They were not trying to renegotiate the terms under which Gentiles could be allowed into the church. Gal. Do therefore this that we say to thee: we have four men which have a vow on them; them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. Paul agreed to take part in this ritual purification because he knew that it was not a matter of salvation. And all the city was moved and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut (Acts 21:27-30). After Paul had gotten from, or torn himself from, the disciples of Ephesus, he moved on toward Jerusalem, stopping at Tyre, where he sought and found disciples (Acts 20:37-21:4). Acts 21, Smith's Bible Commentary, One of over 125 Bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is written by one of the most influential men of the modern Christianity movement. The Nazirite vow, unless it had a specified time, normally lasted 30 days. This test came through a certain prophet named Agabus, who came down from Judaea. Acts 21: 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular. 3; Rom. The shout was similar to that which greeted Jesus in about the same spot over a quarter of a century earlier (Luke 23:18;John 19:15). Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? Acts 21:27-29 MSG When the seven days of their purification were nearly up, some Jews from around Ephesus spotted him in the Temple. The suggested strategy by the church elders to have Paul take part in the purification rites had backfired. Of Latin origin; Paulus, the name of a Roman and of an apostle. Paul and a delegation from Antioch had earlier met with Christians in Phoenicia (and presumably in Tyre) on their way to the Jerusalem council (15:3). Share So Paul purified himself and entered into the temple until the 7 days be fulfilled. where he is apprehended, and in great danger, but by the chief captain is rescued; and requests, and is permitted to speak to the people. He knew them thoroughly, having been a major player at the conference. Clermont-Gannau in 1871 and two Greek fragments of another were found in 1935. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. In this case, when Pauls ship reached Tyre it had to unload its cargo, which apparently took several days. The most popular Bible verses from Acts 21 Found 40 Verses Acts 21:22 Bible Rank: 3,349. 2. He had him bound with two chains and demanded who he was and what he had done. Some of the confused Jews cried one thing and some another and when he could not find out who Paul was and what he had done because of the tumult he carried him as a prisoner unto the castle. is it therefore? He did not want to dishonour the temple of the Jews who still were under the law. he will not be dissuaded from going thither. chapter 15). In any case, the request of James and the elders had nothing to do with the way Paul was carrying out the Gentile mission. From prosphero; presentation; concretely, an oblation or sacrifice. 1 Cor. Perhaps they thought Paul had brought the entire delegation into its inner courts.) This was a reference to the letter that the Elders had written years earlier where at the council of Jerusalem it had been disputed whether the gentiles who were coming to Christ should be made to conform to the Jewish law. In this case, it was through an inspired prophet from the Jerusalem church. 19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven: 20And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. of Asia--in all . The elders explained the problem to Paul: You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. NKJV - when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. This is why he could honestly say neither count I my life dear unto myself.. The Seven Days of Purification. Something had to be done to put the evil rumors to rest. After all, they contend, if Peter could sin (Gal. They had no intention of going back on their previous ruling. NET Bible copyright 1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. When the group arrived in the Jerusalem area, it stayed at the home of Mnason, a long-time disciple from Cyprus (21:16). James was the leader and spokesperson of the Jerusalem church, just as he was during the landmark conference of A.D. 49 (15:13). And these discussions were not mere passing allusions, as were Peters brief references to the Gentiles in Acts 2 (which he did not comprehend at the time, cf. Share This very clearly was not Pauls idea. Acts 21:27 The Voice (VOICE) 27 The seven days of purification were almost completed when some Jews from Asia recognized Paul in the temple. Luke devoted a disproportionate amount of space to these four years. Paul quickly identified himself as a Jew. Luke here identified Philip as one of the Seven (21:8). Most likely the church would have liked to help Paul, but it was powerless to intervene. Clarify Paul had feared that he might be rejected by the Jerusalem church (Romans 15:31). They repeated the four stipulations to emphasize that, as far as they were concerned, the stipulations were still valid. He especially emphasized a few speeches Paul delivered as well as his harrowing sea voyage to Rome. Writings of the early church and Church fathers. This position has an obvious weakness. There is no evidence that the apostle was under a vow. Who was the father of Mary the mother of Jesus Christ? Paul here was underscoring his loyalty to the Roman Empire. Luke, the Gentile delegation and the Caesarean disciples pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem (21:12). Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines. The full nazarite vow, which would have included abstinence from wine and strong drink as per the law in the book of Numbers would have started long before Paul joined in for the last 7 days. The following solution, therefore, was proposed. Paul had just arrived in Jerusalem, against the advice of disciples in Tyre who were led by the spirit to warn Paul. They will certainly hear that you have come NIV. As Frank Goodwin observed, Pauls conduct in this transaction was perfectly consistent with his previous teaching and practices (A Harmony of the Life of St. Paul, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1951, p. 121). At once they turned the place upside-down. For less than $5/mo. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs (21:20-21). Agabus, foretelling what should befall him at Jerusalem. He could go to Jerusalem or not. This refers back to his appointment along with six others to take care of the Hellenistic Jewish widows in the Jerusalem church (6:1-6). Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them (Acts 21:18-26). When her days of purification are complete, whether for a son or daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. It was renamed Acre in Crusader days. The Romans killed and captured many of the Egyptians followers, though he escaped. He wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth that there was nothing wrong in eating food sold in the meat market, although most such meat had previously been sacrificed to an idol (1 Corinthians 8:4). While Paul was at the home of Philip, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea (21:10). 27The seven days of purification were almost completed when some Jews from Asia recognized Paul in the temple. Paul did not perform the ritual for HIS sake. Acts 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: 23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren sendgreeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: 24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: 25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Neither is it clear why the crowd, which was in a hysterical frame of mind, would have even listened to a word of what Paul had to say. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Eventually, though, they got around to telling the great apostle about a problem they felt was serious. The elders approached Paul with a request regarding these four individuals. by Gary Deddo. Perhaps the commander thought Paul was an uneducated foreigner, but Paul spoke Greek like a native, without the accent common in Judea. Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. We have already been told in Acts that Paul does not teach against the Jewish Torah in and of itself. The woman herself is to bring her offerings according to Leviticus 12:6, 8. Ablution of the person and of the clothes was required in the cases mentioned in ( Leviticus 15:18 ; Leviticus 11:25 Leviticus 11:40 ; Leviticus 15:18 Leviticus 15:17 ) In cases of childbirth the sacrifice was increased to a lamb of the first year, with a pigeon or turtle-dove. Richard Longenecker writes, They were saying to Paul, We can accept this gift from the churches and so identify ourselves with your Gentile mission, if you will join with these men and identify yourself openly with the nation. Thus they were protecting themselves against Jewish recriminations while at the same time affirming their connection with Paul and his mission (Acts,The Expositors Bible Commentary,page 520). Here was the problem: a report had been circulated widely that Paul went about constantly teaching that Jews, especially those who lived in Gentile lands, should forsake, (apostasia cf. 2019 Grace Bible Church of Fort Worth, Inc. Why he should have been startled to hear Paul speak Greek is not clear, since it was the lingua franca of the Roman world at the time. If one is to err in judging this episode, it is best to err on the side of respect and love for Gods noble apostle. Patara was a commercial city and possessed a fine harbor. Others argue that the apostle was sincere in yielding to this procedure; he simply did not fully understandat this pointthat the law had been abrogated. In order to put this matter into proper focus, some background relative to the passage needs to be considered. And Paul had been accused of that by Diaspora Jews. After a week at Tyre, the ship was ready to sail, and Paul prepared to continue his trip to Jerusalem. Pauls decision was apparently in his own hands. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their . of http://netbible.com All rights reserved. Then they said to Paul that these believing Jews knew that he was teaching the Jews amongst the gentiles NOT to follow Moses. Fare ye well. Many students of the Word are quick to criticize Paul for making his last visit to Jerusalem. He was not disappointed. So it was the will of the Lord that Paul go to Jerusalem but through the holy spirit he was warned of what would happen once he got there, in order to prepare him for such consequences. Acts 21:26 Act 21:26. 1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. Cups and pots and brazen vessels were washed as a matter of ritual observance. Several views have been offered relative to this matter. That is, that he was teachingJewsnot to practice their ancestral religion. But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Silicia, a citizen of no mean city; and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people (Acts 21:37-39). What shall we do? Jesus cleansed himself when he had no need to do so when he was baptised by John. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. He would have been directly responsible to the procurator at Caesarea. This move on his part was in perfect harmony with his testimony found inI Corinthians 9:19-22For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. To have, hold, possess. The chief captain took soldiers and centurions with him and rescued Paul from the hands of the Jews. The Image of God in the Bible, by Michael Morrison, Studies in Galatians, Ephesians and Philippians, Studies in the Pastoral Epistles and Philemon, Preaching in the Book of Acts Part 1: Peter, Preaching in the Book of Acts Part 2: Paul, A Harmony of the Conversion and Commission of Paul, Christians and the Law of Moses: A Study of Acts 15, Decree of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) Part 1: The Literary Flow of Acts 15, Decree of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) Part 2: The Decrees Purpose, A Harmony of the Conversion and Commission of Paul - Acts 9:1-30; 22:3-21; 26:9-20, Decree of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). Philip was called an evangelist (21:8). 2023 Fortify Your Faith Foundation. He thought that if Paul had entertained a clearer perception of the abolition of the law, he would not have done what he did here especially later on, after writing the books of Ephesians and Hebrews (he assumes Paul wrote the latter). Luke affirms that when the company arrived at the sacred city, the brethren received us gladly (Acts 21:17). Then he suffered him. 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Pauls girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. However, if he had just returned from residence among Gentiles (as Paul had), he would be considered as defiled. Perhaps he thought the Jews, after discovering the Egyptian in the temple, had set upon him as an imposter. Paul had earlier stated that the Holy Spirit had warned him that he faced prisons and hardships in Jerusalem (20:23; 21:4). Agabus had appeared in Lukes account when he prophesied of a severe famine that would eventually touch much of the Roman world (11:27-28). (Teaching the Gentiles to do so was not the issue here.) Acts 21:26 Context . Deepen your knowledge of Scripture. 21. He would be participating in a hallowed ancestral custom, and no one could claim he was teaching Jews to abandon the laws of Moses. Unclean for 2 Weeks. As Paul was led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, may I speak unto thee? The church, both its Jewish and Gentile portions, had remained united. apostasy) Moses. From hagnos; to make clean, i.e. Clarke's Commentary. - Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. 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