And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there;
- KJV And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
- NKJV And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,
- NASB And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,
- NLT “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Bound by the Spirit, Paul goes to Jerusalem not knowing what awaits him. He submits his future to God's leading despite uncertainty.
Overview
"Bound by the Spirit" expresses Paul's inner compulsion and obedience to God's direction, not a literal chain. He presses on though ignorant of the specific dangers ahead, trusting the One who calls him. Paul's surrender mirrors his Lord, who set His face toward Jerusalem and the cross in obedience to the Father's will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jas 4:14You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
- 2 Cor 5:14For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.
- 2 Pet 1:14because I know that this tent will soon be laid aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
- Luke 18:31–33Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
- John 18:4Jesus, knowing all that was coming upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
- Acts 17:16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.
- Luke 9:51As the day of His ascension approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
- Acts 20:16Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
- Acts 21:11–14Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
- Luke 12:50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
- Acts 19:21After these things had happened, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well.”
- John 13:1It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 20:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.