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Tuesday, August 5th, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Acts 21:4

Having searched out the talmidim there, we remained for a week. Guided by the Spirit, they told Sha'ul not to go up to Yerushalayim;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Disciple;   Disobedience to God;   Luke;   Paul;   Phenicia;   Prophets;   Rashness;   Seven;   Tyre;   Thompson Chain Reference - Periods and Numbers;   Seven;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Tyre;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Luke;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Acts, book of;   Phoenicia;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Holy Spirit, Gifts of;   Luke-Acts, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Syrian Christians;   Worship of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Tyre;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Luke;   Luke, Gospel of;   Sidon and Tyre;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronology of the New Testament;   Prophet;   Tyre;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Organization (2);   Paul;   Phoenicia ;   Tyre ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians Written;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Commerce;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
We sought out the disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
King James Version (1611)
And finding disciples, wee taried there seuen dayes: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that hee should not goe vp to Hierusalem.
King James Version
And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
English Standard Version
And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
New American Standard Bible
After looking up the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem.
New Century Version
We found some followers in Tyre and stayed with them for seven days. Through the Holy Spirit they warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
Amplified Bible
After looking up the disciples [in Tyre], we stayed there [with them] seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the [Holy] Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
Legacy Standard Bible
And after looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
We sought out the disciples in Tyre and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they kept telling Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Contemporary English Version
We looked up the Lord's followers and stayed with them for a week. The Holy Spirit had told them to warn Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
Darby Translation
And having found out the disciples, we remained there seven days; who said to Paul by the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.
Easy-to-Read Version
We found the Lord's followers there and stayed with them for seven days. They warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem because of what the Spirit had told them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when we had found disciples, we taried there seuen dayes. And they told Paul through the Spirit, that he should not goe vp to Hierusalem.
George Lamsa Translation
And because we found disciples there, we stayed with them seven days: and every day they said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
Good News Translation
There we found some believers and stayed with them a week. By the power of the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
Lexham English Bible
And we stayed there seven days after we found the disciples, who kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
Literal Translation
And finding disciples, we remained there seven days; who told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.
American Standard Version
And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.
Bible in Basic English
And meeting the disciples we were there for seven days: and they gave Paul orders through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.
Hebrew Names Version
Having found talmidim, we stayed there seven days. These said to Sha'ul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Yerushalayim.
International Standard Version
So we looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they kept telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem,Acts 20:23; 21:12;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And having found disciples there, we sojourned with them seven days. And these said daily unto Paulos in the Spirit, That he should not go unto Urishlem.
Murdock Translation
And, as we found disciples there, we tarried with them seven days: and they, by the Spirit, told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when we had founde disciples, we taryed there seuen dayes: who said to Paule through the spirite, that he shoulde not go vp to Hierusalem.
English Revised Version
And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.
World English Bible
Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days, who told Paul by the Spirit, Not to go up to Jerusalem.
Weymouth's New Testament
Having searched for the disciples and found them, we stayed at Tyre for seven days; and, taught by the Spirit, they repeatedly urged Paul not to proceed to Jerusalem.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne we foundun disciplis, we dwelliden there seuene daies; whiche seiden bi spirit to Poul, that he schulde not go vp to Jerusalem.
Update Bible Version
And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.
Webster's Bible Translation
And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
New English Translation
After we located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
New King James Version
And finding disciples, [fn] we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.
New Living Translation
We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem.
New Life Bible
We looked for the Christians and stayed with them seven days. The Christians had been told by the Holy Spirit to tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
New Revised Standard
We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, finding up the disciples, we remained there seven days, and they, unto Paul, began to say, through the Spirit, that he would gain no footing in Jerusalem.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul, through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
Revised Standard Version
And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And when we had founde brethren we taryed there .vii. dayes. And they tolde Paul thorowe ye sprete that he shuld not goo vp to Ierusalem.
Young's Literal Translation
And having found out the disciples, we tarried there seven days, and they said to Paul, through the Spirit, not to go up to Jerusalem;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan we had founde disciples, we taried there seuen dayes. And they tolde Paul thorow the sprete, that he shulde not go vp to Ierusalem.
Mace New Testament (1729)
we staid seven days with the disciples we met there: who told Paul from the holy spirit, that he should not go to Jerusalem.
Simplified Cowboy Version
and found some cowboys who rode for the Lord. We stayed at their place for about a week. The Holy Spirit filled these cowboys in on what was going to happen to Paul. They pleaded with him not to go to Jerusalem.

Contextual Overview

1 After we had torn ourselves away from the Ephesian elders, we set sail and made a straight run to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 On finding a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, we embarked and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria and landed at Tzor, because that was where the ship was unloading its cargo. 4 Having searched out the talmidim there, we remained for a week. Guided by the Spirit, they told Sha'ul not to go up to Yerushalayim; 5 but when the week was over, we left to continue our journey. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the town. Kneeling on the beach and praying, 6 we said good-bye to each other. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home. 7 When the voyage from Tzor was over, we arrived at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers and stayed with them overnight.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

finding: Acts 19:1, Matthew 10:11, 2 Timothy 1:17

we: Acts 20:6, Acts 20:7, Acts 28:14, Revelation 1:10

said: Acts 21:10-12, Acts 20:22

Reciprocal: Acts 10:19 - the Spirit Acts 11:27 - prophets Acts 19:21 - to go Acts 20:16 - had Acts 20:23 - the Holy Ghost Acts 21:12 - besought

Cross-References

Genesis 21:10
so Sarah said to Avraham, "Throw this slave-girl out! And her son! I will not have this slave-girl's son as your heir along with my son Yitz'chak!"
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Avraham, "Don't be distressed because of the boy and your slave-girl. Listen to everything Sarah says to you, because it is your descendants through Yitz'chak who will be counted.
Genesis 21:22
(vi) At that time Avimelekh and Pikhol the commander of his army spoke to Avraham. They said, "God is with you in everything you do.
Genesis 21:23
Therefore, swear to me here by God that you will never deal falsely with me or with my son or grandson; but according to the kindness with which I have treated you, you will treat me and the land in which you have lived as a foreigner.
Exodus 12:48
If a foreigner staying with you wants to observe Adonai 's Pesach, all his males must be circumcised. Then he may take part and observe it; he will be like a citizen of the land. But no uncircumcised person is to eat it.
Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day, the baby's foreskin is to be circumcised.
Deuteronomy 12:32
Here are the laws and rulings you are to observe and obey in the land Adonai , the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess as long as you live on earth. You must destroy all the places where the nations you are dispossessing served their gods, whether on high mountains, on hills, or under some leafy tree. Break down their altars, smash their standing-stones to pieces, burn up their sacred poles completely and cut down the carved images of their gods. Exterminate their name from that place. "But you are not to treat Adonai your God this way. Rather, you are to come to the place where Adonai your God will put his name. He will choose it from all your tribes; and you will seek out that place, which is where he will live, and go there. You will bring there your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tenths [that you set aside for Adonai ], the offerings that you give, the offerings you have vowed, your voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your cattle and sheep. There you will eat in the presence of Adonai your God; and you will rejoice over everything you set out to do, you and your households, in which Adonai your God has blessed you. You will not do things the way we do them here today, where everyone does whatever in his own opinion seems right; because you haven't yet arrived at the rest and inheritance which Adonai your God is giving you. But when you cross the Yarden and live in the land Adonai your God is having you inherit, and he gives you rest from all your surrounding enemies, so that you are living in safety; (ii) then you will bring all that I am ordering you to the place Adonai your God chooses to have his name live — your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tenths, the offering from your hand, and all your best possessions that you dedicate to Adonai ; and you will rejoice in the presence of Adonai your God — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves and the Levi staying with you, inasmuch as he has no share or inheritance with you. "Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings just anywhere you see, but do it in the place Adonai will choose in one of your tribal territories; there is where you are to offer your burnt offerings and do everything I order you to do. However, you may slaughter and eat meat wherever you live and whenever you want, in keeping with the degree to which Adonai your God has blessed you. The unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer. But don't eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. "You are not to eat on your own property the tenth of your grain, new wine or olive oil [that you set aside for Adonai ], or the firstborn of your cattle or sheep, or any offering you have vowed, or your voluntary offering, or the offering from your hand. No, you are to eat these in the presence of Adonai your God in the place Adonai your God will choose — you and your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levi who is your guest; and you are to rejoice before Adonai your God in everything you undertake to do. As long as you are living on your property, take care not to abandon the Levi. "When Adonai your God expands your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I want to eat meat,' simply because you want to eat meat, then you may eat meat, as much as you want. If the place which Adonai your God chooses to place his name is too far away from you; then you are to slaughter animals from your cattle or sheep, which Adonai has given you; and eat on your own property, as much as you want. Eat it as you would gazelle or deer; the unclean and clean alike may eat it. Just take care not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you are not to eat the life with the meat. Don't eat it, but pour it out on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that things will go well with you and with your children after you, as you do what Adonai sees as right. Only the things set aside for God which you have, and the vows you have vowed to make, you must take and go to the place which Adonai will choose. There you will offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of Adonai your God. The blood of your sacrifices is to be poured out on the altar of Adonai your God, and you will eat the meat. Obey and pay attention to everything I am ordering you to do, so that things will go well with you and with your descendants after you forever, as you do what Adonai sees as good and right. (iii) "When Adonai your God has cut off ahead of you the nations you are entering in order to dispossess, and when you have dispossessed them and are living in their land; be careful, after they have been destroyed ahead of you, not to be trapped into following them; so that you inquire after their gods and ask, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I want to do the same.' You must not do this to Adonai your God! For they have done to their gods all the abominations that Adonai hates! They even burn up their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods!
Luke 1:6
Both of them were righteous before God, observing all the mitzvot and ordinances of Adonai blamelessly.
Luke 1:59
On the eighth day, they came to do the child's b'rit-milah. They were about to name him Z'kharyah, after his father,
Luke 2:21
On the eighth day, when it was time for his b'rit-milah, he was given the name Yeshua, which is what the angel had called him before his conception.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And finding disciples,.... 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 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 q; 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 r; in the "fourth" century there was a synod at Tyre under Constantine, to which he wrote a letter s. 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 t. Of the bishops of Tyre in the several centuries, the learned Reland u 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.

q Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 5. c. 25. r Ib. l. 8. c. 7, 12. s Ib. de Vita Constantin. l. 4. c. 41, 42. t Magdeburg. Hist. Eccl. cent. 4. c. 2. p. 2. c. 10. p. 553, 554. cent. 5. c. 2. p. 3. c. 7. p. 417. cent. 6. c. u Palestina Ilustrata, l. 3. p. 1054, 1055.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And finding disciples - Christians. This is the first mention of there being Christians at Tyre, but there is no improbability in supposing that the gospel had been preached there, though it is not expressly recorded by Luke.

Who said to Paul - Compare Acts 21:12. Their deep interest in his welfare, and their apprehension of his danger, was the reason why they admonished him not to go.

Through the Spirit - There is some difficulty in understanding this. In solving this difficulty, we may remark:

(1) That it is evident that the Holy Spirit is meant, and that Luke means to say that this was spoken by his inspiration. The Holy Spirit was bestowed on Christians at that time in large measures, and many appear to have been under his inspiring guidance.

(2) It was not understood by Paul as a positive command that he should not go up to Jerusalem; for had it been, it would not have been disobeyed. He evidently understood it as expressive of their earnest wish that he should not go, as apprising him of danger, and as a kind expression in regard to his own welfare and safety. Compare Acts 21:13. Paul was in better circumstances to understand this than we are, and his interpretation was doubtless correct.

(3) It is to be understood, therefore, simply as an inspired prophetic warning, that if he went, he went at the risk of his life a prophetic warning, joined with their individual personal wishes that he would not expose himself to this danger. The meaning evidently is that they said by inspiration of the Spirit that he should not go unless he was willing to encounter danger, for they foresaw that the journey would be attended with the hazard of his life. Grotius renders it, “That he should not go unless he was willing to be bound.” Michaelis and Stolzius; “They gave him prophetic warrant that he should not go to Jerusalem.” Doddridge, “If he tendered his own liberty and safety, not to go up to Jerusalem, since it would certainly expose him to very great hazard.” The inspiration in the case was that of admonition and warning, not of positive command. Paul was simply apprised of the danger, and was then left to the free determination of his own will. He chose to encounter the danger of which he was thus apprised. He did not despise the intimations of the Spirit, but he judged that his duty to God called him thus to meet the perils of the journey. We may be apprised of danger in a certain course, either by our friends or by the Word of God, and still it may be our duty to meet it. Our duty is not to be measured by the fact that we shall experience danger, in whatever way that may be made known to us. Duty consists in following the will of God, and encountering whatever trials may be in our way.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 21:4. 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 Samuel 23:9-13. David prevented the threatened evil by leaving Keilah: Paul fell into it by going to Jerusalem.


 
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