Acts 21:11-28

21:11 He came ¹  to us, took ²  Paul’s belt, ³  tied ⁴  his own hands and feet with it, ⁵  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 ⁶  to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people ⁷  begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking ⁸  my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, ⁹  but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded, ¹⁰  we said no more except, ¹¹  “The Lord’s will be done.” ¹² 

21:15 After these days we got ready ¹³  and started up ¹⁴  to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea ¹⁵  came along with us too, and brought us to the house ¹⁶  of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, ¹⁷  with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. ¹⁸  21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ¹⁹  21:19 When Paul ²⁰  had greeted them, he began to explain ²¹  in detail ²²  what God ²³  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ²⁴  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ²⁵  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ²⁶  of the law. ²⁷  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ²⁸  among the Gentiles to abandon ²⁹  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ³⁰  or live ³¹  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ³²  hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what ³³  we tell you: We have four men ³⁴  who have taken ³⁵  a vow; ³⁶  21:24 take them and purify ³⁷  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ³⁸  so that they may have their heads shaved. ³⁹  Then ⁴⁰  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ⁴¹  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ⁴²  the law. ⁴³  21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ⁴⁴  that they should avoid ⁴⁵  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ⁴⁶  and blood and what has been strangled ⁴⁷  and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ⁴⁸  and after he had purified himself ⁴⁹  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ⁵⁰  of the completion of the days of purification, ⁵¹  when ⁵²  the sacrifice would be offered for each ⁵³  of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, ⁵⁴  the Jews from the province of Asia ⁵⁵  who had seen him in the temple area ⁵⁶  stirred up the whole crowd ⁵⁷  and seized ⁵⁸  him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ⁵⁹  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ⁶⁰  and this sanctuary! ⁶¹  Furthermore ⁶²  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ⁶³  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ⁶⁴ 

[21:11]  ¹ 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.

[21:11]  ² 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.

[21:11]  ³ 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).

[21:11]  ⁴ tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁵ tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[21:12]  ⁷ tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13]  ⁸ 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).

[21:13]  ⁹ 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.

[21:14]  ¹⁰ tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14]  ¹¹ tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14]  ¹² sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.

[21:15]  ¹³ tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:16]  ¹⁵ 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.

[21:16]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

[21:16]  ¹⁷ 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.”

[21:17]  ¹⁸ tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:19]  ²⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ²¹ tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ²² 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.”

[21:19]  ²³ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ²⁴ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ²⁵ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  ²⁶ 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.”

[21:20]  ²⁷ 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).

[21:21]  ²⁸ 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.

[21:21]  ²⁹ 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.”

[21:21]  ³⁰ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ³¹ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ³² 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.”

[21:23]  ³³ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ³⁴ tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25]  ⁴⁴ 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.”

[21:25]  ⁴⁵ 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.

[21:25]  ⁴⁶ 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.

[21:25]  ⁴⁷ 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).

[21:26]  ⁴⁸ 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.”

[21:26]  ⁴⁹ tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ⁵⁰ 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.

[21:26]  ⁵¹ sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ⁵² 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.

[21:26]  ⁵³ tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27]  ⁵⁴ 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.”

[21:27]  ⁵⁵ 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.

[21:27]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27]  ⁵⁷ 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.’”

[21:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28]  ⁵⁹ 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.

[21:28]  ⁶⁰ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  ⁶² 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.

[21:28]  ⁶³ 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.

[21:28]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”