THE BOOK OF ACTS. CHAPTER 21 OUTLINE AND COMMENTARY. MARK DUNAGAN Observations In the end the plan (Acts 21:22-26) does not work. It appears that this plan is simply the product of human reasoning (this does not mean that the plan was wrong) but simply that the intended result was not achieved.... [ Continue Reading ]
"When we had parted from them" "The Ephesian elders had escorted Paul and his friends to the ship, and now they have parted to go their separate ways. 'Parted' is. strong word in the Greek, and might almost be rendered, 'When we had torn ourselves away from them'" (Reese p. 778). "We ran. straight c... [ Continue Reading ]
"And having found. ship crossing over to Phoencia" Here they change ships, leaving behind the smaller ship and boarding. large, ocean-going vessel for the 400-mile trip across the open sea toward Jerusalem.... [ Continue Reading ]
"When we came in sight of Cyprus" The ship was headed in. SE direction, and Cyprus passed by on the left side. The expression came in sight of is the correct nautical term. "As they were sailing toward Syria, they came near enough to the island that it seemed to rise above the horizon" (Reese p. 779... [ Continue Reading ]
"After looking up the disciples" This indicates some effort on Paul's part to find the Christians in this city. This is the first mention of. congregation in Tyre, though the gospel had been preached in this region in Acts 11:19. and Paul had visited this area in Acts 15:3. "We stayed there seven da... [ Continue Reading ]
"With wives and children" This is the first specific mention of children in connection with the early church. "After kneeling down" Compare with Acts 20:36. "On the beach" There is. beach on both sides of the ancient city of Tyre. "And praying" "Prayer is. fitting way for Christians to part" (Reese... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 21:6-7 "We arrived at Ptolemais" This city was located about 30 miles south of Tyre. In Old Testament times this port was named Accho. Today it is known as Acre. The Bay of Acre forms. half-circle, about nine miles from north to south. On the south side of this bay is Mount Carmel and the moder... [ Continue Reading ]
"Came to Caesarea" As noted in Acts 10:1 the city of Caesarea had been built by Herod the Great to serve as the port for Jerusalem. This was Paul's third recorded visit to Caesarea (Acts 9:30; Acts 18:22). "Entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven" This is the same Phili... [ Continue Reading ]
"Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses" These daughters were morally pure, unmarried (at this time) and they had the spiritual gift of prophecy. Spiritual gifts were given to women (Acts 2:17), and such gifts were used outside the assembly (1 Corinthians 14:34), especially whe... [ Continue Reading ]
"As we were staying there for some days" Paul had been hurrying to be at Jerusalem by Pentecost (Acts 20:16). This purpose has not been abandoned, but rather Paul may have arrived in Judea sooner than he had expected, and thus can spend some time with Philip. "A prophet named Agabus came down from J... [ Continue Reading ]
"He took Paul's belt" "Outer garments worn in the first century were loose and flowing robes, and the belt was used to bind them to the body at the waist" (Reese p. 787). "Bound his own feet and hands" The manuscripts vary here between the hands of Paul and the hands of Agabus. The prophets often us... [ Continue Reading ]
"When we had heard this" Remember, the we includes the messengers mentioned in Acts 20:4. as well as Luke the writer. "The local residents" The brethren at Caesarea. "Began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem" Even Luke will urge Paul not to go. They may have argued that Paul did not need to go, t... [ Continue Reading ]
"What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart?" Paul's brethren were so concerned that tears and weeping accompanied such pleas. "The verb breaking is. very picturesque word, being used of the pounding that. washerwoman would give clothes to get them to yield to her efforts to clean them. Paul... [ Continue Reading ]
"Since he would not be persuaded" They realized that any more pleading would be fruitless. "The will of the Lord be done!". would interpret this exclamation as meaning that in spite of the warnings of persecution, it was the Lord's will that Paul go to Jerusalem, and that is why Paul could not be st... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 21:15-16 "Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us" If they cannot dissuade Paul, at least they can travel with him. "Taking us to Mnason" The name is pronounced nay sohn and means "remembering". "Of Cyprus,. disciple of long standing" He may have been converted on the first missio... [ Continue Reading ]
"After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly" The journey to Jerusalem probably took about two days.... [ Continue Reading ]
"And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present" We have already noted that this James, is James the Lord's brother who is also mentioned as being. prominent member of the congregation in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13; Galatians 2:9; Galatians 2:12). "Because only James... [ Continue Reading ]
"He began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry" Paul begins to give. detailed report of his preaching among the Gentiles. This report may have included his first journey, but that report had already been given (Acts 15:4). This report is probably... [ Continue Reading ]
"They began glorifying God" This means that the elders in Jerusalem were in full agreement with Paul and his teaching and practice among the Gentiles. This contradicts the claim made by some that there was. split in doctrine and practice between Paul and the leading Jewish Christians. In addition, t... [ Continue Reading ]
"And they have been told about you" Here is. rumor that has been circulating about what Paul taught while traveling and preaching to Jews in other parts of the world. "That you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 21:22-26 Paul in the Temple For centuries this has been. difficult section of Scripture to harmonize with what Paul taught elsewhere.. offer the following comments from Wayne Jackson on this section. Here was the problem:. report had been circulated widely that Paul went about constantly teac... [ Continue Reading ]
"When the seven days were almost over" "The seven days between the notification and the actual acts of purification. Acts 24:18 suggests he was actually in the process of offering the sacrifices. We may suppose that the whole week has passed without incident, and that it seemed for. time that the pl... [ Continue Reading ]
"Men of Israel, come to our aid" The inference is that all men of Israel need to unite against this invader. "This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people" Compare to the accusations made against Stephen (Acts 6:11). Anyone who has read Romans 9:1 can see that this accusatio... [ Continue Reading ]
"For" Here is why they believed that Paul had brought Gentiles in the court of Israel. "They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple" Sadly, the only exercise that some people get is when they jump to unwarranted co... [ Continue Reading ]
"And all the city was aroused" The whole city is in an uproar, compare with the mob scene in Acts 19:29. "They dragged him out of the temple" They treat Paul as they would an intruding Gentile and quickly get him out of the temple. "And immediately the doors were shut" The gates leading from the out... [ Continue Reading ]
"While they were seeking to kill him" Which means that they were fully intent on killing him. "They were already pummeling him. Once they have come out into the court of the Gentiles, their furious activity can be seen from the tower of Antonia" (Reese p. 802). "A report came up to the commander of... [ Continue Reading ]
"At once". quick thinking man. "Some soldiers and centurions" Seeing that. centurion was over 100 men, this force may have included. couple of hundred soldiers. "Ran down to them" The soldiers came down the stairways from the fortress into the temple area. "They stopped beating Paul" The sight of se... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul is immediately arrested and bound with chains. "At least, the arrest of the central figure would be the quickest way to stop the uproar" (Reese p. 804). Remember, the commander in charge does not know who Paul is and assumes that in order to be in the middle of such. riot he must have done some... [ Continue Reading ]
When the commander seeks information from the crowd on who Paul is and what he had done, all he receives back is confusion and contradiction. Compare with Acts 19:32. "Lysias could make little sense out of what the mob was shouting" (Reese p. 804). "He ordered him brought into the barracks" He was t... [ Continue Reading ]
Acts 21:35-36 "Luke indicates the situation was indeed perilous at this moment. The Jews make an increasingly violent effort to get at the prisoner, and the soldiers pick him up bodily (with others defending those who carried the prisoner by forming. protective shield about them) and begin to move u... [ Continue Reading ]
"Do you know Greek?" The commander is surprised that Paul speaks to him in the Greek language. The next verse explains this surprise. Acts 21:38 "Then you are not the Egyptian" The commander had jumped to the conclusion that his prisoner was an Egyptian revolutionary, who about three or four years e... [ Continue Reading ]
"I am. Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia" This informs the commander that Paul was not an Egyptian nor. Gentile, rather he was. Jew. "A citizen of no insignificant city" At this point the commander does not know that Paul is. Roman citizen (see Acts 22:27). The city of Tarsus was not some back-wood hick town... [ Continue Reading ]
Paul might have been given permission because the commander reasoned that. man with such. background could be trusted. "Why should Paul want to talk to these persecutors? The content of his message answers that. He loved these people. They were his people, people such as he had once been, with. zeal... [ Continue Reading ]