Acts 21:30

And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(30) The people ran together.—Better, perhaps, there was a rush of the people. St. Luke brings into something like a mental juxtaposition the pictures of the tumult at Ephesus and that at Jerusalem. The Jews of Asia, among whom we may perhaps think of Alexander the coppersmith, working then as afterwards “much evil” against the Apostle Paul (2Timothy 4:14), may have taken part in both.

Forthwith the doors were shut.—This was obviously the act of the Levite gate-keepers. The Apostle was dragged out, the crowd followed him, and they seized the opportunity to guard the sacred precincts against further profanation.

Benson Commentary

Acts 21:30. And all the city was moved — Was in an uproar. Although the people had little holiness themselves, yet they had a great veneration for the temple; and when they heard of its being polluted, they were up in arms presently, being determined to stand by it with their lives and fortunes. And the people ran together — In a tumultuous manner; and the concourse was the greater because of the prodigious number of Jews from foreign countries, who had come to the feast of pentecost. The Jews, on this occasion, showed just such zeal for God’s temple as the Ephesians did for that of Diana, when Paul was represented as an enemy to it. But God does not reckon himself at all honoured by any zeal for him which transports people into such irregularities, and causes them, while they pretend to be concerned for his honour and service, to act in such an unreasonable, brutish, and barbarous manner. And they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple — That is, out of the court of Israel, into that of the Gentiles, as one who had polluted the temple. And forthwith the doors were shut — Both to prevent any further violation of the temple, and to prevent Paul’s taking sanctuary at the horns of the altar.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

21:27-40 In the temple, where Paul should have been protected as in a place of safety, he was violently set upon. They falsely charged him with ill doctrine and ill practice against the Mosaic ceremonies. It is no new thing for those who mean honestly and act regularly, to have things laid to their charge which they know not and never thought of. It is common for the wise and good to have that charged against them by malicious people, with which they thought to have obliged them. God often makes those a protection to his people, who have no affection to them, but only have compassion for sufferers, and regard to the public peace. And here see what false, mistaken notions of good people and good ministers, many run away with. But God seasonably interposes for the safety of his servants, from wicked and unreasonable men; and gives them opportunities to speak for themselves, to plead for the Redeemer, and to spread abroad his glorious gospel.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The city was moved - Was agitated; was thrown into commotion.

Drew him out of the temple - Under the pretence that he had defiled it. The evident design was to put him to death, Acts 21:31.

The doors were shut - The doors leading into the courts of the temple.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

30. took Paul, and drew him out of the temple; and forthwith the doors were shut—that the murder they meant to perpetrate might not pollute that holy place.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

And all the city was moved; there was a general concourse from all parts.

Tantum religio poterat, no such heats as such are which are moved about religion; whilst the wisdom that is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, Jam 3:17.

Drew him out of the temple; lest by their uproar they should occasion any of the Gentiles to come in there to quell them; or, intending to kill Paul, they drew him thence, that he might not pollute that holy place with his blood: thus they strain at a gnat, being unwilling to pollute the temple; but they would swallow a camel, not sticking to shed the blood of the innocent.

The doors were shut; either by the keeper of the doors, or by the soldiers of the temple.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And all the city was moved, and the people ran together,.... The outcry in the temple reached the ears of some that were without, and these alarmed others; so that the report of a disturbance in the temple soon went through the whole city; and brought people out of their houses, who ran together in great numbers, to see what was the matter:

and they took Paul and drew him out of the temple; as unworthy to be in that holy place; and that it might not be defiled with his blood; for their intention was nothing less than to take away his life:

and forthwith the doors were shut; not of themselves, as if there was something miraculous in it, as some have thought, but by the door keepers, the Levites; and which might be done, partly to prevent Paul's returning into it for refuge at the horns of the altar, and partly to keep out the Gentiles from coming in, they were alarmed with.

Geneva Study Bible

And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 21:30. Ἔξω τοῦ ἱεροῦ] in order that the temple enclosure might not be defiled with murder; for they wished to put Paul to death (Acts 21:32). Bengel and Baumgarten hold that they had wished to prevent him from taking refuge at the altar. But the right of asylum legally subsisted only for persons guilty of unintentional manslaughter.[131] See Exodus 21:13-14; 1 Kings 2:28 ff. Comp. Ewald, Alterth. p. 228 f.

ἐκλείσθ.] by the Levites. For the reason why, see above. Entirely at variance with the context, Lange, apostol. Zeitalt. II. p. 306, holds that the closing of the temple intimated the temporary suspension of worship. It referred only to Paul, who was not to be allowed again to enter.

[131] Therefore they would hardly suppose that Paul would fly to the altar. Besides, they had him sure enough!

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 21:30. ἐκινήθη, as in Acts 6:12, cf. Acts 24:5.—συνδρομὴ τοῦ λ., Jdg 3:18, 3Ma 3:8, used of a tumultuous concourse of people, Arist., Rhet., iii., 10, 7, Polyb., i., 67, 2.—ἐπιλ. τοῦ Π.: see p. 368, here of violent seizing; they wanted to get Paul outside the Temple precincts, so that the latter might not be polluted with his blood, Acts 21:31.—ἐκλείσθησαν αἱ θ.: no doubt by the Levitical guard, perhaps lest Paul should return, and so gain a place of safety in the Temple, or more probably to save the sacred precincts from any further pollution and uproar.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

30. And … ran together] This is a proof that what James and the elders had stated was true, the whole Jewish community had been “catechized” on the doings of St Paul among the Gentiles. The least spark set the whole train on fire.

and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple] This rendering hardly does justice to the Greek. Read (with Rev. Ver.) “they laid hold on Paul and dragged him,” &c. Their design was probably to get him out of the Temple precincts before they proceeded to further violence. It is clear that all the ceremonies of the Apostle’s vow were not yet accomplished, and had they not laid violent hands on him, he might have fled to the altar for safety. That such a murder as they contemplated was possible in Jerusalem at this period we have evidence in the case of Stephen.

and forthwith the doors were shut] We need not suppose that any of the Levites, the gatekeepers of the Temple, were of the same mind with the rioters. Their action in closing the gates was only to prevent any profanation of the building by the uproar which they saw to be beginning.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 21:30. Αἱ θύραι, the doors) Lest Paul should avail himself of the protection of the temple.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 30. - Laid hold on for took, A.V.; dragged for drew, A.V.; straightway for forth with, A.V. The doors wore shut. The doors of the gates which separated the ἅγιον, or as Luke here styles it the ἱερόν, from the court of the Gentiles. They turned Paul out of the ἱερόν, intending to kill him, and shut the doors, lest, in the confusion and the swaying to and fro of the crowd, the precincts of the temple should chance to be defiled with blood, or even with the presence of any who were unclean (see the passages from Josephus, quoted by Lewin, vol. it. p. 142, note 11). Acts 21:30

Vincent's Word Studies

Drew him out of the temple

Better, as Rev., dragged (εἷλκον). Out of the sacred enclosure and down the steps to the outer court, as they would not defile the temple proper with blood.

The doors were shut

Between the inner and outer courts.