26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them. 27 Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. 31 Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. 35 When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. 36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”
Commentary
Vs. 26 “Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.”
The Apostle Paul then in accord with Jews traditions, having been purified with them, now takes the men with him to the temple to “announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.” Again, by doing so Paul was not returning to Judaism and its rituals as a means for justification before God, rather he was demonstrating to the Jews in Jerusalem that he himself as a Jew walked orderly and kept the law as they were all trying to do.
Vs. 27-29 27 Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
However, though the church leadership and the Apostle Paul thought by his doing this he would pacify the Jews who were looking for anything to find fault with him, instead when the seven days were about to expire, and the Apostle Paul was about to present himself and those with him at the Temple some Jews from Asia (like those at Ephesus who stirred up the mob scene there), being now in Jerusalem and recognizing the Apostle Paul, once again stirred up the whole crowd in Jerusalem against him, and so seizing him, they began to cry out saying, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” Now their charges were utterly false and completely unfounded. For the Apostle Paul never spoke against the Law or custom, or anything else the Jews did or practiced in their service of God. Indeed, he was there faithfully observing the Law according to their laws and customs. And yet these Jews from Asia by playing on such an emotionally charged issue, and even charging the Apostle Paul with bringing Gentiles into the inner court of the Temple region and defiling it, knew that the people there would now be utterly set against Paul, though there were no just grounds for their doing so. Now the Jews who did so are not unique in this, since wicked people have always done such things, especially psychopaths who are so confident and charming and suave in their nature, and who are most convincing as they prey upon people’s fears and feelings so as to manipulate them to set them against those whom they have targeted. Government agents and their proxies are also well versed in these sorts of tactics, so as to recruit others to do their evil bidding for them, but they will all give an account to Christ the Lord who will judge the living and the dead at His Return.
Vs. 30 “And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.”
Therefore, as their false report about the Apostle Paul went out the whole city of Jerusalem became disturbed, and people ran together and seized Paul and dragged him out of the Temple, whereupon they then shut the doors of it so that no one else could enter it. It’s a complete mob scene then as they drag Paul out of the Temple and seek to find a place to put him to death.
Vs. 31-36 31 Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. 35 When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. 36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”
Thankfully before the mob could kill Paul, news of the uproar came to the commander of Jerusalem, and he immediately took soldiers and centurions, and he came to the mob scene. Now when he arrived the Jews stopped beating Paul which then allowed him to come and take Paul from them, having done so he bound Paul with two chains and asked them what Paul had done (vs. 31-33). Now when he could not ascertain the truth because of the mob’s tumult, (i.e., their shouting and yelling this and that, as well as their pressing upon them in trying to get at Paul), the commander ordered that they take Paul back to the barracks where a further inquiry could be made (vs. 34). Now as they moved Paul from amongst the mob scene, when they reached the stairs, Paul had to carried by the soldiers (i.e., literally over their heads) because of the violence of the mob (vs. 35). “For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!” vs. 36
Continued on in next blog entry
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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