At the feet; the apostle alludes unto the posture that the disciples of any rabbi, or teacher, in those times did use; the master sitting in some high or elevated place, did teach his scholars, who sat at his feet on the ground; and as they grew in knowledge, were advanced to sit nearer to their master: Deuteronomy 33:3. Abraham is thus said to be called to God's foot, Isaiah 41:2; and Mary sat at our Saviour's feet, Luke 10:39. Of Gamaliel; the same Gamaliel who made that moderating speech in the apostle's behalf, Acts 5:34. The perfect manner of the law; this perfect manner of the law is Pharisaism, in which the apostle was brought up, and before his conversion made a profession of, Philippians 3:5. Not that the apostle reckoned upon any perfection in this profession; but because, as Acts 26:5, it was the most strait sect of their religion, observing a great deal of punctuality and accurateness, making what they called a hedge about the law. Of the fathers; not observing only the law, which was given by God to their fathers by the hand of Moses; but the traditions of their fathers he was exceeding zealous in; as Galatians 1:14. Zealous toward God; or, as some copies read, zealous toward the law; both in the same sense. His zeal for the law was sincere, not out of by-ends, but out of his love to God, though it was not according to knowledge, Romans 10:2. It was truly according unto what he knew or believed, but it was not according to true knowledge.

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