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Atos 21

BLIVRE · Chapter 21/28

1E quando aconteceu de termos saído deles, e navegado, percorremos diretamente, e viemos a Cós, e [n] o [dia] seguinte a Rodes, e dali a Pátara.

2E tendo achado um navio que passava para a Fenícia, nós embarcamos nele, e partimos.

3E tendo Chipre à vista, e deixando-a à esquerda, navegamos para a Síria, e viemos a Tiro; porque o navio tinha de deixar ali sua carga.

4E nós ficamos ali por sete dias; e achamos aos discípulos, os quais diziam pelo Espírito a Paulo, que não subisse a Jerusalém.

5E tendo passado [ali] aqueles dias, nós saímos e seguimos nosso caminho, acompanhando-nos todos com [suas] mulheres e filhos até fora da cidade; e postos de joelhos na praia, oramos.

6E saudando-nos uns aos outros, subimos ao navio; e eles voltaram para as [casas] deles.

7E nós, acabada a navegação de Tiro, chegamos a Ptolemaida; e tendo saudado aos irmãos, ficamos com eles por um dia.

8E [n] o [dia] seguinte, Paulo e nós que estávamos com ele, saindo dali, viemos a Cesareia; e entrando na casa de Filipe, o evangelista (que era [um] dos sete), nós ficamos com ele.

9E este tinha quatro filhas, que profetizavam.

10E ficando nós [ali] por muitos dias, desceu da Judeia um profeta, de nome Ágabo;

11E ele, tendo vindo a nós, e tomando a cinta de Paulo, e atando-se os pés e as mãos, disse: Isto diz o Espírito Santo: Assim os judeus em Jerusalém atarão ao homem a quem [pertence] esta cinta, e o entregarão nas mãos dos gentios.

12E nós, tendo ouvido isto, rogamos a ele, tanto nós como os que eram daquele lugar, que ele não subisse a Jerusalém.

13Mas Paulo respondeu: O que vós estais fazendo, ao chorarem e afligirem o meu coração? Porque eu estou pronto, não somente para ser atado, mas até mesmo para morrer em Jerusalém, pelo nome do Senhor Jesus.

14E como ele não deixou ser persuadido, nós nos aquietamos, dizendo: Faça-se a vontade do Senhor.

15E depois daqueles dias, nós nos arrumamos, e subimos a Jerusalém.

16E foram também conosco [alguns] dos discípulos de Cesareia, trazendo [consigo] a um certo Mnáson, cipriota, discípulo antigo, com o qual íamos nos hospedar.

17E quando chegamos a Jerusalém, os irmãos nos receberam com muito boa vontade.

18E [n] o [dia] seguinte, Paulo entrou conosco a [casa de] Tiago, e todos os anciãos vieram ali.

19E tendo os saudado, ele [lhes] contou em detalhes o que Deus tinha feito entre os gentios por meio do trabalho dele.

20E eles, ao ouvirem, glorificaram ao Senhor, e lhe disseram: Tu vês, irmão, quantos milhares de judeus há que creem, e todos são zelosos da lei.

21E foram informados quanto a ti, que a todos os judeus, que estão entre os gentios, [que] tu ensinas a se afastarem de Moisés, dizendo que não devem circuncidar [seus] filhos, nem andar segundo os costumes.

22Então o que se fará? Em todo caso a multidão deve se ajuntar, porque ouvirão que tu [já] chegaste.

23Portanto faça isto que te dizemos: temos quatro homens que fizeram voto.

24Toma contigo a estes, e purifica-te com eles, e paga os gastos deles, para que rapem a cabeça, e todos saibam que não há nada do que foram informados sobre ti, mas sim, [que] tu mesmo andas guardando a Lei.

25E quanto aos que creem dentre os gentios, nós já escrevemos, julgando que nada disto guardassem, a não ser somente que se abstenham do que se abstenham das coisas sacrificadas aos ídolos, e do sangue, e da [carne] sufocada, e do pecado sexual.

26Então Paulo, tendo tomado consigo a aqueles homens, e purificando-se com eles no dia seguinte, entrou no Templo, anunciando que [já] estavam cumpridos dos dias da purificação, quando fosse oferecida por eles, cada um [sua] oferta.

27E tendo os sete dias quase quase completados, os judeus da Ásia, vendo-o, tumultuaram a todo o povo, e lançaram as mãos sobre ele [para o deterem] ,

28Clamando: Homens israelitas, ajudai [-nos] ; este é o homem que por todos os lugares ensina a todos contra o [nosso] povo, e contra a Lei, e [contra] este lugar; e além disto, ele também pôs gregos dentro do Templo, e contaminou este santo lugar!

29(Porque antes eles tinham visto na cidade a Trófimo junto dele, ao qual pensavam que Paulo tinha trazido para dentro do Templo).

30E toda a cidade se tumultuou, e houve um ajuntamento do povo; e tendo detido a Paulo, trouxeram-no para fora do Templo; e logo as portas foram fechadas.

31E eles, procurando matá-lo, a notícia chegou ao comandante e aos soldados, de que toda Jerusalém estava em confusão.

32O qual, tendo tomado logo consigo soldados e centuriões, correu até eles. E eles, vendo ao comandante e aos soldados, pararam de ferir a Paulo.

33Então o comandante, tendo se aproximado, prendeu-o, e mandou que ele fosse atado em duas correntes; e perguntou quem ele era, e o que ele tinha feito.

34E na multidão clamavam [uns de uma maneira] ,e outros de outra maneira; mas [como] ele não podia saber com certeza por causa do tumulto, ele mandou que o levassem para a área fortificada.

35E ele, tendo chegado às escadas, aconteceu que ele foi carregado pelos soldados, por causa da violência da multidão.

36Porque a multidão do povo [o] seguia, gritando: Tragam-no para fora!

37E Paulo, estando perto de entrar na área fortificada, disse ao comandante: É permitido a mim te falar alguma coisa?E ele disse: Tu sabes grego?

38Por acaso não és tu aquele egípcio, que antes destes dias tinha levantando uma rebelião, e levou ao deserto quatro mil homens assassinos?

39Mas Paulo lhe disse: Na verdade eu sou um homem judeu de Tarso, cidade não pouca importância da Cilícia; mas eu te rogo para que tu me permitas falar ao povo.

40E tendo [lhe] permitido, Paulo pôs-se de pé nas escadas, acenou com a mão ao povo; e tendo havido grande silêncio, falou [-lhes] em língua hebraica, dizendo:

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Despite prophetic warnings of danger, Paul insists on going to Jerusalem. There, he is recognized in the temple by Jews from Asia, who falsely accuse him and stir up a riot; he is arrested by the Romans, who rescue him from the enraged crowd.

Explanation

Several prophetic warnings (including Agabus binding his own belt) try to dissuade Paul, but he presses on determined, saying he is ready even to die for Christ. The leaders in Jerusalem ask him to take part in a purification rite to prove he still respected the Jewish law — an attempt to calm tensions that, ironically, is what triggers the riot. The intervention of the Roman commander, who rescues Paul from the crowd, shows how the structure of the Roman Empire, despite being pagan, would go on to protect Paul at several future moments.

Fun facts

  • The 'barracks' where Paul was taken was the Antonia Fortress, built by Herod the Great and connected to the temple courtyard by stairs — allowing Roman soldiers to intervene quickly in religious riots, as happened here.
  • Being mistaken for 'the Egyptian' who led a revolt is confirmed by Flavius Josephus, who records a false Egyptian prophet who gathered thousands of followers on the Mount of Olives shortly before this period.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Atos 21:1After the emotional farewell in Ephesus, the group continues by ship, making quick stops at Coos, Rhodes, and Patara, islands and ports along the coast of Asia Minor.
  2. Atos 21:2At Patara, they find another ship heading straight for Phoenicia, on the coast of Syria, and change vessels to continue the journey.
  3. Atos 21:3They pass within sight of Cyprus, Barnabas’s home island, without stopping there, and continue on to Tyre, where the ship needed to unload its cargo.
  4. Atos 21:4In Tyre they find an already established Christian community and stay seven days; these disciples, through the Spirit, warn Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
  5. Atos 21:5At the end of the stay, the whole community of Tyre, including women and children, walks with the group outside the city, and they all kneel on the beach to pray together before departing.
  6. Atos 21:6After saying goodbye, they board the ship again, and the Christians of Tyre return to their own homes, closing out this leg of the journey.
  7. Atos 21:7From Tyre they arrive at Ptolemais, where they greet another community of believers and stay as guests for one day before moving on.
  8. Atos 21:8In Caesarea, the group stays at the house of Philip the evangelist, the same Philip from chapters 6 and 8, one of the first seven deacons chosen in Jerusalem.
  9. Atos 21:9The daughters of Philip, the evangelist from chapter 8, exercised the gift of prophecy, showing that women also prophesied openly in the earliest Christian communities, something the text mentions without further comment.
  10. Atos 21:10During the extended stay in Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus, already mentioned earlier predicting a famine in chapter 11, comes down from Judea to visit them.
  11. Atos 21:11Agabus gives a dramatic demonstration, binding his own feet and hands with Paul’s belt, announcing that the Jews of Jerusalem would bind the owner of that belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.
  12. Atos 21:12Faced with this alarming prophecy, both the local residents and Paul’s own traveling companions try to convince him not to go up to Jerusalem.
  13. Atos 21:13Paul answers, deeply moved, asking why they insist on weeping and breaking his heart, since he was ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of Jesus.
  14. Atos 21:14Seeing that they could not move Paul from his decision, the group gives up insisting and accepts that the Lord’s will be done, even without fully understanding the plan.
  15. Atos 21:15After these days of warnings and farewells, the group finally finishes its preparations and heads up toward Jerusalem.
  16. Atos 21:16Some disciples from Caesarea join the journey, bringing along an early Christian named Mnason, from Cyprus, in whose house they would stay in Jerusalem.
  17. Atos 21:17On arriving in Jerusalem, the group is received joyfully by the brothers of the city, a calm welcome before the tension that would soon follow.
  18. Atos 21:18The next day, Paul goes with the group to the house of James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church, where all the local elders were also present.
  19. Atos 21:19After greeting them, Paul reports in detail everything God had done among the Gentiles through his missionary work.
  20. Atos 21:20The leaders in Jerusalem point out to Paul that there was a large number of Jewish Christians who kept practicing the whole Mosaic law as usual. Faith in Jesus, for them, did not mean abandoning Jewish customs.
  21. Atos 21:21The leaders in Jerusalem tell Paul about a troubling rumor: that he was teaching Jews of the diaspora to abandon the law of Moses and stop circumcising their children.
  22. Atos 21:22Worried about the fallout, they acknowledge that news of Paul’s arrival will certainly draw a curious or hostile crowd.
  23. Atos 21:23The four men under a vow mentioned here probably took the same kind of Nazirite vow already seen with Paul in chapter 18, which involved a period of consecration ending with offerings at the temple and a haircut.
  24. Atos 21:24The proposed solution is for Paul to publicly take part in a rite of purification together with four men who had taken a vow, visibly proving that he himself still respected the Jewish law.
  25. Atos 21:25The leaders stress that this requirement was only for Paul, since the decision about converted Gentiles made at the council in chapter 15 still stood and did not include keeping the whole law.
  26. Atos 21:26Paul takes part in the purification rites at the temple with these four men, paying the required expenses, precisely to publicly prove that he still respected the Jewish law and was not teaching Jews to abandon it, as the rumor claimed.
  27. Atos 21:27Near the end of the seven days of the rite, Jews from the province of Asia recognize Paul in the temple, stir up the crowd against him, and seize him by force.
  28. Atos 21:28The temple in Jerusalem had an area forbidden to non-Jews, marked by warning inscriptions, and entering it could even be a capital crime. The crowd wrongly assumes that Paul had brought a Gentile past that line.
  29. Atos 21:29The accusation arises from a misunderstanding: they had seen Paul in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and assumed, without proof, that he had brought this Gentile into the forbidden area of the temple.
  30. Atos 21:30The uproar spreads through the whole city, and the crowd drags Paul out of the temple, shutting the gates right after, probably to prevent further profanation.
  31. Atos 21:31While they are trying to kill him, news of the disturbance in Jerusalem quickly reaches the Roman commander in charge of the city garrison.
  32. Atos 21:32The commander acts quickly, bringing soldiers and centurions to the scene; their presence alone is enough to make the crowd stop beating Paul.
  33. Atos 21:33The commander arrests Paul, orders him bound with two chains, and only afterward asks who he was and what he had done—arresting first and questioning later.
  34. Atos 21:34Unable to make out anything clearly, since the crowd was shouting different things at once, the commander decides to take Paul into the Roman fortress adjoining the temple.
  35. Atos 21:35The crowd’s violence is so intense that the soldiers themselves have to carry Paul up the stairs of the fortress to protect him physically.
  36. Atos 21:36The crowd keeps following behind them, insistently shouting for his death, showing how quickly the hatred against Paul had grown.
  37. Atos 21:37Right at the entrance to the fortress, Paul surprises the commander by asking to speak with him in Greek, an educated language the commander did not expect from a supposed criminal.
  38. Atos 21:38The commander mistakes Paul for a well-known Egyptian agitator, who had led an armed revolt shortly before, showing how the region lived under the constant threat of uprisings.
  39. Atos 21:39Paul first identifies himself as a citizen of his hometown, Tarsus, an important center of Greek culture in Cilicia, before mentioning, only in the next chapter, that he was also a Roman citizen by birth.
  40. Atos 21:40With the commander’s permission, Paul takes his place on the stairs, motions for silence, and begins speaking directly to the people in Hebrew (or Aramaic), the local language the crowd understood best.

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