CHAPTER XXI. _Paul and his company sail from Miletus, and come to Coos,_ _Rhodes, and Patara_, 1. _Finding a Phoenician ship at Patara, they go on board, sail_ _past Cyprus, and land at Tyre_, 2, 3. _Here they find disciples, and stay seven days, and are kindly_ _entertained_, 4, 5. _Having b... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:2. _PHOENICIA_] A part of Syria. Acts 11:19, Acts 11:19.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:3. _CYPRUS_] Acts 4:36, Acts 4:36, and see the _track_ of this journey on the _map_. _TYRE_] A city of Phoenicia, one of the most celebrated maritime towns in the world. Acts 12:20, Acts 12:20; and Matthew 11:21, Matthew 11:21. There the ship w [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:4. _WHO SAID TO PAUL THROUGH THE SPIRIT_] We cannot understand this as a _command_ from the Holy Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem, else Paul must have been highly criminal to have disobeyed it. _Through the Spirit_, must either refer to their own great _earnestness_ to dissuade him fr... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:5. _WHEN WE HAD ACCOMPLISHED THOSE DAYS_] That is, the seven days mentioned in the preceding verse. _AND THEY ALL BROUGHT US ON OUR WAY, WITH WIVES AND CHILDREN_] It is not likely that Paul, Silas, Luke, c., had either wives or children with them and it is more natural to suppose that... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:6. _TAKEN - LEAVE_] ασπασαμενοι; _Having given each other the_ _kiss of peace_, as was the constant custom of the Jews and primitive Christians. _THEY RETURNED HOME_] That is, the men, their wives, and their children.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:7. _WE CAME TO PTOLEMAIS_] This was a seaport town of Galilee, not far from Mount Carmel, between Tyre and Caesarea, where the river Belus empties itself into the sea. It was at first called Accho, (and this is the reading of the Syriac and Arabic,) and belonged to the tribe of Asher,... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:8. _WE THAT WERE OF PAUL'S COMPANY_] Οἱ περι τον Παυλον· This clause is wanting in ABCE, and many others; the _Syriac,_ _Coptic, Vulgate, Armenian_, c. _CAME UNTO CAESAREA_] This was Caesarea of _Palestine_, already sufficiently described, Acts 8:40. _PHILIP THE EVANGELIST_] One of... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:9. _FOUR DAUGHTERS, VIRGINS, WHICH DID PROPHESY._] Probably these were no more than _teachers_ in the Church: for we have already seen that this is a frequent meaning of the word _prophesy_; and this is undoubtedly one thing intended by the prophecy of Joel, quoted Acts 2:17, of this b... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:10. _AGABUS._] Acts 11:28, Acts 11:28.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:11. _TOOK PAUL'S GIRDLE, AND BOUND HIS OWN HANDS_, c.] This was no doubt a _prophet_, in the commonly received sense of the term and his mode of acting was like that of the ancient prophets, who often accompanied their predictions with significant emblems. Jeremiah was commanded to bu... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:12. _BESOUGHT HIM NOT TO GO UP TO JERUSALEM._] For they all understood the prophecy to be _conditional_ and _contingent_; and that it was in Paul's power to turn the scale.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:13. _I AM READY, NOT TO BE BOUND ONLY_] He was resolute and determined; but was under no constraining necessity. Acts 21:4, Acts 21:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:14. _THE WILL OF THE LORD BE DONE._] May that which is most for his glory take place! They plainly saw from the prophecy what would take place, if Paul went to Jerusalem; and every one saw that he had power to go, or not to go.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:15. _TOOK UP OUR CARRIAGES_] αποσκευασαμενοι; We made ourselves ready; packed up our things; got our baggage in order. This is what the text means.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:16. _AND BROUGHT WITH THEM ONE MNASON_, c.] It is not very likely that they would bring a man _with_ them with whom they were to _lodge_ in Jerusalem therefore, the text should perhaps be read as Bp. Patrick proposes: _There went with us_ certain _of the_ _disciples of Caesarea, bring... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:18. _WENT IN WITH US UNTO JAMES_] This was _James the Less_, son of Mary; and cousin to our Lord. He appears to have been bishop of the Church in Jerusalem, and perhaps the only apostle who continued in that city. We have already seen what a very important character he sustained in the... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:19. _DECLARED PARTICULARLY_, c.] He no doubt had heard that they were prejudiced against him and, by declaring what God had done by him among the Gentiles, showed how groundless this prejudice was: for, were he a bad man, or doing any thing that he should not do, God would not have mad... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:20. _HOW MANY THOUSANDS_] ποσαι μυριαδες; How many myriads, how many times 10,000. This intimates that there had been a most extraordinary and rapid work even among the Jews; but what is here spoken is not to be confined to the Jews of Jerusalem, but to all that had come from different... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:21. _THOU TEACHEST - TO FORSAKE MOSES_, c.] From any thing that appears in the course of this book to the contrary, this information was incorrect: we do not find Paul preaching thus to the Jews. It is true that, in his _epistles_, some of which had been written _before_ this time, he... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:22. _THE MULTITUDE MUST NEEDS COME TOGETHER_] Whether this refers to a regular convocation of the Church, or to a tumult that would infallibly take place when it was heard that the apostle was come, we cannot pretend to say; but it is evident that James and the elders wished some prude... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:23. _WE HAVE FOUR MEN WHICH HAVE A VOW_] From the _shaving_ of the head, mentioned immediately after, it is evident that the four men in question were under the vow of Nazariteship; and that the days of their vow were nearly at an end, as they were about to shave their heads; for, dur... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:24. _BE AT CHARGES WITH THEM_] Or, rather, _be at charges for_ _them_: help them to bear the expense of that vow. Eight lambs, four rams, besides oil, flour, c., were the expenses on this occasion. See the notes on Numbers 6:1. _THOU - WALKEST ORDERLY AND KEEPEST THE LAW._] Perhaps t... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:25. _AS TOUCHING THE GENTILES_] See the notes on Acts 15:1-44, and the additional observations at the end of that chapter. See Clarke on Ac 15:41... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:26. _TO SIGNIFY THE ACCOMPLISHMENT_, c.] διαγγελλων, _Declaring_ the accomplishment, c. As this declaration was made to the priest, the sense of the passage is the following, if we suppose Paul to have made an offering for himself, as well as the four men: "The next day, Paul, taking... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:27. _THE JEWS WHICH WERE OF ASIA_] These pursued him with the most deliberate and persevering malice in every place; and it appears that it was through them that the false reports were sent to and circulated through Jerusalem.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:28. _THIS IS THE MAN THAT TEACHETH_, c.] As much as if they had said: This is the man concerning whom we wrote to you who in every place endeavours to prejudice the Gentiles against the _Jews_, against the _Mosaic law_, and against the _temple_ and its services. _BROUGHT GREEKS ALSO... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 30. _THEY TOOK PAUL_] They tumultuously seized on him; _and_ _drew him out of the temple_, out of the court of the Israelites, where he was worshipping: _and - the doors were shut_; the doors of the court of the Gentiles, probably to prevent Paul from getting any succour from his friends in th... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 31. _THE CHIEF CAPTAIN OF THE BAND_] The Roman tribune, who had a troop of soldiers under him, which lodged in general in the castle of _Antonia_, which was built at the angle where the northern and western porticoes of the outer court of the temple were joined together. This castle was built... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 32. _RAN DOWN UNTO THEM_] Ran down the stairs to the porticoes mentioned above.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 33. _AND TOOK HIM_] With _great violence_, according to Acts 24:7, probably meaning an _armed force_. _TO BE BOUND WITH TWO CHAINS_] To be bound between two soldiers; his right hand chained to the left hand of the one, and his left hand to the right of the other. Acts 12:6, Acts 12:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 35. _AND WHEN HE CAME UPON THE STAIRS_] Those mentioned in the note on Acts 21:31.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 36. _AWAY WITH HIM._] That is, Kill him; despatch him! for so much this phrase always means in the mouth of a Jewish mob. Luke 23:18, Luke 23:18, and John 19:15, John 19:15.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 37. _CANST THOU SPEAK GREEK?_] Claudius Lysias was not a _Roman_; he had, as himself informs us, purchased his citizenship of Rome with a great sum of money; (see Acts 22:28;) and it is very likely that he was but imperfectly acquainted with the Latin tongue; and the tumult that was now made,... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse 38. _ART NOT THOU THAT EGYPTIAN, C._] The history to which Claudius Lysias refers is taken from Josephus, _Ant_. lib. xx. cap. 7, sec. 6, and _War_, lib. ii. cap. 13, sec. 5, and is in substance as follows: An Egyptian, whose name is not known, pretended to be a prophet, and told his follower... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:39. _I AM A MAN WHICH AM A JEW_] A periphrasis for, _I am a_ _Jew_. Acts 7:2. _OF TARSUS - NO MEAN CITY_] In _Clarke's notes on "_Acts 9:11_"_, I have shown that Tarsus was a city of considerable importance, and in some measure a rival to Rome and Athens; and that, because of the ser... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 21:40. _PAUL STOOD ON THE STAIRS_] Where he was out of the reach of the mob, and was surrounded by the Roman soldiers. _BECKONED WITH THE HAND_] _Waving_ the hand, which was the sign that he was about to address the people. So VIRGIL says of Turnus, when he wished, by single combat betwe... [ Continue Reading ]