21:1 After 1 we 2 tore ourselves away 3 from them, we put out to sea, 4 and sailing a straight course, 5 we came to Cos, 6 on the next day to Rhodes, 7 and from there to Patara. 8 21:2 We found 9 a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, 10 went aboard, 11 and put out to sea. 12 21:3 After we sighted Cyprus 13 and left it behind on our port side, 14 we sailed on to Syria and put in 15 at Tyre, 16 because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we located 17 the disciples, we stayed there 18 seven days. They repeatedly told 19 Paul through the Spirit 20 not to set foot 21 in Jerusalem. 22 21:5 When 23 our time was over, 24 we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied 25 us outside of the city. After 26 kneeling down on the beach and praying, 27 21:6 we said farewell 28 to one another. 29 Then 30 we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. 31 21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre 32 and arrived at Ptolemais, 33 and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we left 34 and came to Caesarea, 35 and entered 36 the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, 37 and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had four unmarried 38 daughters who prophesied.) 39
21:10 While we remained there for a number of days, 40 a prophet named Agabus 41 came down from Judea. 21:11 He came 42 to us, took 43 Paul’s belt, 44 tied 45 his own hands and feet with it, 46 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 47 to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people 48 begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking 49 my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, 50 but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded, 51 we said no more except, 52 “The Lord’s will be done.” 53
21:15 After these days we got ready 54 and started up 55 to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea 56 came along with us too, and brought us to the house 57 of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, 58 with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. 59 21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. 60 21:19 When Paul 61 had greeted them, he began to explain 62 in detail 63 what God 64 had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised 65 God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews 66 there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers 67 of the law. 68 21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living 69 among the Gentiles to abandon 70 Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children 71 or live 72 according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt 73 hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what 74 we tell you: We have four men 75 who have taken 76 a vow; 77 21:24 take them and purify 78 yourself along with them and pay their expenses, 79 so that they may have their heads shaved. 80 Then 81 everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told 82 about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with 83 the law. 84 21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided 85 that they should avoid 86 meat that has been sacrificed to idols 87 and blood and what has been strangled 88 and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, 89 and after he had purified himself 90 along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice 91 of the completion of the days of purification, 92 when 93 the sacrifice would be offered for each 94 of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, 95 the Jews from the province of Asia 96 who had seen him in the temple area 97 stirred up the whole crowd 98 and seized 99 him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, 100 help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, 101 and this sanctuary! 102 Furthermore 103 he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple 104 and made this holy place ritually unclean!” 105 21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and 106 they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) 107 21:30 The whole city was stirred up, 108 and the people rushed together. 109 They seized 110 Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, 111 and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying 112 to kill him, a report 113 was sent up 114 to the commanding officer 115 of the cohort 116 that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 117 21:32 He 118 immediately took 119 soldiers and centurions 120 and ran down to the crowd. 121 When they saw 122 the commanding officer 123 and the soldiers, they stopped beating 124 Paul.
1 tn Grk “It happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Since the action described by the participle ἀποσπασθέντας (apospasqenta", “tearing ourselves away”) is prior to the departure of the ship, it has been translated as antecedent action (“after”).
2 sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.
3 tn BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποσπάω 2.b has “pass. in mid. sense ἀ. ἀπό τινος tear oneself away Ac 21:1”; LSJ 218 gives several illustrations of this verb meaning “to tear or drag away from.”
4 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”
5 tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course”; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”
6 sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.
7 sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.
8 sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).
9 tn Grk “and finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.
10 sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.
11 tn Grk “going aboard, we put out to sea.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
12 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”
13 sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.
14 sn The expression left it behind on our port side here means “sailed past to the south of it” since the ship was sailing east.
15 tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”
16 sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia. From Patara to Tyre was about 400 mi (640 km). It required a large cargo ship over 100 ft (30 m) long, and was a four to five day voyage.
17 tn BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνευρίσκω has “look/search for (w. finding presupposed) τινά…τοὺς μαθητάς Ac 21:4.” The English verb “locate,” when used in reference to persons, has the implication of both looking for and finding someone. The participle ἀνευρόντες (aneuronte") has been taken temporally.
18 tn BDAG 154 s.v. αὐτοῦ states, “deictic adv. designating a position relatively near or far…there…Ac 21:4.”
19 tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγον (elegon) has been taken iteratively.
20 sn Although they told this to Paul through the Spirit, it appears Paul had a choice here (see v. 14). Therefore this amounted to a warning: There was risk in going to Jerusalem, so he was urged not to go.
21 tn BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω places Ac 21:4 under 1, “go up/upon, mount, board…πλοίῳ…Ac 27:2…Abs. go on board, embark…21:1 D, 2. – So perh. also ἐ. εἰς ᾿Ιεροσόλυμα embark for Jerusalem (i.e. to the seaport of Caesarea) vs. 4.” BDAG notes, however, “But this pass. may also belong to 2. to move to an area and be there, set foot in.” Because the message from the disciples to Paul through the Holy Spirit has the character of a warning, the latter meaning has been adopted for this translation.
22 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
23 tn Grk “It happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
24 tn Grk “When our days were over.” L&N 67.71 has “ὅτε δὲ ἐγένετο ἡμᾶς ἐξαρτίσαι τὰς ἡμέρας ‘when we brought that time to an end’ or ‘when our time with them was over’ Ac 21:5.”
25 tn Grk “accompanying.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the participle προπεμπόντων (propempontwn) translated as a finite verb.
26 tn Grk “city, and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
27 sn On praying in Acts, see 1:14, 24; 2:47; 4:23; 6:6; 10:2; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 16:25.
28 tn BDAG 98 s.v. ἀπασπάζομαι has “take leave of, say farewell to τινά someone…ἀπησπασάμεθα ἀλλήλους we said farewell to one another Ac 21:6.”
29 sn These words are part of v. 5 in the standard critical Greek text.
30 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.
31 tn Grk “to their own”; the word “homes” is implied.
32 sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.
33 sn Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.
34 tn Grk “On the next day leaving, we came.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
35 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was another 40 mi (65 km).
36 tn Grk “and entering…we stayed.” The participle εἰσελθόντες (eiselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
37 sn Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).
38 tn Grk “virgin.” While the term παρθένος (parqeno") can refer to a woman who has never had sexual relations, the emphasis in this context seems to be on the fact that Philip’s daughters were not married (L&N 9.39).
39 sn 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 History 3.31; 3.39).
40 tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.α has “ἐπὶ ἡμέρας πλείους for a (large) number of days, for many days…Ac 13:31. – 21:10…24:17; 25:14; 27:20.”
41 sn Agabus also appeared in Acts 11:28. He was from Jerusalem, so the two churches were still in contact with one another.
42 tn Grk “And coming.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
43 tn Grk “and taking.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. The participle ἄρας (aras) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
44 sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).
45 tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
46 tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
47 tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).
48 tn Or “the people there.”
49 tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).
50 tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.
51 tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
52 tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”
53 sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.
54 tn Or “we made preparations.”
55 tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
56 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.
57 tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).
58 tn Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “ἀ. μαθητής a disciple of long standing (perh. original disc.) Ac 21:16.”
59 tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).
60 tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”
61 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
62 tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
63 tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”
64 sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.
65 tn Or “glorified.”
66 tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”
67 tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”
68 sn 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).
69 tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.
70 tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”
71 sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.
72 tn Grk “or walk.”
73 tn L&N 71.16 has “pertaining to being in every respect certain – ‘certainly, really, doubtless, no doubt.’…‘they will no doubt hear that you have come’ Ac 21:22.”
74 tn Grk “do this that.”
75 tn Grk “There are four men here.”
76 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.”
77 tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.
78 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).
79 tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”
80 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.”
81 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.
82 tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).
83 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.’”
84 sn The law refers to the law of Moses.
85 tn L&N 13.154 has “‘having decided that they must keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from an animal that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality’ Ac 21:25.”
86 tn This is a different Greek word than the one used in Acts 15:20, 29. BDAG 1068 s.v. φυλάσσω 3 has “to be on one’s guard against, look out for, avoid…w. acc. of pers. or thing avoided…Ac 21:25.” The Greek word used in Acts 15:20, 29 is ἀπέχω (apecw). The difference in meaning, although slight, has been maintained in the translation.
87 tn There is no specific semantic component in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος that means “meat” (see BDAG 280 s.v. εἰδωλόθυτος; L&N 5.15). The stem –θυτος means “sacrifice” (referring to an animal sacrificially killed) and thereby implies meat.
88 sn 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 Mosaic law (Lev 17:13-14) Jews were forbidden to eat flesh with the blood still in it (note the preceding provision in this verse, and blood).
89 tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 11.b.β has “temporal, to be next, immediately following…τῇ ἐχομένῃ…on the next day Lk 13:33…Ac 20:15; w. ἡμέρᾳ added…21:26.”
90 tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.
91 tn Grk “entered the temple, giving notice.” The participle διαγγέλλων (diangellwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
92 sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.
93 tn Grk “until” (BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.β.א), but since in English it is somewhat awkward to say “the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice would be offered,” the temporal clause was translated “when the sacrifice would be offered.” The point is that the sacrifice would be offered when the days were completed. Paul honored the request of the Jewish Christian leadership completely. As the following verse makes clear, the vow was made for seven days.
94 tn Grk “for each one.”
95 tn BDAG 975 s.v. συντελέω 4 has “to come to an end of a duration, come to an end, be over…Ac 21:27.”
96 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
97 tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.
98 tn Or “threw the whole crowd into consternation.” L&N 25.221 has “συνέχεον πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ‘they threw the whole crowd into consternation’ Ac 21:27. It is also possible to render the expression in Ac 21:27 as ‘they stirred up the whole crowd.’”
99 tn Grk “and laid hands on.”
100 tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.
101 sn The law refers to the law of Moses.
102 tn Grk “this place.”
103 tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
104 tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.
105 tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”
106 tn Grk “whom.”
107 tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.
108 tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.
109 tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”
110 tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.
111 tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.
112 tn Grk “seeking.”
113 tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).
114 tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.
115 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
116 sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.
117 tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”
118 tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
119 tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
120 sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.
121 tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
122 tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.
123 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
124 sn 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 officials take care of the matter from this point on.