Acts 21 4

Acts 21:4 kjv

And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:4 nkjv

And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:4 niv

We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:4 esv

And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:4 nlt

We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem.

Acts 21 verses

Acts 21 4 Meaning

The verse describes Paul and his traveling companions locating fellow believers, referred to as disciples, in the prominent Phoenician port city of Tyre. They subsequently shared fellowship with these local disciples for a full week. During this period, the Holy Spirit supernaturally guided these believers, who then specifically warned Paul against continuing his journey to Jerusalem.

Acts 21 4 Context

This verse forms part of the narrative describing Paul's journey back to Jerusalem, marking the culmination of his third missionary tour. Paul is driven by a deep conviction, as stated earlier in Acts 20:22, that he is "compelled by the Spirit" to go to Jerusalem, despite knowing that "chains and afflictions await" him (Acts 20:23). After a sorrowful farewell to the Ephesian elders, his voyage takes him to Tyre, a historic Phoenician port city, which served as a crucial hub for ancient trade routes. The presence of a Christian community in such a significant, non-Jewish commercial center highlights the extensive and organic spread of the Gospel. It is during this seven-day stopover in Tyre, allowing time for their ship to unload cargo and for rich fellowship, that the local disciples receive and communicate a grave, Spirit-inspired warning to Paul about his continuing journey to Jerusalem. This divine counsel sets up a crucial point of tension regarding Paul's interpretation of God's will versus specific prophetic warnings.

Acts 21 4 Word analysis

• And finding disciples there (Κἀκεῖσε ἀνευρόντες μαθητάς):
  • Κἀκεῖσε (kakeise - "and there"): This adverb signifies a direct continuation from the previous leg of the journey, linking this new encounter to the overall travel narrative.
  • ἀνευρόντες (aneurontes - "having found" / "discovering"): The aorist participle implies a deliberate act of seeking out or the fortunate discovery of these believers. It highlights that an established Christian community already existed in Tyre, likely unknown personally to Paul prior to his arrival. This emphasizes the wide, independent spread of the Gospel.
  • μαθητάς (mathētas - "disciples"): This standard New Testament term for followers of Jesus underscores their identity as learners and committed adherents to Christ's teachings, signifying a community rooted in faith.
• we stayed with them (ἐπεμείναμεν παρ’ αὐτοῖς):
  • ἐπεμείναμεν (epemeinamen - "we remained" / "we stayed"): The first-person plural indicates the author Luke was part of Paul's traveling company, and the verb signifies an intentional duration of lodging and companionship.
  • παρ’ αὐτοῖς (par’ autois - "with them"): This phrase emphasizes the hospitality offered and accepted, denoting close communal interaction and fellowship with the Tyrian believers.
• seven days (ἡμέρας ἑπτά):
  • This specific period signifies a full week, a common duration for ancient maritime layovers for unloading cargo and reprovisioning. Spiritually, it provided ample time for fellowship, mutual encouragement, and potentially allowed Paul and his company to participate in the local church's Lord's Day gathering (Acts 20:7), a key event in early Christian communal life.
• and through the Spirit (διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος):
  • διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος (dia tou Pneumatos - "through the Spirit"): This pivotal phrase explicitly identifies the Holy Spirit as the direct source and agent of the message communicated. It signifies a divine, prophetic revelation, highlighting the active and ongoing guidance of God within the early church.
• they told Paul (ἔλεγον τῷ Παύλῳ):
  • ἔλεγον (elegon - "they were telling" / "they kept telling"): The imperfect tense suggests a continuous or repeated emphasis from the disciples, conveying their deep conviction and earnestness in delivering this warning. It implies a persistent appeal rather than a singular, casual statement.
  • τῷ Παύλῳ (tō Paulō - "to Paul"): This highlights Paul as the specific target and recipient of this divine warning.
• not to go on to Jerusalem (μὴ ἀναβαίνειν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα):
  • μὴ ἀναβαίνειν (mē anabainein - "not to go up" / "not to ascend"): The particle μὴ (mē) here creates a direct prohibitive injunction, indicating a clear "do not" command regarding the journey. ἀναβαίνειν (anabainein) is standard terminology for travel to Jerusalem due to its elevated geography.
  • εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα (eis Hierosolyma - "to Jerusalem"): This explicitly names the specific destination, indicating where the prophesied danger would be encountered.

Word-Group Analysis:

• "And finding disciples there, we stayed with them seven days": This phrase illuminates the pattern of Paul's missionary travels, marked by purposeful connection with existing Christian communities. The "seven days" points to intentional and deep fellowship, often culminating in the shared worship on the Lord's Day. It reveals a networked, hospitable early church across diverse geographic locations.
• "and through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem": This is the core message of the verse, introducing a divine intervention. The source ("through the Spirit") lends immense authority to the warning, but the phrasing "they told" suggests communal prophetic action. This presents Paul with a direct prohibition, leading to a profound interpretive dilemma concerning God's overall plan versus immediate warnings of danger.

Acts 21 4 Bonus section

• The interaction in Acts 21:4 raises important questions for Christian discernment today: How do believers weigh conflicting pieces of divine guidance—a deep inner conviction ("compelled by the Spirit" as Paul described in Acts 20:22) versus external prophetic warnings delivered through others, also identified as "through the Spirit"?
• Many scholars distinguish between two aspects of Spirit guidance: the foretelling of events (prophecy) and directing actions (prohibition/command). Here, the message is phrased as a clear prohibition, prompting a complex examination of whether Paul's determination superseded or misinterpreted the Spirit's will in this instance. It highlights that even divinely inspired messages require prayerful discernment and understanding in light of a broader divine purpose.
• The fact that common "disciples" are delivering this weighty, Spirit-empowered message reinforces the priesthood of all believers and the universal availability of prophetic gifts in the early church, not exclusively reserved for apostles or specific leadership roles.

Acts 21 4 Commentary

Acts 21:4 is a pivotal moment in Paul's final journey to Jerusalem, underscoring the vital role of the Holy Spirit and communal discernment in the early church. The encounter with Tyrian "disciples" confirms the extensive reach of the Gospel, highlighting the organic growth of Christian communities even in diverse port cities. Their seven-day stay fosters deep fellowship, typical of the nascent church's emphasis on communal life and likely involving a Lord's Day gathering. The central tension emerges with the disciples, "through the Spirit," explicitly instructing Paul "not to go" to Jerusalem. This is not a mere prediction of danger, but an apparent direct command, placing Paul in a profound moral and spiritual quandary. This scene invites a key interpretive debate: did the Spirit absolutely forbid Paul's journey, which he then, perhaps zealously, defied? Or did the Spirit, in revealing the immense peril awaiting him, simply make clear the full cost of his conviction to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), thus testing his resolve rather than prohibiting his God-ordained mission to deliver the collection and bear witness there? Paul's subsequent actions suggest he understood these warnings as revelations of tribulation rather than outright detours from his perceived ultimate call. The communal delivery of this prophetic message through "disciples," rather than a solo pronouncement, emphasizes the distributed nature of the Spirit's gifts among believers.