Back to Acts 21

Acts 21:28-31

crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!” For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

All the city was moved and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut. As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

World English Bible · Public Domain
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Acts 21:28-31 sits inside this longer paragraph.

Then Paul took the men, and the next day purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them. When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!” For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

All the city was moved and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut. As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Immediately he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. They, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul. Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done. Some shouted one thing, and some another, among the crowd. When he couldn’t find out the truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into the barracks.

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!”

    For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

    All the city was moved and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut.

    As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

  • TYNDALE Tyndale New Testament (1534)

    cryinge: men of Israel helpe. This is the man that teacheth all men every where agaynst the people and the lawe and this place. Moreover also he hath brought Grekes into the temple and hath polluted this holy place.

    For they sawe one Trophimus an Ephesian with him in the cyte. Him they supposed Paul had brought into the temple.

    And all the cyte was moved and the people swarmed to geder. And they toke Paul and drue him out of the temple and forthwith the dores were shut to.

    As they went about to kyll him tydinges came vnto the hye captayne of the soudiers that all Ierusalem was moved.

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  • GNV Geneva Bible (1599)

    Crying, Men of Israel, helpe: this is the man that teacheth all men euery where against the people, and the Lawe, and this place: moreouer, he hath brought Grecians into the Temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

    For they had seene before Trophimus an Ephesian with him in the citie, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the Temple.

    Then all the citie was moued, and the people ran together: and they tooke Paul and drewe him out of the Temple, and forth with the doores were shut.

    But as they went about to kill him, tydings came vnto the chiefe captaine of the band, that all Hierusalem was on an vproare.

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Cross-references (37)

  • Acts 20:4 (v29) These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and…
  • Acts 24:5-6 (v28) For we have found this man to be a plague, an instigator of insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the…
  • Acts 26:21 (v30) For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
  • Acts 21:21 (v28) They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise…
  • 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 (v31) Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in…
Show all 37 cross-references
  • 2 Corinthians 11:26 (v30) I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city,…
  • Acts 16:19-22 (v30) But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the…
  • Acts 17:5 (v31) But the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace, and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the…
  • Acts 26:9-10 (v31) “I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I also did this in Jerusalem. I…
  • Acts 26:20-21 (v28) but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should…
  • 1 Kings 1:41 (v31) Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why…
  • 2 Kings 11:15 (v30) Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks. Kill…
  • Jeremiah 7:4-15 (v28) Don’t trust in lying words, saying, ‘Yahweh’s temple, Yahweh’s temple, Yahweh’s temple, are these.’ For if you thoroughly amend your ways…
  • Lamentations 1:10 (v28) The adversary has spread out his hand on all her pleasant things; for she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary,…
  • Matthew 2:3 (v30) When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
  • Matthew 21:10 (v30) When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
  • Matthew 24:15 (v28) “When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let…
  • Matthew 26:5 (v31) But they said, “Not during the feast, lest a riot occur among the people.”
  • Mark 14:2 (v31) For they said, “Not during the feast, because there might be a riot among the people.”
  • Luke 4:29 (v30) They rose up, threw him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill that their city was built on, that they might throw him off…
  • John 16:2 (v31) They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.
  • John 18:12 (v31) So the detachment, the commanding officer, and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him,
  • Acts 6:13-14 (v28) and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. For we have…
  • Acts 7:57-58 (v30) But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears, then rushed at him with one accord. They threw him out of the city and stoned…
  • Acts 10:1 (v31) Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,
  • Acts 18:19 (v29) He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
  • Acts 19:26-28 (v28) You see and hear that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying…
  • Acts 19:29 (v30) The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of…
  • Acts 19:40 (v31) For indeed we are in danger of being accused concerning today’s riot, there being no cause. Concerning it, we wouldn’t be able to give an…
  • Acts 21:38 (v31) Aren’t you then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the…
  • Acts 22:22 (v31) They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”
  • Acts 23:17 (v31) Paul summoned one of the centurions, and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”
  • Acts 24:6 (v31) He even tried to profane the temple, and we arrested him.
  • Acts 24:18 (v28) amid which certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, not with a mob, nor with turmoil.
  • Acts 24:22 (v31) But Felix, having more exact knowledge concerning the Way, deferred them, saying, “When Lysias, the commanding officer, comes down, I will…
  • Acts 25:23 (v31) So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and they had entered into the place of hearing with the commanding…
  • 2 Timothy 4:20 (v29) Erastus remained at Corinth, but I left Trophimus at Miletus sick.

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (22 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv28, 30, 31 28. Men of Israel, help. They cry out as…

28. Men of Israel, help. They cry out as if they were in extreme danger, and they call upon all men to help them, as if all religion were in hazard. Whereby we see with what furious hatred they were inflamed against Paul, only because in showing that the full and perfect truth is found in Christ, he taught that the figures of the law had an end. Now, whereas they conceive a false opinion, having seen Trophimus, they do more betray by this headlong lightness how venomous they be. They accuse Paul of sacrilege. Why? because he brought into the temple a man which was uncircumcised. But they laid a most cruel crime to the charge of an innocent through a false opinion. Thus the boldness of those men useth commonly to be preposterous who are carried away with an opinion conceived before. But let us learn by such examples to beware of the distemperature of affections, and not to let light prejudices have the rein, lest we run headlong upon the innocent, being carried with blind force.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v31 God findeth some even amongst the wicked and profane…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv28–31 28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv28–31 Men of Israel; minding them by this compellation, of…
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v31 Note here, 1. How the great and gracious God…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv28–31 Crying out, men of Israel, help,.... The Arabic and…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv28, 30, 31 Against the people - The Jewish nation; and the…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv28, 30, 31 Verse 28. This is the man that teacheth, c.]…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv30–31 Act 21:30. And all the city was moved —…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv28–31 Men of Israel - Jews. All who are the…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v30 The doors were shut, lest the temple should be…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv29–31 Trophimus--(See on Act 20:4).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv28–31 28. Men of Israel—A popular patriotic war cry.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv28–31 28. crying … help] The cry as if an…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv29–31 (29) Trophimus an Ephesian.—See Note on Act_20:4. His face…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv28–31 Moreover he for further brought, A.V.; defiled for polluted,…
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On v31 31-38. Lysias, the Roman kiliarch, commander-in-chief at Castle Antonia…
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv28–31 See notes on verse 27
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v30 See, Act 14:19; Act 16:19.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v31 The captain of the Roman band interferes:
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v30 All the city was excited
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv28, 30, 31 21:28-29 Gentiles: It was a crime punishable by death…
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