Acts 23:31

_ Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris._ Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris - a town but recently identified; formerly supposed to be about 42 miles from Jerusalem, on the way to Caesarea, leaving 26 miles further to go to their destination: in that case they would have difficulty in reaching Jerusalem again the following day (as they did, ); but a much shorter Roman road has been discovered, which entirely removes the difficulty. The town was so named by Herod the Great, in honour of his father, Antipater....

25-35 God has instruments for every work. The natural abilities and moral virtues of the heathens often have been employed to protect his persecuted servants. Even the men of the world can discern between the conscientious conduct of upright believers, and the zeal of false professors, though they disregard or understand not their doctrinal principles. All hearts are in God's hand, and those are blessed who put their trust in him, and commit their ways unto him....

Verse 31. _ANTIPATRIS._] This place, according to Josephus, Antiq. lib. xiii. cap. 23, was anciently called _Capharsaba_, and is supposed to be the same which, in _1 Macc. vii. 31_, is called _Capharsalama_, or _Carphasalama_. It was rebuilt by Herod the Great, and denominated _Antipatris_, in honour of his father _Antipater_. It was situated between Joppa and Caesarea, on the road from Jerusalem to this latter city. Josephus says it was fifty _stadia_ from Joppa. The distance between Jerusalem and Caesarea was about _seventy_ miles....

TO ANTIPATRIS - This town was anciently called Cafar-Saba. Josephus says (_Antiq._, Acts 13:23) that it was about 17 miles from Joppa. It was about 26 miles from Caesarea, and, of course, about 35 miles from Jerusalem. Herod the Great changed its name to Antipatris, in honor of his father Antipater. It was situated in a fine plain, and watered with many springs and fountains. Eli Smith, late missionary to Palestine, who took a journey from Jerusalem to Joppa for the purpose of ascertaining Paul’s route, supposes that the site of Antipatris is the present Kefr Saba. Of this village he gives the following description in the Bibliotheca Sacra for 1843: “It is a Muslim village of considerable size, and wholly like the most common villages of the plain, being built entirely of mud. We saw but one stone building, which was apparently a mosque, but without a minaret.

EXPOSITION ACTS 23:1 _Looking steadfastly on _for _earnestly beholding, _A.V.; _brethren _for _men and brethren, _A.V._; I have lived before God, _etc., for _I have lived, _etc., _before God, _A.V. LOOKING STEADFASTLY; ἀτενίσας, as in Acts 1:10; Acts 3:4, Acts 3:12; Acts 6:15; Acts 7:55; Acts 10:4;...

THEN THE SOLDIERS, AS IT WAS COMMANDED THEM, TOOK PAUL,.... Out of the castle, and put him upon a beast, as the chief captain had ordered the centurions, and they had directed the soldiers to do: AND BROUGHT HIM BY NIGHT TO ANTIPATRIS: they set out from Jerusalem at the third hour, or about nine o'clock at night, and travelled all night, and by break of day came to Antipatris; a city which lay in the road from Jerusalem to Caesarea: it was built by Herod the great, in the best soil of his kingdom, enriched with rivers and woods t; and was so called by him, in memory of his father Antipater; it before went by the name of Chabar Zaba u, or Capharsaba; the Jewish writers place it in the utmost borders of the land of Judea w; hence that phrase so often used by them, from Gebath to Antipatris x, in like sense as from Dan to Beersheba, these two places being the utmost borders of the land; he...

ARRIVAL AT CÆ SAREA. Antipatris (p. 28), a Greek town even the name of which has disappeared, was where Ras-el-Ain is now, on the road from Lydda to Cæ sarea, 40 miles from Jerusalem, 25 from Cæ sarea. 40 miles are more than a night's march for infantry. The procurator asks the necessary question as to the province of the prisoner (_cf._ Luke 23:6 f.), and undertakes to hear the case when the prosecutors arrive. Of the præ torium (_mg.)_ of Herod at Cæ sarea nothing is known....

THE STRATEGY OF PAUL (Acts 23:1-10)...

THEN. So then. AS IT WAS. according to (Greek. _kata._ App-104.) that which was. COMMANDED. Greek. _diatasso._ See note on Acts 7:44. BY. through. Greek. _dia_. App-104.Acts 23:1. ANTIPATRIS. A small town in the plain of Sharon, about forty miles from Jerusalem. Built by Herod the Great, and called after his father, Antipater....

Paul is brought to Cesarea, and kept prisoner by Felix 31. _Then_[SO] _the soldiers_, &c.… _took Paul_ i.e. they formed a party for his escort, and took him among them. _and brought him by night_ i.e. that same night, starting off early in the night and travelling during night-time, thus getting clear away from Jerusalem before the ambush of the Jews was prepared. _to Antipatris_ This place was 42 miles from Jerusalem and 26 from Cæsarea. It was in early times called Capharsaba, but Herod the Great rebuilt it and named it Antipatris in memory of his father Antipater. It lay in a beautiful part of the Vale of Sharon and was both well watered and rich in wood. The remains of a Roman road have been found close by it. For notices of the older city, see Josephus, _Ant_. xvi. 5. 2; 1Ma 7:31; of the place as rebuilt, see Josephus, _B. J_. i. 4. 7; ii. 19. 1 and 9; iv. 8. 1....