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23 So do what[a] we tell you: We have four men[b] who have taken[c] a vow;[d] 24 take them and purify[e] yourself along with them and pay their expenses,[f] so that they may have their heads shaved.[g] Then[h] everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told[i] about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with[j] the law.[k]

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 21:23 tn Grk “do this that.”
  2. Acts 21:23 tn Grk “There are four men here.”
  3. Acts 21:23 tn L&N 33.469 has “‘there are four men here who have taken a vow’ or ‘we have four men who…’ Ac 21:23.”
  4. Acts 21:23 tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.
  5. Acts 21:24 sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).
  6. Acts 21:24 tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”
  7. Acts 21:24 tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shavedτὴν κεφαλήν have ones head shavedAc 21:24.”sn Having their heads shaved probably involved ending a voluntary Nazirite vow (Num 6:14-15).
  8. Acts 21:24 tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
  9. Acts 21:24 tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).
  10. Acts 21:24 tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs—‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”
  11. Acts 21:24 sn The law refers to the law of Moses.