And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle - for though it was the Romans that did this, it was at the Jews' instigation (compare Acts 21:33 with Acts 28:17 ).
And shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. Such dramatic methods of announcing important future events would bring the old prophets to remembrance (compare Isaiah 20:2, etc.; Jeremiah 13:1 ; Ezekiel 6:1). This prediction and that at Tyre (Acts 21:4) were intended not to prohibit him from going, but to put his courage to the test, and, when he stood the test, to deepen and mature it.