Acts 21:24

Go with these men to the Temple and ritually purify yourself along with them. Then, when it is time for them to offer the sacrifices for that ritual, pay for what they offer as sacrifices. After that, they can shave their heads to show that they have done what they promised to do. And when people see you in the courts of the Temple with those men, they will know that what they have been told {what people have told them} about you is not true. Instead, all of them will know that you obey all our Jewish laws and rituals.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.

In Context

23So you should do what we suggest to you. There are four men among us who have strongly promised to God about something.

25As for the non-Jewish believers, we elders here in Jerusalem have talked about which of our laws they should obey, and we (exc) wrote them a letter, telling them what we decided. We wrote that they should not eat meat that people have offered as a sacrifice to any idol, that they should not eat blood from animals, and that they should not eat meat from animals that people have killed by strangling them. We also told them that they should not have sex with someone to whom they are not married.”

Read all of Acts 21

Cross References

Exodus 19:14So Moses/I went down the mountain again and told the people to purify themselves. They did what Moses/I told them to do, and they also washed their clothes.

Numbers 6:9‘If anyone dies very suddenly when he is near you, then your hair that you have dedicated to me is no longer sacred. So you must wait seven days and then shave it all off. Then you must perform a special ritual to cause yourself to become acceptable to me again.

Numbers 6:18‘After that, you must stand at the entrance of the Sacred Tent and shave off your hair. Then you must put that hair in the fire that is under the animal that has been sacrificed on the altar to maintain fellowship with me.

Judges 13:5After you give birth to your son, you must never allow his hair to be cut. He must be dedicated to God from the day he is born until the day he dies. He is the one who will rescue many of the Israeli people from the people of Philistia.”

2 Chronicles 30:18Although most of the people who had come from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Issachar had not purified themselves, they ate the food of the Passover Festival anyway, ignoring the rules written by Moses. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying “Yahweh, you always do what is good; I pray that you will forgive everyone

Job 41:25When they rise up, they cause even very strong people to be terrified. As a result, people ◄fall back/run away► when crocodiles thrash around.

Matthew Henry on Acts 21:16-27

Paul's Visit to Jerusalem; Paul's Conformity to the Jewish Law. 15 And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Cæsarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Acts 21:24