Acts 21:11

11 And coming to us, he 1took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, 2"Thus says the Holy Spirit, 3'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and 4deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"

Acts 21:11 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 21:11

And when he was come unto us
In Philip's house:

he took Paul's girdle and bound his own hands and feet;
and so prophesied by types and symbols, and gestures, as the prophets of old did; as Isaiah in ( Isaiah 20:2 Isaiah 20:3 ) and Jeremiah in ( Jeremiah 13:1-9 ) ( Jeremiah 27:2 Jeremiah 27:3 ) , and Ezekiel in ( Ezekiel 4:1-13 ) ( Ezekiel 12:3 Ezekiel 12:7 ) and Hosea in ( Hosea 1:2 Hosea 1:3 ) , some understand this of his binding Paul's hands and feet, but it seems rather to design his own:

and said, thus saith the Holy Ghost;
who was in Agabus, and spoke by him, and foretold some things to come to pass; and which did come to pass, and is a proof of the foreknowledge, and so of the deity of the blessed Spirit:

so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this girdle;
meaning Paul, and who accordingly was bound in like manner, a very little time after this; see ( Acts 21:33 )

and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles;
the Romans, as they afterwards did.

Acts 21:11 In-Context

9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.
10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"
12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Cross References 4

  • 1. [1 Samuel 15:27, 28; 1 Kings 11:30; Isaiah 20:3; Jeremiah 13:1-11; Jeremiah 27:2]
  • 2. See Acts 20:23
  • 3. [ver. 33]; See Acts 9:16
  • 4. [ver. 31-33; Matthew 20:19]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.