, renews sinners in salvation, and also for the human spirit and deceitful spirits. That range matters.
Paul does not let readers treat all invisible influence as the work of the Holy Spirit, nor does he reduce the Christian life to human resolve. The same chapter that says the Spirit expressly warns about later deception also names deceitful spirits and demonic teachings. The same letter that tells Timothy God has not given a spirit of fear also commands him to guard the treasure by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Titus anchors salvation not in righteous deeds, but in mercy, new birth, and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Thus πνεῦμα helps teachers keep discernment and dependence together. The church must reject deceptive spiritual claims, resist fear, guard the apostolic deposit by the indwelling Spirit, and proclaim salvation as Spirit-wrought renewal rather than moral self-repair.
Sense Spirit
Definition The disciples speak through the Spirit concerning Paul’s journey.
References Acts 21:4
Lexicon Spirit
Why it matters Paul’s suffering is revealed beforehand within Spirit-directed mission.
Pastoral Entry
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Proseuchomai means to pray, to address God in worship, dependence, confession, petition, intercession, and watchful trust. The New Testament uses the verb for secret prayer before the Father, Jesus' own prayer, prayer under temptation, corporate prayer for discernment, Spirit-dependent perseverance, and healing or restorative prayer within the community. It is not a technique for controlling outcomes or a performance that displays spirituality.
Matthew 6:6 sends disciples to the unseen Father rather than public applause. Matthew 26:41 joins prayer to watchfulness in weakness. Ephesians 6:18 makes prayer continual and alert, while James 5:16 binds it to confession and righteousness. For pastoral teaching, proseuchomai opens prayer as filial, dependent, watchful communion with God that receives His will rather than mastering Him.
Form in passage Aorist · Middle · Participle · Plural What is this?
Sense Pray
Definition The believers kneel on the beach and pray before parting.
References Acts 21:5
Lexicon Pray
Why it matters Prayer frames painful obedience and farewell.
Form in passage Genitive · Singular · Masculine What is this?
Sense Evangelist, gospel herald
Definition Philip is called the evangelist.
References Acts 21:8
Lexicon Evangelist, gospel herald
Why it matters Philip’s identity highlights ongoing gospel proclamation beyond the apostles.
Pastoral Entry
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Prophēteuō means to prophesy or speak a prophetic message. Its New Testament uses range from claims made by people rejected by Christ, to Spirit-enabled praise, congregational speech that exposes the heart, and the commissioned witness of Revelation. The verb therefore does not certify a speaker merely because prophetic activity is claimed or experienced. Matthew 7:22 places the claim beneath Christ's final judgment.
First Corinthians places prophetic speech beneath intelligibility, edification, order, and discernment in the gathered church. Luke shows Zechariah speaking under the Holy Spirit, while Revelation portrays witnesses authorized by God. A responsible study asks who speaks, by what authority, with what content, and under what apostolic tests.
Form in passage Present · Active · Participle · Plural What is this?
Sense Prophesy, speak by divine inspiration
Definition Philip’s four daughters prophesy.
References Acts 21:9
Lexicon Prophesy, speak by divine inspiration
Why it matters The Spirit continues to distribute prophetic ministry in the church.
Pastoral Entry
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Prophetes names a prophet, one who speaks for God, bears witness to His word, and in many contexts announces what God has revealed about judgment, mercy, and promised fulfillment. The New Testament uses the term for Israel's prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus' prophetic reception by the crowds, church prophets, false prophets in contrast, and the prophetic witness fulfilled in Christ.
The word should not be reduced to prediction, though prediction may be present. Hebrews 1:1 says God spoke through the prophets in many ways, while Luke 24:27 shows Jesus explaining Moses and the Prophets as Scripture that speaks about Him. For pastoral teaching, prophetes opens reverence for God's spoken word, continuity with the Old Testament witness, Christ-centered fulfillment, and careful testing of every claimed message by apostolic Scripture.
Sense Prophet
Definition Agabus is identified as a prophet.
References Acts 21:10
Lexicon Prophet
Why it matters His symbolic prophecy prepares Paul and the church for coming suffering.
Pastoral Entry
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Deo means to bind, tie, fasten, confine, obligate, or place under a binding relationship. Paul uses it for marriage bonds and for his own imprisonment, while declaring that God's word is not bound. John describes Lazarus wrapped in grave cloths, and Jesus speaks of a woman whom Satan had bound for eighteen years. The verb ranges from physical restraint to covenant obligation and oppressive bondage; no single occurrence grants general authority to bind people spiritually.
Marriage, lawful custody, illness, and demonic oppression remain distinct contexts. Churches should never use binding language to justify physical restraint, coerced vows, trapped marriages, retaliation, or amateur deliverance. Christ frees the oppressed, His word remains unconstrained, and any human restriction must face law, consent, truth, safety, and accountable limits.
Form in passage Aorist · Active · Participle · Singular What is this?
Sense Bind, tie, imprison
Definition Agabus says Paul will be bound in Jerusalem.
References Acts 21:11
Lexicon Bind, tie, imprison
Why it matters The prophecy anticipates Paul’s arrest and chains.
Pastoral Entry
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παραδίδωμι is one of the NT's theologically weighty verbs. The local Greek index currently counts about 119 occurrences, and the verb carries a range that spans betrayal, judicial delivery, and divine sovereign act — often in the same narrative. The word is a compound: παρά (beside, from) and δίδωμι (to give). It means to hand over, to deliver into someone's custody, to transmit, to betray.
In the passion narratives, παραδίδωμι is the operating verb at every transfer point: Judas hands over Jesus (Matt 26:15), the chief priests hand him over to Pilate (Matt 27:2), Pilate hands him over to be crucified (Matt 27:26). The same verb covers the betrayer's act, the religious leaders' act, and the Roman official's act. But the theological dimension breaks open in Romans 8:32: 'He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all.'
The word translated 'gave him up' is παρέδωκεν — the same verb. God παραδίδωμι-s his Son. This is the divine passive that restructures the entire passion narrative: what looks like Judas's betrayal and Pilate's cowardice is also, at a deeper level, the Father's own handing-over of the Son for the sake of humanity. Paul uses this double dimension deliberately in Romans 4:25: Jesus was 'handed over for our trespasses and raised for our justification.'
The one being παραδίδωμι-d is the Lord of creation. The one doing it is his Father. And the purpose is not merely judicial but redemptive. Isaiah 53:6 and 53:12 lie behind this: 'the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all' and 'he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors.' The NT's παραδίδωμι is the Greek clothing of Isaiah's servant theology.
The preacher who holds this word can see the passion narrative entire: Judas acts, Pilate acts, the Father acts — and only the third act is the one on which salvation turns.
Form in passage Future · Active · Indicative · 3rd Person · Plural What is this?
Sense Hand over, deliver up
Definition Agabus says Paul will be handed over to the Gentiles.
References Acts 21:11
Lexicon Hand over, deliver up
Why it matters Paul’s suffering follows a pattern of being handed over under divine providence.
Pastoral Entry
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καρδία means heart, the inner person where thought, desire, will, trust, moral purpose, and affection converge before God. It does not mean emotion only. In the biblical pattern, the heart thinks, believes, desires, plans, loves, hardens, is purified, is searched, and can become the dwelling place of Christ by faith. In the Pastoral Epistles, the heart appears in one of the campaign's central formation texts: the goal of instruction is love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.
Paul also tells Timothy to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. These uses show that the heart is not merely an inward mood. It is the source from which love, worship, fellowship, and obedience proceed. The wider canon gives the full diagnosis and hope. Jesus says evil thoughts and sinful acts come from within, from the heart.
Paul says belief with the heart is joined to justification. God cleanses hearts by faith. Christ dwells in hearts through faith. The new covenant promises God's law written in hearts. καρδία therefore names both the deep problem and the deep place of renewal. Christian formation is not behavior management alone; it is God's work in the inner person, producing purity that becomes visible in love and obedience.
That is why the Pastorals place the pure heart beside conscience and faith. Paul is not asking Timothy to manage appearances; he is pressing toward the inward source from which ministry speech, companionship, discipline, and endurance flow. A heart renewed by grace learns to desire what God loves and to turn from what defiles.
Form in passage Accusative · Singular · Feminine What is this?
Sense Heart, inner person
Definition Paul asks why they are breaking his heart by weeping.
References Acts 21:13
Lexicon Heart, inner person
Why it matters Obedience under suffering is emotionally costly, not stoic detachment.
Sense Ready, prepared
Definition Paul is ready not only to be bound but also to die.
References Acts 21:13
Lexicon Ready, prepared
Why it matters Paul’s allegiance to Jesus includes readiness for ultimate sacrifice.
Pastoral Entry
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ὄνομα means name, but in the biblical world a name is not merely a label — it is an identity, an authority, a character in concentrated form. The NT inherits this Hebrew understanding from the OT's dense name theology: to name something is to define it, to call upon a name is to invoke the reality behind it, and to act 'in someone's name' is to act with their delegated authority.
The word carries this weight in almost every significant NT use. When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray 'hallowed be your name' (Matt 6:9), he is not asking that people speak respectfully of God — he is asking that God's character and reputation be held in the esteem they deserve across the whole creation. When he says 'whatever you ask in my name' (John 14:13-14), the phrase 'in my name' does not function as a formula to append to prayer but as a description of praying in accordance with who Jesus is and what he stands for — from his authority, under his character.
The name Christology of Philippians 2:9-11 is the NT apex of ὄνομα theology: the exalted Christ receives 'the name that is above every name,' and at that name every knee bows. Paul is not saying Jesus receives a new word to be spoken; he is saying Jesus receives the identity and authority that the name YHWH carries — an authority before which the whole cosmos bows.
The name above every name is God's own name, now given to the crucified and risen Jesus.
Form in passage Genitive · Singular · Neuter What is this?
Sense Name, authority, identity
Definition Paul is ready to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus.
References Acts 21:13
Lexicon Name, authority, identity
Why it matters Jesus’ name is the cause and worth of Paul’s suffering.
Pastoral Entry
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θέλημα (thelēma) names a will, desire, intention, or what someone purposes and wants carried out. The noun can refer to God’s will, human resolve, bodily desires, or even the devil’s will, so it is not automatically a sacred term. In the Lord’s Prayer, disciples ask for the Father’s will to be done on earth as in heaven. In Gethsemane, Jesus brings a real human desire before the Father and yields Himself to the saving path appointed for Him.
John’s Gospel identifies the Father’s will with the Son’s keeping and raising of those given to Him. Paul states plainly that God’s will includes the holiness of His people, and Hebrews says believers have been sanctified through Christ’s once-for-all offering according to that will. Scripture therefore uses the noun for commands already revealed, saving purposes accomplished in Christ, intentions that govern action, and desires that may resist God.
It should not be reduced to a hidden blueprint for personal decisions or invoked to excuse passivity, abuse, careless planning, or fatalism.
Form in passage Nominative · Singular · Neuter What is this?
Sense Will, desire, purpose
Definition The believers say, 'The Lord’s will be done.'
References Acts 21:14
Lexicon Will, desire, purpose
Why it matters The final posture is submission to the Lord’s sovereign purpose.
Form in passage Aorist · Middle · Indicative · 3rd Person · Plural What is this?
Sense Receive, welcome
Definition The believers in Jerusalem receive Paul and his companions gladly.
References Acts 21:17
Lexicon Receive, welcome
Why it matters The arrival begins with fellowship and welcome, not hostility from the church.
Pastoral Entry
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Exegeomai means to explain, make known, tell fully, describe, or recount. The New Testament uses it for testimony that unfolds what happened: the Emmaus travelers tell how they recognized Jesus, the Son makes the unseen God known, Cornelius explains his vision, Barnabas and Paul describe signs and wonders among the Gentiles, Peter recounts God's first Gentile visitation, and Paul reports what God had done through his ministry.
The word is not a license for speculative explanation. It is careful narration under the weight of witnessed reality. Pastorally, exegeomai helps readers see that faithful explanation tells what God has revealed and done, with Christ Himself as the supreme revealer of the Father.
Form in passage Imperfect · Middle · Indicative · 3rd Person · Singular What is this?
Sense Explain, recount, report in detail
Definition Paul reports in detail what God did among the Gentiles.
References Acts 21:19
Lexicon Explain, recount, report in detail
Why it matters Mission reporting should carefully recount God’s work.
Pastoral Entry
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δοξάζω is the verb of glorification — to give or ascribe δόξα (glory) to someone, to honor them, to magnify their reputation and being. The word derives from δόξα, which in classical Greek meant 'opinion' or 'reputation' but in the LXX and NT carries the full weight of the Hebrew כָּבוֹד (glory, weightiness, the visible manifestation of divine honor and presence).
δοξάζω therefore means not merely 'to praise' or 'to think well of' but to recognize and declare the actual weight of what is being honored — to name glory where glory is present, to give visible expression to the divine radiance that is already there. The verb appears 61 times in the NT and operates at three distinct levels that John's Gospel holds in a uniquely concentrated way.
First, the human level: Jesus's healings cause people to δοξάζω God (Matt 9:8, Luke 13:13) — they recognize in what Jesus has done the weight of God's presence and give it its appropriate naming. Second, the divine level: the Father δοξάζω-s the Son and the Son δοξάζω-s the Father (John 17:1-5) — the mutual glorification within the Trinity is the eternal form of which human praise is the temporal echo.
Third — and this is the Johannine stroke of genius — the moment of Jesus's greatest humiliation is the moment of his deepest glorification. 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified' (John 12:23) introduces the passion prediction about the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies. The cross is the moment of glorification. John's theology of the cross is not despite the suffering but through it and as it: the lifting up on the cross is the lifting up in glory (John 3:14, 8:28, 12:32-34).
The preacher who holds δοξάζω in John has a word that refuses the separation between the crucifixion and the exaltation — they are not sequential stages but the same event read at different depths.
Form in passage Imperfect · Active · Indicative · 3rd Person · Plural What is this?
Sense Glorify, praise
Definition The Jerusalem leaders glorify God after hearing Paul’s report.
References Acts 21:20
Lexicon Glorify, praise
Why it matters God receives praise for Gentile mission fruit.
Form in passage Nominative · Plural · Masculine What is this?
Sense Zealous, devoted, eager
Definition Many Jewish believers are zealous for the law.
References Acts 21:20
Lexicon Zealous, devoted, eager
Why it matters Their zeal creates pastoral complexity around Paul’s reputation and mission.
Pastoral Entry
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νόμος is Paul's most complex theological term — and also Jesus' most carefully handled one. Matt 5:17 ('I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them') is the hinge: the choice is between abolish and fulfill, not between abolish and preserve unchanged. Rom 7:12 is Paul's baseline affirmation: 'the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.'
Whatever Paul says about νόμος and justification or νόμος and the flesh, he never abandons this. The problem he identifies in Galatians and Romans is not with νόμος itself but with using νόμος as a means of standing before God ('seeking to establish their own righteousness,' Rom 10:3). The νόμος was never designed to justify — its role was to define sin (Rom 3:20: 'through the law comes knowledge of sin'), to reveal the need for a Savior (Gal 3:24: 'the law was our guardian until Christ came'), and to structure covenant life for a people already in covenant.
When Paul says 'Christ is the end (τέλος) of the law' (Rom 10:4), the word τέλος means both termination and goal — the debate is which sense is primary, but most likely both are: Christ terminates the law's role as the basis of standing before God and simultaneously fulfills the direction (תּוֹרָה's root meaning) it was always pointing.
Form in passage Genitive · Singular · Masculine What is this?
Sense Law
Definition The concern centers on Jewish believers’ zeal for the law and rumors about Paul’s teaching.
References Acts 21:20, 24, 28
Lexicon Law
Why it matters The chapter navigates the law’s place among Jewish believers and Gentile inclusion.
Form in passage Accusative · Singular · Feminine What is this?
Sense Apostasy, abandonment, forsaking
Definition Paul is accused of teaching Jews to forsake Moses.
References Acts 21:21
Lexicon Apostasy, abandonment, forsaking
Why it matters The rumor misrepresents Paul’s ministry and inflames Jewish concerns.
Pastoral Entry
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ἁγνίζω is the verb of purification — it names the act rather than the state. Where ἁγνός (G53) describes the quality of purity and ἁγνεία (G47) names purity as a condition, ἁγνίζω describes the movement from defilement toward cleanness: to purify, to make holy, to cleanse. Abbott-Smith identifies two distinct domains of use: ceremonial and moral. In the ceremonial sense, it describes ritual purification rites required before festivals or temple access (John 11:55, Acts 21:24, 26, 24:18).
In the moral sense, it describes the interior cleansing of the heart and soul that belongs to genuine repentance and devotion to God (Jas 4:8, 1 Pet 1:22, 1 John 3:3). This dual range is not a confusion — it reflects the biblical conviction that the external and the internal were not fully separate. The OT background is priestly: ἁγνίζω frequently translates קָדַשׁ (to sanctify, set apart) and related purification terms from the Levitical system.
The NT inherits that priestly frame but interiorizes its concern. The act of purifying oneself is no longer primarily a preparation for temple approach — it is a preparation for encounter with God in prayer, in community, and ultimately in the eschatological presence. James's 'purify your hearts' is directed at people with divided loyalty. Peter's 'purified your souls in obeying the truth' locates purification in the response to the gospel itself.
John's 'everyone who has this hope purifies himself' places the act in the eschatological frame: we cleanse ourselves in the direction of what Christ will complete. The preacher who handles ἁγνίζω is handling the verb of sanctification — not the abstract doctrine, but the active, ongoing, intentional movement of the believing life toward holiness.
Form in passage Aorist · Passive · Imperative · 2nd Person · Singular What is this?
Sense Purify, cleanse ceremonially
Definition Paul is asked to purify himself with the men under a vow.
References Acts 21:24, 26
Lexicon Purify, cleanse ceremonially
Why it matters The action is intended to counter rumor and show sensitivity to Jewish believers.
Form in passage Present · Active · Indicative · 2nd Person · Singular What is this?
Sense Walk in line, conduct oneself
Definition The leaders want people to know Paul walks orderly regarding the law.
References Acts 21:24
Lexicon Walk in line, conduct oneself
Why it matters The concern is Paul’s perceived conduct among Jews, not a new requirement for Gentile salvation.
Pastoral Entry
Pastoral Definition
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Ethnos means nation, people group, or Gentiles, depending on context. The word can name the nations broadly, Gentiles in distinction from Israel, or peoples who receive the gospel. Jesus commands His disciples to make disciples of all nations. Luke says repentance and forgiveness will be proclaimed to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. Acts shows Jewish believers astonished that the Spirit is poured out even on Gentiles, and Paul applies Isaiah's light-to-the-Gentiles promise to gospel mission.
Galatians says Scripture foresaw Gentile justification by faith in the promise to Abraham. Revelation shows worshipers from every nation before the Lamb. Ethnos therefore joins promise, mission, inclusion, and final worship.
Sense Nations, Gentiles
Definition The leaders reaffirm instructions for Gentile believers.
References Acts 21:25
Lexicon Nations, Gentiles
Why it matters Gentile freedom and holiness from Acts 15 remain intact.
Pastoral Entry
Pastoral Definition
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G2411 names the temple precinct or temple courts, the wider sacred complex where teaching, commerce, healing aftermath, and public controversy unfold in John. It differs from the sanctuary term used when Jesus speaks of raising the temple of His body. John places Jesus in the temple precinct cleansing commerce, finding the healed man, teaching during the feast, crying out amid public debate, and speaking near the treasury.
The word helps readers hold together sacred space and Jesus' authority over it. The precinct is not treated as worthless, but neither is it immune from judgment, correction, and fulfillment. Jesus teaches there as the Son sent by the Father, not as a mere participant in religious routine.
Sense Temple precincts
Definition Paul is seen in the temple and accused of defiling it.
References Acts 21:26-30
Lexicon Temple precincts
Why it matters The temple is the symbolic center of the conflict.
Form in passage Imperfect · Active · Indicative · 3rd Person · Plural What is this?
Sense Stir up, confuse, throw into disorder
Definition Jews from Asia stir up the crowd.
References Acts 21:27
Lexicon Stir up, confuse, throw into disorder
Why it matters False accusation produces public disorder rather than truth.
Pastoral Entry
Pastoral Definition
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Koinoo means to make common, defile, or treat as unclean, with usage shaped by purity, heart, and holiness contexts. In the Gospels, Jesus uses the word to correct a mistaken focus on external intake by teaching that defilement comes from what proceeds from the heart. The point is not that bodies, habits, or obedience are unimportant. It is that moral uncleanness is not solved by surface boundary keeping while the heart remains evil.
In Acts 10 and 11, the heavenly voice tells Peter not to call common or impure what God has made clean, preparing him to receive Gentiles according to God's action. Hebrews uses the word within ceremonial cleansing logic. The companion must therefore distinguish ritual category, moral defilement, and gospel inclusion without making one passage erase the others.
Form in passage Perfect · Active · Indicative · 3rd Person · Singular What is this?
Sense Defile, make common, profane
Definition Paul is accused of defiling the temple.
References Acts 21:28
Lexicon Defile, make common, profane
Why it matters The accusation is religiously explosive but based on false assumption.
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Ἐπιλαμβάνομαι means to take hold of, grasp, seize, help, or take someone along. Jesus takes hold of sinking Peter, leads a blind man by the hand, and places a child beside Him to correct the disciples' argument about greatness. Barnabas takes hold of Saul's cause by bringing him to the apostles when others fear him. Paul commands Timothy to take hold of eternal life in persevering confession.
Physical grasp, protective rescue, personal guidance, advocacy, and resolute appropriation all appear within the range. The word does not imply force or possession in every context. Who takes hold, of whom or what, for what purpose, and with what result determines whether the action rescues, guides, represents, or perseveres.
Form in passage Aorist · Middle · Participle · Plural What is this?
Sense Seize, take hold of
Definition The crowd seizes Paul.
References Acts 21:30
Lexicon Seize, take hold of
Why it matters Paul’s public suffering begins through mob violence.
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Apokteino means to kill, put to death, or cause death. New Testament writers use it for the human killing of Jesus, the authorities' settled plan to execute Him, His foretold rejection and death, and the cross's paradoxical destruction of hostility. The verb names lethal action plainly and should not be softened into generic opposition. Yet responsibility must be stated with each passage's actors and redemptive frame.
Acts addresses Jerusalem hearers while proclaiming God's resurrection; it does not authorize collective blame against Jewish people. First Thessalonians' polemic likewise cannot sustain antisemitism. The gospel exposes murderous human sin across rulers and peoples, announces Christ's willing self-giving and victory, and forms communities committed to protecting life, pursuing justice, and refusing hatred.
Form in passage Aorist · Active · Infinitive What is this?
Sense Kill, put to death
Definition The crowd tries to kill Paul.
References Acts 21:31
Lexicon Kill, put to death
Why it matters Paul’s readiness to die for Jesus becomes immediately relevant.
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Chiliarchos names a military commander or officer, often a Roman commander in narrative settings. The word is not a theological title for spiritual leadership, and it should not be inflated beyond its narrative role. In John 18, a commander stands among the forces that arrest Jesus. In Acts, the commander becomes a repeated figure in Paul's trials, rescues, interrogations, transfers, and hearings.
The officer does not become the hero of the story, but his authority often restrains mob violence and moves Paul into settings where he bears witness. Revelation uses commanders among the great ones of the earth who cannot hide from divine wrath. The word therefore helps readers notice how imperial order, public danger, civil procedure, and God's providence intersect without making Rome the source of salvation.
Form in passage Dative · Singular · Masculine What is this?
Sense Commander, tribune, officer over a thousand
Definition The Roman commander intervenes in the riot.
References Acts 21:31-37
Lexicon Commander, tribune, officer over a thousand
Why it matters Roman authority providentially preserves Paul’s life.
Form in passage Dative · Plural · Feminine What is this?
Sense Chains, bonds
Definition Paul is bound with two chains.
References Acts 21:33
Lexicon Chains, bonds
Why it matters The symbolic prophecy of Agabus becomes concrete reality.
Form in passage Accusative · Singular · Masculine What is this?
Sense Uproar, disturbance, riot
Definition The commander cannot learn the truth because of the uproar.
References Acts 21:34
Lexicon Uproar, disturbance, riot
Why it matters Mob noise obscures truth and justice.
Form in passage Accusative · Singular · Feminine What is this?
Sense Barracks, camp, military quarters
Definition Paul is taken into the Roman barracks for protection and custody.
References Acts 21:34, 37
Lexicon Barracks, camp, military quarters
Why it matters The setting shifts Paul from temple conflict to Roman legal custody.
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Airo means to lift, take up, carry, remove, or take away, with the specific sense determined by the object and scene. The word can be ordinary, as when a healed man is told to pick up his mat or when a stone must be removed from Lazarus's tomb. It can be discipleship language, as when Jesus calls followers to take up the cross daily. It can also carry saving weight, as when John calls Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Airo should not be flattened into one meaning every time it appears. The reader must ask what is being lifted, removed, borne, or taken up, who performs the action, and what the passage says the action accomplishes.
Form in passage Present · Active · Imperative · 2nd Person · Singular What is this?
Sense Take away, remove
Definition The crowd shouts for Paul to be removed.
References Acts 21:36
Lexicon Take away, remove
Why it matters The rejection of Paul echoes rejection of faithful witnesses and prepares his defense.
Cross-language bridge 1 link · View in lexicon
Form in passage Nominative · Singular · Masculine What is this?
Sense Citizen
Definition Paul identifies himself as a citizen of Tarsus.
References Acts 21:39
Lexicon Citizen
Why it matters Paul’s civic identity helps secure permission to speak.
Pastoral Entry
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Λαλέω is a Greek verb meaning to speak, say, tell, utter, or communicate. It can describe God speaking, Christ speaking, prophets speaking, apostles speaking, false or truthful speech, and ordinary conversation.
Pastorally, this word matters because Scripture treats speech as accountable. God spoke through the prophets and has spoken by His Son. The apostles cannot stop speaking about what they have seen and heard. Believers are commanded to speak truthfully to one another.
The verb itself does not decide whether the speech is divine revelation, human testimony, command, deception, or ordinary conversation. The speaker, message, and setting define its force.
Form in passage Aorist · Active · Infinitive What is this?
Sense Speak, address
Definition Paul asks permission to speak to the people.
References Acts 21:39-40
Lexicon Speak, address
Why it matters Paul turns arrest into witness.
Lexicon data: MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML (CC0) · Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0) · Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon (CC BY 4.0) · STEPBible Data (CC BY 4.0) · Full details
Discourse Connectives (51)
grounds / explanation 5inference / conclusion 2strong contrast / correction 2purpose clause 1conditional clause 2content marker or causal 5continuation or mild contrast 29contrast setup (μέν...δέ) 1additive / emphatic 4
| v.1 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast.δὲandcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.2 | καὶAndadditive / emphaticClause-initial καί in Paul often links equal-weight clauses that should be read together. |
| v.3 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast.γὰρforgrounds / explanationAsk: what claim is this 'for' grounding? That claim is the main point. |
| v.4 | καὶandadditive / emphaticClause-initial καί in Paul often links equal-weight clauses that should be read together.δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.5 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.6 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.7 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.8 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.9 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.10 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.11 | καὶandadditive / emphaticClause-initial καί in Paul often links equal-weight clauses that should be read together. |
| v.12 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.13 | γὰρforgrounds / explanationAsk: what claim is this 'for' grounding? That claim is the main point.ἀλλὰbutstrong contrast / correctionAsk: what is being set aside? What is being asserted instead? |
| v.14 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.15 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.16 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.17 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.18 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.19 | καὶAndadditive / emphaticClause-initial καί in Paul often links equal-weight clauses that should be read together. |
| v.20 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.21 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast.ὅτιthatcontent marker or causalIf ὅτι follows a verb of speaking/knowing/believing, it introduces content. If it follows a statement, it introduces a reason. |
| v.22 | οὖνtheninference / conclusionAsk: what has Paul argued up to this point? 'Therefore' is the payoff.γὰρforgrounds / explanationAsk: what claim is this 'for' grounding? That claim is the main point.ὅτιthatcontent marker or causalIf ὅτι follows a verb of speaking/knowing/believing, it introduces content. If it follows a statement, it introduces a reason. |
| v.23 | οὖνthereforeinference / conclusionAsk: what has Paul argued up to this point? 'Therefore' is the payoff. |
| v.24 | ἵναso thatpurpose clauseἵνα clauses often contain the theological payoff: 'so that God might...'ὅτιthatcontent marker or causalIf ὅτι follows a verb of speaking/knowing/believing, it introduces content. If it follows a statement, it introduces a reason.ἀλλὰbutstrong contrast / correctionAsk: what is being set aside? What is being asserted instead? |
| v.25 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast.εἰonlyconditional clauseAsk whether Paul treats the 'if' as assumed true (1st class) or merely hypothetical. |
| v.27 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.29 | γὰρforgrounds / explanationAsk: what claim is this 'for' grounding? That claim is the main point.ὅτιthatcontent marker or causalIf ὅτι follows a verb of speaking/knowing/believing, it introduces content. If it follows a statement, it introduces a reason. |
| v.31 | ὅτιthatcontent marker or causalIf ὅτι follows a verb of speaking/knowing/believing, it introduces content. If it follows a statement, it introduces a reason. |
| v.32 | δὲAndcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.34 | δὲhowevercontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast.δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.35 | δὲnowcontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.36 | γὰρforgrounds / explanationAsk: what claim is this 'for' grounding? That claim is the main point. |
| v.37 | εἰIfconditional clauseAsk whether Paul treats the 'if' as assumed true (1st class) or merely hypothetical.δὲThencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.39 | δὲhowevercontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast.μένindeedcontrast setup (μέν...δέ)The μέν...δέ pair is a rhetorical hinge. Both sides matter equally.δέhowevercontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
| v.40 | δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast.δὲthencontinuation or mild contrastNote where δέ appears in a μέν...δέ pair — that structure is a deliberate contrast. |
Discourse data: STEPBible TAGNT (CC BY 4.0)
Verb Aspect (166 main verbs)
completed 43ongoing 12prospective 5resultant 3imperative 7subjunctive 1background 17infinitive 18participle 60
| v.1 | ἐγένετοgínomaihappenedaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἀναχθῆναιset sailaorist passive infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἀποσπασθένταςpartedaorist passive participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionεὐθυδρομήσαντεςeuthydroméōrunning a straight courseaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἤλθομενérchomaicameaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.2 | εὑρόντεςheurískōfoundaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionδιαπερῶνdiaperáōcrossing overpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐπιβάντεςepibaínōwent aboardaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἀνήχθημενset sailaorist passive indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.3 | ἀναφάναντεςsightedaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionκαταλιπόντεςkataleípōleavingaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐπλέομενpléōsailedimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionκατήλθομενkatérchomailandedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.4 | ἀνευρόντεςfindingaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐπεμείναμενepiménōstayedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἔλεγονlégōtoldimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionἐπιβαίνεινepibaínōgo onpresent active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verb |
| v.5 | ἐγένετοgínomaiwereaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἐξαρτίσαιexartízōendedaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἐξελθόντεςexérchomaileftaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐπορευόμεθαporeúomaiwent on ~ wayimperfect middle indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionπροπεμπόντωνpropémpōaccompaniedpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionθέντεςtíthēmifallingaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionπροσευξάμενοιproseúchomaiprayedaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
| v.6 | ἀπησπασάμεθαsaid farewellaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἐνέβημενembaínōwe embarkedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionὑπέστρεψανhypostréphōreturnedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.7 | διανύσαντεςdianýōfinishedaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionκατηντήσαμενkatantáōarrivedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἀσπασάμενοιgreetedaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐμείναμενménōstayedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.8 | ἐξελθόντεςexérchomaidepartedaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἤλθομενérchomaicameaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionεἰσελθόντεςeisérchomaiwentaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐμείναμενménōstayedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.9 | προφητεύουσαιprophēteúōprophesiedpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
| v.10 | ἐπιμενόντωνepiménōstayingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionκατῆλθένkatérchomaicame downaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.11 | ἐλθὼνérchomaicameaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἄραςtookaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionδήσαςdéōboundaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionεἶπενépōsaidaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionλέγειlégōsayspresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthδήσουσινdéōbindfuture active indicativeprospectiveFuture indicative — anticipated or promised actionπαραδώσουσινparadídōmideliverfuture active indicativeprospectiveFuture indicative — anticipated or promised action |
| v.12 | ἠκούσαμενheardaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionπαρεκαλοῦμενparakaléōurgedimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionἀναβαίνεινgo uppresent active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verb |
| v.13 | ἀπεκρίθηansweredaorist passive indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionποιεῖτεpoiéōdoingpresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthκλαίοντεςklaíōweepingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionσυνθρύπτοντέςsynthrýptōbreakingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionδεθῆναιdéōboundaorist passive infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἀποθανεῖνdieaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἔχωéchōampresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truth |
| v.14 | πειθομένουpeíthōpersuadedpresent passive participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἡσυχάσαμενhēsycházōceasedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionεἰπόντεςépōsayingaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionγινέσθωgínomaidonepresent middle imperativeimperativeImperative mood — command or exhortation |
| v.15 | ἐπισκευασάμενοιgot readyaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἀνεβαίνομενwent upimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past action |
| v.16 | συνῆλθονsynérchomaiwentaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἄγοντεςbroughtpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionξενισθῶμενxenízōstayaorist passive subjunctivesubjunctiveSubjunctive mood — conditional, purpose, or contingent |
| v.17 | Γενομένωνgínomaiarrivedaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἀπεδέξαντοreceivedaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.18 | ἐπιούσῃepioûsafollowingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionεἰσῄειeíseimiwent inimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionπαρεγένοντοparagínomaipresentaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.19 | ἀσπασάμενοςgreetingaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐξηγεῖτοexēgéomaireportedimperfect middle indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionἐποίησενpoiéōdoneaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.20 | ἀκούσαντεςheardaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐδόξαζονdoxázōglorifiedimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionεἶπόνépōsaidaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionΘεωρεῖςtheōréōseepresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthπεπιστευκότωνpisteúōbelievedperfect active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
| v.21 | κατηχήθησανkatēchéōinformedaorist passive indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionδιδάσκειςdidáskōteachpresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthλέγωνlégōtellingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionπεριτέμνεινperitémnōcircumcisepresent active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbπεριπατεῖνperipatéōwalkpresent active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verb |
| v.22 | ἀκούσονταιhearfuture middle indicativeprospectiveFuture indicative — anticipated or promised actionἐλήλυθαςérchomaicomeperfect active indicativeresultantPerfect indicative — completed action with present result |
| v.23 | ποίησονpoiéōdoaorist active imperativeimperativeImperative mood — command or exhortationλέγομενlégōtellpresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthἔχοντεςéchōhavepresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
| v.24 | παραλαβὼνparalambánōtakeaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἁγνίσθητιpurifyaorist passive imperativeimperativeImperative mood — command or exhortationδαπάνησονdapanáōpay ~ expensesaorist active imperativeimperativeImperative mood — command or exhortationξυρήσονταιxyráōshavefuture middle indicativeprospectiveFuture indicative — anticipated or promised actionγνώσονταιginṓskōknowfuture middle indicativeprospectiveFuture indicative — anticipated or promised actionκατήχηνταιkatēchéōtoldperfect passive indicativeresultantPerfect indicative — completed action with present resultστοιχεῖςstoichéōwalk orderlypresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthφυλάσσωνphylássōobservingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
| v.25 | πεπιστευκότωνpisteúōbelievedperfect active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἀπεστείλαμενwroteaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionκρίναντεςkrínōdecisionaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionφυλάσσεσθαιphylássōabstain frompresent middle infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verb |
| v.26 | παραλαβὼνparalambánōtookaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐχομένῃéchōnextpresent middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἁγνισθεὶςpurifiedaorist passive participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionεἰσῄειeíseimiwentimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionδιαγγέλλωνdiangéllōannouncingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionπροσηνέχθηprosphérōmadeaorist passive indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.27 | ἔμελλονméllōnearlyimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionσυντελεῖσθαιsynteléōcompletedpresent passive infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbθεασάμενοιtheáomaiseeingaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionσυνέχεονsynchéōstirred upimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionἐπέβαλονepibállōlaidaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.28 | κράζοντεςkrázōshoutingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionβοηθεῖτεhelppresent active imperativeimperativeImperative mood — command or exhortationδιδάσκωνdidáskōteachespresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionεἰσήγαγενeiságōbroughtaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionκεκοίνωκενkoinóōdefiledperfect active indicativeresultantPerfect indicative — completed action with present result |
| v.29 | ἐνόμιζονnomízōsupposedimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionεἰσήγαγενeiságōbroughtaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.30 | ἐκινήθηkinéōstirred upaorist passive indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἐγένετοgínomaicameaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἐπιλαβόμενοιepilambánomaiseizedaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionεἷλκονhelkýōdraggedimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionἐκλείσθησανkleíōshutaorist passive indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed action |
| v.31 | ζητούντωνzētéōseekingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἀποκτεῖναιkillaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἀνέβηcameaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionσυγχύννεταιsynchéōin confusionpresent passive indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truth |
| v.32 | παραλαβὼνparalambánōtookaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionκατέδραμενkatatréchōran downaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἰδόντεςhoráōsawaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐπαύσαντοpaúōstoppedaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionτύπτοντεςtýptōbeatingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
| v.33 | ἐγγίσαςengízōcame upaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐπελάβετοepilambánomaiarrestedaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἐκέλευσεkeleúōorderedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionδεθῆναιdéōboundaorist passive infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἐπυνθάνετοpynthánomaiaskedimperfect middle indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past action |
| v.34 | ἐπεφώνουνepiphōnéōshoutingimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionδυναμένουdýnamaicouldpresent middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionγνῶναιginṓskōfind outaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἐκέλευσενkeleúōorderedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionἄγεσθαιbroughtpresent passive infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verb |
| v.35 | ἐγένετοgínomaicameaorist middle indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionσυνέβηsymbaínōhappenedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionβαστάζεσθαιcarriedpresent passive infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verb |
| v.36 | ἠκολούθειfollowedimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionκράζοντεςkrázōshoutingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionΑἶρεawaypresent active imperativeimperativeImperative mood — command or exhortation |
| v.37 | Μέλλωνméllōwas about topresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionεἰσάγεσθαιeiságōbroughtpresent passive infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbλέγειlégōsaidpresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthἔξεστίνéxestimaypresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthεἰπεῖνépōsayaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verbἔφηphēmírepliedimperfect active indicativebackgroundImperfect indicative — continuous or repeated past actionγινώσκειςginṓskōknowpresent active indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truth |
| v.38 | ἀναστατώσαςstirred up a revoltaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἐξαγαγὼνexágōled ~ outaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
| v.39 | εἶπενépōsaidaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionδέομαιdéomaibegpresent middle indicativeongoingPresent indicative — ongoing, habitual, or general truthἐπίτρεψόνepitrépōletaorist active imperativeimperativeImperative mood — command or exhortationλαλῆσαιlaléōspeakaorist active infinitiveinfinitiveInfinitive — verbal noun or complementary verb |
| v.40 | ἐπιτρέψαντοςepitrépōgiven ~ permissionaorist active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionἑστὼςhístēmistoodperfect active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionκατέσεισεkataseíōmotionedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionγενομένηςgínomaiwasaorist middle participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting actionπροσεφώνησενprosphōnéōaddressedaorist active indicativecompletedAorist indicative — punctiliar or completed actionλέγωνlégōsayingpresent active participleparticipleParticiple — verbal adjective, supporting action |
Verb forms indicate aspect — not interpretive weight. Consult context before drawing conclusions about emphasis.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Theological Argument
Acts 21 argues that Spirit-led obedience may lead directly into suffering. Paul is repeatedly warned of what awaits him in Jerusalem, but he does not interpret suffering as disobedience. He is ready to be bound and even die for the name of the Lord Jesus. In Jerusalem, he honors the leaders and seeks peace with Jewish believers without compromising Gentile freedom. Yet false accusation still leads to violence, arrest, and the next stage of gospel witness.
- 1.Paul’s journey begins immediately after his tearful farewell to the Ephesian elders, continuing the movement toward Jerusalem.
- 2.The disciples at Tyre and the prophet Agabus warn Paul by the Spirit that suffering awaits, showing that the coming arrest is not accidental.
- 3.The believers interpret the warnings as reasons to urge Paul not to go, while Paul understands them as preparation for faithful suffering.
- 4.Paul’s readiness to suffer and die for the name of Jesus reveals that Christ’s mission is more valuable than life itself.
- 5.The community’s statement, 'The Lord’s will be done,' marks surrender to divine sovereignty when persuasion fails.
- 6.Paul’s warm reception in Jerusalem shows fellowship between Gentile mission workers and Jewish believers.
- 7.Paul reports what God has done among the Gentiles, keeping the focus on divine action rather than personal achievement.
- 8.The Jerusalem leaders praise God for Gentile mission fruit, showing unity around God’s work.
- 9.The concern about law-zealous Jewish believers shows that the early church still navigates Jewish identity and Gentile inclusion with pastoral care.
- 10.The elders’ plan seeks to show that Paul does not despise Jewish customs among Jews, while the Gentile decision remains intact.
- 11.Paul’s participation in purification is a voluntary concession for unity, not a retreat from salvation by grace.
- 12.The accusations against Paul are false and inflammatory, especially the claim that he brought a Gentile into the temple.
- 13.The mob’s reaction shows how rumors can weaponize religious zeal into violence.
- 14.Roman intervention preserves Paul’s life, showing providential protection through civil authority.
- 15.Paul is bound with chains, fulfilling the warnings that he would be handed over to Gentiles.
- 16.The crowd’s cry, 'Get rid of him,' echoes rejection language seen elsewhere in Acts and in the passion narrative.
- 17.Paul’s calm request to speak shows his ongoing commitment to witness even while under arrest.
- 18.The chapter ends not with Paul silenced but positioned to testify.
Theological Focus
- Spirit-led warning and obedient suffering
- Submission to the Lord’s will
- Suffering for the name of the Lord Jesus
- Gentile mission reported as God’s work
- Jewish-Gentile unity in the church
- Pastoral sensitivity without gospel compromise
- Voluntary concession for the sake of peace
- False accusation against gospel servants
- Temple, law, and identity tensions
- Mob violence and religious zeal
- Providence through Roman authority
- Paul as chained witness
- The transition from mission travel to legal defense
- Courageous witness under arrest
- Suffering for Christ
- Will of God
- Prophetic Warning
- Gentile Inclusion
- Law and Gospel
- Christian Liberty and Concession
- Church Unity
- False Accusation
- Providence
- Witness Under Arrest
Covenant Significance
Acts 21 shows the new-covenant church still navigating the relationship between Jewish believers, Gentile believers, the law, and temple-centered identity. Gentiles are not placed under the Mosaic law as a salvation requirement, but Paul willingly honors Jewish sensitivities. The chapter displays the tension of covenant transition as the gospel forms one people in Christ amid deep historical, ethnic, and religious pressures.
Old Testament Connections
- Paul reports Gentile inclusion as the work of God.
- Jerusalem leaders praise God for Gentile mission fruit.
- Jewish believers remain zealous for the law, showing the complexity of the transitional period.
- The Jerusalem decision about Gentiles from Acts 15 is reaffirmed.
- Paul’s purification participation is not a denial of Gentile freedom but a concession for Jewish fellowship concerns.
- False temple-defilement accusations show the continuing sensitivity surrounding holiness, Gentiles, and sacred space.
- Paul’s arrest moves the gospel witness from temple conflict into Gentile legal custody.
- The chapter exposes the old covenant boundary tensions that the gospel must address through Christ-centered unity.
- Agabus’s symbolic action resembles prophetic sign-acts in the Old Testament.
- The language of being bound and handed over evokes prophetic suffering and divine purpose.
- Temple purity concerns reflect Old Testament holiness categories, though the accusations against Paul are false.
- The vow and purification setting reflect Jewish law and temple practice.
- The phrase 'The Lord’s will be done' expresses Old Testament-like submission to God’s sovereign purpose.
Canonical Connections
Paul’s journey to Jerusalem parallels the pattern of Spirit-revealed suffering and obedient resolve.
Agabus’s binding with Paul’s belt resembles Old Testament prophetic sign-actions.
Paul’s readiness to suffer for Jesus’ name continues the Acts theme of suffering as honor for Christ.
The Jerusalem leaders reaffirm the prior decision concerning Gentile believers.
Paul’s willingness to participate in purification fits his broader missionary principle of becoming as one under the law to win those under the law, without compromising the gospel.
Paul’s temple accusation resembles the pattern of false accusations against Jesus, Stephen, and the apostles.
The crowd’s demand against Paul echoes rejection patterns toward Jesus and his messengers.
Paul’s arrest begins the path toward testimony before authorities.
Cross References
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are...
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they see, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear,
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News and believe. God, who knows the...
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there; except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which...
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two,...
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be...
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News, so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ,
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is...
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
Clarifies how the passage points to the gospel of Christ.
What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
Indeed, he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the...
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear. I was not rebellious. I have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair. I didn’t hide my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord Yahweh will...
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
For the Lord Yahweh will help me. Therefore I have not been confounded. Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I won’t be disappointed.
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
When Jeremiah had finished speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You shall surely die! Why have you prophesied in Yahweh’s name, saying,...
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard. They let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
“ ‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and he shall offer his offering to Yahweh: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt...
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
Shows Old Testament grounding that frames or supports this passage.
Canon-Wide Connections
Cross-reference data: OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Gospel Clarity
Acts 21 clarifies the gospel by showing Paul willing to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus and by preserving the Acts 15 distinction: Gentiles are received without being placed under the Mosaic law, while Jewish believers are treated with pastoral sensitivity. The gospel creates one people in Christ, but that unity must be guarded through truth, love, and costly witness.
Gospel Guardrails
- Paul is ready to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus.
- The Lord’s will is greater than personal safety.
- Gentile mission fruit is the work of God.
- Jerusalem leaders praise God for what he has done among Gentiles.
- Gentiles are not required to keep the Mosaic law as a condition of salvation.
- The Acts 15 instructions for Gentile believers are reaffirmed.
- Christian liberty can include voluntary sensitivity toward Jewish believers.
- False accusations do not nullify faithful gospel ministry.
- God preserves his witness through Roman intervention.
- Paul’s chains become the next platform for testimony.
- Do not make suffering a sign that someone has missed God’s will.
- Do not confuse voluntary cultural concession with gospel compromise.
- Do not impose Jewish law observance on Gentiles as a salvation requirement.
- Do not use Gentile freedom as an excuse to despise Jewish believers.
- Do not treat rumors as truth.
- Do not let religious zeal operate without justice and careful hearing.
- Do not overlook God’s providence when deliverance comes through ordinary or secular means.
Gospel Cross References
For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are...
having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they see, glorify God in the day of visitation.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear,
For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.
When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News and believe. God, who knows the...
Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there; except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.
and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which...
But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two,...
yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be...
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem
Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News, so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ,
according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is...
Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Primary Emphasis
Acts 21 presents Jesus as the Lord whose name is worth suffering, imprisonment, and even death. Paul’s journey to Jerusalem mirrors a pattern of costly obedience under divine necessity, and his arrest becomes the path by which Christ’s witness will move toward rulers and eventually Rome.
Chapter Contribution
Acts 21 argues that Spirit-led obedience may lead directly into suffering. Paul is repeatedly warned of what awaits him in Jerusalem, but he does not interpret suffering as disobedience. He is ready to be bound and even die for the name of the Lord Jesus. In Jerusalem, he honors the leaders and seeks peace with Jewish believers without compromising Gentile freedom. Yet false accusation still leads to violence, arrest, and the next stage of gospel witness.
Motifs in This Chapter
Trace servant identity, obedient mission, and suffering service across Scripture.
Trace the Spirit's presence, empowerment, renewal, and mission-bearing work across Scripture.
Study temple presence, worship, corruption, judgment, and renewal across Scripture.
Doctrines in This Chapter
Believers share deeply in one another’s burdens and departures.
Believers may exercise freedom wisely for the sake of others.
Following Christ may require pressing forward amid warning and sorrow.
Following Christ may entail imprisonment or death.
Faith enables calm testimony in hostile settings.
Agabus’ earlier sign finds visible fulfillment.
Gentile inclusion fulfills redemptive purposes.
Religious zeal without truth can lead to injustice.
Paul’s heritage frames his testimony but does not replace allegiance to Christ.
Observance of the law is not a basis for salvation.
Prayer frames transitions and uncertain journeys.
God may reveal impending trials without removing them.
God provides moments for witness even within arrest.
God uses governing authorities to preserve His purposes.
The Spirit prepares believers for suffering without nullifying divine calling.
Believers ultimately rest in God’s sovereign purposes.
Faithfulness to Christ may result in false accusation.
Devotion to Jesus outweighs personal preservation.
Jewish and Gentile believers coexist under one gospel.
Cultural awareness and language can serve gospel clarity.
Doctrinal Weight
Paul is ready to be bound and die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
The believers submit to the Lord’s will when Paul cannot be dissuaded from going to Jerusalem.
Agabus prophetically foretells Paul’s binding and handing over to Gentiles.
Paul reports God’s work among the Gentiles, and Jerusalem leaders praise God.
The Jerusalem leaders reaffirm Gentile freedom while addressing Jewish believer concerns about the law.
Paul voluntarily participates in purification without making law observance necessary for Gentile salvation.
Paul and the Jerusalem leaders seek to preserve unity amid Jewish-Gentile tensions.
Paul is seized because of false assumptions about his teaching and temple conduct.
Roman intervention preserves Paul’s life and positions him for further witness.
Paul seeks to speak to the crowd while in custody, beginning the defense-witness section.
Reading Lenses
Theological exposition and fulfillment
- Acts 21 clarifies the gospel by showing Paul willing to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus and by preserving the Acts 15 distinction: Gentiles are received without being placed under the Mosaic law, while Jewish believers are treated with pastoral sensitivity. The gospel creates one people in Christ, but that unity must be guarded through truth, love, and costly witness.
Formation Focus
Acts 21 teaches that Christ’s servants must obey the Lord’s will even when suffering is certain, while pursuing unity, truth, and witness under pressure.
The church must learn to grieve faithfully, discern wisely, refuse rumor-driven judgment, and remain gospel-centered amid cultural and religious tensions.
Courage, surrender, humility, unity, truthfulness, pastoral sensitivity, freedom without arrogance, and readiness to witness under restraint.
Practice Response
- Pray with believers when facing painful obedience.
- Receive warnings as opportunities for courage and preparation.
- Submit to the Lord’s will when the path is costly.
- Report God’s work in ways that lead others to praise him.
- Make voluntary concessions for unity where gospel truth is not compromised.
- Refuse rumor-driven conclusions.
- Guard zeal with truth, patience, and love.
- Trust God’s providence in hostile systems.
- Use restricted circumstances as opportunities for testimony.
Warnings and Misreadings
- Acts 21 warns against confusing Spirit-led obedience with comfort, weaponizing rumors against faithful servants, turning zeal for sacred things into violence, and misunderstanding gospel liberty as hostility toward Jewish believers. It also warns that crowds can be stirred by false assumptions before truth is heard.
- Assuming Paul disobeyed the Spirit by going to Jerusalem, when the chapter presents the Spirit’s warnings as preparation for suffering and Paul’s resolve as submission to the Lord’s will.
- Treating the disciples’ pleas as necessarily the Spirit’s command rather than their interpretation of Spirit-given warnings.
- Reading Paul’s purification participation as compromise of the gospel, when Acts 15’s Gentile decision is reaffirmed in the same passage.
- Assuming Jewish believers’ zeal for the law means they rejected Christ, when the text calls them believers.
- Treating the Jerusalem leaders as enemies of Paul, when they receive him, praise God for Gentile mission, and seek to address rumors.
- Assuming the accusations against Paul were accurate, when Luke explicitly shows they were based on assumption.
- Reading the temple riot as a reason to despise Jewish people, rather than as a specific episode of false accusation and mob violence.
- Missing the providential role of Roman authority in preserving Paul’s life.
- Treating Paul as passive under arrest, when he immediately seeks opportunity to speak.
Discipleship Questions
- Do I assume that the Lord’s will must always lead away from suffering?
- Am I willing to suffer loss for the name of the Lord Jesus?
- When believers I love plead with me to avoid hardship, can I still discern obedience before God?
- Do I say, 'The Lord’s will be done,' only when God’s will matches my preference?
- How do I speak about ministry fruit: as my success or as what God has done?
- Can I make voluntary concessions for unity without surrendering gospel truth?
- Do I understand the difference between gospel freedom and careless offense?
- Have I ever believed or repeated accusations without knowing whether they were true?
- What kind of zeal in me could become destructive if it is not governed by truth and love?
- When I feel trapped by circumstances, do I still seek ways to bear witness?
Pastoral Applications
- Teach Acts 21 as a sober example that Spirit-led obedience may include chains, not merely open doors.
- Help believers distinguish between divine warning and divine prohibition.
- Use Paul’s statement in verse 13 to call the church to costly allegiance to the name of Jesus.
- Teach the church to pray, grieve, and finally submit to the Lord’s will when obedience is painful.
- Use Paul’s report to model God-centered testimony about mission fruit.
- Teach Jewish-Gentile tensions carefully, avoiding both legalism and arrogant dismissal of Jewish believers’ concerns.
- Use the purification episode to explain Christian liberty, voluntary concession, and gospel non-compromise.
- Warn churches about the spiritual danger of rumors, assumptions, and mob-like reactions.
- Show how religious zeal without truth can become violence.
- Encourage believers that God can use civil authorities to preserve gospel witnesses.
- Prepare the church for Acts 22 by showing that Paul’s arrest becomes a pulpit.
Pastoral Trajectories
Paul leaves beloved believers and continues toward Jerusalem despite emotional cost.
The Spirit reveals suffering ahead, and the church finally submits to the Lord’s will.
Paul reports what God has done among Gentiles, and Jerusalem leaders glorify God.
The leaders seek to address false reports about Paul through a visible act of Jewish sensitivity.
Paul’s attempt to avoid unnecessary offense does not prevent hostile misunderstanding.
False accusations transform a temple setting into a violent public attack.
Roman intervention saves Paul’s life but binds him, fulfilling prophetic warnings.
Paul uses the moment of custody to ask for permission to address the crowd.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain
The Biblical World
Chapter At A Glance
Paul travels resolutely toward Jerusalem despite warnings, submits to the Lord’s will, reports Gentile mission fruit to the Jerusalem leaders, participates in a temple-related purification plan, is falsely accused and seized, and receives Roman protection before addressing the crowd.
Acts 21 shows the new-covenant church still navigating the relationship between Jewish believers, Gentile believers, the law, and temple-centered identity. Gentiles are not placed under the Mosaic law as a salvation requirement, but Paul willingly honors Jewish sensitivities. The chapter displays the tension of covenant transition as the gospel forms one people in Christ amid deep historical, ethnic, and religious pressures.
Acts 21 clarifies the gospel by showing Paul willing to suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus and by preserving the Acts 15 distinction: Gentiles are received without being placed under the Mosaic law, while Jewish believers are treated with pastoral sensitivity. The gospel creates one people in Christ, but that unity must be guarded through truth, love, and costly witness.
Courage, surrender, humility, unity, truthfulness, pastoral sensitivity, freedom without arrogance, and readiness to witness under restraint.
Focus Points
- Spirit-led warning and obedient suffering
- Submission to the Lord’s will
- Suffering for the name of the Lord Jesus
- Gentile mission reported as God’s work
- Jewish-Gentile unity in the church
- Pastoral sensitivity without gospel compromise
- Voluntary concession for the sake of peace
- False accusation against gospel servants
- Temple, law, and identity tensions
- Mob violence and religious zeal
- Providence through Roman authority
- Paul as chained witness
- The transition from mission travel to legal defense
- Courageous witness under arrest
- Suffering for Christ
- Will of God
- Prophetic Warning
- Gentile Inclusion
- Law and Gospel
- Christian Liberty and Concession
- Church Unity
- False Accusation
- Providence
- Witness Under Arrest
Cross References
And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me. But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of...
Immediate journey context
It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from ancient times and is read in the synagogues on...
Gentile decision reaffirmed
Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Missionary concession parallel
Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those under the law. To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not...
Paul’s missionary flexibility
“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”
Paul’s appointed suffering
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
Suffering for the name
Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the...
False temple-law accusations
But they all cried out in unison: “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
Rejection language
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”
Rome trajectory
Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.
Chains advancing the gospel
Passages
Chapter opening: Acts 21:1-6
Were parted from them (αποσπασθεντας απ' αυτων). First aorist passive participle of αποσπαω same verb as in 20:30 ; Lu 22:41 . Had set sail (αναχθηνα). First aorist passive of αναγω, the usual verb to put out (up) to sea as in verse 2 (ανηχθημεν). We came with a straight course (ευθυδρομησαντες ηλθομεν). The same verb (aorist active participle of ευθυδρομεω) used by Luke in 16:11 of the voyage from Troas to Samothrace and Neapolis, which see.
Unto Cos (εις την Κο). Standing today, about forty nautical miles south from Miletus, island famous as the birthplace of Hippocrates and Apelles with a great medical school. Great trading place with many Jews. The next day (τη εξης). Locative case with ημερα (day) understood. The adverb εξης is from εχω (future εξω) and means successively or in order. This is another one of Luke's ways of saying "on the next day" (cf.
three others in 20:15 ). Unto Rhodes (εις την Ροδον). Called the island of roses. The sun shone most days and made roses luxuriant. The great colossus which represented the sun, one of the seven wonders of the world, was prostrate at this time. The island was at the entrance to the Aegean Sea and had a great university, especially for rhetoric and oratory. There was great commerce also.
Unto Patara (εις Παταρα). A seaport on the Lycian coast on the left bank of the Xanthus. It once had an oracle of Apollo which rivalled that at Delphi. This was the course taken by hundreds of ships every season.
Having found a ship (ευροντες πλοιον). Paul had used a small coasting vessel (probably hired) that anchored each night at Cos, Rhodes, Patara. He was still some four hundred miles from Jerusalem. But at Patara Paul caught a large vessel (a merchantman) that could sail across the open sea. Crossing over unto Phoenicia (διαπερων εις Φοινικην). Neuter singular accusative (agreeing with πλοιον) present active participle of διαπεραω, old verb to go between (δια) and so across to Tyre.
We went aboard (επιβαντες). Second aorist active participle of επιβαινω.
When we had come in sight of Cyprus (αναφαναντες την Κυπρον). First aorist active participle of αναφαινω (Doric form -φαναντες rather than the Attic -φηναντες), old verb to make appear, bring to light, to manifest. Having made Cyprus visible or rise up out of the sea. Nautical terms. In the N. T. only here and Lu 19:11 which see. On the left hand (ευωνυμον).
Compound feminine adjective like masculine. They sailed south of Cyprus. We sailed (επλεομεν). Imperfect active of common verb πλεω, kept on sailing till we came to Syria. Landed at Tyre (κατηλθομεν εις Τυρον). Came down to Tyre. Then a free city of Syria in honour of its former greatness (cf. the long siege by Alexander the Great). There (εκεισε). Thither, literally.
Only one other instance in N. T. , 22:5 which may be pertinent = εκε (there). Was to unlade (ην αποφορτιζομενον). Periphrastic imperfect middle of αποφορτιζω, late verb from απο and φορτος, load, but here only in the N. T. Literally, "For thither the boat was unloading her cargo," a sort of "customary" or "progressive" imperfect (Robertson, Grammar , p. 884).
Burden (γομον). Cargo, old word, from γεμω, to be full. Only here and Re 18:11 f. in N. T. Probably a grain or fruit ship. It took seven days here to unload and reload.
Having found (ανευροντες). Second aorist active participle of ανευρισκω, to seek for, to find by searching (ανα). There was a church here, but it was a large city and the number of members may not have been large. Probably some of those that fled from Jerusalem who came to Phoenicia ( Ac 11:19 ) started the work here. Paul went also through Phoenicia on the way to the Jerusalem Conference ( 15:3 ).
As at Troas and Miletus, so here Paul's indefatigible energy shows itself with characteristic zeal. Through the Spirit (δια του πνευματος). The Holy Spirit undoubtedly who had already told Paul that bonds and afflictions awaited him in Jerusalem ( 20:23 ). That he should not set foot in Jerusalem (μη επιβαινειν εις Ιεροσολυμα). Indirect command with μη and the present active infinitive, not to keep on going to Jerusalem (Robertson, Grammar , p.
1046). In spite of this warning Paul felt it his duty as before ( 20:22 ) to go on. Evidently Paul interpreted the action of the Holy Spirit as information and warning although the disciples at Tyre gave it the form of a prohibition. Duty called louder than warning to Paul even if both were the calls of God.
That we had accomplished the days (εξαρτισα ημας τας ημερας). First aorist active infinitive of εξαρτιζω, to furnish perfectly, rare in ancient writers, but fairly frequent in the papyri. Only twice in the N. T. , here and 2Ti 3:17 . Finish the exact number of days (seven) of verse 4 . The accusative of general reference ημας is the usual construction and the infinitive clause is the subject of εγενετο.
We departed and went on our journey (εξελθοντες επορευομεθα). Sharp distinction between the first aorist active participle εξελθοντες (from εξερχομα, to go out) and the imperfect middle επορευομεθα from πορευω (we were going on). And they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way (προπεμποντων ημας παντων συν γυναιξ κα τεκνοις). No "and" in the Greek, simply genitive absolute, "They all with wives and children accompanying us," just as at Miletus ( 20:28 ), same verb προπεμπω which see.
The first mention of children in connection with the apostolic churches (Vincent). Vivid picture here as at Miletus, evident touch of an eyewitness. Till we were out of the city (εως εξω της πολεως). Note both adverbial prepositions (εως εξω) clear outside of the city.
Beach (αιγιαλον). As in Mt 13:2 which see. This scene is in public as at Miletus, but they did not care. Bade each other farewell (απεσπασαμεθα αλληλους). First aorist middle of απασπαζομα. Rare compound, here alone in the N.T. Tender scene, but "no bonds of long comradeship, none of the clinging love" (Furneaux) seen at Miletus ( Ac 20:37 f. ). Home again (εις τα ιδια). To their own places as of the Beloved Disciple in Joh 19:27 and of Jesus in Joh 1:11 . This idiom in the papyri also.
Had finished (διανυσαντες). First aorist active participle of διανυω, old verb to accomplish (ανυω) thoroughly (δια), only here in the N. T. From Tyre (απο Τυρου). Page takes (Hackett also) with κατηντησαμεν (we arrived) rather than with "τον πλουν" (the voyage) and with good reason: "And we, having (thereby) finished the voyage, arrived from Tyre at Ptolemais."
Ptolemais is the modern Acre, called Accho in Jud 1:31 . The harbour is the best on the coast of Palestine and is surrounded by mountains. It is about thirty miles south of Tyre. It was never taken by Israel and was considered a Philistine town and the Greeks counted it a Phoenician city. It was the key to the road down the coast between Syria and Egypt and had successively the rule of the Ptolemies, Syrians, Romans.
Saluted (ασπασαμενο). Here greeting as in 21:19 rather than farewell as in 20:1 . The stay was short, one day (ημεραν μιαν, accusative), but "the brethren" Paul and his party found easily. Possibly the scattered brethren ( Ac 11:19 ) founded the church here or Philip may have done it.
On the morrow (τη επαυριον). Another and the more common way of expressing this idea of "next day" besides the three in 20:15 and the one in 21:1 . Unto Caesarea (εις Καισαριαν). Apparently by land as the voyage (πλουν) ended at Ptolemais (verse 7 ). Caesarea is the political capital of Judea under the Romans where the procurators lived and a city of importance, built by Herod the Great and named in honour of Augustus.
It had a magnificent harbour built Most of the inhabitants were Greeks. This is the third time that we have seen Paul in Caesarea, on his journey from Jerusalem to Tarsus ( Ac 9:30 ), on his return from Antioch at the close of the second mission tour ( 18:22 ) and now. The best MSS. omit ο περ Παυλου (we that were of Paul's company) a phrase like that in 13:13 .
Into the house of Philip the evangelist (εις τον οικον Φιλιππου του ευαγγελιστου). Second in the list of the seven ( 6:5 ) after Stephen and that fact mentioned here. By this title he is distinguished from "Philip the apostle," one of the twelve. His evangelistic work followed the death of Stephen ( Ac 8 ) in Samaria, Philistia, with his home in Caesarea. The word "evangelizing" (ευηγγελιζετο) was used of him in 8:40 .
The earliest of the three N. T. examples of the word "evangelist" ( Ac 21:8 ; Eph 4:11 ; 2Ti 4:5 ). Apparently a word used to describe one who told the gospel story as Philip did and may have been used of him first of all as John was termed "the baptizer" (ο βαπτιζων, Mr 1:4 ), then "the Baptist" (ο βαπτιστης, Mt 3:1 ). It is found on an inscription in one of the Greek islands of uncertain date and was used in ecclesiastical writers of later times on the Four Gospels as we do.
As used here the meaning is a travelling missionary who "gospelized" communities. This is probably Paul's idea in 2Ti 4:5 . In Eph 4:11 the word seems to describe a special class of ministers just as we have them today. Men have different gifts and Philip had this of evangelizing as Paul was doing who is the chief evangelist. The ideal minister today combines the gifts of evangelist, herald, teacher, shepherd.
" We abode with him " (εμειναμεν παρ' αυτω). Constative aorist active indicative. Παρ αυτω (by his side) is a neat idiom for "at his house." What a joyful time Paul had in conversation with Philip. He could learn from him much of value about the early days of the gospel in Jerusalem. And Luke could, and probably did, take notes from Philip and his daughters about the beginnings of Christian history.
It is generally supposed that the "we" sections of Acts represent a travel document by Luke (notes made by him as he journeyed from Troas to Rome). Those who deny the Lukan authorship of the whole book usually admit this. So we may suppose that Luke is already gathering data for future use. If so, these were precious days for him.
Virgins which did prophesy (παρθενο προφητευσα). Not necessarily an "order" of virgins, but Philip had the honour of having in his home four virgin daughters with the gift of prophecy which was not necessarily predicting events, though that was done as by Agabus here. It was more than ordinary preaching (cf. 19:6 ) and was put by Paul above the other gifts like tongues ( 1Co 14:1-33 ).
The prophecy of Joel ( 2:28 f. ) about their sons and daughters prophesying is quoted by Peter and applied to the events on the day of Pentecost ( Ac 2:17 ). Paul in 1Co 11:5 gives directions about praying and prophesying by the women (apparently in public worship) with the head uncovered and sharply requires the head covering, though not forbidding the praying and prophesying.
With this must be compared his demand for silence by the women in 1Co 14:34-40 ; 1Ti 2:8-15 which it is not easy to reconcile. One wonders if there was not something known to Paul about special conditions in Corinth and Ephesus that he has not told. There was also Anna the prophetess in the temple ( Lu 2:36 ) besides the inspired hymns of Elizabeth ( Lu 1:42-45 ) and of Mary ( Lu 1:46-55 ).
At any rate there was no order of women prophets or official ministers. There were Old Testament prophetesses like Miriam, Deborah, Huldah. Today in our Sunday schools the women do most of the actual teaching. The whole problem is difficult and calls for restraint and reverence. One thing is certain and that is that Luke appreciated the services of women for Christ as is shown often in his writings ( Lu 8:1-3 , for instance) before this incident.
As we tarried (επιμενοντων ημων). Genitive absolute. Note επ (additional) with μενω as in 12:16 . Many days (ημερας πλειους). More days (than we expected), accusative of time. A certain prophet named Agabus (προφητης ονοματ Αγαβος). A prophet like the daughters of Philip, mentioned already in connection with the famine predicted by him ( Ac 11:28 ), but apparently not a man of prominence like Barnabas, and so no allusion to that former prophecy.
Coming (ελθων, second aorist active participle of ερχομα), taking (αρας, first aorist active participle of αιρω, to take up), binding (δησας, first aorist active participle of δεω, to bind). Vivid use of three successive participles describing the dramatic action of Agabus. Paul's girdle (την ζωνην του Παυλου). Old word from ζωννυμ, to gird. See on 12:8 . His own feet and hands (εαυτου τους ποδας κα τας χειρας).
Basis for the interpretation. Old Testament prophets often employed symbolic deeds ( 1Ki 22:11 ; Jas 2:2 ; Jer 13:1-7 ; Eze 4:1-6 ). Jesus interpreted the symbolism of Peter's girding himself ( Joh 21:18 ). So (ουτως). As Agabus had bound himself. Agabus was just from Jerusalem and probably knew the feeling there against Paul. At any rate the Holy Spirit revealed it to him as he claims.
Shall deliver (παραδωσουσιν). Like the words of Jesus about himself ( Mt 20:19 ). He was "delivered" into the hands of the Gentiles and it took five years to get out of those hands.
Both we and they of that place (ημεις τε κα ο εντοπιο). Usual use of τε κα (both--and). Εντοπιο, old word, only here in N. T. Not to go up (του μη αναβαινειν). Probably ablative of the articular present active infinitive with redundant negative με after παρεκαλουμεν (imperfect active, conative). We tried to persuade him from going up. It can be explained as genitive, but not so likely: We tried to persuade him in respect to not going up.
Vincent cites the case of Regulus who insisted on returning from Rome to Carthage to certain death and that of Luther on the way to the Diet of Worms. Spalatin begged Luther not to go on. Luther said: "Though devils be as many in Worms as tiles upon the roofs, yet thither will I go." This dramatic warning of Agabus came on top of that in Tyre ( 21:4 ) and Paul's own confession in Miletus ( 20:23 ).
It is small wonder that Luke and the other messengers together with Philip and his daughters (prophetesses versus prophet?) joined in a chorus of dissuasion to Paul.
What are you doing weeping? (Τ ποιειτε κλαιοντεσ?) Strong protest as in Mr 11:5 . Breaking my heart (συνθρυπτοντες μου την καρδιαν). The verb συνθρυπτω, to crush together, is late Koine for αποθρυπτω, to break off, both vivid and expressive words. So to enervate and unman one, weakening Paul's determination to go on with his duty. I am ready (Εγω ετοιμως εχω).
I hold (myself) in readiness (adverb, ετοιμως). Same idiom in 2Co 12:14 . Not only to be bound (ου μονον δεθηνα). First aorist passive infinitive of δεω and note ου μονον rather than μη μονον, the usual negative of the infinitive because of the sharp contrast (Robertson, Grammar , p. 1095). Paul's readiness to die, if need be, at Jerusalem is like that of Jesus on the way to Jerusalem the last time.
Even before that Luke ( 9:51 ) said that "he set his face to go on to Jerusalem." Later the disciples will say to Jesus, "Master, the Jews were but now seeking to stone thee; and goest thou thither?" ( Joh 11:8 ). The stature of Paul rises here to heroic proportions "for the name of the Lord Jesus" (υπερ του ονοματος του κυριου Ιησου).
When he would not be persuaded (μη πειθομενου αυτου). Genitive absolute of the present passive participle of πειθω. Literally, "he not being persuaded." That was all. Paul's will (καρδια) was not broken, not even bent. We ceased (ησυχασαμεν). Ingressive aorist active indicative of ησυχαζω, old verb to be quiet, silent. The will of the Lord be done (του κυριου το θελημα γινεσθω).
Present middle imperative of γινομα. There is a quaint naivete in this confession by the friends of Paul. Since Paul would not let them have their way, they were willing for the Lord to have his way, acquiescence after failure to have theirs.
We took up our baggage (επισκευασαμενο). First aorist middle participle of επισκευαζω, old verb to furnish (σκευοσ, επ) with things necessary, to pack up, saddle horses here Ramsay holds. Here only in the N.T. Went up (ανεβαινομεν). Inchoative imperfect active of αναβαινω, we started to go up.
Certain of the disciples (των μαθητων). The genitive here occurs with τινες understood as often in the Greek idiom, the partitive genitive used as nominative (Robertson, Grammar , p. 502). Bringing (αγοντες). Nominative plural participle agreeing with τινες understood, not with case of μαθητων. One Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge (παρ ω ξενισθωμεν Μνασων τιν Κυπριω αρχαιω μαθητη).
A thoroughly idiomatic Greek idiom, incorporation and attraction of the antecedent into the relative clause (Robertson, Grammar , p. 718). Μνασων is really the object of αγοντες or the accusative with παρα or προς understood and should be accusative, but it is placed in the clause after the relative and in the same locative case with the relative ω (due to παρ', beside, with).
Then the rest agrees in case with Μνασων. He was originally from Cyprus, but now in Caesarea. The Codex Bezae adds εις τινα κωμην (to a certain village) and makes it mean that they were to lodge with Mnason at his home there about halfway to Jerusalem. This may be true. The use of the subjunctive ξενισθωμεν (first aorist passive of ξενιζω, to entertain strangers as in Ac 10:6 , 23 , 32 already) may be volitive of purpose with the relative (Robertson, Grammar , pp.
955, 989). The use of αρχαιω for "early" may refer to the fact that he was one of the original disciples at Pentecost as Peter in 15:7 uses ημερων αρχαιων (early days) to refer to his experience at Ceasarea in Ac 10 . "As the number of the first disciples lessened, the next generation accorded a sort of honour to the survivors" (Furneaux).
When we were come (γενομενων ημων). Genitive absolute again, "we having come." Received (απεδεξαντο). Αποδεχομα, to receive from. This old compound only in Luke in the N.T. Gladly (ασμενως). Old adverb ησμενως from ηδομα, to be pleased. Here only in the N.T. Perhaps this first glad welcome was from Paul's personal friends in Jerusalem.
The day following (τη επιουση). As in 20:15 which see. Went in (εισηιε). Imperfect active of εισειμ, old classic verb used only four times in the N. T. ( Ac 3:3 ; 21:18 , 26 ; Heb 9:6 ), a mark of the literary style rather than the colloquial Koine use of εισερχομα. Together with us to James (συν ημιν προς Ιακωβον). So then Luke is present. The next use of "we" is in 27:1 when they leave Caesarea for Rome, but it is not likely that Luke was away from Paul in Jerusalem and Caesarea.
The reports of what was done and said in both places is so full and minute that it seems reasonable that Luke got first hand information here whatever his motive was for so full an account of these legal proceedings to be discussed later. There are many details that read like an eye witness's story ( 21:30 , 35 , 40 ; 22:2 , 3 ; 23:12 , etc.) It was probably the house of James (προς and παρα so used often).
And all the elders were present (παντες τε παρεγενοντο ο πρεσβυτερο). Clearly James is the leading elder and the others are his guests in a formal reception to Paul. It is noticeable that the apostles are not mentioned, though both elders and apostles are named at the Conference in chapter 15. It would seem that the apostles are away on preaching tours. The whole church was not called together probably because of the known prejudice against Paul created by the Judaizers.
He rehearsed (εξηγειτο). Imperfect middle of εξηγεομα, old verb to lead out, to draw out in narrative, to recount. So Paul is pictured as taking his time for he had a great story to tell of what had happened since they saw him last. One by one (καθ' ενα εκαστον). According to each one (item) and the adverbial phrase used as an accusative after the verb εξηγειτο as Demosthenes does (1265), though it could be like καθ' ενα εκαστος in Eph 5:33 .
Which (ων). Genitive attracted from α (accusative) into the case of the unexpressed antecedent τουτων. God had wrought (εποιησεν ο θεος). Summary constative aorist active indicative that gathers up all that God did and he takes pains to give God the glory. It is possible that at this formal meeting Paul observed an absence of warmth and enthusiasm in contrast with the welcome accorded by his friends the day before (verse 17 ).
Furneaux thinks that Paul was coldly received on this day in spite of the generous offering brought from the Gentile Christians. "It looks as though his misgiving as to its reception ( Ro 15:31 ) was confirmed. Nor do we hear that the Christians of Jerusalem later put in so much as a word on his behalf with either the Jewish or the Roman authorities, or expressed any sympathy with him during his long imprisonment at Caesarea" (Furneaux).
The most that can be said is that the Judaizers referred to by James do not appear actively against him. The collection and the plan proposed by James accomplished that much at any rate. It stopped the mouths of those lions.
Glorified (εδοξαζον). Inchoative imperfect, began to glorify God, though without special praise of Paul. How many thousands (ποσα μυριαδες). Old word for ten thousand ( Ac 19:19 ) and then an indefinite number like our "myriads" (this very word) as Lu 12:1 ; Ac 21:20 ; Jude 1:14 ; Re 5:11 ; 9:16 . But it is a surprising statement even with allowable hyperbole, but one may recall Ac 4:4 (number of the men--not women--about five thousand); 5:14 (multitudes both of men and women); 6:7 .
There were undoubtedly a great many thousands of believers in Jerusalem and all Jewish Christians, some, alas, Judaizers ( Ac 11:2 ; 15:1 , 5 ). This list may include the Christians from neighbouring towns in Palestine and even some from foreign countries here at the Feast of Pentecost, for it is probable that Paul arrived in time for it as he had hoped. But we do not have to count the hostile Jews from Asia (verse 27 ) who were clearly not Christians at all.
All zealous for the law (παντες ζηλωτα του νομου). Zealots (substantive) rather than zealous (adjective) with objective genitive (του νομου). The word zealot is from ζηλοω, to burn with zeal, to boil. The Greek used ζηλωτης for an imitator or admirer. There was a party of Zealots (developed from the Pharisees), a group of what would be called "hot-heads," who brought on the war with Rome.
One of this party, Simon Zelotes ( Ac 1:13 ), was in the number of the twelve apostles. It is important to understand the issues in Jerusalem. It was settled at the Jerusalem Conference ( Ac 15 ; Ga 2 ) that the Mosaic ceremonial law was not to be imposed upon Gentile Christians. Paul won freedom for them, but it was not said that it was wrong for Jewish Christians to go on observing it if they wished.
We have seen Paul observing the passover in Philippi ( Ac 20:6 ) and planning to reach Jerusalem for Pentecost ( 20:16 ). The Judaizers rankled under Paul's victory and power in spreading the gospel among the Gentiles and gave him great trouble in Galatia and Corinth. They were busy against him in Jerusalem also and it was to undo the harm done by them in Jerusalem that Paul gathered the great collection from the Gentile Christians and brought it with him and the delegates from the churches.
Clearly then Paul had real ground for his apprehension of trouble in Jerusalem while still in Corinth ( Ro 15:25 ) when he asked for the prayers of the Roman Christians (verses 30-32 ). The repeated warnings along the way were amply justified.
They have been informed concerning thee (κατηχηθησαν περ σου). First aorist passive indicative of κατηχεω. A word in the ancient Greek, but a few examples survive in the papyri. It means to sound (echo, from ηχω, our word) down (κατα), to resound, re-echo, to teach orally. Oriental students today (Arabs learning the Koran) often study aloud. In the N. T. only in Lu 1:4 which see; Ac 18:25 ; 21:21 ; 1Co 14:19 ; Ga 6:6 ; Ro 2:18 .
This oral teaching about Paul was done diligently by the Judaizers who had raised trouble against Peter ( Ac 11:2 ) and Paul ( 15:1 , 5 ). They had failed in their attacks on Paul's world campaigns. Now they try to undermine him at home. In Paul's long absence from Jerusalem, since 18:22 , they have had a free hand, save what opposition James would give, and have had great success in prejudicing the Jerusalem Christians against Paul.
So James, in the presence of the other elders and probably at their suggestion, feels called upon to tell Paul the actual situation. That thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses (οτ αποστασιαν διδασκεις απο Μωυσεως τους κατα τα εθνη παντας Ιουδαιους). Two accusatives with διδασκεις (verb of teaching) according to rule. Literally, "That thou art teaching all the Jews among (κατα) the Gentiles (the Jews of the dispersion as in 2:9 ) apostasy from Moses."
That is the point, the dreadful word αποστασιαν (our apostasy), a late form ( I Macc. 2:15 ) for the earlier αποστασις (cf. 2Th 2:3 for αποστασια). "In the eyes of the church at Jerusalem this was a far more serious matter than the previous question at the Conference about the status of Gentile converts" (Furneaux). Paul had brought that issue to the Jerusalem Conference because of the contention of the Judaizers.
But here it is not the Judaizers, but the elders of the church with James as their spokesman on behalf of the church as a whole. They do not believe this false charge, but they wish Paul to set it straight. Paul had made his position clear in his Epistles (I Corinthians, Galatians, Romans) for all who cared to know. Telling them not to circumcise their children (λεγων μη περιτεμνειν αυτους τα τεκνα).
The participle λεγων agrees with "thou" (Paul), the subject of διδασκεις. This is not indirect assertion, but indirect command, hence the negative μη instead of ου with the infinitive (Robertson, Grammar , p. 1046). The point is not that Paul stated what the Jewish Christians in the dispersion do, but that he says that they (αυτους accusative of general reference) are not to go on circumcising (περιτεμνειν, present active infinitive) their children.
Paul taught the very opposite ( 1Co 7:18 ) and had Timothy circumcised ( Ac 16:3 ) because he was half Jew and half Greek. His own practice is stated in 1Co 9:19 ("to the Jews as a Jew"). Neither to walk after the customs (μηδε τοις εθεσιν περιπατειν). Locative case with infinitive περιπατειν. The charge was here enlarged to cover it all and to make Paul out an enemy of Jewish life and teachings.
That same charge had been made against Stephen when young Saul (Paul) was the leader ( 6:14 ): "Will change the customs (εθη the very word used here) which Moses delivered unto us." It actually seemed that some of the Jews cared more for Moses than for God ( Ac 6:11 ). So much for the charge of the Judaizers.
What is it therefore? (Τ ουν εστιν?) See this form of question by Paul ( 1Co 14:15 , 26 ). What is to be done about it? Clearly James and the elders do not believe these misrepresentations of Paul's teaching, but many do. They will certainly hear (παντως ακουσοντα). Παντως is old adverb, by all means, altogether, wholly, certainly as here and 28:4 ; Lu 4:23 ; 1Co 9:10 .
This future middle of ακουω is the usual form instead of ακουσω. There was no way to conceal Paul's arrival nor was it wise to do so. B C and several cursives omit δε πληθος συνελθειν (The multitude must needs come together).
Do therefore this (τουτο ουν ποιησον). The elders had thought out a plan of procedure by which Paul could set the whole matter straight. We have (εισιν ημιν). "There are to us" (dative of possession as in 18:10 ). Apparently members of the Jerusalem church. Which have a vow on them (ευχην εχοντες αφ'-- or εφ' εαυτων). Apparently a temporary Nazarite vow like that in Nu 6:1-21 and its completion was marked by several offerings in the temple, the shaving of the head ( Nu 6:13-15 ).
Either Paul or Aquila had such a vow on leaving Cenchreae ( Ac 18:18 ). "It was considered a work of piety to relieve needy Jews from the expenses connected with this vow, as Paul does here" (Page). The reading αφ' εαυτων would mean that they had taken the vow voluntarily or of themselves ( Lu 12:57 ; 2Co 3:5 ), while εφ' εαυτων means that the vow lies on them still.
These take (τουτους παραλαβων). Second aorist active participle of παραλαμβανω. Taking these alone. Purify thyself with them (αγνισθητ συν αυτοις). First aorist passive imperative of αγνιζω, old verb to purify, to make pure (αγνος). See the active voice in Jas 4:8 ; 1Pe 1:22 ; 1Jo 3:3 . It is possible to see the full passive force here, "Be purified." But a number of aorist passives in the Koine supplant the aorist middle forms and preserve the force of the middle (Robertson, Grammar , p.
819). That is possible here. Hence, "Purify thyself" is allowable. The word occurs in Nu 6:1 for taking the Nazarite vow. The point is that Paul takes the vow with them. Note αγνισμου in verse 26 . Be at charges for them (δαπανησον επ' αυτοις). First aorist active imperative of old verb δαπαναω, to incur expense, expend. Spend (money) upon (επ') them. Ramsay ( St.
Paul the Traveller , etc. , p. 310) argues that Paul had use of considerable money at this period, perhaps from his father's estate. The charges for five men would be considerable. "A poor man would not have been treated with the respect paid him at Caesarea, on the voyage, and at Rome" (Furneaux). That they may shave their heads (ινα ξυρησοντα την κεφαλην).
Note την κεφαλην, the head (singular). Future middle indicative of ξυραω, late form for the old ξυρεω, to shave, middle to shave oneself or (causative) to get oneself shaved. This use of ινα with the future indicative is like the classic οπως with the future indicative and is common in the N. T. as in the Koine (Robertson, Grammar , p. 984). And all shall know (κα γνωσοντα).
This future middle indicative of γινωσκω (cf. ακουσοντα in verse 22 ) may be independent of ινα or dependent on it like ξυρησοντα, though some MSS. (H L P) have γνωσιν (second aorist subjunctive, clearly dependent on ινα). Of which (ων). Genitive plural of the relative α (accusative) object of the perfect passive verb κατηχηντα (cf. verse 21 κατηχηθησαν) attracted into the case of the omitted antecedent τουτων.
The instruction still in effect. But that thou thyself walkest orderly (αλλα στοιχεις κα αυτος). Στοιχεις is an old verb to go in a row (from στοιχος, row, rank, series), to walk in a line or by rule. In the N. T. only here and Ga 5:25 ; Ro 4:12 ; Php 3:16 . The rule is the law and Paul was not a sidestepper. The idea of the verb is made plain by the participle φυλασσων τον νομον (keeping or observing the law).
We wrote (επεστειλαμεν). First aorist active of επιστελλω, to send to and so to write like our epistle (επιστολη). Old verb, but in the N. T. only here and Ac 15:20 ; Heb 13:22 . It is the very word used by James in this "judgment" at the Conference ( Ac 15:20 , επιστειλα). B D here read απεστειλαμεν from αποστελλω, to send away, to give orders. Wendt and Schuerer object to this as a gloss.
Rather is it an explanation by James that he does not refer to the Gentile Christians whose freedom from the Mosaic ceremonial law was guaranteed at the Jerusalem Conference. James himself presided at that Conference and offered the resolution that was unanimously adopted. James stands by that agreement and repeats the main items (four: anything sacrificed to idols, blood, anything strangled, fornication, for discussion see Ac 15 ) from which they are to keep themselves (direct middle φυλασσεσθα of φυλασσω, indirect command after κριναντες with accusative, αυτους, of general reference).
James has thus again cleared the air about the Gentiles who have believed (πεπιστευκοτων, perfect active participle genitive plural of πιστευω). He asks that Paul will stand by the right of Jewish Christians to keep on observing the Mosaic law. He has put the case squarely and fairly.
Took the men (παραλαβων τους ανδρας). The very phrase used in verse 24 to Paul. The next day (τη εχομενη). One of the phrases in 20:15 for the coming day. Locative case of time. Purifying himself with them (συν αυτοις αγνισθεις, first aorist passive participle of αγνιζω). The precise language again of the recommendation in verse 24 . Paul was conforming to the letter.
Went into the temple (εισηιε εις το ιερον). Imperfect active of εισειμ as in verse 18 which see. Went on into the temple, descriptive imperfect. Paul joined the four men in their vow of separation. Declaring (διαγγελλων). To the priests what day he would report the fulfilment of the vow. The priests would desire notice of the sacrifice. This verb only used by Luke in N.
T. except Ro 11:17 (quotation from the LXX). It is not necessary to assume that the vows of each of the five expired on the same day (Rackham). Until the offering was offered for every one of them (εως ου προσηνεχθη υπερ ενος εκαστου αυτων η προσφορα). This use of εως ου (like εως, alone) with the first aorist passive indicative προσηνεχθη of προσφερω, to offer, contemplates the final result (Robertson, Grammar , pp.
974f.) and is probably the statement of Luke added to Paul's announcement. He probably went into the temple one day for each of the brethren and one for himself. The question arises whether Paul acted wisely or unwisely in agreeing to the suggestion of James. What he did was in perfect harmony with his principle of accommodation in 1Co 9:20 when no principle was involved.
It is charged that here on this occasion Paul was unduly influenced by considerations of expediency and was willing for the Jewish Christians to believe him more of a Jew than was true in order to placate the situation in Jerusalem. Furneaux calls it a compromise and a failure. I do not so see it. To say that is to obscure the whole complex situation. What Paul did was not for the purpose of conciliating his opponents, the Judaizers, who had diligently spread falsehoods about him in Jerusalem as in Corinth.
It was solely to break the power of these "false apostles" over the thousands in Jerusalem who have been deluded by Paul's accusers. So far as the evidence goes that thing was accomplished. In the trouble that comes in Jerusalem and Caesarea the Judaizers cut no figure at all. The Jewish Christians do not appear in Paul's behalf, but there was no opportunity for them to do so.
The explosion that came on the last day of Paul's appearance in the temple was wholly disconnected from his offerings for the four brethren and himself. It must be remembered that Paul had many kinds of enemies. The attack on him by these Jews from Asia had no connexion whatever with the slanders of the Judaizers about Paul's alleged teachings that Jewish Christians in the dispersion should depart from the Mosaic law.
That slander was put to rest forever by his following the advice of James and justifies the wisdom of that advice and Paul's conduct about it.
The seven days (α επτα ημερα). For which Paul had taken the vow, though there may be an allusion to the pentecostal week for which Paul had desired to be present ( 20:16 ). There is no necessary connexion with the vow in 18:15 . In 24:17 Paul makes a general reference to his purpose in coming to Jerusalem to bring alms and offerings (προσφορας, sacrifices). Paul spent seven days in Troas ( 20:6 ), Tyre ( 21:4 ), and had planned for seven here if not more.
It was on the last of the seven days when Paul was completing his offerings about the vows on all five that the incident occurred that was to make him a prisoner for five years. When they saw him in the temple (θεασαμενο αυτον εν τω ιερω). First aorist middle participle of θεαομα (from θεα, a view, cf. theatre) to behold. In the very act of honouring the temple these Jews from Asia raise a hue and cry that he is dishonouring it.
Paul was not known by face now to many of the Jerusalem Jews, though once the leader of the persecution after the death of Stephen and the outstanding young Jew of the day. But the Jews in Ephesus knew him only too well, some of whom are here at the pentecostal feast. They had plotted against him in Ephesus to no purpose ( Ac 19:23-41 ; 20:19 ), but now a new opportunity had come.
It is possible that the cry was led by Alexander put forward by the Jews in Ephesus ( 19:33 ) who may be the same as Alexander the coppersmith who did Paul so much harm ( 2Ti 4:14 ). Paul was not in the inner sanctuary (ο ναος), but only in the outer courts (το ιερον). Stirred up all the multitude (συνεχεον παντα τον οχλον). Imperfect (kept on) active of συνχεω or συνχυνω (-υννω), to pour together, to confuse as in Ac 2:6 ; 9:22 ; 19:31 , 32 ; 21:31 and here to stir up by the same sort of confusion created by Demetrius in Ephesus where the same word is used twice ( 19:31 , 32 ).
The Jews from Ephesus had learned it from Demetrius the silversmith. Laid hands on him (επεβαλαν επ' αυτον τας χειρας). Second aorist (ingressive, with endings of the first aorist, -αν) active indicative of επιβαλλω, old verb to lay upon, to attack (note repetition of επ). They attacked and seized Paul before the charge was made.
Help (βοηθειτε). Present active imperative of βοηθεω, to run (θεω) at a cry (βοη), as if an outrage had been committed like murder or assault. All men everywhere (παντα πανταχη). Alliterative. Πανταχη is a variation in MSS. , often πανταχου, and here only in the N. T. The charges against Paul remind one of those against Stephen ( Ac 6:13 ) in which Paul had participated according to his confession ( 22:20 ).
Like the charges against Stephen and Jesus before him truth and falsehood are mixed. Paul had said that being a Jew would not save a man. He had taught the law of Moses was not binding on Gentiles. He did hold, like Jesus and Stephen, that the temple was not the only place to worship God. But Paul gloried himself in being a Jew, considered the Mosaic law righteous for Jews, and was honouring the temple at this very moment.
And moreover also he brought Greeks also into the temple (ετ τε κα Hελληνας εισηγαγεν εις το ιερον). Note the three particles (ετ τε κα), even (κα). Worse than his teaching (διδασκων) is his dreadful deed: he actually brought (εισηγαγεν, second aorist active indicative of εισαγω). This he had a right to do if they only went into the court of the Gentiles. But these Jews mean to imply that Paul had brought Greeks beyond this court into the court of Israel.
An inscription was found by Clermont-Ganneau in Greek built into the walls of a mosque on the Via Dolorosa that was on the wall dividing the court of Israel from the court of the Gentiles. Death was the penalty to any Gentile who crossed over into the Court of Israel ( The Athenaeum , July, 1871). Hath defiled this holy place (κεκοινωκεν τον αγιον τοπον τουτον).
Present perfect active of κοινοω, to make common (see on 10:14 ). Note vivid change of tense, the defilement lasts (state of completion). All this is the substance of the call of these shrewd conspirators from Ephesus, Jews (not Jewish Christians, not even Judaizers) who hated him for his work there and who probably "spoke evil of the Way before the multitude" there so that Paul had to separate the disciples from the synagogue and go to the School of Tyrannus ( 19:9 f.
). These enemies of Paul had now raised the cry of "fire" and vanish from the scene completely ( 24:19 ). This charge was absolutely false as we shall see, made out of inferences of hate and suspicion.
For (γαρ). Luke adds the reason for the wild charges made against Paul. They had before seen (ησαν προεωρακοτες). Periphrastic past perfect of προοραω, old verb to see before, whether time or place. Only twice in the N. T. , here and Ac 2:25 quoted from Ps 15:8 . Note the double reduplication in -εω- as in Attic (Robertson, Grammar , p. 364). With him in the city Trophimus the Ephesian (Τροφιμον τον Εφεσιον εν τη πολε συν αυτω).
The Jews from Asia (Ephesus) knew Trophimus by sight as well as Paul. One day they saw both of them together (συν) in the city. That was a fact. They had just seized Paul in the temple (ιερον). That was another fact. They supposed (ενομιζον). Imperfect active of νομιζω, common to think or suppose. Perfectly harmless word, but they did, as so many people do, put their supposed inference on the same basis with the facts.
They did not see Trophimus with Paul now in the temple, nor had they ever seen him there. They simply argued that, if Paul was willing to be seen down street with a Greek Christian, he would not hesitate to bring him (therefore, did bring him, εισηγαγεν as in verse 28 ) into the temple, that is into the court of Israel and therefore both Paul and Trophimus were entitled to death, especially Paul who had brought him in (if he had) and, besides, they now had Paul.
This is the way of the mob-mind in all ages. Many an innocent man has been rushed to his death by the fury of a lynching party.
All the city was shaken (εκινηθη η πολις ολη). First aorist passive of κινεω, common verb for violent motion and emotion. See also 24:5 where the word is used by Tertullus of Paul as the stirrer up of riots! The people ran together (εγενετο συνδρομη του λαου). Rather, There came a running together (συν-δρομη from συν-τρεχω) of the people. The cry spread like wildfire over the city and there was a pell-mell scramble or rush to get to the place of the disturbance.
They laid hold on Paul (επιλαβομενο του Παυλου). Second aorist middle participle of επιλαμβανομα with the genitive (cf. επεβαλαν in verse 27 ). Dragged (ειλκον). Imperfect active of ελκω (and also ελκυω), old verb to drag or draw. Imperfect tense vividly pictures the act as going on. They were saving the temple by dragging Paul outside. Curiously enough both επιλαβομενο and ειλκυσαν occur in 16:19 about the arrest of Paul and Silas in Philippi.
Straightway the doors were shut (ευθεως εκλεισθησαν α θυρα). With a bang and at once. First aorist (effective) passive of κλειω. The doors between the inner court and the court of the Gentiles. But this was only the beginning, the preparation for the real work of the mob. They did not wish to defile the holy place with blood. The doors were shut by the Levites.
As they were seeking to kill him (ζητουντων αυτων). Genitive absolute of ζητεω, to seek, without αυτων (they). This was their real purpose. Tidings (φασις). From φαινω, to show. Old word for the work of informers and then the exposure of secret crime. In LXX. Here only in the N. T. Came up (ανεβη). Naturally in the wild uproar. The Roman guard during festivals was kept stationed in the Tower of Antonia at the northwest corner of the temple overlooking the temple and connected by stairs (verse 35 ).
To the chief captain (τω χιλιαρχω). Commander of a thousand men or cohort ( Mr 15:16 ). His name was Claudius Lysias. Of the band (της σπειρης). Each legion had six tribunes and so each tribune (chiliarch) had a thousand if the cohort had its full quota. See on 10:1 ; 27:1 . The word is the Latin spira (anything rolled up). Note the genitive σπειρης instead of σπειρας (Attic).
Was in confusion (συνχυννετα). Present passive indicative of συνχυννω (see verse 27 , συνεχεον). This is what the conspirators had desired.
Forthwith (εξαυτης). Common in the Koine (εξ αυτης, supply ωρας, hour). He took (παραλαβων). See verses 24 , 26 . Centurions (εκατονταρχας). See on Lu 7:2 for discussion. Plural shows that Lysias the chiliarch took several hundred soldiers along (a centurion with each hundred). Ran down (κατεδραμεν). Effective second aorist active indicative of κατατρεχω. From the tower of Antonia, vivid scene.
And they (ο δε). Demonstrative use of ο. The Jewish mob who had begun the work of killing Paul (verse 31 ). Left off beating Paul (επαυσαντο τυπτοντες τον Παυλον). The participle with παυομα describes what they were already doing, the supplementary participle (Robertson, Grammar , p. 1121). They stopped before the job was over because of the sudden onset of the Roman soldiers.
Some ten years before in a riot at the passover the Roman guard marched down and in the panic several hundred were trampled to death.
Came near (εγγισας). First aorist active participle of εγγιζω, to draw near, Koine verb from εγγυς, near, and common in the N. T. Laid hold on him (επελαβετο αντου). See same verb in verse 30 . To be bound (δεθηνα). First aorist passive infinitive of δεω (see verse 11 ). With two chains (αλυσεσ δυσ). Instrumental case of αλυσις, old word from α privative and λυω (not loosing, i.
e. chaining). With two chains as a violent and seditious person, probably leader of a band of assassins (verse 38 ). See on Mr 5:4 . Inquired (επυνθανετο). Imperfect middle of πυνθανομα, old and common verb used mainly by Luke in the N. T. Lysias repeated his inquiries. Who he was (τις ειη). Present active optative of ειμ changed from εστιν (present indicative) in the indirect question, a change not obligatory after a past tense, but often done in the older Greek, rare in the N.
T. (Robertson, Grammar , p. 1043f.) And what he had done (κα τ εστιν πεποιηκως). Periphrastic perfect active indicative of ποιεω here retained, not changed to the optative as is true of ειη from εστιν in the same indirect question, illustrating well the freedom about it.
Some shouting one thing, some another (αλλο αλλο τ επεφωνουν). Same idiom of αλλο αλλο as in 19:32 which see. The imperfect of επιφωνεω, to call out to, suits well the idiom. This old verb occurs in the N. T. only in Luke and Acts (already in 12:22 ). When he could not know (μη δυναμενου αυτου γνωνα). Genitive absolute of present middle participle of δυναμα with negative μη and second aorist active infinitive of γινωσκω.
The certainty (το ασφαλες). Neuter articular adjective from α privative and σφαλλω, to make totter or fall. Old word, in the N. T. only in Ac 21:34 ; 22:30 ; 25:26 ; Php 3:1 ; Heb 6:19 . Into the castle (εις την παρεμβολην). Koine word from παρεμβαλλω, to cast in by the side of, to assign soldiers a place, to encamp (see on Lu 19:43 ). So παρεμβολη comes to mean an interpolation, then an army drawn up ( Heb 11:34 ), but mainly an encampment ( Heb 13:11 , 13 ), frequent in Polybius and LXX.
So here barracks of the Roman soldiers in the tower of Antonia as in verse 37 ; 22:24 ; 23:10 , 16 , 32 .
Upon the stairs (επ τους αναβαθμους). From ανα, up, and βαινω, to go. Late word, in LXX and Koine writers. In the N. T. only here and verse 40 . So it was (συνεβη). Second aorist active of συμβαινω, to happen (see on 20:19 ) with infinitive clause as subject here as often in the old Greek. He was borne (βασταζεσθα αυτον). Accusative of general reference with this subject infinitive, present passive of βασταζω, to take up with the hands, literally as here.
Violence (βιαν). See on Ac 5:26 . Βιαζω, to use force, is from βια.
Followed after (ηκολουθε). Imperfect active of ακολυθεω, was following. Cheated of their purpose to lynch Paul, they were determined to have his blood. Crying out (κραζοντες). Construction according to sense, plural masculine participle agreeing with neuter singular substantive πληθος (Robertson, Grammar , p. 401). Away with him (Αιρε αυτον). The very words used by the mob to Pilate when they chose Barabbas in preference to Jesus ( Lu 23:18 , Αιρε τουτον).
He will hear it again from this same crowd ( Ac 22:22 ). It is the present imperative (αιρε) as in Lu 23:18 , but some may have used the urgent aorist active imperative as also in the case of Jesus Joh 19:15 , αρον, αρον with σταυρωσον added). Luke does not say that this mob demanded crucifixion for Paul. He was learning what it was to share the sufferings of Christ as the sullen roar of the mob's yells rolled on and on in his ears.
May I say something unto thee? (Ε εξεστιν μο ειπειν τ προς σε?) On this use of ε in a direct question see on 1:6 . The calm self-control of Paul in the presence of this mob is amazing. His courteous request to Lysias was in Greek to the chiliarch's amazement. Dost thou know Greek? (Hελληνιστ γινωσκεισ?) Old Greek adverb in - from Hελληνιζω, meaning "in Greek."
"Do you know it in Greek?" In the N. T. only here and Joh 19:20 . Art thou not then the Egyptian? (Ουκ αρα συ ε ο Αιγυπτιοσ?) Expects the answer Yes and αρα argues the matter (therefore). The well-known (ο) Egyptian who had given the Romans so much trouble. Stirred up to sedition (αναστατωσας). First aorist active participle of αναστατοω, a late verb from αναστατος, outcast, and so to unsettle, to stir up, to excite, once known only in LXX and Ac 17:6 (which see); 21:38 ; Ga 5:12 , but now found in several papyri examples with precisely this sense to upset.
Of the Assassins (των σικαριων). Latin word sicarius , one who carried a short sword σιχα under his cloak, a cutthroat. Josephus uses this very word for bands of robbers under this Egyptian ( War II. 17,6 and 13,5; Ant . XX. 8,10). Josephus says that there were 30,000 who gathered on the Mount of Olives to see the walls of Jerusalem fall down and not merely 4,000 as Lysias does here.
But Lysias may refer to the group that were armed thus (banditti) the core of the mob of 30,000. Lysias at once saw by Paul's knowledge of Greek that he was not the famous Egyptian who led the Assassins and escaped himself when Felix attacked and slew the most of them.
I am (Εγω μεν ειμ). In contrast with the wild guess of Lysias Paul uses μεν and δε. He tells briefly who he is: a Jew (Ιουδαιος) by race, of Tarsus in Cilicia (Ταρσευς της Κιλικιας) by country, belonging to Tarsus (this adjective Ταρσευς only here and Ac 9:11 ), and proud of it, one of the great cities of the empire with a great university. A citizen of no mean city (ουκ ασημου πολεως πολιτης).
Litotes again, "no mean" (ασημος, old adjective, unmarked, α privative and σημα, mark, insignificant, here only in the N. T.) This same litotes used by Euripides of Athens ( Ion 8). But Paul calls himself a citizen (πολιτης) of Tarsus. Note the "effective assonance" (Page) in πολεως πολιτης. Paul now (δε) makes his request (δεομα) of Lysias. Give me leave (επιτρεψον μο).
First aorist active imperative of επιτρεπω, old and common verb to turn to, to permit, to allow. It was a strange request and a daring one, to wish to speak to this mob howling for Paul's blood.
When he had given him leave (επιτρεψαντος αυτου). Genitive absolute of aorist active participle of the same verb επιτρεπω. Standing on the stairs (εστως επ των αναβαθμων). Second perfect active participle of ιστημ, to place, but intransitive to stand. Dramatic scene. Paul had faced many audiences and crowds, but never one quite like this. Most men would have feared to speak, but not so Paul.
He will speak about himself only as it gives him a chance to put Christ before this angry Jewish mob who look on Paul as a renegade Jew, a turncoat, a deserter, who went back on Gamaliel and all the traditions of his people, who not only turned from Judaism to Christianity, but who went after Gentiles and treated Gentiles as if they were on a par with Jews. Paul knows only too well what this mob thinks of him.
Beckoned with the hand (κατεσεισε τη χειρ). He shook down to the multitude with the hand (instrumental case χειρ), while Alexander, Luke says ( 19:33 ), "shook down the hand" (accusative with the same verb, which see). In 26:1 Paul reached out the hand (εκτεινας την χειρα). When there was made a great silence (πολλης σιγης γενομενης). Genitive absolute again with second aorist middle participle of γινομα, "much silence having come."
Paul waited till silence had come. In the Hebrew language (τη Εβραιδ διαλεκτω). The Aramaean which the people in Jerusalem knew better than the Greek. Paul could use either tongue at will. His enemies had said in Corinth that "his bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible" ( 2Co 10:10 ). But surely even they would have to admit that Paul's stature and words reach heroic proportions on this occasion.
Self-possessed with majestic poise Paul faces the outraged mob beneath the stairs.