Acts 21:23-24

21:23 So do what ¹  we tell you: We have four men ²  who have taken ³  a vow; ⁴  21:24 take them and purify ⁵  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ⁶  so that they may have their heads shaved. ⁷  Then ⁸  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ⁹  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ¹⁰  the law. ¹¹ 

[21:23]  ¹ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ² tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ³ tn L&N 33.469 has “‘there are four men here who have taken a vow’ or ‘we have four men who…’ Ac 21:23.”

[21:23]  ⁴ tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ⁵ sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).

[21:24]  ⁶ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ⁷ tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shaved…τὴν κεφαλήν have one’s head shaved…Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ⁸ tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:24]  ⁹ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs – ‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”

[21:24]  ¹¹ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.