Acts 23:21

Monday, 8 January 2024

“But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you.” Acts 23:21

More literally, the Greek reads, “Therefore, you should not be persuaded by them. For more than forty men of them are lurking, who anathematized themselves, neither to eat nor to drink until that they have killed him. And now, they are ready, awaiting the promise from you” (CG).

In the previous verse, Paul’s nephew told the Roman commander that the Jews agreed to ask him to bring Paul down to the council on the following day. His words now continue, beginning with, “Therefore, you should not be persuaded by them.”

Without having yet said it, the meaning is clear. Something is amiss that sets the council against Paul. He has heard of it and has come into the Roman barracks to reveal it to the commander. His words continue with the actual details of the preplanned plot, saying, “For more than forty men of them are lurking.”

The word is enedreuó. This is its second and final use in Scripture. The first was seen in Luke 11–

“And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, 54 lying in wait [enedreuó] for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.” Luke 11:53, 54

It is derived from enedra, an ambush, plot, treachery, etc. Thus, it signifies to lurk. Figuratively, then, it means to plot Paul’s assassination. Of these lurking men, Paul’s nephew continues to describe them, saying, “who anathematized themselves.”

It is the same word the men used in Acts 23:14 when speaking to the chief priests and elders, “Anathema, anathematized ourselves – tasting nothing until that we should kill Paul.” 

They had irretrievably bound themselves to the killing of Paul until the matter was seen through. They were firm and fixed in their determination to “neither to eat nor to drink until that they have killed him.” This is, again, the same thought expressed in Acts 23:14 where it said that they would taste nothing until they had completed their task.

The words show the reliability of Luke’s account. In verse 14, the overall word geuomai, or taste, was used. That is now explained by Paul’s nephew as either eating or drinking. Nothing was to pass their lips until the matter was completed. With that stated, he next tells the commander, “And now, they are ready, awaiting the promise from you.”

Once the request by the Jews is approved by the commander, the plot will be put into action. In the case of this event, the charcoal is in the pit, the lighter fluid is absorbed into the coals, and the match has been lit. The only thing to start the fire is for the commander to approve the request.

If he takes the boy’s recommendation and is not persuaded by them, the events will take a different turn. This is what the boy was sent to convince him of.

Life application: The use of the words “eat nor drink” instead of “taste” provides a nice touch as to the authenticity of the narrative. Unfortunately, many versions translate the word that should be rendered as “taste” in verse 14 as “eat.” In this, the true sense of the words is lost.

The words used in Scripture are purposeful and carefully selected by God to reveal the unfolding of a process that we can learn from. When those words are mistranslated, we will get a faulty sense of what is being conveyed. Unfortunately, pretty much every translation will have such errors because they were translated by men.

Men get distracted, they get tired, they get mentally overloaded, etc. Such things are inevitable. Therefore, it is profitable to read more than one translation if you want to get a fuller and probably more suitable sense of what is being conveyed. The next time you go through the Bible, maybe consider a parallel Bible. You can get them with two, three, or even four translations on a single page. It is a great way to compare what is translated and then to consider why there are differences.

Above all, keep reading the word! It is a treasure of delight as it details the unfolding of God’s wonderful plan of redemption for the people of the world.

Lord God, how thankful we are that there is a written record of what You are doing in the history of redemption. We don’t need to trust anyone who makes a claim about Your intentions if what they say doesn’t align with Your word. How grateful we are that we have the anchor to keep us from being tossed about on the seas of theological confusion. Thank You, O God, for Your precious and superior word. Amen.