Acts 5:15

καὶ εἰς for κατὰ with אABD. Vulg. has ‘ita ut in plateas.’

κλιναρίων for κλινῶν with אABD.

κραβάττων as in אABD. Vulg. has ‘grabatis.’

15. ὤστε καὶ εἰς τὰς πλατείας, so that even into the streets. These words are a description of one way in which the new believers gave evidence of their faith. To bring a sick person on a couch to the presence of Jesus was accepted by Him (Mark 2:5) as a sign of true faith, and for the sake of the faith shewn by those who brought him the paralytic was made whole. So here, though we are not told of any cures, we may conclude that to the like faith God would give a like blessing.

ἐπὶ κλιναρίων, on beds. In the east the warm climate made it possible to bring the sick into the open air, as we read more than once in the Gospels.

ἵνα ἐρχομένου Πέτρου κ.τ.λ., that, as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some one of them. Peter is alone mentioned here because he was the most prominent figure, but we are not to conclude that no mighty works were done by the rest. These men who gave such an exhibition of faith have been described (Acts 5:14) as believers in the Lord. There can therefore be no question as to what they regarded as the power which was to heal their sick. They did not believe on Peter, though they magnified him as the Lord’s instrument; they did not ascribe healing power to Peter’s shadow, though it might please God to make that a sacrament of healing, as to Israel in old times He had made the brazen serpent. They had seen health bestowed through the Apostle by the name of Christ, and to demonstrate their faith in that name, they bring their afflicted friends into the way of salvation.

κἄν. The explanation of the καί here is that in the first clause there is some word or two suppressed. The full idea is ‘that as Peter came by they might be in the way and so his shadow,’ &c.