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Acts 21:24
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22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.  
23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may ashave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.  
25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, awe have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from2 sexual immorality.”  

Arrested in the Temple

26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, aentered the temple bto announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.  
Commentaries:
Barnes' Notes
<< Acts 21:23   Acts 21:25 >>


Acts 21:24

Them take - Take with you. Join yourself with them.

And purify thyself with them - Join them in observing the forms of purification prescribed by the Law of Moses in the observance of the vow of the Nazarite. The purifying here refers to the vows of sanctity which the Nazarites were to observe. They were to abstain from wine and strong drink; they were to eat no grapes, moist or dried; they were to come near no dead body, nor to make themselves "unclean" for their father, mother, brother, or sister, when they died Numbers 6:3-7; and they were to present an offering when the days of the vow were completed, Numbers 6:8.

And be at charges with them - Share with them the expense of the offerings required when the vow is completed. Those offerings were a ram of a year old for a burnt-offering, a sheep of the same age for a sin-offering, a ram for a thank-offering, a basket of unleavened cakes, and a libation of wine. See Numbers 6:13-20.

That they may shave their heads - The shaving of the head, or the cutting off the hair which had been suffered to grow during the continuance of the vow Numbers 6:5, was an observance indicating that the vow had been performed. Paul was requested to join with them in the expense of the offerings, that thus, the whole of the ceremonies having been observed, their heads might be shaved as an indication that every part of the vow had been complied with.

And all may know - By the fact of your observance of one of the rites of the Mosaic religion, all may have evidence that it is not your purpose or practice to speak contemptuously of those rites, or to undervalue the authority of Moses.

Are nothing - Are untrue, or without any foundation.

Walkest orderly - That you live in accordance with the real requirements of the Law of Moses. To walk, in the Scriptures, often denotes "to live, to act, to conduct in a certain manner." All, probably, that they wished Paul to show by this was, that he was not an enemy of Moses. They who gave this counsel were Christians, and they could not wish him to do anything which would imply that he was not a Christian.




Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Acts 21:24:

Judges 13:5
1 Samuel 21:7
Psalms 56:12
Acts 16:3
Acts 18:18
Acts 18:18
Acts 21:23
Acts 21:26
Acts 21:26
1 Corinthians 9:20
Galatians 1:8
Galatians 2:12
1 Timothy 1:8

 

<< Acts 21:23   Acts 21:25 >>

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