Acts 21:22

Acts 21:22-25 . What is it therefore — Which may not be apprehended on such an occasion? Or, what is to be done? the multitude must needs come together — They will certainly be gathered together in a tumultuous manner, unless they be some way pacified. For they will hear that thou art come — And will immediately form their judgment of the truth or falsehood of the information they have received, by what they discover in thy present behaviour, of regard or disregard to the Mosaic ceremonies. Do therefore this, &c. — To show them, how far soever thou art from imposing the Mosaic ceremonies on any Jews or Gentiles, as necessary to salvation, or teaching men to seek justification by them, yet thou dost not think there is any intrinsic evil in them, nor teach it as a matter of duty, that believers in Christ, of Jewish extraction, should disuse and reject them; do this that we say to thee — As the best expedient we can think of, for immediately taking off any ill impressions which might otherwise be apprehended. We have four men — Converts to the gospel; which have a vow on them — Of Nazariteship; take them — As thy companions and partners; and purify thyself with them — According to the Jewish ritual; and be at the necessary charges with, (or, rather, for, ) them, that they may shave their heads — And offer the sacrifices which the law has appointed in that case.

These sacrifices are specified Numbers 6:13 , &c., by which it appears, that the charges of these four would be the price of eight lambs and four rams, besides oil, flour, &c., and it was not uncommon among the Jews; for the rich to assist those Nazarites that were poor in bearing these charges: and all may know — Namely, all that come up to the temple, and see thee in these circumstances; that those things whereof they were informed are nothing — Have no reality or truth in them; but that — Instead of forbidding the observance of these ceremonies to others; thou thyself walkest orderly, and keepest the law — Avoiding all unnecessary occasion of offence. “It is evident from hence, that whatever might have passed between Paul and James on this head in private, ( Galatians 2:2 ,) James and the brethren thought it most regular and convenient, that the Jewish ritual should still be observed by those of the circumcision who believed in Christ; and considering what tribulation the church at Jerusalem must otherwise have been exposed to from the sanhedrim, who, no doubt, would have prosecuted them to the utmost as apostates, and also how soon Providence intended to render the practice of it impossible, and to break the whole power of the Jews, by the destruction of the temple, and city, and nation; it was certainly the most orderly and prudent conduct to conform to it, though it were looked upon by those that understood the matter fully, (which it was not necessary that all should,)

What is it therefore? It cannot be otherwise; or, what else remains to be done? The multitude must needs come together; all the faithful must meet; for the magistrates then being pagan, and enemies both to the church and the gospel; in matters of great moment, especially when there was any fear of a schism, the whole multitude of believers were gathered together to consult about it.

22 . What is it therefore ?] i.e. How stands the matter? An expression used as introductory to the consideration of what is best to be done. the multitude must needs come together ] The oldest texts omit all but the word here rendered “needs,” giving only, “ they will certainly hear that thou art come ,” for the rest of the verse. Some keeping the Greek of the Textus Receptus , have translated “A multitude will certainly, &c.” But the reading of the oldest MSS. seems to give the most natural sense. The gathering before whom Paul had been speaking was composed of only the conspicuous members of the Christian body, to hear a report on the day after St Paul’s arrival. The rest of the speech addressed to the Apostle gives no hint of a crowd to be gathered, but recommends a policy by which the Judæo-Christians might learn gradually in their own visits to the temple that the Apostle against whom they had heard such reports was there himself taking part in the observance of the Mosaic customs.

Acts 21:22-23 . Τί οὖν ἔστι ;] What is accordingly the case? How lies then the matter? See on 1 Corinthians 14:15 ; Romans 3:9 . The answer τοῦτο ποίησον has the reason for it in the first instance more precisely assigned by the preliminary remark, πάντως … ἐλήλυθας : a multitude (of such Jew-Christians) must (inevitably will) come together (assemble around thee, to hear thee and to observe thy demeanour), for , etc. That James meant a tumultuary concourse, is not stated by the text, and is, on the contrary, at variance with the sanguine δεῖ ; but Calvin, Grotius, Calovius, and many others erroneously hold that πλῆθ . συνελθ . refers to the convoking of the church, or (so Lange) to the united body of the different household-congregations (in that case τὸ πλῆθ . must at least have been used). εὐχὴν ἔχ . ἐφʼ ἑαυτ .] having a vow ( Acts 18:18 ) for themselves . This ἐφʼ ἑαυτῶν represents the having of the vow as founded on the men’s own wish and self-interest , and accordingly exhibits it as a voluntary personal vow , in which they were not dependent on third persons. The use of ἐφʼ ἑαυτῶν in the sense of for oneself, at one’s own hand , and the like,[124] is a classical one (Xen. Anab . ii. 4. 10; Thuc. v. 67. 1, viii. 8. 11), and very common; Hermann, ad Viger . p. 859; Kühner, II. p. 296. A yet more express mode of denoting it would be: ΑὐΤΟῚ ἘΦʼ ἙΑΥΤῶΝ.

With this position of the vow there could be the less difficulty in Paul’s taking it along with them; no interest of any other than the four men themselves was concerned in it. Moreover, on account of Acts 21:26 , and because the point here concerned a usage appointed in the law of Moses (otherwise than at Acts 18:18 ), we are to understand a formal temporary Nazarite vow , undertaken on some unknown occasion (Numbers 6, and see on Acts 18:18 ). See on such vows, Keil, Archäol . I. § 67; Oehler in Herzog’s Encykl . X. p. 205 ff. [124] א reads ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν , a gloss substantially correct.