MEN, BRETHREN, AND FATHERS,.... A common form of address used by the Jews; see Acts 7:2 but that the apostle should introduce his speech to these people in this manner, after they had treated him so inhumanly, as to drag him out of the temple, and beat him so unmercifully, is remarkable, and worthy... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THEY HEARD THAT HE SPAKE IN THE HEBREW TONGUE TO THEM,.... Acts 21:40. THEY KEPT THE MORE SILENCE; it being their mother tongue, and which they best understood; and which the captain and the Roman soldiers might not so well under stand; and chiefly because the Hellenistic language was not... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM VERILY A MAN WHICH AM A JEW,.... By birth, a thorough genuine one; an Hebrew of the Hebrews, both by father and mother side, both parents being Jews, and so a true descendant from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: BORN IN TARSUS, A CITY IN CILICIA; Acts 21:39. YET BROUGHT UP IN THIS CITY; the city o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I PERSECUTED THIS WAY UNTO THE DEATH,.... That is, the Christian religion, and the professors of it; whom the apostle breathed out threatenings and slaughter against, haled out of their houses, and committed to prison; consented to their death, as he did to Stephen's; and whenever it was put to... [ Continue Reading ]
AS ALSO THE HIGH PRIEST DOTH BEAR ME WITNESS,.... Either Annas, or Caiaphas, who was at that time high priest; and it should seem by this, that he was still in being; or else that the apostle had preserved his letter, written with his own hand, which he was able to produce at any time, as a testimon... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT AS I MADE MY JOURNEY,.... And had almost made an end of it: AND WAS COME NIGH UNTO DAMASCUS; about a mile from it, as some say, ABOUT NOON; this circumstance is omitted in the account in Acts 9:3 and is mentioned here, not so much to inform what time of day it was, that S... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I FELL UNTO THE GROUND,.... And so did those that were with him, Acts 26:14. AND HEARD A VOICE, SAYING UNTO ME, SAUL, SAUL, WHY PERSECUTEST THOU ME? Acts 9:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I ANSWERED, WHO ART THOU, LORD?.... Acts 9:5.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY THAT WERE WITH ME SAW INDEED THE LIGHT,.... For it shone about them, as well as Saul: AND WERE AFRAID; the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions, have not this clause; but it stands in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions; the suddenness, greatness, and extraordinariness of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAID, WHAT SHALL I DO, LORD?.... Acts 9:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN I COULD NOT SEE FOR THE GLORY OF THAT LIGHT,.... Which was above the brightness of the sun, and so dazzled his eyes, that he could not see his way into the city, some of his company took him by the hand, and led him: and BEING LED BY THE HAND OF THEM THAT WERE WITH ME, I CAME UNTO DAMASCUS... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ONE ANANIAS, A DEVOUT MAN ACCORDING TO THE LAW,.... The Alexandrian copy, and Vulgate Latin version, read only, "a man according to the law"; one whose walk, life, and conversation, were agreeable to it: a strict observer of the law of Moses, both moral and ceremonial: he not only lived a holy l... [ Continue Reading ]
CAME UNTO ME,.... Being at the house of Judas, in that street of Damascus called Straight, Acts 9:11 and stood; at the side of him, or by him, putting his hands on him: AND SAID UNTO ME, BROTHER SAUL; Acts 9:17. RECEIVE THY SIGHT, "or look up", AND THE SAME HOUR I LOOKED UP UPON HIM; that is, imm... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID, THE GOD OF OUR FATHERS HATH CHOSEN THEE,.... From all eternity, in his everlasting purposes and decrees; or "he hath taken thee into his hand"; in order to form, and fit, and qualify him for his service; and may design both his call by grace, and to apostleship. The apostle represents A... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THOU SHALT BE HIS WITNESS UNTO ALL MEN,.... Gentiles as well as Jews, an eye and an ear witness to them; OF WHAT THOU HAST SEEN AND HEARD; as that he saw him personally and alive, and so could witness to the truth of his resurrection; for after he had been seen by all the apostles, he was last... [ Continue Reading ]
AND NOW WHY TARRIEST THOU?.... Though it might not be the apostle's case, yet it is often the case of many, to procrastinate and delay obedience to the commands of Christ, and particularly to the ordinance of baptism: the reasons of which delay are, the strength of their corruptions, and the weaknes... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT WHEN I WAS COME AGAIN TO JERUSALEM,.... Which was three years after his conversion; for he did not immediately return to Jerusalem, but went into Arabia; and when he returned to Damascus, which was three years after he came to Jerusalem; see Galatians 1:17 EVEN WHILE I PRA... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAW HIM SAYING UNTO ME,.... That is, the Lord Jesus Christ, that just One, whom he had seen in his way to Damascus, and whose voice he had heard, and whose name he had called upon at his baptism: MAKE HASTE, AND GET THEE QUICKLY OUT OF JERUSALEM: not because his life was in danger, but becaus... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAID, LORD, THEY KNOW, THAT I IMPRISONED,.... Men and women, that made a profession of the Christian religion, Acts 8:3 AND BEAT IN EVERY SYNAGOGUE THEM THAT BELIEVED ON THEE; in Jerusalem there were many synagogues, and in these scourging and beating of offenders were used; Matthew 10:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
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 edit... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO ME, DEPART,.... At once from Jerusalem, and out of the land of Judea: FOR I WILL SEND THEE FAR HENCE UNTO THE GENTILES; to the nations afar off, even as far as Illyricum, Pannonia, or Hungary, where the apostle went and preached, Romans 15:19 and so by a divine mission and commissi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY GAVE HIM AUDIENCE UNTO THIS WORD..... The Ethiopic version reads, "and I heard him so speaking unto me"; as if it was to be understood of the apostle hearing Christ speaking to him concerning his mission to the Gentiles; whereas the words refer to the Jews attending quietly to the apostle,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS THEY CRIED OUT,.... In this furious manner: AND CAST OFF THEIR CLOTHES; either like madmen, that knew not what they did, or in order to stone him; see Acts 7:57. AND THREW DUST INTO THE AIR either with their hands, or by striking the earth, and scraping it with their feet, through indignati... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHIEF CAPTAIN COMMANDED HIM TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE CASTLE,.... Into the inside of it; for till now he was upon the top of the stairs, or steps, which led up to it; which might be done in order to save him from the rage of the people, and that he might privately examine him, and get the true stat... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS THEY BOUND HIM WITH THONGS,.... To a pillar, in order to be scourged, according to the Roman manner d. Nor was the Jewish form of scourging much unlike, and perhaps might be now used, which was this; when they scourge anyone they bind both his hands to a pillar, here and there --and they do n... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THE CENTURION HEARD THAT,.... The question put by Paul, which strongly suggested that he was a Roman: HE WENT AND TOLD THE CHIEF CAPTAIN; WHAT PAUL HAD SAID: SAYING, TAKE HEED WHAT THOU DOST; or "art about to do"; lest some bad consequences should follow; lest he should affront the Roman peopl... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE CHIEF CAPTAIN CAME, AND SAID UNTO HIM,.... To Paul: TELL ME, ART THOU A ROMAN? he had told him before that he was a Jew of Tarsus, and which was true, and had said nothing of his being a Roman; wherefore the chief captain desires that he would tell him the whole truth of the matter, whethe... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHIEF CAPTAIN ANSWERED, WITH A GREAT SUM OBTAINED I THIS FREEDOM,.... For, it seems, he was not a Roman born, but very likely a Grecian, or Syrian, by his name Lysias; and as all things were now venal at Rome, the freedom of the city was to be bought with money, though a large sum was insist... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN STRAIGHTWAY THEY DEPARTED FROM HIM, WHICH SHOULD HAVE EXAMINED HIM,.... By scourging; namely, the soldiers, who under the inspection of the centurion, and by the order of the chief captain, were binding him with thongs to scourge him, and thereby extort from him his crime, which was the cause o... [ Continue Reading ]
ON THE MORROW,.... The next day; so that Paul was kept in the castle all night: because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews; which, as yet, he could not come at, some saying one thing, and some another; and which he ought to have known before he had bound him, and... [ Continue Reading ]