SEV Biblia, Chapter 21:26
Entonces Pablo tom consigo aquellos hombres, y al día siguiente, habindose purificado con ellos, entr en el Templo, para anunciar el cumplimiento de los días de la purificacin, hasta ser ofrecida ofrenda por cada uno de ellos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 21:26
Verse 26. To signify the accomplishment, &c.] diaggellwn, Declaring the accomplishment, &c. As this declaration was made to the priest, the sense of the passage is the following, if we suppose Paul to have made an offering for himself, as well as the four men: "The next day, Paul, taking the four men, began to purify, set himself apart, or consecrate himself with them; entering into the temple, he publicly declared to the priests that he would observe the separation of a Nazarite, and continue it for seven days, at the end of which he would bring an offering for himself and the other four men, according to what the law prescribed in that case." But it is likely that Paul made no offering for himself, but was merely at the expense of theirs. However we may consider this subject, it is exceedingly difficult to account for the conduct of James and the elders, and of Paul on this occasion. There seems to have been something in this transaction which we do not fully understand. See the note on Num. vi. 21. "Besides their typical and religious use, sacrifices were also intended for the support of the state and civil government; inasmuch as the ministers of state were chiefly maintained by them: so that the allotments to the priests out of the sacrifices may be considered as designed, like the civil-list money in other nations, for the immediate support of the crown and the officers of state. On these principles we are able to account for Paul's sacrificing, as we are informed he did, after the commencement of the Christian dispensation; an action which has been severely censured by some as the greatest error of his life: hereby he not only gave, say they, too much countenance to the Jews in their superstitious adherence to the law of Moses, after it was abrogated by Christ, but his offering these typical sacrifices, after the antitype of them was accomplished in the sacrifice of Christ, was a virtual denial of Christ, and of the virtue of his sacrifice, which superseded all others. Paul's long trouble, which began immediately after this affair, some have looked upon as a judgment of God upon him for this great offense. But, if this action were really so criminal as some suppose, one cannot enough wonder that so good and so wise a man as Paul was should be guilty of it; and that the Apostle James and the other Christian elders should all advise him to it, ver. 18, 23, 24. It is likewise strange that we find no censure ever passed on this action by any of the sacred writers; not even by Paul himself, who appears so ready, on other occasions, to acknowledge and humble himself for his errors and failings: on the contrary he reflects with comfort on his having complied with the customs of the Jews in order to remove their prejudices against him and his ministry, and against the Gospel which he preached, and to win them over to embrace it: 'Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; and this I do for the Gospel's sake.' 1 Cor. ix. 20, 23.
"To elucidate this point; we are to consider that there was a political as well as a typical use of sacrifices; and that, though the typical ceased upon the sacrifice of Christ, yet the political continued till God in his providence broke up the Jewish state and polity about forty years after our Saviour's death. Till that time it was not merely lawful, but matter of duty, for good subjects to pay the dues which were appointed by law for the support of the government and magistracy. Now, of this kind was the sacrifice which Paul offered; and in this view they were paid by Christians dwelling in Judea, as well as by those who still adhered to the Jewish religion. So that, upon the whole, this action, for which Paul has been so much censured, probably amounts to nothing more than paying the tribute due to the magistrate by law, which the apostle enjoins upon all other Christians in all other nations, Rom. xiii. 6." -Jennings' Jewish Antiquities, p. 17.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 26. Then Paul took the men , etc.] The four men that had the vow on them; he joined himself to them, and put himself in the same condition, and under a like vow: this he did, not as what he thought himself bound to do in obedience to the law, and much less as necessary to salvation; but to satisfy weak minds, and remove their prejudices, that he might gain them, and be useful to them; and in such a case he would very easily and readily condescend; but when such like things were insisted upon as points of duty, and especially when urged as necessary to salvation, no one more stiffly opposed them: and the next day purifying himself with them ; that is, not separating himself along with them, from what they were obliged by the vow of the Nazarite, as from drinking of wine and shaving, and from everything that was unclean by the law; for this was now done, but cleansing himself afterwards with them: he entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of the purification : the sense is, that when the days of separation were fulfilled, which the four men had vowed, as everyone might vow what time he pleased, he went to the priests in the temple, to signify it to them, that the time of their purification was expiring: until that an offering should be offered for everyone of them ; as the law directs in ( Numbers 6:13-20) when he proposed to pay the charges of it, or at least part 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
τοτε 5119 ADV ο 3588 T-NSM παυλος 3972 N-NSM παραλαβων 3880 5631 V-2AAP-NSM τους 3588 T-APM ανδρας 435 N-APM τη 3588 T-DSF εχομενη 2192 5746 V-PPP-DSF ημερα 2250 N-DSF συν 4862 PREP αυτοις 846 P-DPM αγνισθεις 48 5685 V-APP-NSM εισηει 1524 5715 V-LAI-3S εις 1519 PREP το 3588 T-ASN ιερον 2411 N-ASN διαγγελλων 1229 5723 V-PAP-NSM την 3588 T-ASF εκπληρωσιν 1604 N-ASF των 3588 T-GPF ημερων 2250 N-GPF του 3588 T-GSM αγνισμου 49 N-GSM εως 2193 CONJ ου 3739 R-GSM προσηνεχθη 4374 5681 V-API-3S υπερ 5228 PREP ενος 1520 A-GSM εκαστου 1538 A-GSM αυτων 846 P-GPM η 3588 T-NSF προσφορα 4376 N-NSF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
26. Purifying himself (agnisqeiv). See on 1 Pet. i. 22; Jas. iv. 8. Declaring (diaggellwn). To the priests who directed the sacrifices and pronounced release from the vow.Fulfillment - until, etc. There is some dispute and confusion here as to the precise meaning. The general sense is that, having entered the temple toward the close of the period required for the fulfillment of these men's vow he gave notice that the vowed number of Nazarite days had expired, after which only the concluding offering was required.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
21:26 {Took the men} (paralabwn tous andras). The very phrase used in verse #24 to Paul. {The next day} (tei ecomenei). One of the phrases in #20:15 for the coming day. Locative case of time. {Purifying himself with them} (sun autois hagnisqeis, first aorist passive participle of hagnizw). The precise language again of the recommendation in verse #24. Paul was conforming to the letter. {Went into the temple} (eiseiei eis to hieron). Imperfect active of eiseimi as in verse #18 which see. Went on into the temple, descriptive imperfect. Paul joined the four men in their vow of separation. {Declaring} (diaggellwn). To the priests what day he would report the fulfilment of the vow. The priests would desire notice of the sacrifice. this verb only used by Luke in N.T. except #Ro 11:17 (quotation from the LXX). It is not necessary to assume that the vows of each of the five expired on the same day (Rackham). {Until the offering was offered for every one of them} (hews hou prosenecqe huper henos hekastou autwn he prosfora). this use of hews hou (like hews, alone) with the first aorist passive indicative prosenecqe of prosferw, to offer, contemplates the final result (Robertson, _Grammar_, pp. 974f.) and is probably the statement of Luke added to Paul's announcement. He probably went into the temple one day for each of the brethren and one for himself. The question arises whether Paul acted wisely or unwisely in agreeing to the suggestion of James. What he did was in perfect harmony with his principle of accommodation in #1Co 9:20 when no principle was involved. It is charged that here on this occasion Paul was unduly influenced by considerations of expediency and was willing for the Jewish Christians to believe him more of a Jew than was true in order to placate the situation in Jerusalem. Furneaux calls it a compromise and a failure. I do not so see it. To say that is to obscure the whole complex situation. What Paul did was not for the purpose of conciliating his opponents, the Judaizers, who had diligently spread falsehoods about him in Jerusalem as in Corinth. It was solely to break the power of these "false apostles" over the thousands in Jerusalem who have been deluded by Paul's accusers. So far as the evidence goes that thing was accomplished. In the trouble that comes in Jerusalem and Caesarea the Judaizers cut no figure at all. The Jewish Christians do not appear in Paul's behalf, but there was no opportunity for them to do so. The explosion that came on the last day of Paul's appearance in the temple was wholly disconnected from his offerings for the four brethren and himself. It must be remembered that Paul had many kinds of enemies. The attack on him by these Jews from Asia had no connection whatever with the slanders of the Judaizers about Paul's alleged teachings that Jewish Christians in the dispersion should depart from the Mosaic law. That slander was put to rest forever by his following the advice of James and justifies the wisdom of that advice and Paul's conduct about it.
