And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home. When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
Cos - "A fertile island off the coast of Caria, forty nautical miles distant to the south of Miletus, at the south-west corner of Asia Minor. It was important as a commercial centre, lying, as it did, on a trade route; as also for its famous temple of Aesculapius (the Greek god of medicine) and for its medical school. It was incorporated in the Roman province of Asia. There was constant communication between Cos and Alexandria. St. Paul's vessel apparently anchored there for the night, at the town of Cos on the eastern side of the island of the same town." (Walker)
Rhodes - "'The isle of roses', as its name implies. It lies off the coast of Caria, south-east of Cos. It is forty-three miles long, with a maximum breadth of twenty miles — and is twelve miles from the mainland at its nearest point. In the pre-Roman period, it was politically paramount in that part of Asia Minor, the greater portions of Caria and Lycia being subject to it. Under the Romans, however, it lost most of its greatness, though its geographical position still rendered it commercially important. Its great city, of the same name, was at the extreme north-east corner of the island. Rhodes became famous again the fourteenth century A.D. through its Christian warriors 'the knights of Rhodes', who successfully opposed the Turks for many years, till they transferred themselves to Crete, Sicily, and finally to Malta. St. Paul's ship spent the night in the roadstead of the town of Rhodes." (Walker)
"This famous city, named after the 'the island of roses' on which it was situated, was one of the busiest harbors on the archipelago. And there, some 340 years before, had been erected one of 'the seven wonders of the world,' a great bronze statue of Apollo which stood 105 feet high. Some historians say that the great Colossus stood astride the harbor, but this is questioned by others. About 224 B.C., however, an earthquake hurled it into the sea, where it remained a mass of bronze until about 656 A.D., when the Saracens took possession of the island and sold the metal to a Jewish dealer who employed 900 camels to carry it away. At the time when Paul entered the harbor, if historians are correct, the harbor was still strewn with pieces of the Colossus, only parts of the two legs still standing on their bases." (Stam)
Patara - "A city on the coast of Lycia, almost due east of Rhodes. It was near the mouth of the river Xanthos, and was the harbour for the towns lying inland in the valley of the Xanthos, besides forming an important station for coasting steamers. It was a highly prosperous city. St. Paul's ship would have a straight run, at that time of the year, across from Rhodes to Patara. There they trans-shipped (v. 2)." (Walker)
crossing to - "That is, 'crossing over the open (Mediterranean) sea'. The prevailing wind in the Levant throughout the summer mouths is from the west, so that sailing vessels could run direct from Lycia to the Syrian coast. Those travelling in the opposite direction, however, i.e. from Syria to Lycia, had to hug the coast of Asia Minor past the east end of Cyprus, as the wind was contrary, and they could not make the cross-sea passage (see Acts 27:2-5)." (Walker)
"Doubtless they sailed only by day on this part of the journey, but the prevalence of the northwest wind in the Aegean Sea would speed them along. Dr. Clarke, in a firsthand report, says of this: 'It is surprising for what a length of time, and how often, the NW rages in the Archipelago. It prevails almost unceasingly through the great part of the year' (Vol. III, P. 380)." (Stam)
we stayed there for seven days - "Soon they landed at Tyre, where 'the ship was to unladen her burden' (ver. 3). At this time Tyre was in the state of decline from her glory in the days when such dire prophecies were made against her, to her desolation at the time of their fulfilment. Luke's account of the entire voyage, from Troas to Tyre, gives the impression that the weather had all along been highly favorable. Moreover, the advantage of finding a ship at Patara waiting to said had not only relieved Paul of his anxiety about reaching Jerusalem in time for Pentecost, but had given him considerable time to spare. 'Finding disciples,' therefore, the company 'tarried there seven days' (Ver. 4) evidently the length of time it would take for the ship, a large sea-going vessel, to unload her cargo and reload." (Stam)
through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem - "Paul was being led by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, knowing that capture awaited him there (Acts 20:23). Those who tried to dissuade him (Acts 21:4) did so because they knew through the Spirit what was ahead for him." (Ryrie)
"As we have pointed out, it was not mere concern for Paul's welfare that constrained these disciples to urge him not to continue on his way to Jerusalem; they spoke 'by the Spirit.' We have also shown that the phraseology, in the Greek, does not indicate a direct prohibition, but rather a warning and a plea. It is probably, further, that Paul understood that this warning was from the Spirit, for he had already said: 'The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me' (Acts 20:23). His responses to such pleas and warnings indicated strongly that he did not regard them as a divine prohibition against his going to Jerusalem, but considered them rather as a challenge and a test of his faithfulness (See Acts 20:24; 21:13). Thus, while the apostle's motives and purposes were noble indeed, it cannot be said that he was in the directive will of God in going to Jerusalem. Surely the Spirit's persistent warnings against going to Jerusalem were not to be construed as His leading to go there." (Stam)
Ptolemais - "Called 'Acco' in the Old Testament times (Judges 1:31), having been formerly a Philistine town. It is now well known as "Acre'. It is at the northern extremity of the Bay of Acre, which bends round to Mt. Carmel in the south. Its name was derived from Ptolemy I Philadelphus, when it passed into his possession. Under the Romans, it received special colonial privileges. It shared with Tyre, Sidon, Antioch, and Caesarea the trade of that coast. It is about thirty miles south of Tyre." (Walker)
Philip the evangelist - "He was previously mentioned in Acts 6:5 and Acts 8:5." (Ryrie)
"Their host there was the well known Philip, like Paul a Hellenist, and therefore probably more sympathetic to Paul's cause than the Hebrew believers were. Philip had originally been one of the seven treasurers who had had oversight of 'the daily ministration' in Pentecostal days when the believers at Jerusalem had had 'all things common' (See Acts 6:1-5). Since that time, however, the Jerusalem church had been scattered by a 'great persecution' and Philip had been used rather as an evangelist (See Acts 8:4-40). But while Philip was perhaps no longer actively a treasurer of the Church at Jerusalem, the fact that in addition to being called 'Philip the evangelist' here, he is also designated as 'one of the seven,' may well imply that he still had enough association with, or knowledge of, financial matters in the Church at Jerusalem to have relieved Paul of the necessity of personally delivering the 'collection' he had gathered for its poor." (Stam)
He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied - "This Philip also had four daughters which had given themselves to God's service as phophetesses (Acts 21:9). There was nothing wrong, of course, in women prophesying in those days, for Joel had specifically predicted with regard to Pentecost: 'Your daughters shall prophesy,' (Acts 2:17) and in the light of the Spirit's witness 'in every city' along Paul's journey that 'bonds and afflictions' awaited him at Jerusalem, it is not to be doubted that these damsels added their Spirit-inspired testimony to those already given." (Stam)
Agabus - "Presumably the same one who prophesied of the famine to come in Jerusalem (Acts 11:28)." (Ryrie)
"...Agabus, a known and trusted prophet who had, years before, predicted the great famine which was to impoverish the Judaean saints. At that time he had been instrumental in procuring the first Gentile contribution for the poor believers of Judaea." (Stam)
"And if the Holy Spirit had so solemnly warned him, and he rejected these warnings, the Lord in His own gracious way over-ruled it all to His own glory and to foreshadow what might be termed 'the captivity of the Gospel.' God permitted it all for His own wise purpose He knows the end from the beginning. The blessed Gospel of the Grace and Glory of God committed to the Apostle Paul was soon to be set aside by man and the judaistic form, that perverted Gospel, to gain the victory. And Paul himself arrested in Jerusalem given over into the hands of the Gentiles and sent to Rome." (Gaebelein)
"The question, of course, is whether the Spirit thus warned him to deter him from his purpose or to prepare him for the ordeal. We believe the former is the case. Has it ever been God's way to prepare His servants for testings by warning them about them? Has He not rather done this by encouraging them as to His faithfulness? Certainly this is so in the case of Paul himself (See Acts 18:9; 23:11; 27:23-25). Certainly all those present understood Agabus' prophecy as a warning to Paul that he should not proceed, for both his co-workers, including even Luke, and the belivers at Caesarea began to plead with him, with tears, to abandon his purpose (Acts 21:12-13)." (Stam)
Thus says the Holy Spirit - "(See Acts 20:23-24.) The words make it clear that a warning, not a prohibition, is intended." (Walker)
he would not be persuaded - "Paul's response to the pleas of his friends reveals something of the greatness of the man and of his motives. With a heart bleeding for his kinsmen and with a deep sense of obligation toward the Christ he had taught them to hate, he was not able to view Agabus' warning in the same way as did his friends. He was no fanatic or would-be martyr; he was a veteran in persecution, with scars to show, yet he was by no means a stoic. Rather, he had a sensitive, affectionate nature, and the tearful appeals of his companions and friends were crushing him and caused him to exclaim: 'What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus' (Acts 21:13)." (Stam)
“Let the will of the Lord be done.” - "Likely they finally acknowledged that it was the Lord's will for Paul to go to Jerusalem." (Ryrie)
"In the light of the context it is, of course, erroneous to conclude from this that Paul's friends now saw Paul's purpose to be in accord with the directive will of God. They rather spoke of God's permissive will, resigning themselves to what was seen to be inevitable." (Stam)
Cos - "A fertile island off the coast of Caria, forty nautical miles distant to the south of Miletus, at the south-west corner of Asia Minor. It was important as a commercial centre, lying, as it did, on a trade route; as also for its famous temple of Aesculapius (the Greek god of medicine) and for its medical school. It was incorporated in the Roman province of Asia. There was constant communication between Cos and Alexandria. St. Paul's vessel apparently anchored there for the night, at the town of Cos on the eastern side of the island of the same town." (Walker)
Rhodes - "'The isle of roses', as its name implies. It lies off the coast of Caria, south-east of Cos. It is forty-three miles long, with a maximum breadth of twenty miles — and is twelve miles from the mainland at its nearest point. In the pre-Roman period, it was politically paramount in that part of Asia Minor, the greater portions of Caria and Lycia being subject to it. Under the Romans, however, it lost most of its greatness, though its geographical position still rendered it commercially important. Its great city, of the same name, was at the extreme north-east corner of the island. Rhodes became famous again the fourteenth century A.D. through its Christian warriors 'the knights of Rhodes', who successfully opposed the Turks for many years, till they transferred themselves to Crete, Sicily, and finally to Malta. St. Paul's ship spent the night in the roadstead of the town of Rhodes." (Walker)
"This famous city, named after the 'the island of roses' on which it was situated, was one of the busiest harbors on the archipelago. And there, some 340 years before, had been erected one of 'the seven wonders of the world,' a great bronze statue of Apollo which stood 105 feet high. Some historians say that the great Colossus stood astride the harbor, but this is questioned by others. About 224 B.C., however, an earthquake hurled it into the sea, where it remained a mass of bronze until about 656 A.D., when the Saracens took possession of the island and sold the metal to a Jewish dealer who employed 900 camels to carry it away. At the time when Paul entered the harbor, if historians are correct, the harbor was still strewn with pieces of the Colossus, only parts of the two legs still standing on their bases." (Stam)
Patara - "A city on the coast of Lycia, almost due east of Rhodes. It was near the mouth of the river Xanthos, and was the harbour for the towns lying inland in the valley of the Xanthos, besides forming an important station for coasting steamers. It was a highly prosperous city. St. Paul's ship would have a straight run, at that time of the year, across from Rhodes to Patara. There they trans-shipped (v. 2)." (Walker)
crossing to - "That is, 'crossing over the open (Mediterranean) sea'. The prevailing wind in the Levant throughout the summer mouths is from the west, so that sailing vessels could run direct from Lycia to the Syrian coast. Those travelling in the opposite direction, however, i.e. from Syria to Lycia, had to hug the coast of Asia Minor past the east end of Cyprus, as the wind was contrary, and they could not make the cross-sea passage (see Acts 27:2-5)." (Walker)
"Doubtless they sailed only by day on this part of the journey, but the prevalence of the northwest wind in the Aegean Sea would speed them along. Dr. Clarke, in a firsthand report, says of this: 'It is surprising for what a length of time, and how often, the NW rages in the Archipelago. It prevails almost unceasingly through the great part of the year' (Vol. III, P. 380)." (Stam)
we stayed there for seven days - "Soon they landed at Tyre, where 'the ship was to unladen her burden' (ver. 3). At this time Tyre was in the state of decline from her glory in the days when such dire prophecies were made against her, to her desolation at the time of their fulfilment. Luke's account of the entire voyage, from Troas to Tyre, gives the impression that the weather had all along been highly favorable. Moreover, the advantage of finding a ship at Patara waiting to said had not only relieved Paul of his anxiety about reaching Jerusalem in time for Pentecost, but had given him considerable time to spare. 'Finding disciples,' therefore, the company 'tarried there seven days' (Ver. 4) evidently the length of time it would take for the ship, a large sea-going vessel, to unload her cargo and reload." (Stam)
through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem - "Paul was being led by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, knowing that capture awaited him there (Acts 20:23). Those who tried to dissuade him (Acts 21:4) did so because they knew through the Spirit what was ahead for him." (Ryrie)
"As we have pointed out, it was not mere concern for Paul's welfare that constrained these disciples to urge him not to continue on his way to Jerusalem; they spoke 'by the Spirit.' We have also shown that the phraseology, in the Greek, does not indicate a direct prohibition, but rather a warning and a plea. It is probably, further, that Paul understood that this warning was from the Spirit, for he had already said: 'The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me' (Acts 20:23). His responses to such pleas and warnings indicated strongly that he did not regard them as a divine prohibition against his going to Jerusalem, but considered them rather as a challenge and a test of his faithfulness (See Acts 20:24; 21:13). Thus, while the apostle's motives and purposes were noble indeed, it cannot be said that he was in the directive will of God in going to Jerusalem. Surely the Spirit's persistent warnings against going to Jerusalem were not to be construed as His leading to go there." (Stam)
Ptolemais - "Called 'Acco' in the Old Testament times (Judges 1:31), having been formerly a Philistine town. It is now well known as "Acre'. It is at the northern extremity of the Bay of Acre, which bends round to Mt. Carmel in the south. Its name was derived from Ptolemy I Philadelphus, when it passed into his possession. Under the Romans, it received special colonial privileges. It shared with Tyre, Sidon, Antioch, and Caesarea the trade of that coast. It is about thirty miles south of Tyre." (Walker)
Philip the evangelist - "He was previously mentioned in Acts 6:5 and Acts 8:5." (Ryrie)
"Their host there was the well known Philip, like Paul a Hellenist, and therefore probably more sympathetic to Paul's cause than the Hebrew believers were. Philip had originally been one of the seven treasurers who had had oversight of 'the daily ministration' in Pentecostal days when the believers at Jerusalem had had 'all things common' (See Acts 6:1-5). Since that time, however, the Jerusalem church had been scattered by a 'great persecution' and Philip had been used rather as an evangelist (See Acts 8:4-40). But while Philip was perhaps no longer actively a treasurer of the Church at Jerusalem, the fact that in addition to being called 'Philip the evangelist' here, he is also designated as 'one of the seven,' may well imply that he still had enough association with, or knowledge of, financial matters in the Church at Jerusalem to have relieved Paul of the necessity of personally delivering the 'collection' he had gathered for its poor." (Stam)
He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied - "This Philip also had four daughters which had given themselves to God's service as phophetesses (Acts 21:9). There was nothing wrong, of course, in women prophesying in those days, for Joel had specifically predicted with regard to Pentecost: 'Your daughters shall prophesy,' (Acts 2:17) and in the light of the Spirit's witness 'in every city' along Paul's journey that 'bonds and afflictions' awaited him at Jerusalem, it is not to be doubted that these damsels added their Spirit-inspired testimony to those already given." (Stam)
Agabus - "Presumably the same one who prophesied of the famine to come in Jerusalem (Acts 11:28)." (Ryrie)
"...Agabus, a known and trusted prophet who had, years before, predicted the great famine which was to impoverish the Judaean saints. At that time he had been instrumental in procuring the first Gentile contribution for the poor believers of Judaea." (Stam)
"And if the Holy Spirit had so solemnly warned him, and he rejected these warnings, the Lord in His own gracious way over-ruled it all to His own glory and to foreshadow what might be termed 'the captivity of the Gospel.' God permitted it all for His own wise purpose He knows the end from the beginning. The blessed Gospel of the Grace and Glory of God committed to the Apostle Paul was soon to be set aside by man and the judaistic form, that perverted Gospel, to gain the victory. And Paul himself arrested in Jerusalem given over into the hands of the Gentiles and sent to Rome." (Gaebelein)
"The question, of course, is whether the Spirit thus warned him to deter him from his purpose or to prepare him for the ordeal. We believe the former is the case. Has it ever been God's way to prepare His servants for testings by warning them about them? Has He not rather done this by encouraging them as to His faithfulness? Certainly this is so in the case of Paul himself (See Acts 18:9; 23:11; 27:23-25). Certainly all those present understood Agabus' prophecy as a warning to Paul that he should not proceed, for both his co-workers, including even Luke, and the belivers at Caesarea began to plead with him, with tears, to abandon his purpose (Acts 21:12-13)." (Stam)
Thus says the Holy Spirit - "(See Acts 20:23-24.) The words make it clear that a warning, not a prohibition, is intended." (Walker)
he would not be persuaded - "Paul's response to the pleas of his friends reveals something of the greatness of the man and of his motives. With a heart bleeding for his kinsmen and with a deep sense of obligation toward the Christ he had taught them to hate, he was not able to view Agabus' warning in the same way as did his friends. He was no fanatic or would-be martyr; he was a veteran in persecution, with scars to show, yet he was by no means a stoic. Rather, he had a sensitive, affectionate nature, and the tearful appeals of his companions and friends were crushing him and caused him to exclaim: 'What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus' (Acts 21:13)." (Stam)
“Let the will of the Lord be done.” - "Likely they finally acknowledged that it was the Lord's will for Paul to go to Jerusalem." (Ryrie)
"In the light of the context it is, of course, erroneous to conclude from this that Paul's friends now saw Paul's purpose to be in accord with the directive will of God. They rather spoke of God's permissive will, resigning themselves to what was seen to be inevitable." (Stam)
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