Acts 21:24 - Exposition

These for them, A.V.; for them for with them, A.V.; shall know for may know, A.V.; there is no truth in the things, etc., for those things … are nothing, A.V.; hare been for were, A.V.; keeping for and keepest, A.V. As regards the transaction recommended by James, Kypke (quoted by Meyer) says, "It was a received thing among the Jews, and was reckoned an act of eminent piety, for a rich man to undertake to bear, on behalf of poor Nazarites, the expense of those sacrifices which they had to offer when they shaved their heads at the expiration of their vow." Josephus seems to allude to the custom, and to speak of King Agrippa as acting in accordance with it, when he says of him that he ordered great numbers of Nazarites to be shaved ('Ant. Jud.,' 19. 6.1). The sacrifices were costly, consisting of" three beasts, one for a burnt offering, another for a sin offering, and a third for a peace offering". Alexander Jannaeus is said to have contributed nine hundred victims for three hundred Nazarites. Purify thyself ; ἁγνίσθητι , the word used in the LXX . of Numbers 6:2 , Numbers 6:3 , Numbers 6:8 (with its compound ἁφαγνίσασθαι ,, and co-derivatives ἁγνεία and ἅγιος ) for the corresponding Hebrew דיזִּהַ , to take the Nazarite vow. St. Paul, therefore, became a Nazarite of days for seven days, intending at the end of the time to offer the prescribed sacrifices for himself and his four companions (see, however, note on Numbers 6:26 , at the end). Be at charges for them ( δαπάνησον ἐπ αὐτοῖς ) . Make the necessary expenditure on their account, that they may shave their heads , which they could not do till the prescribed sacrifices were offered.