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Acts 21:18-40

Context
21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there.¹ 21:19 When Paul² had greeted them, he began to explain³ in detail⁴ what God⁵ had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised⁶ God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews⁷ there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers⁸ of the law.⁹ 21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living¹⁰ among the Gentiles to abandon¹¹ Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children¹² or live¹³ according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt¹⁴ hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what¹⁵ we tell you: We have four men¹⁶ who have taken¹⁷ a vow;¹⁸ 21:24 take them and purify¹⁹ yourself along with them and pay their expenses,²⁰ so that they may have their heads shaved.²¹ Then²² everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told²³ about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with²⁴ the law.²⁵ 21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided²⁶ that they should avoid²⁷ meat that has been sacrificed to idols²⁸ and blood and what has been strangled²⁹ and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day,³⁰ and after he had purified himself³¹ along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice³² of the completion of the days of purification,³³ when³⁴ the sacrifice would be offered for each³⁵ of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over,³⁶ the Jews from the province of Asia³⁷ who had seen him in the temple area³⁸ stirred up the whole crowd³⁹ and seized⁴⁰ him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel,⁴¹ help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law,⁴² and this sanctuary!⁴³ Furthermore⁴⁴ he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple⁴⁵ and made this holy place ritually unclean!”⁴⁶ 21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and⁴⁷ they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)⁴⁸ 21:30 The whole city was stirred up,⁴⁹ and the people rushed together.⁵⁰ They seized⁵¹ Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts,⁵² and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying⁵³ to kill him, a report⁵⁴ was sent up⁵⁵ to the commanding officer⁵⁶ of the cohort⁵⁷ that all Jerusalem was in confusion.⁵⁸ 21:32 He⁵⁹ immediately took⁶⁰ soldiers and centurions⁶¹ and ran down to the crowd.⁶² When they saw⁶³ the commanding officer⁶⁴ and the soldiers, they stopped beating⁶⁵ Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer⁶⁶ came up and arrested⁶⁷ him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains;⁶⁸ he⁶⁹ then asked who he was and what⁷⁰ he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else,⁷¹ and when the commanding officer⁷² was unable⁷³ to find out the truth⁷⁴ because of the disturbance,⁷⁵ he ordered Paul⁷⁶ to be brought into the barracks.⁷⁷ 21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul⁷⁸ had to be carried⁷⁹ by the soldiers because of the violence⁸⁰ of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people⁸¹ followed them,⁸² screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks,⁸³ he said⁸⁴ to the commanding officer,⁸⁵ “May I say⁸⁶ something to you?” The officer⁸⁷ replied,⁸⁸ “Do you know Greek?⁸⁹ 21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion⁹⁰ and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’⁹¹ into the wilderness⁹² some time ago?”⁹³ 21:39 Paul answered,⁹⁴ “I am a Jew⁹⁵ from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city.⁹⁶ Please⁹⁷ allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer⁹⁸ had given him permission,⁹⁹ Paul stood¹⁰⁰ on the steps and gestured¹⁰¹ to the people with his hand. When they had become silent,¹⁰² he addressed¹⁰³ them in Aramaic,¹⁰⁴

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

[21:19] ²tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19] ³tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19] ⁴tn 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] ⁵sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20] ⁶tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20] ⁷tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20] ⁸tn 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] ⁹sn 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] ¹⁰tn 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] ¹¹tn 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] ¹²sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21] ¹³tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22] ¹⁴tn 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] ¹⁵tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23] ¹⁶tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23] ¹⁷tn 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] ¹⁸tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24] ¹⁹sn 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] ²⁰tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24] ²¹tn 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] ²²tn 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] ²³tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24] ²⁴tn 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] ²⁵sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25] ²⁶tn 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] ²⁷tn 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] ²⁸tn 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] ²⁹sn 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] ³⁰tn 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] ³¹tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26] ³²tn 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] ³³sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26] ³⁴tn 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] ³⁵tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27] ³⁶tn 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] ³⁷tn 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] ³⁸tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27] ³⁹tn 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] ⁴⁰tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28] ⁴¹tn 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] ⁴²sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28] ⁴³tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28] ⁴⁴tn 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] ⁴⁵tn 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] ⁴⁶tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:29] ⁴⁷tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29] ⁴⁸tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:30] ⁴⁹tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30] ⁵⁰tn 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.”

[21:30] ⁵¹tn 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.

[21:30] ⁵²tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31] ⁵³tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31] ⁵⁴tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31] ⁵⁵tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31] ⁵⁶tn 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.

[21:31] ⁵⁷sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31] ⁵⁸tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32] ⁵⁹tn 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.

[21:32] ⁶⁰tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32] ⁶¹sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32] ⁶²tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32] ⁶³tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32] ⁶⁴tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32] ⁶⁵sn 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.

[21:33] ⁶⁶tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33] ⁶⁷tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33] ⁶⁸tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33] ⁶⁹tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.

[21:33] ⁷⁰tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34] ⁷¹tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”

[21:34] ⁷²tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34] ⁷³tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”

[21:34] ⁷⁴tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34] ⁷⁵tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34] ⁷⁶tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34] ⁷⁷tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:35] ⁷⁸tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35] ⁷⁹sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.

[21:35] ⁸⁰tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36] ⁸¹tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plhqo") is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.

[21:36] ⁸²tn 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 be supplied for the modern English reader.

[21:37] ⁸³tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:37] ⁸⁴tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37] ⁸⁵tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37] ⁸⁶tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37] ⁸⁷tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37] ⁸⁸tn Grk “said.”

[21:37] ⁸⁹sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.

[21:38] ⁹⁰tn L&N 39.41 has “οὐκ ἄρα σὺ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστατώσας ‘then you are not that Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion’ Ac 21:38.”

[21:38] ⁹¹tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38] ⁹²tn Or “desert.”

[21:38] ⁹³tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39] ⁹⁴tn Grk “said.”

[21:39] ⁹⁵tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39] ⁹⁶tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).

[21:39] ⁹⁷tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40] ⁹⁸tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40] ⁹⁹tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40] ¹⁰⁰tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40] ¹⁰¹tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40] ¹⁰²tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”

[21:40] ¹⁰³tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[21:40] ¹⁰⁴tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.