The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 169

It R.lso marks distinctly the upright and into the f:emple," with the ido& 11upplled, honourRble conduct of Jarues, and the oon- "and remained there," or "came there oord of the apostles. daily;" supposing that it wae the custom Ver. 26.- Went for eni,ered, A.V.; dh- for Nazaritea to finish up their time of clar-ing the fu(filment for to signify the ac- separation by passing the last seven days, compliihment, A.V.; the offering wcu for that or at lea.et being present daily, in "the an offering ,l1ot1Jd bs, A.V. Paul took the oonrt of the women, where was the apartment men. St.. Paul's acquiescence in James's R.ppropriated to the Naze.rites" (Lewin, ii. &d·do0 is Rn instance of what he eaye of him- p. 142). If, however, with Howson, Lewin self (1 Cor. ix. 20), and is ju aooord:\nce and others, we understand the word a-yvl- with his conduct in oiroumcising Timothy (•o-8a.,, in vers. 24 and 26, not generally ot (eh. XYi. 3). But that he did not &tte.ch taking tile Nazarite vow, but of oertain &ny intrinsic importe.nce even to oircnm- special purifications e.t the olose of e. N e.ze.- cision, nnd much less to the minor Jewish ritic vow, which lasted seven de.ye immedi- ceremonies, is clear from such passages as atllly before the offerings were made and Rom. i. 2S, 29; l Cor. vii. 19; Gal. v. G; vi. the hee.d shaven, then a very easy and 15 ; Phil. iii. S, etc. Purifying himself natural rendering of the words follows : with them, etc. (&;wur8els); see note on ver. "Notifyin 17 their intention of now completing 2,t J:nues's adnce had been To.1.-ovs 1rapa.• the seven de.ys of their purifica.tion, until the Aa./3Wv Cl:yvlu811-ri (l'"Vv aVTois: in obedience to offering for eaoh of them was offered." Al- that ach-ice St. Pa.nl now na.pa."-a.f3wv Tovs ford, in loo., justifies by examples the aorist ivOpas vlJv ci,rois Cl.-y11,cr8Els Elo-?fH Els .,..o ll=p&11. indicative ,rpoo-71v,xB11, instead of the sub- W"h:\t was the particnlar form by which a junctive, which is more usne.l. Lewin thinks person "ho wished to associate himself with that St. Paul had taken a Nazaritio vow others under a Nazaritio vow (note on ver. after his escape from death e.t Ephesus, or 24c) <lid so is not 1.,1owu; nor how long before e.t Corinth; but there is no evidence of this, t!.iu expiration of the vow such association and it is ho.rdly consistent with James's e.d- must he made. But from the mention of -vice. Ren:i.n thinks it doubtful whether or "seven days" in ver. 27 (which is the no Paul took the Naza.ritio vow at all, but number named in Numb. vi. 9, in case of an inC\liues to this as the best interpretation accidental uncleanness), it seems highly pro- (' St. Po.ul,' p. 518, note). bable tho.t " seven days" was the term during Ver. 27.-Completedforended, A.V. ;from which 11 person must have conformed to the for tDhich were of, A. V.: multitude for people, Kazaritic vow to entitle him to "be at A.V. The seven days; showing clearly that c!1arges," as well, perhaps, as the time some customary term of preparation for the during which Naze.rites, at the end of their offerings and shaving of the head is meant. vow, had to undergo special purification. This shows also that "the days" in the pre- Declaring tha fulfilment, etc. The vow of ceding verse meant the "seven days" of the four men had been for at least thirty preparn.tion rather than "the days " of the days (the minimum period of such vow) j wl>ole N11zaritic vow. The J"ewa from Asia; but whatever length of time it had been for, come up for Pentecost. How hostile the 1mch time would have expired by the end of Asiatic Jews were appears from eh, xix. 9. the seven davs, and probably long before. When they saw him in the templo, whither V,Te know not how long they might have he had come to complete tho seven days of been waiting for some one to " be at charges" preparation. It was apparently the fifth for them, aud pronde the se.crifi.ces, without day (see eh, xxiv. 11, note). How often the whlc!.i they could not shave their heads and best meant e.ttempts e.t conciliation fail t.ccomplibh their vow. But it is obvious through the uncharitable suspicions of a that some notice mllilt be given to the priests man's opponents I The temple. It must b11 in the temple of the day when one or more remembered throughout that it is .,-1, lep&v No.zarites would present the1US0lves at" the that is spoken of, which embraces the temple door of thE: tabernacle of the congregation," courts, not the va.os, or house (see eh. iii. 2, to offer the prescribed offerings. And this note). Stirred u.p. :Iv-yx•w is found only accordin.,lv Paul and the four did. 11,arr•"-· here in the New 'l'estament. Properly "to """' me:ns •' notifying," or "declaring," oonfnse," like the kindred O"IY"fXI,.,., (eh. ii. 6: to the priests (Exod. i.x. 16 [LXX., answer- xix. 32; xxi. ,H); e.nd o-{ryxuu,s, confusion ing to the Hebrew ,'f.12] ; Rom. iL 27; (eh. xix. 29); hence " to stir up." It is of Josh. vi. 9, LXX. [10, .A. V., "bid"]). Until frequent use in me4ical writers (Hobart, the offcriD.g wa.s offered, etc. This is in- lxxix.). • terpreted in two ways. Meyer makes "until" Ver. 28.-Moreover he for father brought, dE:pend upon "the fulfilment of the days," .A.V.; dtfiled for polluted, .A.'\'. (For the ao- i;o as to define that fulfilment as not taking cusation, comp.eh. vi. 13, ancl above, ver. 21.) p!ftce till the offering wu offered. Wieseler Brought. Greeks also, etc. No uncircumcised u,a.kc& " U!1til" depend upon "he entered pe.rson might go beyond the 00111-t of the OH, XXI, 1-40.] THE ACTS OF THE APO,'JTLES. 175