Bible Commentaries
Vincent's Word Studies
Acts 21
Gotten from ( ἀποσπασθέντας )
Withdrawn. Some see in the word an expression of the grief and reluctance with which they parted, and render having torn ourselves away. See on Luke 22:41.
With a straight course
See on Luke 16:11.
Discovered ( ἀναφάναντες )
Better, sighted. A nautical phrase. The verb literally means to bring to light: and its use here is analogous to the English marine phrase, to raise the land.
Finding disciples ( ἀνευρόντες τοὺς μαθητὰς )
The verb means to discover after search; and the article, the disciples, refers to the disciples who lived and were recognized members of the church there. The A. V. overlooks both the preposition and the article. The verb might be rendered strictly by our common phrase, “having looked up the disciples.” See on Luke 2:16. A small number of disciples is implied in Acts 21:5.
Accomplished ( ἐξαρτίσαι )
Only here and 2 Timothy 3:17, where it is used in the sense of equip or furnish.
Children
The first time that children are mentioned in the notice of a Christian church.
Shore ( αἰγιαλὸν )
Rev., beach. See on Matthew 13:2.
Finished ( διανύσαντες )
Only here in New Testament.
Saluted
The word rendered take leave in Acts 21:6. See on Acts 20:1.
We that were of Paul's company
The best texts omit.
Philip
See ch. 8.
The seven
The first deacons. See Acts 6:5.
Bound his own feet and hands
Imitating the symbolical acts of the Old Testament prophets. See 1 Kings 22:11; Isaiah 20:1-3; Jeremiah 13:1-7; Ezekiel 4:1-6. Compare John 21:18.
Besought him not to go up
This suggests the case of Luther when on his journey to the Diet of Worms, and the story of Regulus the Roman, who, being permitted to return to Rome with an embassy from the Carthaginians, urged his countrymen to reject the terms of peace, and to continue the war, and then, against the remonstrances of his friends, insisted on fulfilling his promise to the Carthaginians to return in the event of the failure of negotiations, and went back to certain torture and death.
Took up our carriages ( ἀποσκευασάμενοι )
The verb means to pack up and carry off, or simply to pack or store away. Hence, some explain that Paul packed and stored the greater part of his luggage in Caesarea. The best texts, however, read ἐπισκευασάμενοι , having equipped ourselves. Carriages is used in the old English sense, now obsolete, of that which is carried, baggage. See 1 Samuel 17:22, A. V.
Bringing with them, etc
This would imply that Mnason was at Caesarea, and accompanied Paul and his companions to Jerusalem. It seems better to suppose that the disciples accompanied the apostle in order to introduce him to Mnason, whom they knew. Render, conducting us to Mnason, with whom we should lodge.
Old ( ἀρχαίῳ )
Better, as Rev., early. The rendering old might be taken to mean aged; whereas the word means of long standing.
They are informed ( κατηχήθησαν )
More than informed. They had been carefully instructed, probably by the Judaizing teachers. See on instructed, Luke 1:4.
To forsake Moses ( ἀποστασίαν ἀπὸ Μωσέως )
Lit., apostasy from Moses. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
What is it therefore?
How does the matter lie? What is to be done?
The multitude must needs come together
Some texts omit. So Rev. If retained, we should read a multitude.
Be at charges with them ( δαπάνησον ἐπ ' αὐτοῖς )
Lit., spend upon them. Pay the necessary charges on their account. Hence Rev., rightly, “for them.” The person who thus paid the expenses of poor devotees who could not afford the necessary charges shared the vow so far that he was required to stay with the Nazarites until the time of the vow had expired. “For a week, then, St. Paul, if he accepted the advice of James and the presbyters, would have to live with four paupers in the chamber of the temple which was set apart for this purpose; and then to pay for sixteen sacrificial animals and the accompanying meat-offerings” (Farrar, “Life and Work of Paul”). He must also stand among the Nazarites during the offering of the sacrifices, and look on while their heads were shaved, and while they took their hair to burn it under the caldron of the peace-offerings, “and while the priest took four sodden shoulders of rams, and four unleavened cakes out of the four baskets, and four unleavened wafers anointed with oils and put them on the hands of the Nazarites, and waved them for a wave-offering before the Lord” (Farrar).
Walkest orderly ( στοιχεῖς )
See on elements, 2 Peter 3:10.
Purifying himself ( ἁγνισθεὶς ).
See on 1 Peter 1:22; and James 4:8.
Declaring ( διαγγέλλων )
To the priests who directed the sacrifices and pronounced release from the vow.
Fulfilment - until, etc
There is some dispute and confusion here as to the precise meaning. The general sense is that, having entered the temple toward the close of the period required for the fulfilment of these men's vow, he gave notice that the vowed number of Nazarite days had expired, after which only the concluding offering was required
Asia
See on Acts 2:9.
Stirred up ( συνέχεον )
Only here in New Testament. Lit., poured together, threw into confusion. See on confounded, Acts 2:6; and confusion, Acts 19:40.
This place
The temple. Compare the charge against Stephen, Acts 6:13.
Greeks
See on Acts 6:1.
Temple ( ἱερὸν )
See on Matthew 4:5. The Jews evidently meant to create the impression that Paul had introduced Gentiles into the inner court, which was restricted to the Jews. The temple proper was on the highest of a series of terraces which rose from the outer court, or Court of the Gentiles. In this outer court any stranger might worship. Between this and the terraces was a balustrade of stone, with columns at intervals, on which Greek and Latin inscriptions warned all Gentiles against advancing farther on pain of death. Beyond this balustrade rose a flight of fourteen steps to the first platform, on which was the Court of the Women, surrounded by a wall. In this court were the treasury, and various chambers, in one of which the Nazarites performed their vows. It was here that the Asiatic Jews discovered Paul.
Drew him out of the temple
Better, as Rev., dragged ( εἷλκον ). Out of the sacred enclosure and down the steps to the outer court, as they would not defile the temple proper with blood.
The doors were shut
Between the inner and outer courts.
Chief captain ( χιλιάρχῳ )
A commander of a thousand men. See on Mark 6:21; and on centurion, Luke 7:2.
Band ( σπείρης )
Or cohort. See on Mark 15:16. These troops were quartered in the tower of Antonia, which was at the northwestern corner of the temple-area, and communicated with the temple-cloisters by staircases.
Castle ( παρευβολήν )
Better, barracks. The main tower had a smaller tower at each corner, the one at the southeastern corner being the largest and overlooking the temple. In this tower were the quarters of the soldiers. The word is derived from the verb παρεμβάλλω , to put in beside, used in military language of distributing auxiliaries among regular troops and, generally, of drawing up in battle-order. Hence the noun means, a body drawn up in battle-array, and passes thence into the meaning of an encampment, soldiers' quarters, barracks. In Hebrews 11:34, it occurs in the earlier sense of an army; and in Hebrews 13:11, Hebrews 13:13; Revelation 20:9, in the sense of an encampment. In grammatical phraseology it signifies a parenthesis, according to its original sense of insertion or interpolation.
Stairs
Leading from the temple-court to the tower. There were two flights, one to the northern and the other to the western cloister, so that the guard could go different ways among the cloisters in order to watch the people at the Jewish festivals.
So it was ( συνέβη )
Lit., it happened. The verb means, literally, to come together; hence, of a coincidence of events. It is designedly introduced here to express more vividly the fact of the peculiar emergency and the peril of Paul's situation. Things came to such a pass that he had to be carried up the stairs.
Art thou not ( οὐκ ἄρα οὺ εἶ )
Indicating the officer's surprised recognition of his own mistake. “Thou art not, then, as I supposed.” Rev. properly adds then ( ἄρα )The Egyptian
A false prophet, who, in the reign of Nero, when Felix was governor of Judaea, collected a multitude of thirty thousand, whom he led from the wilderness to the Mount of Olives, saying that the walls of Jerusalem would fall down at his command and give them free entrance to the city. Felix with an army dispersed the multitude, and the Egyptian himself escaped. There is a discrepancy in the number of followers as stated by Josephus (80,000) and as stated by the commandant here (4,000). It is quite possible, however, that Josephus alludes to the whole rabble, while Lysias is referring only to the armed followers.
Madest an uproar
Better, as Rev., stirred up to sedition. The rendering of the A. V. is too vague. The verb means to unsettle or upset, and the true idea is given in the A. V. of Acts 17:6, have turned the world upside down. Compare Galatians 5:12, and kindred words in Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19.
That were murderers ( τῶν σικαρίων )
The A. V. is too general, and overlooks the force of the article, which shows that the word refers to a class. Rev., rightly, the assassins. The word, which occurs only here, and notably on the lips of a Roman officer, is one of those Latin words which “followed the Roman domination even into those Eastern provinces of the empire which, unlike those of the West, had refused to be Latinized, but still retained their own language” (Trench, “Synonyms”). The Sicarii were so called from the weapon which they used - the sica, or short, curved dagger. Josephus says: “There sprang up in Jerusalem another description of robbers called Sikars, who, under the broad light of day, and in the very heart of the city, assassinated men; chiefly at the festivals, however, when, mixing among the crowd, with daggers concealed under their cloaks, they stabbed those with whom they were at variance. When they fell, the murderers joined in the general expressions of indignation, and by this plausible proceeding remained undetected” (“Jewish War,” c. xiii.). The general New Testament term for murderer is φονεύς (see Matthew 22:7; Acts 3:14; Acts 28:4, etc.).
Mean ( ἀσήμου )
Lit., without a mark or token ( σῆμα )Hence used of uncoined gold or silver: of oracles which give no intelligible response: of inarticulate voices: of disease without distinctive symptoms. Generally, as here, undistinguished, mean. There is a conscious feeling of patriotism in Paul's expression.
Beckoned with the hand
Compare Acts 26:1.
Tongue ( διαλέκτῳ )
Lit., dialect: the language spoken by the Palestinian Jews - a mixture of Syriac and Chaldaic.
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