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Text -- Acts 21:1-39 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem
21:1 After we tore ourselves away from them , we put out to sea , and sailing a straight course , we came to Cos , on the next day to Rhodes , and from there to Patara .
21:2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia , went aboard , and put out to sea .
21:3 After we sighted Cyprus and left it behind on our port side , we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre , because the ship was to unload its cargo there .
21:4 After we located the disciples , we stayed there seven days . They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem .
21:5 When our time was over , we left and went on our way . All of them, with their wives and children , accompanied us outside of the city . After kneeling down on the beach and praying ,
21:6 we said farewell to one another . Then we went aboard the ship , and they returned to their own homes .
21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais , and when we had greeted the brothers , we stayed with them for one day .
21:8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea , and entered the house of Philip the evangelist , who was one of the seven , and stayed with him .
21:9 (He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied .)
21:10 While we remained there for a number of days , a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea .
21:11 He came to us , took Paul’s belt , tied his own hands and feet with it, and said , “The Holy Spirit says this : ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is , and will hand him over to the Gentiles .’”
21:12 When we heard this , both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem .
21:13 Then Paul replied , “What are you doing , weeping and breaking my heart ? For I am ready not only to be tied up , but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus .”
21:14 Because he could not be persuaded , we said no more except , “The Lord’s will be done .”
21:15 After these days we got ready and started up to Jerusalem .
21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea came along with us too, and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus , a disciple from the earliest times , with whom we were to stay .
21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem , the brothers welcomed us gladly .
21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James , and all the elders were there .
21:19 When Paul had greeted them , he began to explain in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry .
21:20 When they heard this, they praised God . Then they said to him , “You see , brother , how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed , and they are all ardent observers of the law .
21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living among the Gentiles to abandon Moses , telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs .
21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt hear that you have come .
21:23 So do what we tell you : We have four men who have taken a vow ;
21:24 take them and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses , so that they may have their heads shaved . Then everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told about you , but that you yourself live in conformity with the law .
21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed , we have written a letter , having decided that they should avoid meat that has been sacrificed to idols and blood and what has been strangled and sexual immorality .”
21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day , and after he had purified himself along with them , he went to the temple and gave notice of the completion of the days of purification , when the sacrifice would be offered for each of them .
21:27 When the seven days were almost over , the Jews from the province of Asia who had seen him in the temple area stirred up the whole crowd and seized him ,
21:28 shouting , “Men of Israel , help ! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people , our law , and this sanctuary ! Furthermore he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple and made this holy place ritually unclean !”
21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts .)
21:30 The whole city was stirred up , and the people rushed together . They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts , and immediately the doors were shut .
21:31 While they were trying to kill him , a report was sent up to the commanding officer of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion .
21:32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd . When they saw the commanding officer and the soldiers , they stopped beating Paul .
21:33 Then the commanding officer came up and arrested him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains ; he then asked who he was and what he had done .
21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, and when the commanding officer was unable unable to find out the truth because of the disturbance , he ordered Paul to be brought into the barracks .
21:35 When he came to the steps , Paul had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob ,
21:36 for a crowd of people followed them, screaming , “Away with him !”
21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks , he said to the commanding officer , “May I say something to you ?” The officer replied , “Do you know Greek ?
21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins ’ into the wilderness some time ago ?”
21:39 Paul answered , “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia , a citizen of an important city . Please allow me to speak to the people .”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Paul |
LYCIA |
Synagogue |
Luke |
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 13-OUTLINE |
John |
Minister |
Prisoners |
Prudence |
Tyre |
PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 5 |
Trophimus |
Claudius Lysias |
ANTONIA |
APOSTOLIC AGE |
Claudius |
TERTULLUS |
Opinion, Public |
Lysias, Claudius |
James |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Act 21:1; Act 21:1; Act 21:1; Act 21:1; Act 21:1; Act 21:1; Act 21:1; Act 21:1; Act 21:2; Act 21:2; Act 21:2; Act 21:2; Act 21:3; Act 21:3; Act 21:3; Act 21:3; Act 21:3; Act 21:4; Act 21:4; Act 21:4; Act 21:4; Act 21:4; Act 21:4; Act 21:5; Act 21:5; Act 21:5; Act 21:5; Act 21:5; Act 21:6; Act 21:6; Act 21:6; Act 21:6; Act 21:7; Act 21:7; Act 21:8; Act 21:8; Act 21:8; Act 21:8; Act 21:8; Act 21:9; Act 21:9; Act 21:10; Act 21:10; Act 21:11; Act 21:11; Act 21:11; Act 21:11; Act 21:11; Act 21:11; Act 21:11; Act 21:12; Act 21:13; Act 21:13; Act 21:14; Act 21:14; Act 21:14; Act 21:15; Act 21:15; Act 21:15; Act 21:16; Act 21:16; Act 21:16; Act 21:16; Act 21:17; Act 21:18; Act 21:18; Act 21:19; Act 21:19; Act 21:19; Act 21:19; Act 21:20; Act 21:20; Act 21:20; Act 21:20; Act 21:20; Act 21:21; Act 21:21; Act 21:21; Act 21:21; Act 21:21; Act 21:22; Act 21:23; Act 21:23; Act 21:23; Act 21:23; Act 21:24; Act 21:24; Act 21:24; Act 21:24; Act 21:24; Act 21:24; Act 21:24; Act 21:24; Act 21:25; Act 21:25; Act 21:25; Act 21:25; Act 21:25; Act 21:26; Act 21:26; Act 21:26; Act 21:26; Act 21:26; Act 21:26; Act 21:27; Act 21:27; Act 21:27; Act 21:27; Act 21:27; Act 21:27; Act 21:28; Act 21:28; Act 21:28; Act 21:28; Act 21:28; Act 21:28; Act 21:28; Act 21:28; Act 21:29; Act 21:29; Act 21:29; Act 21:30; Act 21:30; Act 21:30; Act 21:30; Act 21:31; Act 21:31; Act 21:31; Act 21:31; Act 21:31; Act 21:31; Act 21:32; Act 21:32; Act 21:32; Act 21:32; Act 21:32; Act 21:32; Act 21:32; Act 21:33; Act 21:33; Act 21:33; Act 21:33; Act 21:33; Act 21:34; Act 21:34; Act 21:34; Act 21:34; Act 21:34; Act 21:34; Act 21:34; Act 21:35; Act 21:35; Act 21:35; Act 21:36; Act 21:36; Act 21:37; Act 21:37; Act 21:37; Act 21:37; Act 21:37; Act 21:37; Act 21:37; Act 21:38; Act 21:38; Act 21:38; Act 21:38; Act 21:38; Act 21:39; Act 21:39; Act 21:39; Act 21:39
NET Notes: Act 21:1 Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).
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NET Notes: Act 21:4 For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
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NET Notes: Act 21:7 Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.
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NET Notes: Act 21:8 Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).
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NET Notes: Act 21:9 This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Luke again noted women who were gifted in the early church (see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical His...
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NET Notes: Act 21:10 Agabus also appeared in Acts 11:28. He was from Jerusalem, so the two churches were still in contact with one another.
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NET Notes: Act 21:11 The Jews…will tie up…and will hand him over. As later events will show, the Jews in Jerusalem did not personally tie Paul up and hand him ...
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NET Notes: Act 21:13 L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is...
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NET Notes: Act 21:14 “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.
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NET Notes: Act 21:15 In colloquial speech Jerusalem was always said to be “up” from any other location in Palestine. The group probably covered the 65 mi (105 ...
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NET Notes: Act 21:16 Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “...
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NET Notes: Act 21:18 All the elders were there. This meeting shows how the Jerusalem church still regarded Paul and his mission with favor, but also with some concerns bec...
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NET Notes: Act 21:20 That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).
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NET Notes: Act 21:22 L&N 71.16 has “pertaining to being in every respect certain – ‘certainly, really, doubtless, no doubt.’…‘they ...
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NET Notes: Act 21:25 What has been strangled. That is, to refrain from eating animals that had been killed without having the blood drained from them. According to the Mos...
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NET Notes: Act 21:28 Has brought Greeks…unclean. Note how the issue is both religious and ethnic, showing a different attitude by the Jews. A Gentile was not permitt...
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NET Notes: Act 21:29 This is a parenthetical note by the author. The note explains the cause of the charge and also notes that it was false.
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NET Notes: Act 21:32 The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman ...
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NET Notes: Act 21:34 Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Rom...
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NET Notes: Act 21:36 The word “them” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must ...
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NET Notes: Act 21:37 “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was...
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