Acts 9:25

λαβόντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ κ.τ.λ., but his disciples took him by night and, &c. This well-supported reading favours the explanation of ἡμέραι ἱκαναί given in Acts 9:23. On his second visit to Damascus, more than ever filled with the Spirit, he stayed long enough to gather about him a band of followers who accepted him as their leader in spiritual things.

διὰ τοῦ τείχους, through the wall, i.e. by some opening in the wall, on which probably stood, as is often the case in Eastern cities, some of the dwelling-houses. In 2 Corinthians 11:33 St Paul says, ‘and through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall and escaped.’ Such apertures can be found in the walls of houses in all defenced cities, and it was by such a way that Rahab let the spies escape from Jericho (Joshua 2:15), and Michal aided David’s escape (1 Samuel 19:12). The basket here mentioned (σπυρίς) is of the same kind as that spoken of (Matthew 15:37) at the feeding of the Four Thousand in the mountain district west of the Sea of Galilee. It appears to have been large and soft, fit for carrying a great quantity of miscellaneous articles from the plain into the hills, while the baskets (κόφινοι) spoken of at the feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:20) were such as the multitude, which in that case had followed Jesus on foot out of the cities, would be likely to carry in their hands. In a basket of the former kind Saul might easily be wrapped and then lowered over the city wall.