SEV Biblia, Chapter 21:24
Tomando a stos contigo, purifícate con ellos, y gaste por ellos, para que rasuren sus cabezas, y todos entiendan que no hay nada de lo que fueron informados acerca de ti; sino que t tambin andas guardando la ley.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 21:24
Verse 24. Be at charges with them] Or, rather, be at charges for them: help them to bear the expense of that vow. Eight lambs, four rams, besides oil, flour, &c., were the expenses on this occasion. See the notes on Num. vi. 1-21. Thou-walkest orderly and keepest the law.] Perhaps this advice meant no more than, Show them, by such means as are now in thy power, that thou art not an enemy to Moses; that thou dost still consider the law to be holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good. Paul did so, and bore the expenses of those who, from a scruple of conscience, had made a vow, and perhaps were not well able to bear the expense attending it. Had they done this in order to acquire justification through the law, Paul could not have assisted them in any measure with a clear conscience; but, as he did assist them, it is a proof that they had not taken this vow on them for this purpose. Indeed, vows rather referred to a sense of obligation, and the gratitude due to God for mercies already received, than to the procuring of future favours of any kind. Besides, God had not yet fully shown that the law was abolished, as has already been remarked: he tolerated it till the time that the iniquity of the Jews was filled up; and then, by the destruction of Jerusalem, he swept every rite and ceremony of the Jewish law away, with the besom of destruction.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 24. Them take, and purify, thyself with them , etc.] That is, join thyself to them, make one of their number, and attend to the rules prescribed to a Nazarite, who is to be holy to the Lord; and in case of any ceremonial uncleanness, is to be cleansed, or purified in the manner directed, ( Numbers 6:5,8,9). And be at charges with them ; join with them in the expense, for the offerings to be made at the end of the vows, or when the days of separation are fulfilled, ( Numbers 6:13-15). That they may shave their heads ; according to the law in ( Numbers 6:18). This was done in yryznh tkl , the chamber of the Nazarites f1097 ; for there the Nazarites boiled their peace offerings, and shaved their hair, and put it under the pot, in the fire that was under it: Maimonides says f1098 , if he shaved in the city it was excusable; but whether he shaved in the city or in the sanctuary, under the pot his hair must be cast; and he did not shave until the door of the court was opened, as it is said, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, ( Numbers 6:18) not that he shaved over against the door, for that would be a contempt of the sanctuary.
Moreover, it may be observed, that a person who had not made a vow, or fulfilled a Nazariteship himself, which was the apostles case, yet he might join in bearing the expenses of others, at the time of their shaving and cleansing: for so run the Jewish canons f1099 ; he that says, upon me be the shaving of a Nazarite, he is bound to bring the offerings of shaving for purification, and he may offer them by the hand of what Nazarite he pleases; he that says, upon me be half the offerings of a Nazarite, or if he says, upon me be half the shaving of a Nazarite, he brings half the offerings by what Nazarite he will, and that Nazarite perfects his offerings out of that which is his. That all may know that those things whereof they were informed concerning thee are nothing ; that there is no truth in them; that they are mere lies and calumnies; as they will easily judge by this single instance, in complying with the law concerning a Nazarites vow: but that thou thyself walkest orderly, and keepest the law ; and therefore can never be thought to teach others to walk disorderly, or to neglect the law, the rites and customs of it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 19-26 - Paul ascribed all his success to God, and to God they gave the praise God had honoured him more than any of the apostles, yet they did no envy him; but on the contrary, glorified the Lord. They could not d more to encourage Paul to go on cheerfully in his work. James and the elders of the church at Jerusalem, asked Paul to gratify the believin Jews, by some compliance with the ceremonial law. They thought it wa prudent in him to conform thus far. It was great weakness to be so fon of the shadows, when the substance was come. The religion Pau preached, tended not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it. He preache Christ, the end of the law for righteousness, and repentance and faith in which we are to make great use of the law. The weakness and evil of the human heart strongly appear, when we consider how many, even of the disciples of Christ, had not due regard to the most eminent ministe that even lived. Not the excellence of his character, nor the succes with which God blessed his labours, could gain their esteem an affection, seeing that he did not render the same respect as themselve to mere ceremonial observances. How watchful should we be agains prejudices! The apostles were not free from blame in all they did; an it would be hard to defend Paul from the charge of giving way too muc in this matter. It is vain to attempt to court the favour of zealots or bigots to a party. This compliance of Paul did not answer, for the very thing by which he hoped to pacify the Jews, provoked them, an brought him into trouble. But the all-wise God overruled both their advice and Paul's compliance with it, to serve a better purpose tha was intended. It was in vain to think of pleasing men who would be pleased with nothing but the rooting out of Christianity. Integrity an uprightness will be more likely to preserve us than insincer compliances. And it should warn us not to press men to doing what is contrary to their own judgment to oblige us.
Greek Textus Receptus
τουτους 5128 D-APM παραλαβων 3880 5631 V-2AAP-NSM αγνισθητι 48 5682 V-APM-2S συν 4862 PREP αυτοις 846 P-DPM και 2532 CONJ δαπανησον 1159 5657 V-AAM-2S επ 1909 PREP αυτοις 846 P-DPM ινα 2443 CONJ ξυρησωνται 3587 5667 V-ADS-3P την 3588 T-ASF κεφαλην 2776 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ γνωσιν 1097 5632 V-2AAS-3P παντες 3956 A-NPM οτι 3754 CONJ ων 3739 R-GPN κατηχηνται 2727 5769 V-RPI-3P περι 4012 PREP σου 4675 P-2GS ουδεν 3762 A-NSN εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S αλλα 235 CONJ στοιχεις 4748 5719 V-PAI-2S και 2532 CONJ αυτος 846 P-NSM τον 3588 T-ASM νομον 3551 N-ASM φυλασσων 5442 5723 V-PAP-NSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
24. Be at charges with them (dapanhson ep autoiv). Lit., spend upon them. Pay the necessary charges on their account. Hence Rev., rightly, "for them." The person who thus paid the expenses of poor devotees who could not afford the necessary charges shared the vow so far that he was required to stay with the Nazarites until the time of the vow had expired. "For a week, then, St. Paul, if he accepted the advice of James and the presbyters, would have to live with four paupers in the chamber of the temple which was set apart for this purpose; and then to pay for sixteen sacrificial animals and the accompanying meat-offerings" (Farrar, "Life and Work of Paul"). He must also stand among the Nazarites during the offering of the sacrifices, and look on while their heads were shaved, and while they took their hair to burn it under the caldron of the peace-offerings, "and while the priest took four sodden shoulders of rams, and four unleavened cakes out of the four baskets, and four unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and put them on the hands of the Nazarites, and waved them for a wave-offering before the Lord" (Farrar).Walkest orderly (stoiceiv). See on elements, 2 Pet. iii. 10.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
21:24 {These take} (toutous paralabwn). Second aorist active participle of paralambanw. Taking these alone. {Purify thyself with them} (hagnisqeti sun autois). First aorist passive imperative of hagnizw, old verb to purify, to make pure (hagnos). See the active voice in #Jas 4:8; 1Pe 1:22; 1Jo 3:3. It is possible to see the full passive force here, "Be purified." But a number of aorist passives in the _Koin_ supplant the aorist middle forms and preserve the force of the middle (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 819). That is possible here. Hence, "Purify thyself" is allowable. The word occurs in #Nu 6:1 for taking the Nazarite vow. The point is that Paul takes the vow with them. Note hagnismou in verse #26. {Be at charges for them} (dapaneson ep' autois). First aorist active imperative of old verb dapanaw, to incur expense, expend. Spend (money) upon (ep') them. Ramsay (_St. Paul the Traveller_, etc., p. 310) argues that Paul had use of considerable money at this period, perhaps from his father's estate. The charges for five men would be considerable. "A poor man would not have been treated with the respect paid him at Caesarea, on the voyage, and at Rome" (Furneaux). {That they may shave their heads} (hina xuresontai ten kefalen). Note ten kefalen, the head (singular). Future middle indicative of xuraw, late form for the old xurew, to shave, middle to shave oneself or (causative) to get oneself shaved. this use of hina with the future indicative is like the classic hopws with the future indicative and is common in the N.T. as in the _Koin_ (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 984). {And all shall know} (kai gnwsontai). this future middle indicative of ginwskw (cf. akousontai in verse #22) may be independent of hina or dependent on it like xuresontai, though some MSS. (H L P) have gn"sin (second aorist subjunctive, clearly dependent on hina). {Of which} (hwn). Genitive plural of the relative ha (accusative) object of the perfect passive verb katecentai (cf. verse #21 katchthsan) attracted into the case of the omitted antecedent toutwn. The instruction still in effect. {But that thou thyself walkest orderly} (alla stoiceis kai autos). stoiceis is an old verb to go in a row (from stoicos, row, rank, series), to walk in a line or by rule. In the N.T. only here and #Ga 5:25; Ro 4:12; Php 3:16. The rule is the law and Paul was not a sidestepper. The idea of the verb is made plain by the participle fulasswn ton nomon (keeping or observing the law).
