When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for the ship was there to unload her cargo. Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem. When those days were over, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed. After saying goodbye to each other, we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.
When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers and stayed with them one day.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv4, 5, 7 4. And when they had found disciples. Though the…
4. And when they had found disciples. Though the number of the faithful was but small, yet there came some seed of the gospel thither, according to the prophecies Of the prophets, (Isaiah 23:18) lest Tyrus should be altogether void of the blessing of God. And here, as in other places going before, Luke calleth Christians disciples, that we may know that those alone are numbered in the flock of Christ who have embraced his doctrine by faith. For that is a vain and false profession for a man to give his name to Christ, and not to understand what he teacheth or speaketh. And let the readers mark, that Paul stayed seven days at Tyrus, for no other cause, saving that he might strengthen them. So that we see, that whithersoever he came he foreslowed [neglected] no occasion to do good.
They said by the Spirit. Namely, with the approbation of speech, that Paul might know that they spake by the Spirit of prophecy. Surely this was no small temptation to cause him not to finish the journey which he had taken in hand, seeing the Holy Ghost did dissuade him from the same. And this was a very fair color to fly from the cross, if he had cared for his own safety, to be drawn back as it were with the hand of God.
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Notwithstanding, he ceaseth not to hold on thither whither he knew he was called by the Lord. Notwithstanding, here ariseth a question, how the brethren can dissuade him by the Spirit from doing that which Paul did testify he doth by the secret motion of the same Spirit? Is the Spirit contrary to himself, that he doth now loose Paul whom he held bound inwardly? I answer, that there be diverse gifts of the Spirit; so that it is no marvel if those who excel in the gift of prophecy be sometimes destitute of judgment or strength. The Lord showed to these brethren, of whom Luke maketh mention, what should come to pass; yet, nevertheless, they know not what is expedient, and what Paul’s calling doth require, because the measure of their gift doth not reach so far. And the Lord would have his servant admonished of purpose, partly, that through long meditation, he might be better furnished and prepared to suffer whatsoever should come, partly that his constancy might more plainly appear, when as being certified by prophecies of the doleful event, he doth, notwithstanding, wittingly and willingly, make haste to endure whatsoever things shall befall him.
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 v4 They foretold through the Spirit what danger hanged over…
They foretold through the Spirit what danger hanged over Paul’s head, and this they did as Prophets: but of a fleshly affection they frayed him from going to Jerusalem.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv3–7 3 Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left…
3 Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.
Ver. 3. Now when he had discovered Cyprus] Vox nautica, a mariner’s term; so is συνεσταλμενος, 1Co 7:29. St Paul was a great trader of Christ both by land and sea; and had terms ready for both. {See Trapp on "1Co 7:29"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv3–7 Cyprus; another island in the Mediterranean.
Cyprus; another island in the Mediterranean.
Unlade her burden; of goods and merchandise which she had taken in at Ephesus.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On vv3, 5 The divine providence is not more signally discovered in…
The divine providence is not more signally discovered in governing the motions of the clouds, than it is in ordering the spirits and motions of his ministers. The motion of the clouds is not spontaneous and from themselves, but they move as they are moved by the wind; neither can the ministers of Christ choose their own stations, and govern their own motions, but must go when and whither the Spirit and providence of God directs and guides them; as evidently appears by St. Paul’s present voyage to Jerusalem; though the journey was full of danger, yet his spirit was fully bent and set upon it: I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem.
It was happy for the apostle, and his great advantage, that the will of God was so plainly revealed to him, touching this his journey to Jerusalem; for no sooner did he prepare himself to obey the call of God, and to undertake the journey, but he is presently assaulted by many strong temptations to decline it. The first rub he met with in his way, was from the disciples at Tyre, who spake by the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
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But did not the Spirit of God then contradict itself, in bidding the apostle go, and then speaking to him by those disciples not to go?
Not at all; St. Paul by extraordinary revelation was commanded to go to Jerusalem; these disciples by a spirit of prophecy, only foretold the difficulties and dangers that would attend him in his journey, and so, through kindness and human affection, they dissuaded him from undertaking it.
We must distinguish between the prediction of trouble, and the counsel of safety.
The prediction of trouble; so they said through the Spirit, that it would be dangerous for Paul to go to Jerusalem.
The counsel of safety proceeded from their private love and affection to him; whereby they dissuaded him from going to Jerusalem.
Learn from hence, 1. That divine precept, and not providence, is to rule our way to duty.
Learn, 2. That no discouragements or hindrances whatsoever will justify our neglect of a commanded duty. Whatever difficulties or discouragements lay in the way of the apostle’s duty, he overcame them all with an heroic and truly Christian resolution, saying, ver. 13. I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name of Jesus.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv3–7 Now when we had discovered Cyprus,.... An island, as…
Now when we had discovered Cyprus,.... An island, as the Syriac version here calls it, which lay between Syria and Cilicia; See Gill on Act 4:36; and was, according to R. Benjamin (l), four days sail from Rhodes, before mentioned:
we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria; that part of it called Phoenicia:
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and landed at Tyre; the chief city of Phoenicia, famous for navigation and commerce: it stood about four furlongs distant from the shore, and was joined to the continent by Alexander the great (m). The account Jerom (n) gives of it is this,
"Tyre, the metropolis of Phoenicia, in the tribe of Nephthalim, is near twenty miles from Caesarea Philippi; this was formerly an island, but made continent land by Alexander:--its chief excellency lies in shell fish and purple.''
It was a very ancient city, though it seems not so ancient as Sidon, from whence it was distant about two hundred furlongs. Herodotus (o) says, that in his time it had been inhabited two thousand three hundred years; Hiram was king of it in Solomon's time; yea, mention is made of it in Joshua's time, if the text in Jos 19:29 is rightly translated: some say it was built seventy six years before the destruction of Troy. It is to be distinguished into old Tyre, which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and the island of Tyre, which was conquered by Alexander, and new Tyre annexed, by him to the continent. In the Hebrew language it is called "Tzur", or "Tzor", which signifies a "rock", being built on one; though some think it has its name from "Tzehor", which signifies "brightness"; it is now called Sur or Suri, and is quite desolate, being only a receptacle of thieves and robbers: though R. Benjamin says, in his time, new Tyre was a very good city, and had a port within it, into which ships go between two towers; and that there were in it four hundred Jews, and some of them skilful in the Talmud; --who further observes, that if anyone ascended the walls of new Tyre, he might see Tyre the crowning city, Isa 23:8 which was a stone's cast from the new; but if a man would go in a boat on the sea, he might see towers, streets, and palaces in the bottom (p):
for there the ship was to unlade her burden; which she had taken in, in the ports where she had been, but where is not certain; for that she had been at Ephesus, and took in her lading there, as Grotius thinks, does not appear; since this was not the ship the apostle and his company sailed in from Miletus, but which they went aboard at Patara, Act 21:1.
(l) Itinerar. p. 30. (m) Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19. Mela, l. 1. c. 12. (n) De locis Hebraicis, fol. 96. K. (o) Euterpe, l. 2. c. 44. (p) ltinerar. p. 35, 36.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 7 We landed at Tyre - That there should be…
We landed at Tyre - That there should be Christians there was foretold, Psalm lxxxvii, 4. What we read in that Psalm of the Philistines and Ethiopians also may be compared with chap. viii, 40; xxvii, 4.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv3–7 Verse 3. Cyprus] See Clarke on Ac 4:36, and…
Verse 3. Cyprus] See Clarke on Ac 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. See Clarke on Ac 12:20; and See Clarke on Mt 11:21.
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There the ship was to unlade her burden.] The freight that she had taken in at Ephesus she was to unlade at Tyre; to which place she was bound.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv4, 7 Act 21:4-6. Finding disciples, we tarried there seven days…
Act 21:4-6. Finding disciples, we tarried there seven days — In order to spend a sabbath with them. Who said to Paul, through the inspiration of the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem — The meaning seems to be, that these disciples foreseeing, through the spirit of prophecy, the troubles which Paul would meet with in Jerusalem, if he went thither, themselves advised him not to go. It is necessary to understand the words thus, to account for Paul’s conduct; for had the Spirit absolutely forbidden his journey to Jerusalem, he doubtless would have obeyed, and not have gone thither. But he, considering it as being their own advice only, rejected it and went. Indeed, they seemed to have understood their prophetic impulse to be an intimation from the Spirit, that Paul, if he were so minded, might avoid the danger and trouble of which they warned him, by not going to Jerusalem. And when we had accomplished those days — Namely, the seven spoken of above; we departed and went our way — Fully purposing, notwithstanding all these admonitions, to embark again and proceed to Jerusalem; Paul deliberately judging that all the sufferings he might meet with in the course of his ministry would tend to the furtherance of the gospel; and that it was his duty to fulfil his engagements to the churches, in delivering their alms to the brethren there, whatever might happen. And they all brought us on our way, &c. — For though Paul did not yield to the persuasions of these his friends at Tyre, yet they showed him every imaginable token of respect; with their wives and children — Attending him and his company till they were out of the city, and had reached the shore — Where, before they parted, they kneeled down and prayed together — And then took leave of one another, as Paul and the elders of Ephesus had done.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 7 Had discovered Cyprus - See the notes on Act…
Had discovered Cyprus - See the notes on Act 4:36.
Into Syria - See the notes on Mat 4:24.
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And landed at Tyre - See the notes on Mat 11:21.
To unlade her burden - Her cargo. Tyre was formerly one of the most commercial cities of the world; and it is probable that in the time of Paul its commercial importance had not entirely ceased.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv3–4 Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean, to the east…
Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean, to the east of Patara and Rhodes.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 7 when we . . . discovered--"sighted," as the phrase…
when we . . . discovered--"sighted," as the phrase is.
Cyprus, we left it on the left hand--that is, steered southeast of it, leaving it on the northwest.
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sailed into--"unto"
Syria, and landed at Tyre--the celebrated seat of maritime commerce for East and West. It might be reached from Patara in about two days.
there the ship was to unlade her burden--which gave the apostle time for what follows.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 7 3. Cyprus—Through whose length Paul with Barnabas had preached…
3. Cyprus—Through whose length Paul with Barnabas had preached Christianity.
Left hand—From Patara they emerged from all the insular straits and launched “O’er the glad waters of the dark blue sea.” In these fresh days of spring, the snows still lingered on the rounded summits of Cyprus, but the shores were clad in rich verdure. The breeze was evidently fair and strong, and their sail now by night as well as by day, through a voyage of three hundred and forty miles, at a rate a little more than seven knots an hour, would land them on Monday, the thirtieth day of April, at Tyre.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv3–7 3. Now when we had discovered Cyprus] Rev. Ver.…
3. Now when we had discovered Cyprus] Rev. Ver. “And when we had come in sight of.” “Discover” has now acquired the special sense of “finding for the first time.” On Cyprus, see notes on Act_13:4 seqq.
we … Syria] This was the general name for the whole district lying along the Mediterranean from Cilicia down to Egypt.
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Tyre] One of the chief ports of Phœnicia, and a city of very great antiquity. It was built partly on the mainland and partly on an island, and is often mentioned both in Scripture and in profane literature. It is noticed as a strongly fortified city as early as Jos_19:29. We read of its fame in the time of Solomon in connexion with the building of the temple, and Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, was the daughter of Ethbaal, called King of the Sidonians in Scripture, but in Josephus (Ant. viii. 13, 2) King of Tyre. The city was besieged by Shalmaneser and afterwards by Nebuchadnezzar, and was captured by Alexander the Great.
Christ went on one of his journeys from Galilee into the neighbourhood of Tyre, if not to the city itself, which was about 30 miles from Nazareth, and it must have been then in much the same condition as at this visit of St Paul.
there the ship, &c.] And so most probably the further voyage to Ptolemais was made in a different vessel, this one going no farther.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv3–7 (3) When we had discovered Cyprus . . .—The…
(3) When we had discovered Cyprus . . .—The use of a technical term here is specially characteristic of St. Luke. Here the meaning is that, as soon as they sighted Cyprus, they stood to the southeast, and so had it on their left as they continued their voyage to Syria. At Tyre they had again to change their ship. On the position and history of Tyre, see Note on Mat_11:21.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv3–7 And for when, A.V.; come in sight of for…
And for when, A.V.; come in sight of for discovered, A.V.; leaving it... we sailed for we left it... and sailed, A.V.; unto for into, A.V.. Had come in sight of; literally, had been shown Cyprus; had had Cyprus made visible to us; i.e. had sighted Cyprus. It is a nautical expression. Meyer compares the phrase pepisteumai tolion for the grammatical construction. The verb ajnafainw is peculiar to St. Luke, occur-tug elsewhere in the New Testament only incqhmen, Luk_19:11. It is, however, used repeatedly in the LXX of Job. Landed; kath T.R., just the opposite to the ajnhqhmen of ver. 2; but the R.T. has kathlqomen, with the same meaning, "we came to shore." At Tyre, which they may have reached in about forty-eight hours from Patara with a fair wind (Howson). Tyre at this time was still a city of some commercial importance, with two harbors, one north and one south of the causeway which connected the island with the mainland. (see Act_12:20) Howson thinks the ship in which St. Paul sailed may have brought wheat from the Black Sea, and taken up Phoenician wares in exchange. The sight of Cyprus as he sailed by must have brought many and very various memories to the apostle"s mind, of Barnabas, of Sergius Paulus, of Elymas, and many others.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv4–5 And finding disciples,…who said to Paul, through the Spirit,…
Act_21:4
And finding disciples,…who said to Paul, through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
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Conflicting inspirations
How timid is man, how fearless is God, about Scripture contradictions! The disciples at Tyre say to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. Yet he goes. And when he goes, those who have heard the prohibitory voice of inspiration, say, The will of the Lord be done. The one was the Divine voice of prudence; the other was the Divine voice of courage. Who shall say that either of these voices is not Divine? Would Paul have been guilty if he had followed the one? Was Paul guilty because he followed the other? Some great principles are here illustrated.
I. The communications of God are never designed to supersede mans thought or judgment. The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, i.e., the man is responsible for the management of his own inspiration. He must so order it, that its utterance shall not provoke ridicule nor cause confusion. The principle is very clear and comprehensive. Whether it be a point of doctrine or duty, God never so speaks as to take the matter out of the hands of the man himself, as an intelligent and responsible being.
1. St. Paul has to decide whether he shall go or not to Jerusalem. God puts before him the suggestion of prudence. There is special peril in this journey. It will cost thee years of imprisonment, and imminent risk of death. Go not. God proposes the alternative of caution. Counsels of prudence are from the Lord. Words of loving friends, bidding you spare yourself over-exertion, premature decay, may be from the Lord, and, like the words of these disciples, have a right to be pondered and to be prayed over.
2. But let no man say, God has but one voice. Having proposed counsels of prudence by the voice of man, God proposed counsels of courage to the inward ear of His soldier. This journey, though it be full of peril, has in it, also, the fulfilment of thy desire to preach Christ in Rome. This journey, though it cut thee off from other evangelistic journeys, yet has, in its undiscovered future, epistles which shall make thee the theologian of generations yet unborn. Judge thou if thou hast courage for it, and if thou knowest Me to be faithful--go. In these things, God proposes, man disposes.
3. How often is this alternative propounded; the same suggestion of love, the same suggestion of heroism--and both from God. Could we but realise to ourselves the alternative voices, Go, and Go not--the loving permission to forego toils and perils too great for us; and then the grander instinct, What is life but a moment? up, and be doing--live for God, live for eternity--could we but realise these alternative voices as alike voices of the Spirit, how should we rid ourselves, in a moment, of that which makes our decisions so unhappy--the idea, namely, that God has but one voice, and that if we mishear that one, we shall be beaten with many stripes.
II. This inspiration of conduct is also the inspiration of Scripture. Can a man open his Bible at random, and draw, from the first text which he lights upon, the very truth of God concerning any one doctrine? Is there not a saying through the Spirit, which yet, taken alone, would be both misleading and contradictory to another saying? Who will pretend that the utterances of the Bible are always and everywhere absolutely uniform? Where is the heresy which cannot fortify itself by a text? Where is the reader who might not err, if he stayed not to compare scripture with scripture? True theology is the residuum of these comparisons; pondered for ages, and at last agreed upon by the churches. Yet, even now, not so agreed upon as that an individual man can dispense with the pondering. We must go through the process, each for himself; listen for the first, for the second, and for the third voice of the Spirit; and not till then, nay not even then, be so certain of the conclusion as to condemn him who thinks that he has heard a fourth voice or a fortieth. Revelation is not a thing of exact definitions and stereotyped formulas. It is God speaking through men, to men, variously constituted and circumstanced, and each speaking in his own character, through the medium of his own faculties, and in all the movements and activities of a real and changing life. (Dean Vaughan.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On v7 7–14. Came to Ptolemais. Here the journey by sea…
7–14. Came to Ptolemais. Here the journey by sea ended. This city, now called Acre, and having 15,000 population, is one of the oldest cities in the world, and called Accho in Judges 1:31, from which term its modern name is derived. It had the name Ptolemais for a few centuries from Ptolemy Soter, an Egyptian king who rebuilt it.
Came to Cæsarea. By land, a distance of thirty to forty miles. Paul had been here twice before (9:30; 18:22). The place is memorable for the conversion of the first Gentiles. Entered into the house of Philip. The evangelist of whose work we have an account in chapter 8, nearly a quarter of a century before. The last account of him (8:40) shows him preaching in the cities of the sea-coast. In one of these we now find him settled.
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Had four daughters … which did prophesy. Compare Acts 2:17. The prophetic spirit in either the Old or New Testament is not confined to a single sex. Deborah and Huldah are Old Testament examples, and in the New Testament, Elisabeth, Mary, Anna, and the daughters of Philip are instances.
A certain prophet named Agabus. He is named in 11:28 as a prophet. He had probably come down to meet Paul.
Took Paul's girdle. The belt or sash that bound the loose, flowing robe worn. In the style of the Old Testament prophets he impressed his lesson in a dramatic manner. Compare 1 Kings 22:11; Isa. 20:2, 3; Jer. 13:4–9; Ezek. 4:1, 2, 3.
When we heard these things. The striking manner of Agabus, and perhaps his statements of the dark plots among the Jews against Paul, had such an effect that all sought, more earnestly than ever before, to dissuade him from going on. Why should the apostle, with these certain dangers revealed, press on right into the stronghold of enemies thirsting for his blood, infuriated by the accounts that came up from Asia and Europe of his success in converting Jews to Christ? Had not a deep sense of duty impelled him, we may be certain that he would have done this. There can be no doubt that he braved the danger in order to prevent a schism that threatened the church. False reports were circulated at Jerusalem concerning his teaching to Jewish Christians; the church there was filled with prejudice against him; from thence Judaizing teachers went forth to interfere with his work. Hence, in a loving spirit, filled with that charity that suffers all things, and carrying large offerings gathered in the Gentile churches for the poor at Jerusalem, he came to disarm prejudice and show the falsehood of the stories alleged about his teachings. There are times when duty calls the man of God to face the danger; so went the Lord to Jerusalem in spite of the protests of his disciples; so went Luther to Worms, though warned of his danger; so went Paul to Jerusalem.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v7 Act_21:7. And when he had finished our course from…
CRITICAL REMARKS
Act_21:7. And when he had finished our course from Tyre might be read but me, having finished our voyage, came down from Tyre (Alford). From Tyre, a moderate day’s journey by land and a few hour’s by sea. Ptolemais.—The ancient Accho (Jdg_1:31), the modern Akka of the Arabians, and Acre or St. Jean d’Acre of Europeans. With arrival at this port the sea voyage from Neapolis to Syria ended.
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Act_21:8. Cæsarea.—The third visit (see Act_9:30, Act_18:22). That the distance from Akka to Cæsarea, about forty miles, was performed on foot appears (Holtzmann and others) incompatible with the haste which would not suffer Paul to land at Ephesus (Act_20:16); but the land route may have been rendered necessary because of inability to find a ship without waiting. Philip the Evangelist.—See on Act_8:40. Of the seven.—See on Act_6:6.
Act_21:9. And the same man.—Better now this man.
Act_21:10. Agabus.—In all probability the person already known (Act_11:28). Whether he had heard of Paul’s arrival and come to Cæsarea on that account (Baumgarten) must be left undecided. It is worth observing that Philip’s daughters were not selected as the medium through which Paul was warned.
Act_21:11. Compare the symbolical actions of Old Testament prophets (1Ki_22:11; Isa_20:2; Jer_13:1; Eze_4:1, etc.).
Act_21:12. They of that place were the Christians there.
Act_21:13. What mean ye?—Better, what do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? Compare Mar_11:5.
HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS
Act_21:7-14. With Philip at Cæsarea; or, Renewed Fore-announcements of evil
I. The journey from Tyre to Cæsarea.—
1. The Voyage from Tyre to Ptolemais. Commenced after the seven day’s sojourn in Tyre and the affecting farewell upon the beach; it continued probably not more than a few hours, as Ptolemais was distant from Tyre not more than a moderate day’s journey by land.
2. The halt at Ptolemais. Not to examine into either the antiquities or the splendours of the town, though in respect of both it was then worthy of attention. Given to Asher at the conquest (Jdg_1:31-32), Acco, the original name of Ptolemais, had never been completely cleared of the Canaanites, but remained in possession of the Phœnicians, till taken by Shalmaneszer of Assyria. In B.C. 333 it passed into the hands of Alexander the Great, and from his, when his dominions were divided among his generals, into those of Ptolemy in B.C. 320, who, having greatly enlarged and beautified it, called it Ptolemais. Ultimately it fell beneath the yoke of the Romans, and received further embellishment at the hands of Herod. At the time of Paul’s visit it had been raised to the rank of a Roman colony and must have been a splendid city (see Picturesque Palestine, 3:87–89). Yet none of these things attracted the apostle. What tempted him to linger a day within its borders was a desire to meet with the Christian disciples who were to be found here also as at Tyre.
3. The walk from Ptolemais to Cæsarea. The distance extended to nearly forty miles; while the route lay along the coast and round the head of Carmel. Why the travellers footed this instead of sailing cannot with certainty be said. The apostle may have deemed it better to hurry on overland than wait for the sailing of his ship (if it was going further) or (if it were not) for the finding of another.
4. The arrival at Philip’s house. This Philip was the Jerusalem deacon (Act_6:5), who, following the example of his brilliant colleague Stephen, became an eloquent preacher of the gospel in Samaria (Act_8:5), and after being used by the Spirit for the conversion of the Eunuch (Act_8:26), was last heard of as publishing the good news in all the cities on the coast northwards from Azotus (Act_8:40), till he came to Cæsarea, where he finally settled, and for nearly twenty-five years fulfilled the office of an evangelist. When Paul in A.D. 58, paid his third visit to the town, Philip had four grown up and unmarried daughters endowed with the prophetic spirit (Act_2:17)—i.e., who gave inspired utterances and expositions of Christian truth, and also foretold future events. Whether they joined (Spence) or did not join (Hackett) Agabus in predicting Paul’s approaching captivity is unrecorded; but Luke represents Paul and his companions as having been so pleased with their reception and entertainment in Philip’s family circle that they “tarried there many days,” perhaps longer than they at first intended. Luke himself must have here for the first time met Philip, who would no doubt supply him with much of the information about himself and others which appears in the earlier chapters of the Acts.
II. The warning renewed in Philip’s house.—
1. The person of the speaker. A certain prophet from Judea, named Agabus, most likely the same who fourteen years before in Antioch had predicted the coming of a famine (Act_11:28), though otherwise unknown. God often sends important communications through obscure messengers.
2. The symbolic action. Having found his way into Philip’s house, he laid hold of Paul’s girdle—i.e., the sash wherewith in Oriental countries the flowing robes were tied round the waist, and with it bound in succession first his own hands and then his own feet—after the manner of the Old Testament seers (see “Critical Remarks”).
3. The prophetic utterance. “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.” Agabus distinctly claimed to speak with divine authority, and Paul accepted his announcement as such. Besides solemnly confirming what Paul had previously heard at Tyre, the language of Agabus explained the exact nature of the peril which now threatened the apostle. Under some grave charge not revealed he would be delivered over by his countrymen into the hands of the Roman Government.
4. The friendly appeal. When Paul’s companions and the inmates of Philip’s house, with probably other Christians came to hear of Agabus’s prediction, they entreated their beloved teacher not to proceed to Jerusalem. Agabus, it will be observed, did not join in this entreaty, though the Tyrian disciples did (Act_21:4)—which shows that most likely these last overstepped the limits of what the Spirit had revealed to them (see “Critical Remarks”). The parallel between Christ and Paul, who were both dissuaded—the former by Peter (Mat_16:22), the latter by his friends—from going to Jerusalem to suffer, is too apparent to escape notice.
5. The heroic response. “What are ye doing? thus weeping and breaking mine heart,” etc. The apostle, with a fortitude which resembled that of his Master, gave his friends to understand that he perfectly realised the situation, and accepted it with unreserved submission, that he felt ready to face the worst at Jerusalem for his Master’s sake, that death itself had no terrors for him, and that their tearful entreaties would have no effect in keeping him back from the fate which he saw impending. The course he was pursuing had been adopted under the Spirit’s guidance, and aimed at the glory of Jesus and the furtherance of the gospel, by publishing once more the tidings in the Metropolis at the most numerously attended of all the feasts, and by seeking fresh recognition from the mother Church for his Gentile mission. Hence he could not flinch; their tears and entreaties, therefore, only rendered his separation from them the more acutely painful. When he said they were breaking his heart, he did not mean that they were lacerating his soul by conjuring up before him the bonds and afflictions” that awaited him, since he could truthfully affirm none of these things moved him, but that it broke his heart to be obliged to witness their grief and resist their weeping and supplication.
6. The submissive acquiescence. When his friends perceived that he could not be persuaded they desisted, saying: “The will of the Lord be done!”—borrowing their expression, it has been conjectured, from the Master’s prayer, which by this time had attained to familiar and perhaps daily use among Christians. If there is a time to speak there is also a time to be silent, and this was one.
Learn.—
1. The variety of offices in the Christian Church—evangelists, prophets, apostles.
2. The value of dramatic action in preaching.
3. The calm heroism of him who walks in the way of duty.
4. The preference a good man should give to duty over life itself.
5. The necessity laid on Christians to acquiesce in their Master’s will.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Act_21:8. Philip of Cæsarea.
I. Not an apostle like his namesake of Bethsaida (Joh_1:44), but a deacon like his gifted colleague Stephen (Act_6:6).
II. Not a pastor of a Church like James the brother of Our Lord (Gal_2:9), but an evangelist like Timothy (2Ti_4:5).
III. Not a celibate like Paul (1Co_7:8 (?)), but a married man like Peter (Mar_1:30).
IV. Not a wandering missionary like Paul, but a preacher of the gospel having a fixed centre from which to evangelise.
Act_21:9. Virgins which did prophesy; or, the place of Woman in the Christian Church. The fact here stated proves—
I. That woman has an equal standing in the Church with man.—In Christ there is neither male nor female (Gal_3:28).
II. That woman equally with man is susceptible of receiving the highest spiritual endowments.—Examples in Hebrew Church—Miriam (Exo_15:20), Deborah (Jdg_4:4), Huldah (2Ki_22:14), Noadiah (Neh_6:14), Anna (Luk_2:36). In the New Testament Church Philip’s daughters stand alone.
III. That though woman was not intended to rule in the Church of Christ (see 1Co_14:34-35; 1Ti_2:12), nothing hinders her from exercising her gifts as a preacher of the truth (see Act_18:26; and 1Co_11:5). As a possessor of the truth she is equally with man under obligation to disseminate it; and if God has endowed her with the gift of sweet speech there appears no sound reason why that gift should not be utilised for such a holy purpose.
IV. That the number of women called of God and the Spirit to this work will most likely always be few.—This a warrantable deduction from the exceptional character of the present instance.
V. That woman may be equally helpful to the cause of Christ in other ways than by prophesying.—Like Dorcas (Act_9:39), Phebe (Rom_16:1), Mary (Rom_16:6), and others.
Act_21:10. The Prophet Agabus; or, comfort for obscure men.
I. Obscure men are all known to God.—Simon, the Joppa tanner, was as well known as Peter the apostle; and Ananias of Damascus as Saul the emissary of the Sanhedrim.
II. Obscure men may become vessels of Divine grace.—“Not many mighty, not many wise, not many noble, but God hath chosen the poor of this world rich in faith.
III. Obscure men may be employed on great missions.—Ahijah the Shilonite predicted the rending of the kingdom from Rehoboam and the elevation of Jeroboam to the throne of Israel (1Ki_11:29-31). Humble shepherds were made the first preachers of the Incarnation (Luk_2:17). Agabus announced to Paul his impending imprisonment.
IV. Obscure men may eventually come to high renown.—The name of Agabus is for ever associated with that of Paul; the names of the humblest believers will for ever be connected with that of Christ.
Act_21:12-13. The great Modern Counterpart of Paul—Martin Luther. “When he entered a town the people flocked together to see the wonderful man who was so brave and who dared make a stand against the Pope and all the world that held him to be a God in opposition to Christ. Some gave him poor comfort, telling him that, because there were so many cardinals and bishops at Worms at the Diet, he would speedily be burned to powder, as Huss had been at Constance. But Luther answered such men as follows: “And if they should build a fire between Wittenberg and Worms that would reach to heaven, in the Lord’s name I would appear and step into Behemoth’s mouth, between his great teeth, and confess Christ and let Him do His pleasure.” (Frederick Myconius: quoted by Hagenbach: History of the Reformation, i. 133) … “Spalatin also, the court preacher of the Elector of Saxony, and the intimate friend of Luther, advised him by a post messenger, that he must not go immediately to Worms. It was then that Luther uttered his ever memorable speech: “And if there were as many devils at Worms as there are tiles upon the roofs, I would go thither” (Hagenbach, Ibid., pp. 133, 134).
Act_21:13. Paul’s Sacrifices in the Cause of Christ.
1. Of ease. Recount his labours. Contrast them with ours.
2. Of friendship. A warm-hearted man who delighted to love and to be be loved. Sacrificed his affections at the shrine of duty. We must not allow the influence either of our relatives or of our friends to interfere with our supreme devotion to the cause of Christ.
3. Of liberty. Value of liberty. Paul was capable of appreciating it, and did appreciate it highly. Was willing to forfeit it, and did forfeit it. His imprisonment was overruled for good. It is scarcely possible that any of us should be, in our own country at least, literally a prisoner for Christ We may be exposed to social and political disadvantages. We ought to be willing to bear them.
4. Of life. The highest proof of devotion to any cause. Paul gave it. The fact was in his case a confirmation of the truth of the religion he professed. It was, at all events, a proof of his own sincerity. A willingness to die for the cause of Christ is the best preparation for all minor trials.—G. Brooks.
Act_21:14. “The Will of the Lord be done!”
I. A prayer put into the Christian’s mouth by Christ (Mat_6:10).
II. A precept for the Christian, illustrated by Christ (Mat_26:42).
III. A pattern of Christ that should be followed by His servants.
Or thus:—
I. A vow of becoming obedience.
II. A confession of believing submission.
III. A declaration of holy courage (Leonhard and Spiegel, from Lange).
Christian Resignation.
I. Enjoined and illustrated by Christ.
II. Exemplified and recommended by Paul and his friends.
III. Approved and rewarded by God.
Act_21:11. Lessons from Paul’s Girdle.
I. Apostolic fidelity.—Christian ministers, like Paul, are bound to be faithful to their Lord.
II. Apostolic trial.—Christian ministers, if faithful, may expect, like Paul, to experience the hatred of the world.
III. Apostolic zeal.—Christian ministers, like Paul, should always be ready for whatever suffering or duty lies before them (from Gerok).
The True Bonds of a Christian.
I. Not the bonds of his own flesh and blood, which he has torn asunder by the power of the Spirit.
II. Not the bonds of human force and enmity, which cannot injure him contrary to the will of God.
III. Not the bonds of brotherly love and friendship, for whosoever loveth brethren or sisters more than the Lord is not worthy of Him.
IV. But only the bonds of love to his Lord, to whom he is bound in grateful love and childlike fidelity, even unto death (Gerok, in Lange).
Act_21:13-14. The Heroism of Paul; A study for the followers of Christ.
I. The splendour of his heroism.—Exhibited in—
1. The calm courage he displayed in the prospect of death.—“I am ready not to be bound only, but to die also at Jerusalem.” This utterance was not made—
(1) In ignorance of what suffering and death was. Paul and misfortune had been companions for many years. For twenty years he had been an object of unsleeping persecution, had experienced every sort of calamity, and had more than once been in the grips of death (2Co_11:23).
(2) In secret expectation that both might be escaped. Paul had no such hope or expectation. Already it had been too clearly signified to him that “bonds and imprisonment awaited him.” Agabus’s words, too, left no loophole for escape.
(3) In a feeling of despair, because he saw that evasion was impossible. On the contrary, humanly speaking, Paul perceived that the only thing necessary in order to escape was to keep away from Jerusalem, renounce his mission, cast off Christianity, and go back to the fold he had left. The Jews would receive him with open arms.
(4) In a spirit of braggadocio. Like Peter, to gain for himself a reputation for valour, with no real intention of ever fulfilling his words. Paul maintained the same intrepidity before Festus (Act_25:11), and in writing to the Philippians from Cæsarea (Php_2:17). Later he exhibited the same spirit when sending an epistle to Timothy from Rome (2Ti_4:6).
2. The triumphant victory over the prospect of death which he obtained. Not only was he calm and unmoved in the contemplation of his arrest and execution, but as it were death was so overcome that it could not hinder him from thinking about the interests of others. One would naturally have expected that with the prospect of bonds and imprisonment before him, although externally unperturbed, he would be inwardly sad and occupied with his own misfortunes. But he was not. The grief of his friends even could not thrust him in upon himself. How like his master who, when in the agonies of death, prayed for His murderers, pardoned the robber and cared for His mother! How like Stephen, who, with his latest breath, interceded for his assassins! And since then men have sometimes been found over whose heroic spirits death had no power.
II. The secret of his heroism.
1. Love to the Lord Jesus Christ. Between Paul and Jesus Christ existed such a bond of personal love and devotion as has probably never since existed. Paul’s individuality was almost swallowed up in Christ. “Not I, but Christ liveth in me!” “To me to live is Christ!” Paul had such a conception of Christ’s love to him—“He loved me and gave Himself for me”—that it kindled in him a responsive flame of affection that wellnigh consumed him. “The love of Christ constraineth us!” And there is no consideration or force that will transform a man into a hero sooner than this.
2. Love for the souls of men. When Paul said “for the name of the Lord Jesus” he practically meant “for the gospel’s sake,” which again signified, “for the souls of men.” He wanted to go to Jerusalem to preach to his countrymen at Pentecost, and was willing to face bonds, imprisonment, and death for so sacred a cause. This the next strongest force to the love of Christ. Paul was willing to die for the gospel, not because it was the highest philosophy, or divinest theology, but because it was the power of God unto salvation to every one who believed.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On v5 5-8. “....Going out we departed, all accompanying us, along…
5-8. “....Going out we departed, all accompanying us, along with the women and children, even without the city, and, putting down our knees on the sand, praying, we bade each other adieu.” Lord, rebuke our pride, too stiff and haughty anon to kneel on a nice carpet or clean camp-meeting straw or sawdust, when Paul and the Tyrian saints mutually knelt in the sand on the dirty seashore. Arriving in Ptolemais they spend one day with the saints, taking their final departure from the sea and walking overland [now in Palestine] to Caesarea, where they are delighted to find Philip, the evangelist, of whom we have had no record in twenty years. Chapter 8. tells us when the Spirit caught him away from the Ethiopian eunuch in Southern Palestine he traveled up the coast, preaching in many cities, till he arrived in Caesarea. It seemed that he settled there, making this city headquarters of his evangelistic work.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv3–7 See notes on verse 1
See notes on verse 1
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v4 go up to
go up to
Lit. set foot in. Not, as in Act 20:23 a warning of danger, but now an imperative command. See Act 22:17; Act 22:18.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v5 From Tyre to Caesarea:
From Tyre to Caesarea:
v. 5. And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we kneeled down on the shore and prayed.
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v. 6. And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again.
v. 7. And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.
v. 8. and the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed and came unto Caesarea; and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven, and abode with him.
v. 9. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.
When Paul and his companions had accomplished the seven days, when they had finished the time, when the stated period was up during which they had remained for the cargo to be unloaded, they went out of the city to continue their trip. And here we have a fine bit of evidence from an eye-witness to indicate the affectionate intimacy which in those days characterized the relation of the Christians in general. For the disciples of the city, the entire congregation, not only the men, but also their wives and children, escorted them on their way outside of the city. The band of mutual love, tied by their mutual faith, united them in a closer union than earthly friendship could have done. Having arrived before the city, on the sandy beach near the water’s edge, they all kneeled down and committed themselves and their cause to God in prayer. The very simplicity of the narrative at this place makes it so impressive. Then there were leave-takings from the friends of a week, more dear mutually than others of months and years, after which Paul and his company went on board, and the others returned home. The travelers now, sailing from Tyre, completed their voyage; they were on the last section of their journey, down the coast of Syria and Palestine. The voyage from Macedonia had been completed with the landing at Tyre, the short distance still remaining could be made without difficulty. Their ship ran in and anchored at Ptolemais, a harbor eight miles north of Mount Carmel, and they thus had a chance to salute the brethren in that city and to spend the day with them. But on the next day they started out and came to Caesarea, where the trip by water ended. Here they entered into the house of Philip the Evangelist, originally one of the seven deacons elected by the congregation at Jerusalem, chap. 6, but driven from the city by the persecution of Saul of Tarsus. They were entertained by Philip with all cordiality for some time. Luke, who here, together with some of his companions, made the acquaintance of Philip, records that there were four daughters in the house, virgins, who had the gift of prophecy. There is nothing in the text, however, that would oblige us to conclude that they belonged to a special order, or that they had taken the vow of chastity. They simply shared the home life of their father, making use of their extraordinary gifts only as the Spirit directed, and did no public teaching. Their case came under the heading of the fulfillment of Joe 2:20, from which no special conclusions in regard to our days may be drawn.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3, 5, 7 General Information:
General Information:
Here the word "we" refers to Luke, Paul, and those traveling with them, but not to the reader. (See: Exclusive and Inclusive "We")
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leaving it on the left side of the boat
"passed the island on the left" the left is the "port" side of a boat.
where the ship was to unload its cargo
Here "ship" stands for the crew that was sailing the ship. AT: "the crew would unload the cargo from the ship" (See: Metonymy)
Through the Spirit they kept urging Paul
"These believers told Paul what the Holy Spirit had revealed to them." They "urged him over and over."
translationWords
Cyprus
Syria
Tyre
disciple
day
Paul
Holy Spirit
Jerusalem
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv4, 7 21:4-6 The local believers at Tyre gave Paul a…
21:4-6 The local believers at Tyre gave Paul a touching farewell that reveals deep Christian fellowship. • prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem: The believers at Tyre clearly foresaw the danger in Paul’s visiting Jerusalem and out of brotherly concern tried to dissuade him. Paul willingly accepted the risks in order to fulfill his apostolic mandate (cp. Phil 3:7-10). See also study note on Acts 21:11-14.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.