Acts 21

Acts 21:1

Acts 21:1. The E. V., ‘After we had gotten from them,’ does not come up to the original: δείκνυσιτὴνβίαντῷεἰπεῖνἀποσπασθένταςἀπʼ αὐτὦν, Chrys.

εὐθυδρομ.] See ref., having run before the wind. Cos, opposite Cnidus and Halicarnassus, celebrated for its wines (εὔκαρποςπᾶσα, οἴνῳδὲκαὶἀρίστη, καθάπερΧίοςκ. Λέσβος, Strab. xiv. 2), rich stuffs (‘nec Coæ referunt jam tibi purpuræ,’ Hor. iv. 13. 13), and ointments (γίνεταιδὲμύρακάλλιστακατὰτόπους.… ἀμαράκινονδὲΚῶονκαὶμήλινον, Athen[140] xv. p. 688). The chief town was of the same name (Hom. Il. β. 677), and had a famous temple of Æsculapius (Strabo, ibid.). It was the birth-place of Hippocrates. The modern name, Stanchio, is a corruption of ἐςτὰνΚῶ [as Stamboul for Constantinople is of ἐςτὰνπόλιν]. See Winer, Realw.

[140] Athenagoras of Athens, 177

Rhodes was at this time free, cf. Strabo, xiv. 2; Tac. Ann. xii. 58: ‘Redditur Rbodiis libertas, adempta sæpe aut firmata, prout bellis externis meruerant, aut domi seditione deliquerant.’ See also Suet. Claud. 25, ‘Rhodiis (libertatem) ob pœitentiam veterum delictorum reddidit.’ It was reduced to a Roman province under Vespasian, Suet. Vesp. 8. The situation of its chief town is praised by Strabo, 1. c.

The celebrated Colossus was at this time broken and lying in ruins, ib. Patara, in Lycia (‘caput gentis,’ Liv. xxxvii. 15), a large maritime town, a short distance E. of the mouth of the Xanthus. It had a temple and oracle of Apollo, Herod, i. 182. ‘Delius et Patareus Apollo,’ Hor. iii. 4. There are considerable ruins remaining, Fellows, Asia Minor, p. 219 ff. Lycia, p. 115 ff. Winer, Realw. Here they leave their ship hired at Troas, or perhaps at Neapolis (see note on Acts 20:16), and avail themselves of a merchant ship bound for Tyre.

Acts 21:3

3. ἀναφανέντες] for the construction, see reff. and Winer, edn. 6, § 39. 1: having been shewn Cyprus, literally. Wetst. cites from Theophanes, p. 392, περιεφέροντοἐντῷπελάγει, ἀναφανέντωνδὲαὐτῶντὴνγῆν, εἶδοναὐτοὺςοἱστρατηγοί. ‘The graphic language of an eyewitness, and of one familiar with the phraseology of seamen, who, in their own language, appear to raise the land in approaching it.’ Smith, Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul. But would not this remark rather apply to the active participle? Compare ‘aerias Phæacum abscondimus arces,’ Æn. iii. 291.

εὐώνυμον] sc. αὐτήν, i.e. to the E. This would be the straight course from Patara to Tyre.

ἐπλ. εἰςΣ.,—we held our course, steered, for Syria.

κατήλθ.] we came down to, the result of having borne down upon.

Τύρον] This city, so well known for its commercial importance and pride, and so often mentioned in the O. T. prophets, was now a free town (Jos. Ant. xv. 41. Strabo, xvi. 2, οὐχὑπὸτῶνβασιλέωνδʼ ἐκρίθησαναὐτόνομοιμόνον, ἀλλὰκαὶὑπὸτῶνῬωμαίων) of the province of Syria.

ἐκεῖσε] If this is an adv. of motion as generally, the reference may be to the carrying and depositing the cargo in the town (De Wette), or to the thitherward direction of the voyage (Meyer): but in the only other place where ἐκεῖσε occurs (ref. [see also ref. Job]) it simply = ἐκεῖ, so that perhaps no motion is included.

ἀποφορτ.] The pres. part. indicates the intention, as διαπερῶν before.

Acts 21:4

4. δέ] Implying, ‘the crew indeed were busied with unlading the ship: but we, having sought out (by enquiry) the disciples.’ … ‘Finding disciples’ (E.V.) is quite wrong. It is not improbable that Paul may have preached at Tyre before, when he visited Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21) after his conversion,—and again when he confirmed the churches (ch. Acts 15:41): τοὺςμαθ. seems to imply this.

ἡμ. ἑπτ.] The time taken in unlading:—they apparently proceeded in the same ship, see Acts 21:6.

The notice here is very important, that these Tyrian disciples said to Paul by the Spirit, that he should not go to Jerusalem,—and yet he went thither, and, as he himself declares, δεδεμένοςτῷπνεύματι, bound in spirit by the leading of God. We thus have an instance of that which Paul asserts 1 Corinthians 14:32, that the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets, i.e., that the revelation made by the Holy Spirit to each man’s spirit was under the influence of that man’s will and temperament, moulded by and taking the form of his own capacities and resolves. So here: these Tyrian prophets knew by the Spirit, which testified this in every city (ch. Acts 20:23), that bonds and imprisonment awaited Paul. This appears to have been announced by them, shaped and intensified by their own intense love and anxiety for him who was probably their father in the faith (see [τοὺςμαθ. above, and] Acts 21:5). But he paid no regard to the prohibition, being himself under a leading of the same Spirit too plain for him to mistake it. see below, Acts 21:10 ff.

Acts 21:5

5. ἐξαρτίσαι] This is ordinarily a naval word, signifying to fit out or refit a ship (with or without πλοῖον, Passow). But this can hardly be the meaning here. Meyer would render ‘when we had spent these days in refitting,’ so that τ. ἡμ. would be the accusative of duration,—‘when we had refitted during the days.’ But not to mention that τὰςἡμ., without ταύτας, would be harsh in such a connexion,—is not the aorist ἐξαρτίσαι fatal to the rendering? Would it not in this case be present, if implying the continued action during the days,—perfect, if implying that that action was over (in which latter case ἡμ. would be dative)? The aorist, as almost invariably in dependent clauses, must refer to some one act occurring at one time. So that if the meaning given by Theoph., Œc[141] πληρῶσαι (Hesych[142] τελειῶσαι) be found no where else, it is almost necessary so to understand the word here.

And it is doing no violence to its import: the same verb which indicates the completion of a ship’s readiness for a voyage, might well be applied to the completion of a period of time. Our own word ‘fulfil’ has undergone a similar change of meaning since its first composition: and πληρῶσαι is used both of manning a ship and of fulfilling a period of time.

[141] Œcumenius of Tricca in Thrace, Centy. XI.?

[142] Hesychius of Jerusalem, centy. vi.

ἐξελθ.] from the house where they were lodged.

ἕωςἔξωτ. π.] “We passed through the city to the western shore of the ancient island, now the peninsula, hoping to find there a fitting spot for the tent, in the open space between the houses and the sea.” Robinson, iii. 392.

ἐπὶτὸναἰγιαλόν] “Yet had we looked a few rods further, we should have found a very tolerable spot by a threshing-floor, where we might have pitched close upon the bank, and enjoyed, in all its luxury, the cool sea-breeze, and the dashing of the surge upon the rocky shore.” id. ibid.

Acts 21:7

7. τὸνπλοῦνδιανύς.] Having ended our voyage, viz. the whole voyage, from Neapolis to Syria. The E.V., ‘when we had finished our course from Tyre,’ is allowable, but this would more probably have been τὸνἀπὸΤύρου. ‘With their landing at Ptolemais their voyage ended: the rest of the journey was made by land.’ (De Wette.) ἀπὸΤύρου will thus be taken with κατηντήσαμεν.

Πτολεμαΐδα] Anciently Accho (Ἀκχώ, LXX, Judges 1:31,—in Gr. and Rom. writers Ἄκη, Ace), called Ptolemais from (probably) Ptolemy Lathurus (Jos. Antt. xiii. 12. 2 ff., see 1Ma 10:56 ff; 1Ma 11:22; 1Ma 11:24; 1Ma 12:45; 1Ma 12:48; 2Ma 13:24). It was a large town with a harbour (Jos. Antt. xviii. 6. 3). It was never (Judges 1:31) fully possessed by the Jews, but belonged to the Phœnicians, who in after times were mixed with Greeks. But after the captivity a colony of Jews is found there (Jos.

B. J. ii. 18. 5). The emperor Claudius gave it the ‘civitas,’ whence it is called by Pliny, Acts 21:17; xxxvi. 65, ‘Colonia Claudii Cæsaris.’ It is now called St. Jean d’Acre, and is the best harbour on the Syrian coast, though small. It lies at the end of the great road from Damascus to the sea. Population now about 10,000.

The distance from Ptolemais to Cæsarea is forty-four miles. For Cæsarea, see on ch. Acts 10:1.

Acts 21:8

8. Φιλ. τ. εὐαγγ.] It is possible that he may have had this appellation from his having been the first to travel about preaching the gospel: see ch. Acts 8:5 ff. The office of Evangelist, see reff., seems to have answered very much to our missionary: Theodoret, on Ephesians 4:11, says, ἐκεῖνοιπεριΐόντεςἐκήρυττον: and Euseb. H. E. iii. 37, ἔργονἐπετέλουνεὐαγγελιστῶν, τοῖςἔτιπάμπανἀνηκόοιςτοῦτῆςπίστεωςλόγουκηρύττειντὸνχριστὸνφιλοτιμούμενοι, καὶτὴντῶνθείωνεὐαγγελίωνπαραδιδόναιγραφήν. The latter could hardly have been part of their employment so early as this; nor had εὐαγγέλιον in these times the peculiar meaning of a narrative of the life of Christ, but rather embraced the whole good tidings of salvation by Him, as preached to the Jews and Heathens. See Neander, Pfl. u. L., pp. 258, 264.

Euseb., iii. 31, apparently mistakes this Philip for the Apostle: as did also (see Valesius’s note, Euseb. l. c.) Clement of Alexandria and Papias.

ὄντοςἐκτ. ἑπτά] See ch. Acts 6:5, and note. Meyer and Winer (edn. 6, § 20. l. c.) well remark (see De Wette also), that the participle without the article implies that the reason why they abode with him was that he was one of the seven: ‘ut qui esset,’ &c. and in English being (one) of the seven. The fact of Philip being settled at Cæsarea, and known as ὁεὐαγγελιστής, seems decisive against regarding the occurrence of ch. Acts 6:3 ff. as the establishment of any permanent order in the church.

Acts 21:9

9. This notice is inserted apparently without any immediate reference to the history, but to bring so remarkable a circumstance to the knowledge of the readers. The four daughters had the gift of προφητεία: see on ch. Acts 11:27. Eusebius (see, however, his mistake above) gives from Polycrates traditional accounts of them,—that two were buried at Hierapolis, and one at Ephesus. From that passage, and one cited from Clement of Alex. (δύοθυγατέρεςαὐτοῦγεγηρακυῖαιπαρθένοι, Polycr., Euseb. iii. 31.… Φίλιπποςτὰςθυγατέραςἀνδράσινἐξέδωκε, Clem[143], Eus[144] iii. 30), it would appear that two were afterwards married, according to tradition.

[143] Clement of Alexandria, fl. 194

[144] Eusebius, Bp. of Cæsarea, 315–320

To find an argument for the so-called ‘honour of virginity’ in this verse, only shews to what resources those will stoop who have failed to apprehend the whole spirit and rule of the gospel in the matter. They are met however on their own ground by an argument built on another misapprehension (that of Philip being a deacon in the ecclesiastical sense): ὥστεοὖνκαὶτῷκοινωνήσαντιγάμωνδιακονεῖνἔξεστι.

Acts 21:10

10. This Agabus in all probability is identical with the Agabus of ch. Acts 11:28. That there is no reference to that former mention of him, might be occasioned by different sources of information having furnished the two narratives.

Acts 21:11

11. Similar symbolical actions accompanying prophecy are found 1 Kings 22:11; Isaiah 20:2; Jeremiah 13:1 ff.; Ezekiel 4:1 fr., 9 ff.; Acts 5:1, &c. De Wette remarks that τάδελέγειτὸπνεῦματὸἅγιον is the N. T. prophetic formula, instead of τάδελέγειὁκύριος of the O. T.

Acts 21:12

12. τοῦμή] A similar gen. after exhortation, is found ch. Acts 15:20.

Acts 21:13

13. The τότε, which has been changed in the rec. for the ordinary copula, gives solemnity to the answer about to be related: q. d. It was then that Paul said.

συνθρύπτοντες] The present part. does not imply the endeavour merely, here or any where else, but as Meyer quotes from Schaefer, Eurip. Phœn. 79, ‘Vere incipit actus, sed ob impedimenta caret eventu.’

γάρ] Either, ‘your proceeding is in vain, for …’—or ‘cease to do so, for.…’

εἰςἹερ] on my arrival at: the motion to, which was the subject in question, is combined with that which might result on it: see reff. and ch. Acts 2:39.

Acts 21:14

14. τ. κ. τὸθέλ. γιν.] One of the passages from which we may not unfairly infer, that the Lord’s prayer was used by the Christians of the apostolic age. See note on 2 Timothy 4:18.

Acts 21:15

15. ἐπισκευασάμενοι] The remarkable variety of reading in this word shews that much difficulty has been found in it. The rec. ἀποσκευασάμενοι (which may perhaps have arisen from the mixture of ἀποταξάμενοι (D) with ἐπισκευασάμενοι), would mean, not, ‘having deposited our (useless) baggage,’—but, ‘having discharged our baggage,’ ‘unpacked the matters necessary for our journey to Jerusalem, from our coffers.’ But ἐπισκ. is the better supported reading, and suits the passage better: having packed up, made ourselves ready for the journey. ‘Carriages’ in the E. V. is used, as at Judges 18:21 (where it answers to τὸβάρος, LXX-B), for baggage, things carried.

Acts 21:16

16. Two renderings are given to the latter clause of this verse: (1) making Μνάσωνι, &c. depend on ἄγοντες, and agreeing by attr. with ᾧ, as E. V., ‘and brought with them one Mnason, … with whom we should lodge’ (so Beza, Calvin, Wolf, Schött., &c.): and (2) resolving the attraction into ἄγοντεςπαρὰΜνάσωνα, παρʼ ᾧξ. ‘bringing us to Mnason,’ &c. (So Grot., Valcknaer, Bengel, De Wette, Meyer, al.) Both are legitimate: and it is difficult to choose between them. The probability of Mnason being a resident at Jerusalem, and of the Cæsarean brethren going to introduce the company to him, seems to favour the latter: as also does the fact that Luke much more frequently uses ἄγω with a person followed by a preposition than absolutely. Of Mnason nothing further is known.

ἀρχαίῳ probably implies that he had been a disciple ἐξἀρχῆς, and had accompanied our Lord during His ministry. See ch. Acts 11:15, where the term ἐξἀρχῆς is applied to the time of the Pentecostal effusion of the Spirit.

Acts 21:17

17. οἱἀδελφοί] The Christians generally: not the Apostles and elders, as Kuin., who imagines from Acts 21:20-21, that ‘cœtus non favebat Paulo.’ But (1) this is by no means implied: and (2) James and the elders are not mentioned till Acts 21:18.

Acts 21:18

18. Ἰάκωβον] James, ‘the brother of the Lord:’ the president of the church at Jerusalem: see ch. Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13, Galatians 2:12, and notes,—and Prolegg. to the Epistle of James, vol. iv. pt. 1, § i. 24–37.

Acts 21:19

19. On the particular kind of attraction (reff.), in a gen. plur. after a partitive adjective, see Winer, edn. 6, § 24. 2. b.

Acts 21:20

20. While they praised God for, and fully recognized, the work wrought by him among the Gentiles, they found it requisite to advise him respecting the suspicion under which he laboured among the believing Jews. They,—led, naturally perhaps, but incorrectly (see 1 Corinthians 7:18), by some passages of Paul’s life (and of his already written Epistles?), in which he had depreciated legal observances in comparison with faith in Christ, and spoken strongly against their adoption by Gentile converts,—apprehended that he advised on the part of the Hellenistic believers, an entire apostasy from Moses and the ordinances of the law.

θεωρεῖς] This can hardly be a reference (as Olsh.) to the elders present, as representatives of the μυριάδες of believing Jews; for only those of Jerusalem were there:—but refers to Paul’s own experience, and knowledge of the vast numbers of the Jews who believed at Jerusalem, and elsewhere in Judæa.

πόσαιμυριάδες is perhaps not to be strictly taken: see reff. Baur suspects, on account of this expression, that the words τῶνπεπιστ. are spurious; but quite without reason. Eusebius quotes from Hegesippus (H. E. ii. 23), πολλῶνκαὶτῶνἀρχόντωνπιστευόντωνἦνθόρυβοςτῶνἸουδαίωνκαὶγραμματέωνκαὶΦαρισαίωνλεγόντωνὅτικινδυνεύειπᾶςὁλαὸςἸησοῦντὸνχριστὸνπροσδοκᾷν. On the other hand, Origen (tom. i. in Joann. § 2, vol. iv. p. 3) says, that probably the whole number of believing Jews at no time had amounted to 144,000. On εἰσὶν … ὑπάρχουσι, see note, ch. Acts 16:20-21.

Acts 21:21

21. κατηχήθησαν] they were sedulously informed (at some time in the mind of the speaker. The sense of the aor. must be preserved. Below, Acts 21:24, it is the perfect): viz., by the anti-Pauline judaizers.

τοῖςἔθεσιν] The dat. of the rule, or form, after which: see reff.

Acts 21:22

22. πάντωςδ. συνελθ. πλ.] Not, as E. V., Calv., Grot., Calov., ‘the multitude must needs come together,’ i.e. there must be a meeting of the whole church (τὸπλῆθος, ch. Acts 2:6): but a multitude (of these Judaizers) will certainly come together: ‘they will meet and discuss your proceeding in a hostile manner.’

Acts 21:23

23. εὐχήν] A vow of Nazarites. This vow must not be confounded, historically or analogically, with that of ch. Acts 18:18; see note there, and Numbers 6:2-21.

Acts 21:24

24. παραλαβών] having taken to thyself, as comrades.

ἁγν. σὺναὐτ.] become a Nazarite with them. The same expression occurs in the LXX, Numbers 6:3, in describing the Nazarite’s duties.

δαπάν. ἐπʼ αὐτ.] “More apud Judæos receptum erat, et pro insigni pietatis officio habebatur, ut in pauperum Nasiræorum gratiam ditiores sumptus erogarent ad sacrificia (see Numbers 6:14 ff.) quæ dum illi tonderentur, offerre necesse erat.” Kypke. Jos. Antt. xix. 6.1, relating Agrippa’s thank-offerings at Jerusalem, says, διὸκαὶΝαζιραίωνξυρᾶσθαιδιέταξεμάλασυχνούς.

On the shaving the head, see Numbers 6:18.

De Wette remarks: ‘James and the elders made this proposal, assuming that Paul could comply with it salvâ conscientiâ,—perhaps also as a proof, to assure themselves and others of his sentiments: and Paul accepted it salvâ conscientiâ. But this he could only have done on one condition, that he was sure by it not to contribute in these four Nazarites to the error of justification by the works of the law. He might keep, and encourage the keeping of the law,—but not with the purpose of thereby deserving the approbation of God.’

Acts 21:25

25. See ch. Acts 15:28-29.

Acts 21:26

26. Paul himself entered into the vow with them (σὺναὐτοῖςἁγν.), and the time settled (perhaps the least that could be assigned: the Mischna requires thirty days) for the completion of the vow, i.e. the offering and shaving of their heads, was seven days. No definite time is prescribed in Numbers 6, but there seven days is the time of purification in case of uncleanness during the period of the vow.

διαγγέλλων] making known to the ministers of the temple.

τὴνἐκπλήρωσιν] the fulfilment, i.e. that he and the men had come to fulfil: announcing their intention of fulfilling.

ἕωςοὗπροσηνέχθη.] ‘donec offerretur,’ Vulg. The aor. indic. is unusual in an indirect construction, where the aor. subj. is almost always found (ch. Acts 23:12; Acts 23:21; Acts 25:21). But we have Plato, Gorg. p. 506, ἡδέως … ἂν … διελεγόμην, ἕωςαὐτῷτὴντοῦἈμφίονοςἀπέδωκαῥῆσιν,—and Cratyl. 396, οὐκἂνἐπαυόμηνδιεξιὼν … ἕωςἀπεπειράθηντῆςσοφίαςταυτησὶτίποιήσει. (De W.)

ἡπροσφορά] See Numbers 6:13-17.

Acts 21:27

27. αἱἑπτ. ἡμ.] Of the votive period: not (as Chrys. and Bede[145]) since Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem. Five days of the seven had passed: see on ch. Acts 24:11. Cf. on the whole, Bp. Wordsworth’s note.

[145] Bede, the Venerable, 731; Bedegr, a Greek MS. cited by Bede, nearly identical with Cod. “E,” mentioned in this edn only when it differs from E.

ἀπὸτ. Ἀς.] From Ephesus and the neighbourhood, where Paul had so long taught. ‘Paulus, dum fidelibus placandis intentus est (viz. the believing Jews), in hostium furorem incurrit (viz. of the unbelieving Asiatic Jews).’ Calv., in Meyer, who adds, ‘In how many ways had those who were at Jerusalem this Pentecost, already persecuted Paul in Asia?’

Notice the similarity of the charge against him to that against Stephen, ch. Acts 6:13.

Acts 21:28

28. Ελληνας] The generic plural: only one is intended, see next verse. They meant, into the inner court, which was forbidden to Gentiles.

Acts 21:29

29. Τρόφ.] See ch. Acts 20:4, note. We here learn that he was an Ephesian.

Acts 21:30

30. The Levites shut the doors to prevent profanation by a riot, and possibly bloodshed, in the temple: hardly, as Bengel, ‘ne templi tutela uteretur Paulus:’—the right of asylum was only (Exodus 21:13-14) for murder unawares (Meyer). But by Acts 21:14 there, and by Joab’s fleeing to the altar, 1 Kings 2:28 ff., we see that it was resorted to on other occasions.

Acts 21:31

31. ζητούντωνκ.τ.λ.] By beating him: see Acts 21:32.

ἀνέβη] went (was carried) up; up, either because of his high station, as commanding officer, or because he was locally stationed in the tower Antonia, overlooking (from the N.W.) the temple, where the riot was.

τῷχιλιάρχῳτ. σπ.] Claudius Lysias (ch. Acts 23:26), the tribune of the cohort (whose proper complement was 1000 men).

Acts 21:33

33. ἁλύς. δυσί] See ch. Acts 12:6. He would thus be in the custody of two soldiers.

τίς [ἂν] εἴη, who he might be (subjective possibility): and τίἐστινπεπ., what he had done (assuming that he must have done something).

Acts 21:34

34. παρεμβ.] The camp or barracks attached to the tower Antonia;—or perhaps ‘into the tower’ itself: but the other is the more usual meaning of παρεμβ. “For a full history and description of the fortress of Antonia, see Robinson, i. pp. 431, 435; Williams, Holy City, i. 99; ii. 403–411; Howson, ii. 311.” Wordsworth.

Acts 21:35

35. ἀναβαθμ.] The steps leading up into the tower. The description of the tower or fort Antonia in Jos. B. J. v. 5. 8, sets the scene vividly before us:—πυργοειδὴςδὲοὖσατὸπᾶνσχῆμα, κατὰγωνίαντέσσαρσινἑτέροιςδιείληπτοπύργοιςὧνοἱμὲνἄλλοιπεντήκοντατὸὕψος, ὁδὲἐπὶτῇμεσημβρινῇκαὶκατʼ ἀνατολὴνγωνίᾳκείμενοςἑβδομήκονταπηχῶνἦν, ὡςκαθορᾷνὅλονἀπʼ αὐτοῦτὸἱερόν. καθὰδὲσυνῆπτοταῖςτοῦἱεροῦστοαῖς, εἰςἀμφοτέραςεἶχεκαταβάσειςδιʼ ὧνκατιόντεςοἱφρουροί, καθῆστογὰρἀεὶἐπʼ αὐτῆςτάγμαῬωμαίων, καὶδιϊστάμενοιπερὶτὰςστοὰςμετὰτῶνὅπλων, ἐνταῖςἑορταῖςτὸνδῆμον, ὡςμήτινεωτερισθείη, παρεφύλαττονφρούριονγὰρἐπέκειτοτῇπόλειμὲντὸἱερόν, τῷἱερῷδὲἡἈντωνία.

Acts 21:37

37. Ἑλληνιστὶγιγ.] as ‘Græce nescire,’ Cic. pro Flacc. 4,—τοὺςΣυριστὶἐπισταμένους, Xen. Cyr. vii. 5. 31: and reff. There is no ellipsis of λαλεῖν.

Acts 21:38

38. οὐκἄρασὺεἶ] Thou art not then, as I believed.… The E. V., after the Vulg., ‘art not thou’ … (‘nonne tu es …’) would require ἆρʼ οὐ or οὔκουν, Winer, edn. 6, § 57. 3. See also Luke 17:17; John 18:37.

Αἰγύπτιος] The inference of the tribune was not, as in Bengel, ‘Græce loquitur: ergo est Ægyptius;’ but the very contrary to this. His being able to speak Greek is a proof to Lysias that he is not that Egyptian. This Egyptian is mentioned by Josephus, Antt. xx. 8. 6, ἀφικνεῖταιδέτιςἐξΑἰγύπτουκατὰτοῦτοντὸνκαιρὸνεἰςτὰἹεροσόλυμα, προφήτηςεἶναιλέγων, καὶσυμβουλεύωντῷδημοτικῷπλήθεισὺναὐτῷπρὸςὄροςτὸπροσαγορευόμενονἘλαιῶνἔρχεσθαι, ὃκαὶτῆςπόλεωςἄντικρυςκείμενονἀπέχειστάδιαπέντεθέλεινγάρ, ἔφασκεν, αὐτοῖςἐκεῖθενἐπιδεῖξαι, ὡςκελεύσαντοςαὐτοῦπίπτοιτὰτῶνἹεροσολύμωντείχη, διʼ ὧντὴνεἴσοδοναὐτοῖςπαρέξεινἐπηγγέλλετο. Φῆλιξδὲὡςἐπύθετοταῦτα, κελεύειτοὺςστρατιώταςἀναλαβεῖντὰὅπλα, καὶ … προσβάλλειτοῖςπερὶτὸνΑἰγύπτιονκαὶτετρακοσίουςμὲναὐτῶνἀνεῖλε, διακοσίουςδὲζῶνταςἔλαβεν. ὁδὲΑἰγύπτιοςαὐτὸςδιαδράσαςἐκτῆςμάχηςἀφανὴςἐγένετο. But in B. J. ii. 13. 5, he says of the same person, περὶτρισμυρίουςἀθροίζειτῶνἠπατημένων, περιαγαγὼνδὲαὐτοὺςἐκτῆςἐρημίαςεἰςτὸἘλαιῶνκαλ. ὄρ. κ.τ.λ … ὥστεσυμβολῆςγενομένης … διαφθαρῆναικ. ζωγρηθῆναιπλείστουςτῶνσὺναὐτῷ. It is obvious that the numerical accounts in Jos. are inconsistent with our text, and with one another.

This latter being the case, we may well leave them out of the question. At different times of his rebellion, his number of followers would be variously estimated; and the tribune would naturally take it as he himself or his informant had known it, at some one period. That this is so, we may see by noticing that our narrative speaks of his leading out,—whereas Josephus’s numbers are those whom he brought back from the wilderness against Jerusalem, by which time his band would have augmented considerably.

τοὺςτετρ.] the four thousand,—the matter being one of notoriety.

σικαρίων] From sica, a dagger; they are described by Jos. B. J. ii. 13. 3, ἕτερονεἶδοςλῃστῶνἐνἹεροσολύμοιςὑπεφύετο, οἱκαλούμενοισικάριοι, μεθʼ ἡμέρανκαὶἐνμέσῃτῇπόλειφονεύοντεςἀνθρώπουςμάλισταδὲἐνταῖςἑορταῖςμισγόμενοιτῷπλήθει, καὶταῖςἐσθήσεσινὑποκρύπτοντεςμικρὰξιφίδια, τούτοιςἔνυττοντοὺςδιαφόρους … πρῶτοςμὲνοὖνὑπʼ αὐτῶνἸωνάθηςὁἀρχιερεὺςἀποσφάζεταιμετὰδὲαὐτὸνκαθʼ ἡμέρανἀνῃροῦντοπολλοί … The art. is generic.

Acts 21:39

39. μέν] Our indeed,—implying ‘not the Egyptian, but,’—exactly renders it: I indeed am: so Aristoph. Plut. 355, μὰΔίʼ ἐγὼμὲνοὔ. See Hartung, Partikellehre, ii. 413.

οὐκἀσήμουπόλ.] See note, ch. Acts 9:11.

The expression is an elegant one, and very common. Wetst. gives many examples, and among them one from Eurip. Ion 8, ἐστὶνγὰροὐκἄσημοςἙλλήνωνπόλις.

There was distinction in his being a πολίτης of an urbs libera. “Many of the coins of Tarsus bear the epigraphs μητρόπολις and αὐτόνομος.” Wordsw. from Akermann, p. 56.

Acts 21:40

40. τῇἙβρ. διαλ.] The Syro-Chaldaic, the mother-tongue of the Jews in Judæa at this time: his motive is implied (ch. Acts 22:2) to be, that they might be the more disposed to listen to him.