Acts 21:26-28 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Then Paul took the men Agreeably to the advice which he had received from James and the elders. And the next day, purifying himself with them According to the rites of the law; entered into the temple, to signify To the priest; the accomplishment That is, their resolution to accomplish the seven days of purification Till all the sacrifices should be offered which the Mosaic law required. And when the seven days of purification were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia Where Paul had preached so long, and who were especially enraged against him; when they saw him in the temple Utterly disregarding this proof of his respect for the law; stirred up all the people Greek, συνεχεον παντα τον οχλον; threw into confusion the whole multitude; and laid hands on him In a violent and outrageous manner; crying out To all that were present; Men of Israel, help If ye be indeed men of Israel, that have a concern for your religion and your country, now is your time to show it by helping to seize an enemy to both. This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere In all parts of Asia and Greece; against the people By telling the Jews that they ought not to circumcise their children, and by assuring the Gentiles that they may be saved without becoming proselytes to Judaism; and the law and this place By predicting that both shall be destroyed. Every thing contrary to the law would be justly interpreted as contrary to the temple, which was so evidently supported by a regard to it: but perhaps Paul might have declared that the time of the destruction of the temple was approaching, a declaration which, we know, was charged on Stephen as a great crime, Acts 6:14: and brought Greeks also into the temple Any foreigner might worship in that part which was called the court of the Gentiles; but these zealots, upon an uncertain conjecture and rumour, and without any proof, imagined Paul had brought some uncircumcised Greeks into the inner court, appropriated to the people of Israel, which no foreigner might enter, as was notified by the Greek and Latin inscriptions on several of the pillars which stood in the wall that separated it: Μη δει αλλοφυλον παριεναι, No foreigner must enter here. It must be observed, however, that a proselyte who by his circumcision had declared his submission to, and acceptance of the whole Jewish religion, was no longer looked on as a foreigner, but as one naturalized, and so a fellow-citizen, to which there seems to be an allusion Ephesians 2:19.