When
we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers, and stayed with them one day. On the next day, we, who were Paul’s companions, departed, and came to Caesarea. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming to us, and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
Acts 21:7-11
Acts 21 [1.] When we had departed from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. Having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail. When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload her cargo. Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. When those days were over, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed. After saying goodbye to each other, we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.
Acts 21 [7.] When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers, and stayed with them one day. On the next day, we, who were Paul’s companions, departed, and came to Caesarea.
We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming to us, and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
Acts 21 [12.] When we heard these things, both we and they of that place begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Meaning:
The voyage ends at Ptolemais, and the last stage of Paul’s journey brings him to Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea on the coast. There he stays in the home of Philip, meets his prophesying daughters, and receives the most vivid warning yet of what awaits him in Jerusalem.
- “we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers, and stayed with them one day”
Ptolemais, the Old Testament Acco, lay on the coast south of Tyre. Again there were believers to greet. From there the party went on to Caesarea, about a day’s journey farther south. Small churches along this coast show how far the good news had spread since Pentecost.
- “the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven”
Philip had been chosen with Stephen as one of the seven men appointed to care for the widows in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). After Stephen’s death he preached in Samaria, explained Isaiah to the Ethiopian official, and finally “preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea” (Acts 8:40). Perhaps twenty years later he was still there, known simply as “the evangelist.” There is a quiet irony in this visit: Philip was driven from Jerusalem by the persecution in which Saul had taken a leading part (Acts 8:1-3). Now the former persecutor was a welcome guest in the evangelist’s home.
- “four virgin daughters who prophesied”
Luke mentions Philip’s four unmarried daughters without recording anything they said. Their gift showed the fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy, quoted by Peter at Pentecost: “Your sons and your daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28). The New Testament shows women prophesying in the churches (1 Corinthians 11:5), and Christians have long discussed what roles in public ministry follow from this. The text here simply records that these four women had a recognised prophetic gift, and that Luke thought it worth noting.
- “a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea”
Agabus had appeared before in Acts, when he “indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world” (Acts 11:28). That prophecy had come true, so his word carried weight. This time he did not only speak; he acted out his message, as Israel’s prophets often had. Jeremiah was told to buy a linen belt and wear it as a sign to Judah (Jeremiah 13:1-11). Agabus took Paul’s belt, the long cloth sash wound around the waist, and tied his own feet and hands with it.
- “So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt”
The words “Thus says the Holy Spirit” echo the way Israel’s prophets announced the word of Yahweh. The message was clear: Paul would be bound and handed over “into the hands of the Gentiles.” The phrase recalls Jesus’ words about his own suffering: “he will be delivered up to the Gentiles” (Luke 18:32). In the event, the Jews from Asia seized Paul and Roman soldiers bound him with chains (Acts 21:33). Paul himself later summed it up: he “was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans” (Acts 28:17).
The Significance of Acts 21:7-11
- Prophecy that prepares
Agabus did not tell Paul what to do; he told him what would happen. The prophecy prepared Paul and the churches, so that when the arrest came no one would think God had lost control. Jesus did the same for his disciples: “they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you” (Luke 21:12). Knowing beforehand that faithfulness may bring hardship helps believers to stand firm when it comes.
- Grace in a believer’s home
Philip’s home in Caesarea was a place of welcome, prophecy and fellowship. It held a once-feared persecutor, a prophet from Judea and travellers from many cities. Ordinary homes opened to God’s people still become places where the Spirit speaks and believers are strengthened for what lies ahead.
Cross-References:
Acts 8:40: “He preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.” How Philip came to live in Caesarea.
Joel 2:28: “Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.” The promise fulfilled in Philip’s daughters.
Acts 11:28: “One of them named Agabus stood up, and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine.” Agabus’ earlier prophecy.
Luke 18:32: “He will be delivered up to the Gentiles.” Jesus’ words about his own suffering.
Conclusion: At Caesarea Paul stayed with Philip the evangelist, whose four daughters prophesied, and there Agabus bound himself with Paul’s belt to show that Paul would be bound in Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles. The prophecy did not forbid the journey but prepared Paul and his friends for it. Paul would follow his Lord along a path of suffering, knowing in advance where it led.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible