What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will
hear that you have come.
Immediately in the preceding verse, the elders had just finished
relating the accusations that had been made against Paul. Now the
concern is that there will be a meeting of the whole assembly or
church in order to investigate the charges.
Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have
taken a vow.
We see that there is no question but that the charges were false. It
is implicitly understood that there is no truth to the charges made
against Paul, and now the elders and Paul were going to demonstrate
this to the whole assembly in the strongest way possible.
*Take them*, *and purify yourself* with them, and *pay
their expenses* for them, that they may *shave their
heads*. Then all will know that there is no truth in the
things that they have been informed about you, but that
you yourself also walk keeping *the Law*.
Take them
Paul will be their sponsor.
and purify yourself
Because Paul himself had taken a vow, 18:18.
pay their expenses
Shows great zeal for the Law.
shave their heads
According to the Torah's Nazirite vow, Numbers 6.
the Law
"τον νομον", ("ton nomon"), the Torah Law, also called the Law
of Moses, and possibly including the associated oral traditions,
since "νομος" has a broader meaning than the English word,
"law".
Because Paul agreed to this, the only possible conclusion is that Paul
did, indeed, keep the whole Torah in every respect, including the
recourse to animal sacrificial offerings mandated by Scripture.
The only alternative is that Paul (not to mention also the Elders) was
a liar and a deceiver; but we know that he was not, and neither were
the elders who recommended the course of action.
*But* concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written
our decision *{{altered text}}* that they should keep
themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from
strangled things, and from sexual immorality."
But
Better is: Now.
{{altered text}}
The Greek text appears to have been deliberately altered here,
with the added words: "that they should observe no such thing,
except". For this reason, the critical text UBS 4/NA 27 omits
these words.
This verse is a reference to an earlier chapter in Acts, in which the
elders wrote to the Gentile churches with instructions. It is
implicitly understood that the Gentiles would be taught Torah, but new
converts from heathen nations needed special warnings against the
practices that were most common among them.
Then *Paul took the men*, and the next day, *purified
himself* and went with them into the *Temple*, *declaring
the fulfillment of the days of purification*, until the
*offering* was offered *for every one of them*.
Paul took the men
Thus declaring that he keeps the whole Torah Law.
purified himself
Observing the Torah ritual cleanliness laws.
Temple
The Jewish Temple! Paul was a Jew.
declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification
Declaring to the priests when the period of separation would end
offering
Animal sacrifice. Numbers 6.
for every one of them
Including Paul.
There was no stronger way that Paul could demonstrate that he kept the
whole Torah Law, including animal sacrifices, than to publicly proceed
with his own and four others' Nazirite vows, which are solemn vows
before God involving animal sacrifice!
It goes without saying, then, that what he did he also taught others
to do! This is the whole point of the exercise: to show the whole
assembly of the church that Paul was not teaching the foreign Jews to
disregard the Torah Law. He was not teaching the Gentiles to do this
either.
