Acts 21:15

And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(15) After those days we took up our carriages . . .—Better, we took up our baggage. The English word now used always of the vehicle that carries, was in common use at the time of the Authorised version, for the things carried—the luggage or impedimenta of a traveller. So, in 1Samuel 17:22, David leaves his carriage (or, as in the margin, the vessels from upon him) in the hand of the “keeper of the carriage.” So, in Udal’s translation of Erasmus’s Paraphrase of the New Testament (Luke 5:14), the bearers of the paralytic are said to have “taken their ‘heavie carriage’ to the house-roof.” (Comp. also Judges 18:21; Isaiah 10:28; Isaiah 46:1.)

Benson Commentary

Acts 21:15-16. And after those days — Spent at Cesarea, how many there were is not said; we took up our carriages, and went — Or, their baggage, which probably went by sea before; containing, doubtless, the alms they were carrying to Jerusalem, Acts 24:17. And they had in their company some of the brethren of Cesarea, together with one Mnason, of Cyprus, an old disciple — Who lived in Jerusalem, and probably had been converted, either by Christ or the apostles, at the first opening of the gospel there. With him they were to lodge, which they were the more willing to do, as he was a person of established character and reputation in the church; and as, in those days, there were no inns for the accommodation of travellers, as with us.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

21:8-18 Paul had express warning of his troubles, that when they came, they might be no surprise or terror to him. The general notice given us, that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God, should be of the same use to us. Their weeping began to weaken and slacken his resolution Has not our Master told us to take up our cross? It was a trouble to him, that they should so earnestly press him to do that in which he could not gratify them without wronging his conscience. When we see trouble coming, it becomes us to say, not only, The will of the Lord must be done, and there is no remedy; but, Let the will of the Lord be done; for his will is his wisdom, and he doeth all according to the counsel of it. When a trouble is come, this must allay our griefs, that the will of the Lord is done; when we see it coming, this must silence our fears, that the will of the Lord shall be done; and we ought to say, Amen, let it be done. It is honourable to be an old disciple of Jesus Christ, to have been enabled by the grace of God to continue long in a course of duty, stedfast in the faith, growing more and more experienced, to a good old age. And with these old disciples one would choose to lodge; for the multitude of their years shall teach wisdom. Many brethren at Jerusalem received Paul gladly. We think, perhaps, that if we had him among us, we should gladly receive him; but we should not, if, having his doctrine, we do not gladly receive that.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

After those days - After what had occurred, as related in the previous verses.

We took up our carriages - This is a most unhappy translation. The word carriage we apply now exclusively to a vehicle for conveying anything as a coach, chariot, gig, cannon carriage, etc. The original word means simply that they prepared themselves; made themselves ready; put their baggage in order, etc. ἀποσκευασάμενοι aposkeuasamenoi. They prepared for the journey. The English word carriage was formerly used in the sense of what is carried, baggage, burden, vessels, furniture, etc. Thus, it was used in the time that our translation was made; and in this sense it is to be understood in 1 Samuel 17:22, "And David left his carriage (baggage) in the hand of the keeper of the carriage," etc. See Acts 21:20, margin; Isaiah 10:28, "At Michmash he hath laid up his carriages" (his baggage, etc.).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15, 16. we took up our carriages—"our baggage."

and went up to Jerusalem—for the fifth time after his conversion, thus concluding his third missionary tour, which proved his last, so far as recorded; for though he accomplished the fourth and last part of the missionary plan sketched out (Ac 19:21)—"After I have been at Jerusalem, I must also see Rome"—it was as "a prisoner of Jesus Christ."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

As they do pack up that are to remove to another house or place, not intending to come thither any more again; this also did show their readiness of mind to endure and suffer all things, as loss of relations and friends, and all accommodations, for Christ.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And after those days we took up our carriages,.... Or prepared themselves, both for their journey, and for whatever trials and exercises they were to meet with; they took up their bundles, which hitherto were brought by sea, and now put them upon beasts, going by land from Caesarea:

and went up to Jerusalem; which stood on higher ground, and was, as Josephus (n) says, six hundred furlongs, or seventy five miles distant.

(n) De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 3. sect. 5.

Geneva Study Bible

And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 21:15-16. ʼΕπισκευασ.] after we had equipped ourselves (praeparati, Vulg.), made ourselves ready; i.e. after we had put our goods, clothes, etc., in a proper state for our arrival and residence in Jerusalem.[120] The word, occurring here only in the N.T., is frequent in Greek writers and in the LXX. Such an equipment was required by the feast, and by the intercourse which lay before them at the holy seat of the mother church and of the apostles. Others arbitrarily, as if ὑποζύγια stood in the text (Xen. Hell. vii. 2. 18); “sarcinas jumentis imponere,” Grotius.

τῶν μαθητ.] sc. τινές. Winer, p. 548 [E. T. 737]; Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 138 [E. T. 158].

ἄγοντες παρʼ ᾧ ξενισθῶμεν Μνάσ.] who brought us to Mnason, with whom we were to lodge in Jerusalem. So correctly Luther. The dative Μνάσ. is not dependent on ἄγοντες (in opposition to Knatchbull, Winer, p. 201 [E. T. 268 f.], and Fritzsche, Conject. I. p. 42; and see on Acts 2:33), but to be explained, with Grotius, from attraction, so that, when resolved, it is: ἄγοντες παρὰ Μνάσονα, παρʼ ᾧ ξενισθ. See on Romans 4:17. Bornemann, Schol. in Luc. p. 177 (comp. on Rosenmüller, Repert. II. p. 253); Buttmann, p. 244 [E. T. 284]; Dissen, ad Dem. de cor. p. 233 f. The participle ἄγοντες indicates what they by συνῆλθ. σ. ἡμῖν not merely wished (infinitive), but at the same time did: they came with us and brought us, etc. See Hermann, ad Viger. p. 773; Bernhardy, p. 477.

Others (Vulgate, Erasmus, Castalio, Beza, Calvin, Wolf) take the sense of the whole passage to be: adducentes secum apud quem hospitaremur Mnasonem. Likewise admitting of justification linguistically from the attraction (Kühner, II. 508; Valckenaer, Schol. I. p. 586; Hermann, ad Soph. El. 643. 681); but then we should have to suppose, without any indication in the context, that Mnason had been temporarily resident at Caesarea precisely at that time when the lodging of the travellers in his house at Jerusalem was settled with him.

Nothing further is known of Mnason himself. The name is Greek (Ael. V. H. iii. 19; Athen. vi. p. 264 C, 272 B; Lucian, Philops. 22), and probably he was, if not a Gentile Christian, at any rate a Hellenist. Looking to the feeling which prevailed among the Jewish Christians against Paul (Acts 21:20-21), it was natural and prudent that he should lodge with such a one, in order that he should enter into further relations to the church.

ἀρχαίῳ μαθ.] So much the more confidently might Paul and his companions be entrusted to him. He was a Christian from of old (not a νεόφυτος, 1 Timothy 3:6); whether he had already been a Christian from the first Pentecost, or had become so, possibly through connection with his countryman Barnabas, or in some other manner, cannot be determined.

[120] The erroneous reading ἀποσκ., though defended by Olshausen, would at most admit the explanation: after we had conveyed away our baggage (Polyb. iv. 81. 11; Diod. Sic. xiii. 91; Joseph. Antt. xiv. 16. 2), according to which the travellers, in order not to go as pilgrims to the feast at Jerusalem encumbered with much luggage, would have sent on their baggage before them. The leaving behind of the superfluous baggage at Caesarea (Wolf, Olshausen, and others), or the laying aside of things unworthy for their entrance into and residence in Jerusalem (Ewald), would be purely imported ideas. Valckenaer, p. 584, well remarks: “Putidum est lectiones tarn aperte mendosas, ubi verae repertae fuere, in sanctissimis libris relinqui.”

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 21:15. ἀποσ.: A.V., “took up our carriages,” but the latter word is not used now in a passive sense for luggage or impedimenta, as in O.T., Jdg 18:21, 1 Samuel 17:22, Isaiah 10:18, cf. Shakes., Tempest, Acts 21:1; Acts 21:3 : “Time goes upright with his carriage” (burden); see also Plumptre’s interesting note on the word. R.V., reading ἐπισ., renders “we took up our baggage,” margin “made ready our baggage,” τὰ πρὸς τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν λαβόντες, Chrys., Ramsay renders “having equipped horses,” Xen., Hell., v., 3, 1, and see St. Paul, p. 302: the journey on foot, some sixty-four miles, was scarcely probable for Paul, especially if, as it would seem from , it was accomplished in two days. Grotius took it as = “sarcinas jumentis imponere,” as if ὑποζύγια, Xen., Hell., vii, 2, 18. Hackett and Rendall refer the word to the packing up of the valuable alms which St. Paul was carrying to Jerusalem, but this interpretation seems fanciful, although Hackett supposes that the contribution might have consisted in part of raiment or provisions. Belser still more curiously refers it to getting change in the current money of Palestine for the alms collected in the coin of various lands.—ἀνεβ.: imperfect, to denote the start on the journey (cf. Acts 8:25 : ὑπέστρεφον, R.V.). Both A. and R.V. here render “went up,” but it should be rendered “we set about the journey to Jerusalem,” end of third m. j.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

15, 16. The Journey to Jerusalem

15. And after those days we took up our carriages] Rev. Ver. “our baggage.” In the English of the A.V. “carriages” were things which were carried. The word is found in this sense, 1 Samuel 17:22; Isaiah 10:28, as well as in this passage. So in Shakespeare, and cp. Earle’s Microcosmographie (Arber), p. 41, “His thoughts are not loaden with any carriage besides.” But the use is quite lost now. The verb indicates rather “packing up” for the purpose of removal, than “taking up” in the act of moving.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 21:15. Ἐπισκευασάμενοι, having made our preparations) The inferior reading, ἀποσκευασάμενοι, would be appropriate to their arrival. But they were then departing, and carrying alms to Jerusalem: ch. Acts 24:17. This was the ἐπισκευή. Hesychius explains ἐπισκευασάμενοι as εὐτρεπισθέντες, made ready, equipped with all things necessary.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 15. - These for those, A.V.; baggage for carriages, A.V. We took up, etc. Απισκευασάμενοι, is the reading of the R.T., as of Mill, Bengel, Griesbach, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Meyer, Alford, etc. It occurs only here in the New Testament, but is common in classical Greek, in the sense of "fitting out for a journey," "lading a ship" or "beasts of burden" with baggage, "collecting baggage," and the like. The ἀποσκευάζεσθαι of the A.V. means" to unload," "to get rid of baggage," and thence generally "to remove," which gives no good sense here. Acts 21:15

Vincent's Word Studies

Took up our carriages (ἀποσκευασάμενοι)

The verb means to pack up and carry off, or simply to pack or store away. Hence, some explain that Paul packed and stored the greater part of his luggage in Caesarea. The best texts, however, read ἐπισκευασάμενοι, having equipped ourselves. Carriages is used in the old English sense, now obsolete, of that which is carried, baggage. See 1 Samuel 17:22, A. V.