Acts 22:20

And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting [unto his death]. (The bracketed words are too weakly supported, and have probably gotten in here from .) And kept the raiment of them that slew him....

12-21 The apostle goes on to relate how he was confirmed in the change he had made. The Lord having chosen the sinner, that he should know his will, he is humbled, enlightened, and brought to the knowledge of Christ and his blessed gospel. Christ is here called that Just One; for he is Jesus Christ the righteous. Those whom God has chosen to know his will, must look to Jesus, for by him God has made known his good-will to us. The great gospel privilege, sealed to us by baptism, is the pardon of sins. Be baptized, and wash away thy sins; that is, receive the comfort of the pardon of thy sins in and through Jesus Christ, and lay hold on his righteousness for that purpose; and receive power against sin, for the mortifying of thy corruptions. Be baptized, and rest not in the sign, but make sure of the thing signified, the putting away of the filth of sin. The great gospel duty, to which by...

Verse Acts 22:20. _WHEN THE BLOOD OF THY MARTYR STEPHEN WAS SHED_] Acts 7:58, Acts 7:58; and Acts 8:1, Acts 8:1. All these things Paul alleged as _reasons_ why he could not expect to be received by the Christians; for how could they suppose that _such_ a persecutor could be converted?...

THE BLOOD OF THY MARTYR STEPHEN WAS SHED - See Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1. I ALSO WAS STANDING BY - Acts 7:58. AND CONSENTING UNTO HIS DEATH - Acts 8:1. AND KEPT THE RAIMENT - The outer robes or garments, which were usually laid aside when they engaged in running or labor. See Acts 7:58. All this showed that, though Paul was not engaged in stoning Stephen, yet he was with them in spirit, and fully accorded with what they did. These circumstan

EXPOSITION ACTS 22:1 _Brethren _for _men, brethren, _A.V. (Acts 7:2, note); the for my, A.V.; _now make _for _make now, _A.V. THE DEFENSE; ἀπολογία This is the technical word in classical Greek for a defense in answer to an accusation. Thus e.g. the oration of Gorgias entitled, Υπὲρ Παλαμήδους ἀπολογία,_ _begins, Ἡ μὲν κατηγορία καὶ ἡ ἀπολογία κρίσις οὐ περὶ θανάτου γίγνεται. And Demosthenes opposes κατηγρσεῖν to accuse, to ἀπολογεῖσθαι, to make one's defense. And an ἀπολογία δικαία καὶ ἁπλῆ is to prove that τὰ κατηγορημένα, "the things of which the person is accused," were never done. But it is probably from St. Paul's use of the word here that it became common to call the defenses of the Christian religi

AND WHEN THE BLOOD OF THY MARTYR STEPHEN WAS SHED,.... Stephen was a martyr for Christ, both by confession with his mouth, and by the effusion of his blood; he was the proto-martyr, or "the first martyr" that suffered for Christ; and there are copies, as one of Stephens's, and the Complutensian edition, which so read in this place; his blood was shed by stoning: I ALSO WAS STANDING BY; to see the inhuman action performed; nor was he an idle and indifferent spectator: AND CONSENTING UNTO HIS DEATH; being pleased and delighted with it, and rejoicing at it; see Acts 8:1. AND KEPT THE RAIMENT of them that slew him; the accusers of him, and witnesses against him, whose hands were first on him, and cast the first stones at him, and continued to stone him, until they killed him: these laid their garments at the feet of Saul, who looked after them, t

CHAPTER 22 _ 1. The Address of the Apostle (Acts 22:1)._ 2. The Answer from the Mob, and Paul's Appeal to His Roman citizenship (Acts 22:22). What a scene it was! On the stairs, midway between the temple-court and the fortress, stood the Apostle in chains, his person showing the effects of the beating he had received. Around him were the well-armed Roman soldiers, and below the multitude, with up-turned faces, still wildly gesticulating and only becoming more silent when they heard the first words from Paul's lips in the Hebrew tongue. He relates his great experience. They were impatient listeners; the storm broke with the word “Gentiles.” Another great tumult resulted and the many voices demanded that such a fellow should not live. It was a scene of utmost confusion. The chief

PAUL'S SPEECH TO THE JEWS. The opening of the speech is like that of Stephen (Acts 7:2). In 2 Corinthians 11:22 Paul attests his full membership of the Jewish people, and having lived many years in Palestine he could no doubt speak Aramaic, though his countrymen did not expect it of him. ACTS 22:3. AT THE FEET OF GAMALIEL: Jewish boys sat on the floor at their lessons. GAMALIEL: _cf. Acts 5:34_. Some scholars are strongly inclined to put Paul down as a pure Hellenist in his schooling. If he did study with Gamaliel, it was probably immediately before his conversion ...

THE DEFENCE OF EXPERIENCE (Acts 22:1-10)...

THY MARTYR STEPHEN. Stephen Thy witness (Greek. _martur._ See Acts 1:8). SHED. being poured out. Greek. _ekcheo_ as in Acts 2:17; Acts 2:18; Acts 2:33. CONSENTING. Greek. _suneudokeo._ See note on Acts 8:1. UNTO HIS DEATH. The texts omit. KEPT. was guarding. RAIMENT. garments. As in Acts 14:14. SLEW. Greek. _anaireo._ See note on Acts 2:23.