Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 23:21
But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
21. But do not thou yield unto them ] More literally, “Do not thou therefore yield, &c.” (with Rev. Ver.).
which have bound themselves with an oath ] The Greek is the same as in Act 23:12. It is better therefore to render as there “bound themselves under a curse.” Beside which, the invocation implied in the original is much stronger than is indicated by our English “oath.” And to vary the English rendering gives an idea of variation in the Greek, which in one continuous narrative should be avoided.
looking for a promise ] Rev. Ver. “ the promise” i.e. the one which they are coming to ask you to make.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Looking for a promise from thee – Waiting for your consent to bring him down to them.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Do not thou yield unto them; this the young man desires out of his care for his uncles (Pauls) preservation, as also touched with the horror of the fact if it should have been executed; and howsoever, by this means he delivers his own soul, having done his utmost to hinder it.
Now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee; the match is laid, the hand is as it were lifted up, nothing is wanting to Pauls destruction but the chief captains consent, which the Jews assuredly expected, it being but a small courtesy to grant them, to examine a prisoner, especially such a one as upon their complaint was committed in a case cognizable by them: but, Deus e machina, Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us, Isa 8:10.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. and now are they ready, lookingfor a promise from theeThus, as is so often the case withGod’s people, not till the last moment, when the plot was allprepared, did deliverance come.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But do not thou yield unto them,…. Or be persuaded by them, to bring Paul down from the castle to the sanhedrim; this must not be imputed to the young man’s pride and vanity, in taking upon him to give advice to the chief captain; but to his great affection for his uncle, which moved him to entreat, rather than to direct him, for which he gives a good reason:
for there lie in wait for him more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; [See comments on Ac 23:12].
[See comments on Ac 23:13].
and now are they ready; to execute their designs, being met together, and lying in ambush in some place, between the castle and the place where the sanhedrim met:
looking for a promise from thee; that when the sanhedrim should apply to him, he would promise them to bring Paul down according to their request; and for the making and performing of this promise, these men were waiting.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Do not therefore yield unto them ( ). First aorist passive subjunctive of , common verb, here to be persuaded by, to listen to, to obey, to yield to. With negative and rightly. Do not yield to them (dative) at all. On the aorist subjunctive with in prohibitions against committing an act see Robertson, Grammar, pp. 851-4.
For there lie in wait ( ). Present active indicative of , old verb from (verse 16), in the N.T. only here and Lu 11:54 which see.
Till they have slain him ( ). Same idiom as in verse 12 save that here we have (second aorist active subjunctive) instead of (another word for kill), “till they slay him.”
Looking for the promise from thee ( ). This item is all that is needed to put the scheme through, the young man shrewdly adds.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Have bound themselves. “If we should wonder how, so early in the morning, after the long discussion in the Sanhedrim, which must have occupied a considerable part of the day, more than forty men should have been found banded together, under an anathema, neither to eat nor to drink till they had killed Paul; and, still more, how such a conspiracy, or, rather, conjuration, which, in the nature of it, would be kept a profound secret, should have become known to Paul ‘s sister’s son – the circumstances of the case furnish a sufficient explanation. The Pharisees were avowedly a fraternity or guild; and they, or some of their kindred fraternities, would furnish the ready material for such a band, to whom this additional vow would be nothing new or strange, and, murderous though it sounded, only seem a further carrying out of the principles of their order. Again, since the wife and all the children of a member were ipso facto members of the guild, and Paul ‘s father had been a Pharisee (ver. 6), Paul ‘s sister also would, by virtue of her birth, belong to the fraternity, even irrespective of the probability that, in accordance with the principles of the party, she would have married into a Pharisaical family” (Edersheim, ” Jewish Social Life “).
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “But do not thou yield unto them: (sou oun me peisthes autois) “Therefore do not be persuaded to do what they have conspired to get your assistance to do:”
2) “For there be in wait for him more than forty men,” (enedreuousin gar auton eks auton andres pleious tesserakonta) “For out of (from among) them (the Jews) there lie in wait to kill him more than forty men, Act 23:13-15
3) “Which have bound themselves with an oath,” (oitines anethematisan heautous) “Who cursed themselves,” or took upon themselves an oath, Act 23:12.
4) “That they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: (mete phagein mete pein heos ou anelosin auton) “Neither to taste, to eat, nor to drink anything until they kill him.”
5) “And now are they ready,” (kai nun eisin hetoimoi) “And now are they all continuing ready,” cowed, hiding in the shadows, disguised, waiting, lurking, waiting for the kill, yet.
6) “Looking for a promise from thee.” (prodechomenoi ten apo sou epangelian) “Awaiting the promise or commitment from you to the council,” to send Paul down to the council, Act 23:15. Deliverance came at the last moment only after the plot was all prepared, as is so often the case with God’s people, Ezr 4:7-17; Ezr 7:4.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
Act 23:21-22 . And now ( , see Hartung, Partikell . I. p. 135) they are in readiness to put into execution the (comp. Act 23:15 ), expecting that on thy part the promise (to have Paul brought on the morrow to the Sanhedrim) will take place .
. is neither jussum (Mnthe, Rosenmller) nor nuntius (Beza, Camerarius, Grotius, Alberti, Wolf; Henry Stephanus even conjectured .), but, according to its constant meaning in the N.T., promissio .
.] he commanded to tell it, to divulge it, to no one. Comp. Dem. 354. 23; Jdt 7:9 ; not elsewhere in N.T.
. ] Oratio variata. See on Act 1:4 .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
Ver. 21. Which have bound themselves ] Gr. , wished themselves dead, or given up to the devil, except they brought their purpose to pass; and likely enough they had their wish, for they missed their purpose. Cursing men are cursed men. See Act 23:17 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
21. ( ) ] not, ‘ an order ’ (as Rosenm., al.), nor ‘ a message ’ (as Grot., Beza, Wolf, al.): but the [not a , as E. V.] promise (to that effect): as constantly in N. T.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 23:21 . .: only in Luke in N.T., Luk 11:54 , with the accusative also in classical Greek, and several times in LXX, 1Ma 5:4 , Jos., Ant. , v., 2, 12. , see on Act 20:22 . .: only once elsewhere in Acts, Act 24:15 , probably in same sense as here, so R.V. text. In the Gospels, the word is found once in Mar 15:43 (= Luk 23:51 ), and five times in Luke, four times translated in R.V. as here; Luk 2:25 ; Luk 2:38 ; Luk 12:36 ; Luk 23:51 , cf. also Tit 2:13 , Jud 1:21 , and Wis 18:7 , 2Ma 8:11 . In classical Greek two meanings as in N.T.: (1) to accept, receive favourably, (2) to wish for or expect a thing. : only here in N.T. of a human promise, see above on Act 1:4 , cf. Est 1:7Est 1:7 , Est 4:7 , 1Ma 10:15 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
yield unto = be persuaded by. Greek. peitho. App-150.
lie in wait. Greek. enedreuo. Only here and Luk 11:54. Compare Act 23:16.
men. App-123.
looking for. Greek. prosdechomai. Compare Act 24:15. Mar 15:43 (waited for).
a = the. This shows that some promise of a further trial of Paul had been given.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
21. () ] not, an order (as Rosenm., al.), nor a message (as Grot., Beza, Wolf, al.): but the [not a, as E. V.] promise (to that effect): as constantly in N. T.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 23:21. ) do not comply with their request.-, ready) to kill him.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
do not: Exo 23:2
for: Act 23:12-14, Act 9:23, Act 9:24, Act 14:5, Act 14:6, Act 20:19, Act 25:3, 2Co 11:26, 2Co 11:32, 2Co 11:33
an oath: Act 23:14, Rom 9:3
Reciprocal: Num 30:2 – to bind Num 35:20 – by laying Deu 23:23 – hast vowed Jos 8:4 – lie in wait Neh 4:11 – They shall not Neh 10:29 – entered Psa 10:9 – He lieth Psa 59:3 – they Psa 119:95 – wicked Eph 4:14 – lie
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1
Act 23:21. The young man then told him of the plot to kill Paul if he should be allowed to appear outside the castle, and he urged him to deny their request.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
See notes on verse 17