Acts 21:24 New English Translation
24 take them and purify[a] yourself along with them and pay their expenses,[b] so that they may have their heads shaved.[c] Then[d] everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told[e] about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with[f] the law.[g]
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- Acts 21:24 sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).
- Acts 21:24 tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”
- Acts 21:24 tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shaved…τὴν κεφαλήν have one’s head shaved…Ac 21:24.”sn Having their heads shaved probably involved ending a voluntary Nazirite vow (Num 6:14-15).
- Acts 21:24 tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
- Acts 21:24 tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).
- Acts 21:24 tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs—‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”
- Acts 21:24 sn The law refers to the law of Moses.
New English Translation (NET)
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