Acts 21:18-36 Lesson 270

Acts 21:18-36
Lesson 270

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Paul reports to the elders on his Third Missionary Journey (21:18-19).

Just as the Holy Spirit prophesized (20:23), Paul is arrested in Jerusalem.

For the remainder of Acts, Paul is a prisoner.

Paul arrested in Jerusalem.

A hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration.

Study Tip:

To better understand a verse, put it in your own words.
The extra time and thought will help you get more meaning from each passage.

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 21:18-36
Paul returns to Jerusalem

18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.

19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.

20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.

23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;

24 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.

25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

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.

27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,

28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

30 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.

31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.

33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.

34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.

35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.

36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.

Margin notes:

"Saluted them." (21:19) - Means, "Greeted them."

"He declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles." (21:19) -  Just as he did at the end of his first missionary tour (Acts 15:12), Paul gave the details of his third journey to the elders.

"And they are all zealous of the law." (21:20) - "And they all carefully follow the Mosaic Law." Many converted Jews continued to obey the Mosaic Law.

"Thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses." (21:21) - This was a scurrilous rumor started by the Judaizers to discredit Paul.  Paul taught that Gentile converts didn't need to keep the old Law of Moses to be saved and that Jewish converts were free to follow the old traditions if they wanted (Romans 14:1-15:13), but it was not required. Many Jews decided to keep the old ways as they transitioned to Christianity, even Paul on occasion (Acts 16:3; 18:18; 21:26).

"Neither to walk after the customs." (21:21) - "Don't follow the customs (of Judaism)."

"The multitude must needs come together." (21:22) - "The people will definitely come together." The elders are worried that a mob will form once they learn that Paul is in Jerusalem.

"Do therefore this that we say to thee." (21:23) - The elders have a plan to prevent a mob from forming.

"We have four men which have a vow on them." (21:23) - "We have four men who have sworn a vow." These men were finishing a Nazarite vow.  To show gratitude and to separate themselves for the service of God (Numbers 6:2), Nazarite Jews (men and women) took periodic vows to consecrate themselves.  They would abstain from wine, grapes, alcohol, cutting their hair, and pledged to avoid contact with the dead, even a close relative (Numbers 6:2-8; 13:21; Judges 13:2-7).  The vows lasted from thirty to one hundred days. At the end of the vow, they had to purify themselves by shaving their heads and throwing the hair into a fire (Numbers 6:18). The next day they were required to make a sacrificial offering. The required sacrifice was a lamb, a ram, unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour with oil, and a meat and drink offering (Numbers 6:14-15).  Three men in the Bible were under lifetime Nazarite vows, Samson (Judges 13:4-5); Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11); and John the Baptist (Luke 1:15).

"Purify thyself with them." (21:24) - The elders are advising Paul to prove his respect for Moses by joining the four men for the final days of their Nazarite commitment.

"Be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads." (21:24) - The elders are also suggesting Paul pay the cost for the four men to shave their heads and their sacrificial offering. It was considered virtuous to pay the expenses for someone else's vows. By doing so, Paul will show respect for the law of Moses.

"Touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing." (21:25) - "Concerning the Gentiles, we decided they don't need to observe the Mosaic Law." See Acts 15.

"Save." (21:25) - "Except."

"The days of purification." (21:26) - The Nazarite cleansing rituals took seven days.

"Laid hands on him." (21:27) - "Grabbed him."

"This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place." (21:28) - "This is the man (Paul) that teaches against Jews, the law (of Moses) and the Temple."

"Brought Greeks also into the temple." (21:28) - Gentiles were restricted to the outside court of the Temple, an area called the Court of the Gentiles. A sinister sign warned Gentiles, in several languages, that they would be killed if they entered the inner Temple. Accusing Paul of bringing Gentiles into the Temple was a lie meant to discredit Paul.

"Trophimus an Ephesian." (21:29) - Trophimus was not Jewish and bringing a gentile into the Temple was punishable by death.

"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." (21:30) - Means, "The city was shaken, and the people rushed together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple, and immediately the doors were shut."

"Chief captain of the band." (21:31) - The chief captain was Claudius Lysias (23:26-27). Claudius was an army officer who commanded a Roman cohort (a thousand men). Stationed at the Antonia Fortress, next door to the Temple, Claudius was able to arrive at the riot quickly and save Paul. Unlike Paul, he didn't enjoy the benefits of Roman citizenship from birth.  He had to buy his citizenship "with a great sum" (22:28).

"Took soldiers and centurions." (21:32) - Since each centurion had one hundred men under him, this implies that Claudius brought at least two hundred men to break up the riot.

"They left beating of Paul." - (21:32) - "They stopped beating Paul."

"Commanded him to be bound with two chains." (21:33) - Paul was put in chains, just as Agabus predicted in Acts 21:10-12.

"When he could not know the certainty for the tumult." (21:34) - When he (Claudius) couldn't figure out the reason for the riot."

New Living Translation

Acts 21:18-36

18 The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church were present.

19 After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20 After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, "You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously.

21 But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They've heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs.

22 What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.

23 "Here's what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow.

24 Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws.

25 "As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality."

Paul Is Arrested

26 So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them.

27 The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They grabbed him,

28 yelling, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple-and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles."

29 (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

30 The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him.

31 As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

32 He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul.

33 Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done.

34 Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn't find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress.

35 As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him.

36 And the crowd followed behind, shouting, "Kill him, kill him!"

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What was the castle (21:34)?

To learn more about the Scriptures, explore your Bible each day.
These lessons shouldn't be your only contact with God.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. The castle was the Antonia Fortress located next door to the Temple and named after the Roman emperor Mark Anthony. The fortress was partially surrounded by a deep ditch and had a secret passage that ran from the castle to the Temple. At least a thousand Roman soldiers were stationed there. One of the guards probably saw the riot from the fortress wall and reported it to Claudius Lysias.

Application thought for the day:

What does this passage teach about Jewish versus Gentile Christians?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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