The Meaning of Acts 21:13 Explained

Acts 21:13

KJV: Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

YLT: and Paul answered, 'What do ye -- weeping, and crushing mine heart? for I, not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem, am ready, for the name of the Lord Jesus;'

Darby: But Paul answered, What do ye, 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.

ASV: Then Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  Paul  answered,  What  mean ye  to weep  and  to break  mine  heart?  for  I  am  ready  not  to be bound  only,  but  also  to die  at  Jerusalem  for  the name  of the Lord  Jesus. 

What does Acts 21:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

From Paul"s response to their entreaty, he seems not to have known whether his arrest would result in his death or not.
Why did Paul avoid the possibility of death in Corinth ( Acts 20:3) but not here? Paul"s purpose to deliver the collection and so strengthen the unity of the Gentile and Jewish believers would have failed if he had died on board a ship between Corinth and Jerusalem. However arrest in Jerusalem would not frustrate that purpose. For Paul, and eventually for his friends ( Acts 21:14), the Lord"s will was more important than physical safety (cf. Luke 22:42). He believed the Spirit wanted him to go to Jerusalem ( Acts 19:21; Acts 20:22) so he "set his face" to go there (cf. Luke 9:51).
"Paul, aware of the suffering and danger ahead, must make the same decision in Caesarea that Jesus made in the prayer scene before his crucifixion. In the prayer scene Jesus expressed the two options himself in internal debate: "Take this cup from me; nevertheless, let not my will but yours be done" ( Luke 22:42). In Paul"s case his companions and friends express the option of escape and appeal to Paul to choose it. Paul chooses the other option. The conflict finally ends when Paul"s friends recognize that they cannot persuade him and say, "Let the will of the Lord be done" ( Acts 21:14)." [1]

Context Summary

Acts 21:1-14 - Ready To Die For His Lord
The vessel coasted along Asia Minor, sighted Cyprus, sailed to the south of it, and so finally to Tyre. There the disciples were poor and obscure, and it took searching to find them; but they were very warm-hearted, and the whole community, including the children, who never forgot that incident, accompanied Paul to his ship. As they neared the vessel they knelt on the shore to pray together, and so parted.
The journey from Ptolemais (Acre) to Caesarea lay along the edge of the plain of Sharon, at the season bright with the flowers of spring. The days Paul spent at Caesarea were the last happy days of freedom that he was to enjoy for two or three years. What blessed intercourse Paul and Philip must have had! They had both known Stephen. Agabus joined the happy party, with prophecies of peril ahead, but these only served to bring out the magnificent courage of the Apostle. His purpose was inflexible. An unseen hand was beckoning; a voice which only he could hear was calling. He had no doubt as to God's purpose, and went straight forward; though he was not insensible to the love and sympathy of friends. [source]

Chapter Summary: Acts 21

1  Paul calls at the house of Philip, whose daughters prophesy
10  Agabus, foretelling what should befall him at Jerusalem,
13  he will not be dissuaded from going thither
17  He comes to Jerusalem;
27  where he is apprehended, and in great danger, but by the chief captain is rescued;
37  and requests, and is permitted to speak to the people

Greek Commentary for Acts 21:13

What are you doing weeping? [Τι ποιειτε κλαιοντεσ]
(Τι ποιειτε κλαιοντεσ — Ti poieite klaionteṡ) Strong protest as in Mark 11:5. [source]
Breaking my heart [συντρυπτοντες μου την καρδιαν]
The verb συντρυπτω — sunthruptō to crush together, is late Koiné{[28928]}š for αποτρυπτω — apothruptō to break off, both vivid and expressive words. So to enervate and unman one, weakening Paul‘s determination to go on with his duty. I am ready (Εγω ετοιμως εχω — Egō hetoimōs echō). I hold (myself) in readiness (adverb, ετοιμως — hetoimōs). Same idiom in 2 Corinthians 12:14. Not only to be bound First aorist passive infinitive of δεω — deō and note ου μονον — ou monon rather than μη μονον — mē monon the usual negative of the infinitive because of the sharp contrast (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1095). Paul‘s readiness to die, if need be, at Jerusalem is like that of Jesus on the way to Jerusalem the last time. Even before that Luke (Luke 9:51) said that “he set his face to go on to Jerusalem.” Later the disciples will say to Jesus, “Master, the Jews were but now seeking to stone thee; and goest thou thither?” (John 11:8). The stature of Paul rises here to heroic proportions “for the name of the Lord Jesus” (υπερ του ονοματος του κυριου Ιησου — huper tou onomatos tou kuriou Iēsou). [source]
I am ready [Εγω ετοιμως εχω]
I hold (myself) in readiness (adverb, ετοιμως — hetoimōs). Same idiom in 2 Corinthians 12:14. [source]
Not only to be bound [ου μονον δετηναι]
First aorist passive infinitive of δεω — deō and note ου μονον — ou monon rather than μη μονον — mē monon the usual negative of the infinitive because of the sharp contrast (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1095). Paul‘s readiness to die, if need be, at Jerusalem is like that of Jesus on the way to Jerusalem the last time. Even before that Luke (Luke 9:51) said that “he set his face to go on to Jerusalem.” Later the disciples will say to Jesus, “Master, the Jews were but now seeking to stone thee; and goest thou thither?” (John 11:8). The stature of Paul rises here to heroic proportions “for the name of the Lord Jesus” (υπερ του ονοματος του κυριου Ιησου — huper tou onomatos tou kuriou Iēsou). [source]
l am ready [ἑτοίμως ἔχω]
Lit., I hold myself in readiness. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 21:13

Romans 15:31 That I may be delivered [ινα ρυστω]
First aorist passive subjunctive of ρυομαι — ruomai old verb to rescue. This use of ινα — hina is the sub-final one after words of beseeching or praying. Paul foresaw trouble all the way to Jerusalem (Acts 20:23; Acts 21:4, Acts 21:13). [source]
1 Peter 4:14 For the name of Christ [εν ονοματι Χριστου]
“In the matter of the name of Christ.” For the idea see Matthew 5:11.; Matthew 19:29; Acts 5:41; Acts 9:16; Acts 21:13. This is the only N.T. example of just ονομα Χριστου — onoma Christou here used because of the use of Χριστιανος — Christianos in 1 Peter 4:16. For the beatitude μακαριοι — makarioi see Matthew 5:11.The Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God (το της δοχης και το του τεου πνευμα — to tēs doxēs kai to tou theou pneuma). Note repetition of the article (το — to) though πνευμα — pneuma only once. The reference is to the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Glory and of God.Resteth upon you Quotation from Isaiah 11:2. Present middle indicative of αναπαυω — anapauō to give rest, refresh (Matthew 11:28). “He rests upon the Christian as the Shechinah rested upon the tabernacle” (Bigg). Cf. 1 Peter 1:8; Matthew 3:16. [source]

What do the individual words in Acts 21:13 mean?

Then answered - Paul What are you doing weeping and breaking my - heart I for not only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem readiness have for the name of the Lord Jesus
Τότε ἀπεκρίθη Παῦλος Τί ποιεῖτε κλαίοντες καὶ συνθρύπτοντές μου τὴν καρδίαν ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐ μόνον δεθῆναι ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποθανεῖν εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἑτοίμως ἔχω ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ

ἀπεκρίθη  answered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Παῦλος  Paul 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Παῦλος  
Sense: Paul was the most famous of the apostles and wrote a good part of the NT, the 4 Pauline epistles.
ποιεῖτε  are  you  doing 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
κλαίοντες  weeping 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: κλαίω  
Sense: to mourn, weep, lament.
συνθρύπτοντές  breaking 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: συνθρύπτω  
Sense: break in pieces, to crush.
μου  my 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
τὴν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
καρδίαν  heart 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: καρδία  
Sense: the heart.
μόνον  only 
Parse: Adverb
Root: μόνον  
Sense: only, alone, but.
δεθῆναι  to  be  bound 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Passive
Root: δέω  
Sense: to bind tie, fasten.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
ἀποθανεῖν  to  die 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἀποθνῄσκω  
Sense: to die.
εἰς  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
Ἰερουσαλὴμ  Jerusalem 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: Ἰερουσαλήμ  
Sense: denotes either the city itself or the inhabitants.
ἑτοίμως  readiness 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἑτοίμως  
Sense: readily, to be ready.
ὀνόματος  name 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: ὄνομα  
Sense: name: univ.
τοῦ  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Κυρίου  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
Ἰησοῦ  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.