Acts 21:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

NIV: After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.

NASB: Now when we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara;

CSB: After we tore ourselves away from them, we set sail straight for Cos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

NLT: After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara.

KJV: And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:

NKJV: Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

Paul is finally on his way back to Jerusalem. He has spent the last several years planting and building up churches around the Aegean Sea. Most significantly, he spent three years in Ephesus fighting demons, freeing people from witchcraft, and showing them how Jesus forgives their sins and reconciles them to God (Acts 19). After Paul left Ephesus, he toured around the Aegean Sea, visiting the churches in Thessalonica, Philippi, Berea, and Troas (Acts 20:1–3). Along the way, he collected a group of men who accompany their churches' donations to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 20:4; Romans 15:26).

When Paul realizes his ship will pass by Ephesus, he does not return. He wants to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost. He knows if he stops he won't want to leave. Instead, the team sails farther south to Miletus and asks the Ephesian elders to meet them there (Acts 20:15–17).

They spend a few emotional hours before "parting." The Greek word used here means they tear away from each other; Luke says, "And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him" (Acts 20:37).

Luke records their progress through the sea voyage. Cos is an island in the southeast Aegean Sea where it meets the Mediterranean; it is south of modern-day Izmir. Rhodes is both an island southeast of Cos and a city on the northeast edge of the island. Patara is the seaport in Lycia and home to the oracle of Apollo.

From Patara, the group will find another ship—probably larger and better able to sail through open water—headed straight to Phoenicia. They will skirt the southern shore of Cyprus before landing in Tyre. After staying a week, they will sail to Ptolemais, stay a day, and continue to Caesarea Maritima where they will catch up with the evangelist Philip. At both Tyre and Caesarea, Paul's friends will discover that when he reaches Jerusalem he will be arrested. They try to convince him not to go, but Paul knows the Holy Spirit has plans for him that require the use of chains (Acts 21:2–14).

Acts 21:1–6 describes how Paul and his companions finally start their way back to Judea. They sail from Miletus on the southwest coast of modern-day Turkey around the islands to Tyre in Phoenicia. Whether because the Holy Spirit informs them or Paul tells them, the Jesus-followers there realize Paul faces arrest in Jerusalem. Not understanding God's purpose, they try to protect their friend by begging him not to go. When Paul insists, they pray for him and send him on his way.

In Acts 21, Paul returns to Judea from his third missionary journey and promptly gets arrested. He begins by visiting Philip in Caesarea Maritima. Church elders in Jerusalem ask Paul to help men fulfill a Nazirite vow, to dispel rumors he has apostatized his Jewishness. While doing so, Ephesian Jews accuse Paul of bringing one of his Gentile Ephesian companions into the temple. The Roman military tribune keeps the enraged crowd from tearing Paul limb from limb by arresting him.

Acts 21 fulfills the fears of many of Paul's friends. Throughout the last part of his third missionary journey the Holy Spirit has been telling him he will be arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23–25). When Paul reacts to dire personal prophecy, the Jesus-followers in Caesarea Maritima try to stop him from going on (Acts 21:8–14). Through a complicated trail of rumors, lies, and wrong assumptions, things go according to the Holy Spirit's foreknowledge and Roman soldiers arrest Paul. He will face the next 5 years in custody in Caesarea and Rome, but he will spread Jesus' story the entire time (Acts 22—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.