Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 21:29
(For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
29. For they had, &c.] Hence we see that Trophimus had come with the Apostle not only “as far as Asia” (see note on Act 20:4), but all the way to Jerusalem. His name bespeaks the man a Greek, and, from the anger of these Asiatic Jews, he was doubtless a convert to Christianity without having been a proselyte of Judaism. It is noticeable that so ready were these men to find a cause for attacking St Paul, that they began it on a mere thought, “They supposed Paul had brought him into the temple.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In the city – In Jerusalem. As he was with Paul, it was inferred that he would attend him everywhere.
Trophimus – He had accompanied Paul on his way from Ephesus, Act 20:4.
Whom they supposed … – This is a most striking illustration of the manner in which accusations are often brought against others. They had seen him with Paul in the city; they inferred, therefore, that he had been with him in the temple. They did not even pretend that they had seen him in the temple; but the inference was enough to inflame the angry and excitable passions of the multitude. So in the accusations which people now often make of others. They see one thing, they infer another; they could testify to one thing, but they conclude that another thing will also be true, and that other thing they charge on them as the truth. If people would state facts as they are, no small part of the slanderous accusations against others would cease. An end would be made of the most of the charges of falsehood, error, heresy, dishonesty, double-dealing, and immorality. If a statement is made, it should be of the thing as it was. If we attempt to say what a man has done, it should not be what we suppose he has done. If we attempt to state what he believes, it should not be what we suppose he believes.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
For they had seen; the Jews of Asia, who could not but know Trophimus; and he following of Paul in this journey, either ignorantly or maliciously they accuse the apostle for taking him into the temple with him; which was only their surmise, and the issue of their enraged jealousy.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
29. Trophimus(See on Ac20:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For they had seen before with him in the city,…. Not of Ephesus, but of Jerusalem:
Trophimus an Ephesian; the same that is mentioned in Ac 20:4 whom these Jews of Asia, and who very probably were inhabitants of Ephesus, knew very well to be a Gentile:
whom they supposed Paul had brought into the temple; for seeing him walk with the apostle very familiarly through the streets of Jerusalem, they concluded from thence, that he took him with him into the temple, which was a very rash and ill grounded conclusion; and which shows the malignity and virulence of their minds, and how ready they were to make use of any opportunity, and take up any occasion against him, even a bare surmise, and which had no show of probability in it; for it can never be thought, that while Paul was using methods to remove the prejudices of the Jews against him, he should take such a step as this, to introduce a Gentile into the holy place, which he knew was unlawful, and would greatly irritate and provoke them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
For (). Luke adds the reason for the wild charges made against Paul.
They had before seen ( ). Periphrastic past perfect of , old verb to see before, whether time or place. Only twice in the N.T., here and Ac 2:25 quoted from Ps 15:8. Note the double reduplication in — as in Attic (Robertson, Grammar, p. 364).
With him in the city Trophimus the Ephesian ( ). The Jews from Asia (Ephesus) knew Trophimus by sight as well as Paul. One day they saw both of them together () in the city. That was a fact. They had just seized Paul in the temple (). That was another fact.
They supposed (). Imperfect active of , common to think or suppose. Perfectly harmless word, but they did, as so many people do, put their supposed inference on the same basis with the facts. They did not see Trophimus with Paul now in the temple, nor had they ever seen him there. They simply argued that, if Paul was willing to be seen down street with a Greek Christian, he would not hesitate to bring him (therefore, did bring him, as in verse 28) into the temple, that is into the court of Israel and therefore both Paul and Trophimus were entitled to death, especially Paul who had brought him in (if he had) and, besides, they now had Paul. This is the way of the mob-mind in all ages. Many an innocent man has been rushed to his death by the fury of a lynching party.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Trophimus. See on ch. Act 20:4. As an Ephesian he would be known to the Asiatic Jews.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “(For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian,” (esan gar proeorakotes Trophimon) “(For they had previously seen Trophimus,” (ton Ephesion en te polei sun auto) “The Ephesian, in the city, in colleague with him,” with Paul. Apparently he not only came “as far as Asia,” Act 20:4, but also accompanied Paul to Jerusalem.
2) “Whom they supposed,” (hon enomizon) (hoti eis to heiron eisegagen ho Paulos) “Whom they just supposed or presumed,” that Paul brought into the temple; So they told it like they wanted it to be, though they lied, offered false testimony in claiming Paul had brought him into and polluted the temple. And man’s imagination is evil, continually, Gen 6:5; Gen 8:21.
3) “That Paul had brought into the temple.)” (hoti eis to heiron eisegagen ho Paulos) “That Paul had led up into the temple proper)” the holy place of the Jews, beyond the outer court of the Gentiles, beyond which if a Gentile went he was to be put to death, even under Roman law. How closely ministers of God are watched and how harshly are they judged, even misjudged at times, on the basis of where they go, and in whose company they are seen! Every child of God should walk circumspectly, knowing that the world is looking on critically, Eph 5:15-16; Col 4:5; 1Ti 4:12. The world especially judges preachers by their company.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(29) Trophimus an Ephesian.See Note on Act. 20:4. His face was naturally familiar to those who had come from the same city. They had seen the two together in the streets, possibly near the entrance of the Temple, and, hatred adding wings to imagination, had taken for granted that St. Paul had brought his companion within the sacred enclosure.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29. Trophimus (See note on Act 20:4.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘For they had before seen with him in the city Trophimus the Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.’
Gracious Luke then tries to find some excuse for them. He finds their total evil hard to understand. And he points out that they had earlier seen Paul with the Gentile Trophimus in the city. That is why they then ‘supposed’ that he had brought him into the inner courts when he was dedicating himself. But you do not kill a man in the basis of ‘supposes’. They certainly ‘supposed’ it, but it was totally without justification, and was simply the product of their own prejudiced and perverse minds. Furthermore it was unlikely, because all doors to the Temple were policed by Levites, one of whose duties was to ensure that no Gentile, whether accidentally or deliberately, entered the inner courts. And it was inexcusable because their own Law said that they must enquire carefully into such a situation before doing anything. Luke gives an explanation, but it is no excuse. There is no excuse for jumping to conclusions simply on the basis of prejudice, especially on so serious a matter (Deu 13:14).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
Ver. 29. Whom they supposed ] But was that sufficient ground to make such a coil, to raise such an uproar? Passions are head-long and head-strong; like heavy bodies down steep hills, once in motion, they move themselves, and know no ground but the bottom.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
29. .] See ch. Act 20:4 , note. We here learn that he was an Ephesian.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 21:29 . .: if some of these Jews, as is very probable, came from Ephesus, they would have recognised Trophimus. The latter had not only come “as far as Asia,” Act 20:4 , but had evidently accompanied Paul to Jerusalem; on the statement and its bearing upon 2Ti 4:20 , see Salmon, Introd. , p. 401, and Weiss, Die Briefe Pauli an Timotheus und Titus , p. 354. : antea videre; in classical Greek nowhere as here, but referring to future, or space, not to past time; Blass, in loco , compares 1Th 2:2 , Rom 3:9 , for . , i.e. , from the Court of the Gentiles (into which the uncircumcised Greeks like Trophimus and others might enter) into the inner Court, open to Jews only. The punishment for such transgression by a Gentile was death, even if he was a Roman citizen, Jos., B.J. , vi., 2, 4. At the foot of the stair by which “the Court” in the strict sense of the word was approached there was a railing bearing notice in Greek and Latin with the prohibition and the punishment due to its violation. For one of these inscriptions discovered and published in 1871 by Clermont-Ganneau see Revue archologique , xxiii., 1872, Schrer, Jewish People , div. i., vol. ii., p. 74, and div. ii., vol. i., p. 266. E.T. (where other references are given), Edersheim, Temple and its Services , p. 24, Plumptre, Acts, in loco , Blass, in loco, cf. Jos., Ant. , xv., 11, 5, B.J. , v., 5, 2.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
seen before. Greek. proorao. Only here and Act 2:25.
city. It was in the city Trophimus was seen in Paul’s company, and they came to the conclusion that when they saw Paul in the Temple, Trophimus must be there too.
an = the.
supposed = concluded. Greek. nomizo. See note on Act 14:19. But the evidence was insufficient. Paul was too well informed not to be aware of the inscription which forbade the entry of any alien within the inner temple under penalty of death. It was on one of the pillars of the balustrade which separated the court of the women, where the Nazirite ceremonies were performed, from the inner sanctuary. The stone bearing this inscription was discovered by M. Clermont Ganneau in 1871. It is as follows: “No alien is to enter within the railing and enclosure round the temple. Whosoever is caught will be responsible to himself for his death which will ensue. “
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
29. .] See ch. Act 20:4, note. We here learn that he was an Ephesian.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 21:29. , with him) We ought to be anxious, but not too much so, in maintaining our converse with the saints, although likely thereby not to please the ungodly. Paul did not introduce Trophimus into the temple: and yet he did not wholly shun him on account of the Jews.-, they supposed) Zealots are often mistaken in their suppositions.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Trophimus: Act 20:4, 2Ti 4:20
Reciprocal: Neh 13:7 – in preparing
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
9
Act 21:29. When people have the motive of persecuting a man whose teaching they do not like but cannot meet, they will take things for granted and form wrongful conclusions. Paul was seen with one Trophimus somewhere in the city, then the people presumed that he had taken him into the temple to corrupt it.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 21:29. (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed Paul had brought into the temple.) Trophimus was one of the little band which accompanied Paul from Philippi in Macedonia to Jerusalem. Being an Ephesian, he would be well known by sight to many of the Jews from Asia. There was no excuse either for Paul or Trophimus, they considered; the prohibition to pass the balustrade leading to the steps by which Israelites ascended to the Court of the Women and the chambers of the Nazarites was well known, and was, besides, engraved on pillars before the eyes of all who walked in the outer Gentile porch. One of these inscriptions, which must once have formed part of the balustrade and low wall in question, the recent excavations of the Palestine Exploration Society have brought to light. Professor Plumptre thus translates it: NO MAN OF ALIEN RACE IS TO ENTER WITHIN THE BALUSTRADE AND FENCE THAT GOES ROUND THE TEMPLE; IF ANY ONE IS TAKEN IN THE ACT, LET HIM KNOW THAT HE HAS HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR THE PENALTY OF DEATH THAT FOLLOWS. Thus the temple was really looked upon as including all the courts and buildings which were surrounded by the Court of the Gentiles. It was this doom which Trophimus the Ephesian was supposed to have brought on himself. But Paul in the eyes of the rigid Jews was the most guilty person, as having induced the Gentile, as they fancied, to pass the forbidden barrier.
The feverish anxiety of the Jews to maintain all their ancient privileges and customs, and their hatred of all foreign interference, was growing, it must be remembered, every year. The doomed Holy City was filled with wild societies of zealots and other unions of bigoted and fanatic Jews. When the events related in this chapter were taking place, little more than ten years remained for Jerusalem. We are now speaking of what took place A.D. 58-59. In A.D. 70 not one stone of all this superb pile of buildings then glittering with its wealth of gold and marble remained on another. No Jew was allowed to linger even near the scene of so many ancient Hebrew gloriesof such awful disaster and shame.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes on verse 27
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Trophimus the Ephesian was Paul’s travelling companion from Asia (Act 20:4) The Asian Jews had previously seen them together in the city and had assumed that Paul had brought this Gentile into the sacred enclosure of the Temple.
"The possibility that Trophimus might have wandered of his own freewill into the forbidden area is about as likely as that somebody should wander into private rooms in the Kremlin for the purpose of sightseeing." [Note: Marshall, The Acts . . ., p. 348.]