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24 take them and purify[a] yourself along with them and pay their expenses,[b] so that they may have their heads shaved.[c] Then[d] everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told[e] about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with[f] the law.[g]

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Footnotes

  1. 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).
  2. Acts 21:24 tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”
  3. 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Acts 21:24 tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).
  6. 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.’”
  7. Acts 21:24 sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

24 Take these men, join in their purification rites(A) and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved.(B) Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.

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