SEV Biblia, Chapter 21:4
Y nos quedamos allí siete días, hallados los discípulos, los cuales decían a Pablo por el Espíritu, que no subiese a Jerusaln.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 21:4
Verse 4. Who said to Paul through the Spirit] We cannot understand this as a command from the Holy Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem, else Paul must have been highly criminal to have disobeyed it. Through the Spirit, must either refer to their own great earnestness to dissuade him from taking a journey which they plainly saw would be injurious to him-and so Bp. Pearce understands this place; or, if it refer to the Holy Spirit, it must mean that if he regarded his personal safety he must not, at this time, go up to Jerusalem. The Spirit foretold Paul's persecutions, but does not appear to have forbidden his journey; and Paul was persuaded that, in acting as he was about to do, whatever personal risk he ran, he should bring more glory to God, by going to Jerusalem, than by tarrying at Tyre or elsewhere. The purport of this Divine communication was, "If thou go up to Jerusalem the Jews will persecute thee; and thou wilt be imprisoned, &c." As he was apprized of this, he might have desisted, for the whole was conditional: Paul might or might not go to Jerusalem; if he did go, he would be persecuted, and be in danger of losing his life. The Holy Spirit neither commanded him to go, nor forbade him; the whole was conditional; and he was left to the free exercise of his own judgment and conscience. This was a similar case to that of David in Keilah, 1 Sam. xxiii. 9-13. David prevented the threatened evil by leaving Keilah: Paul fell into it by going to Jerusalem.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. And finding disciples , etc.] At Tyre, for the Gospel had been preached in Phoenicia by the ministers of the word, who were scattered by the persecution raised at the death of Stephen; and here were brethren, such as had believed in Christ, embraced and professed his Gospel, and were baptized in his name; (see Acts 11:19, 15:3) and who also had extraordinary gifts, as appears by what follows; and there was no doubt a Gospel church founded in this place, though who presided over it in the first century, we have no account; in the second century there was a church here, and Cassius was bishop of it f1072 ; in the third century there were some martyrs in this place, who suffered under Dioclesian, and bore innumerable stripes with great courage and constancy, and after that fought with beasts, as bears, leopards, boars, and bulls, and at the same time Tyrannio, bishop of this church, also suffered martyrdom f1073 ; in the fourth century there was a synod at Tyre under Constantine, to which he wrote a letter f1074 . There was a bishop of this church present at the council of Nice, in the times of the said emperor; in this age Paulinus and Dorotheus were bishops of Tyre; in the fifth century Irenaeus was bishop of Tyre, and then it was the metropolitan of Phoenicia; and in the sixth century, there was a bishop of the same church present at the fifth council of Rome and Constantinople f1075 . Of the bishops of Tyre in the several centuries, the learned Reland gives a more particular account; according to him, Cassius, bishop of this church, was in the synod held at Caesarea, about the year 198. Paulinus, another bishop of Tyre, was in another council held at the same place, in the year 318. Zeno subscribed in the council of Nice, in the year 325, the first among the bishops of Phoenicia; Vitalis was in the council at Sardica, in the year 347. Uranius subscribed in the council held at Seleucia by the Semiarians, in the year 359; another Zeno bishop of this church was present at the second council at Constantinople, in the year 381; and mention is made of Photius bishop of Tyre, in the acts of the Chalcedon council, held in the year 451, as is also Eusebius in the acts of the council at Constantinople, in the year 553: we tarried there seven days ; either waiting for a ship to proceed on further; or in choice, to enjoy the conversation of the disciples, which was very delightful, and to confirm them in the faith: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem ; not that the Spirit of God in these persons contradicted his own impulse in the apostle, by which he was moved to go to Jerusalem, (see Acts 20:22). The sense is, that these disciples, by the spirit of prophecy, knew that if the apostle went to Jerusalem, many evil things would befall him; wherefore of their own spirit, and out of love to him, they advise him not to go.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - Providence must be acknowledged when our affairs go on well. Whereve Paul came, he inquired what disciples were there, and found them out Foreseeing his troubles, from love to him, and concern for the church they wrongly thought it would be most for the glory of God that he should continue at liberty; but their earnestness to dissuade him from it, renders his pious resolution the more illustrious. He has taught u by example, as well as by rule, to pray always, to pray withou ceasing. Their last farewell was sweetened with prayer.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ανευροντες 429 5631 V-2AAP-NPM {VAR1: τους 3588 T-APM } μαθητας 3101 N-APM επεμειναμεν 1961 5656 V-AAI-1P αυτου 847 ADV ημερας 2250 N-APF επτα 2033 A-NUI οιτινες 3748 R-NPM τω 3588 T-DSM παυλω 3972 N-DSM ελεγον 3004 5707 V-IAI-3P δια 1223 PREP του 3588 T-GSN πνευματος 4151 N-GSN μη 3361 PRT-N αναβαινειν 305 5721 V-PAN εις 1519 PREP ιερουσαλημ 2419 N-PRI
Vincent's NT Word Studies
4. Finding disciples (aneurontev touv maqhtav). The verb means to discover after search; and the article, the disciples, refers to the disciples who lived and were recognized members of the church there. The A.V. overlooks both the preposition and the article. The verb might be rendered strictly by our common phrase, "having looked up the disciples." See on Luke ii. 16. A small number of disciples is implied in verse 5.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
21:4 {Having found} (aneurontes). Second aorist active participle of aneuriskw, to seek for, to find by searching (ana). There was a church here, but it was a large city and the number of members may not have been large. Probably some of those that fled from Jerusalem who came to Phoenicia (#Ac 11:19) started the work here. Paul went also through Phoenicia on the way to the Jerusalem Conference (#15:3). As at Troas and Miletus, so here Paul's indefatigible energy shows itself with characteristic zeal. {Through the Spirit} (dia tou pneumatos). The Holy Spirit undoubtedly who had already told Paul that bonds and afflictions awaited him in Jerusalem (#20:23). {That he should not set foot in Jerusalem} (me epibainein eis ierosoluma). Indirect command with me and the present active infinitive, not to keep on going to Jerusalem (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 1046). In spite of this warning Paul felt it his duty as before (#20:22) to go on. Evidently Paul interpreted the action of the Holy Spirit as information and warning although the disciples at Tyre gave it the form of a prohibition. Duty called louder than warning to Paul even if both were the calls of God.
