ἐπιτρέπεται, Burton, p. 9, on “the aoristic present”. Agrippa as a king and as a guest presides; and Paul addresses himself specially to him, _cf._ Acts 26:2; Acts 26:7; Acts 26:13; Acts 26:19; Acts 26:27; _cf._ Acts 28:16; 1 Corinthians 14:34, for the passive with infinitive, and for other instance... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπὶ σοῦ, _cf._ Acts 24:19. ἐγκαλοῦμαι, see on Acts 19:38. ὑπὸ Ἰουδ.: “by Jews” simply (_cf._ Acts 25:10), and therefore he is glad to address one acquainted with Jewish customs, but see on Acts 26:4. ἥγημαι ἐμαυτὸν μακ.: only here by Luke in this sense, but frequently so used by St. Paul in his Epis... [ Continue Reading ]
μάλιστα : (1) “especially because thou art expert,” R.V. (so Blass, Felten, Weiss), or (2) “because thou art specially expert,” margin, R.V. (so Wendt, Rendall, Bethge, Zöckler). See critical notes, and for construction Winer-Moulton, lxiii., 2, _a_, and xxxii. 7, Wendt (1899), p. 389. γνώστην ὄντα... [ Continue Reading ]
μὲν οὖν : with no formal antithesis, but as marking the opposition between his present and former mode of life, a contrast dropped for the moment, and resumed again in Acts 26:9; see Rendall, Appendix on μέν οὖν, but also Page, _in loco_, and notes below on Acts 26:9. βίωσιν : _vivendi et agendi rat... [ Continue Reading ]
προγιν. με : knowing me beforehand, _i.e._, ἄνωθεν, from the beginning of my public education in Jerusalem. προγ.: twice elsewhere by Paul, Romans 8:29; Romans 11:2, also in 1 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:17. For ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς and ἅνωθεν _cf._ Luke 1:2-3, and for the former also 2 Thessalonians 2:13. ἀκριβ.: “... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ νῦν : the expression does not indicate any contrast with Acts 26:4 : this hope for which he stands to be judged is in full accord with his whole past life. ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι : phrase only found elsewhere in St. Paul's Epistles, where it is frequent; Romans 8:20; 1 Corinthians 9:10; Titus 1:2. A hope no... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰς ἣν : unto which promise, not _spem_ (Grotius, Bengel), καταντῆσαι εἰς, _cf._ the same construction with the same verb, Philippians 3:11; Ephesians 4:13, only in Luke and Paul, but never by the former elsewhere in metaphorical sense; in classical Greek after verbs of hoping we should have had a f... [ Continue Reading ]
R.V. gives more clearly the significance of the original, “Why is it judged incredible with you, if God (as He does) raises the dead?” εἰ with indicative assumes that the hypothesis is true, Vulgate “si Deus mortuos suscitat?” _cf._ Luke 16:31. It has sometimes been thought that St. Paul here makes... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν : the words may be taken as simply resuming the narrative of the Apostle's life which he had commenced in Acts 26:4-5, the three succeeding verses forming a parenthesis, or as an answer to the question of Acts 26:8, the real antithesis to μὲν οὖν, Acts 26:9, and the narrative, Acts 26:9-... [ Continue Reading ]
ὃ καὶ ἐποίησα, _cf._ Galatians 2:10 (Bethge, p. 272), on the distinction between πράσσειν and ποιεῖν Westcott on St.John 3:22. ἐγὼ : emphatic. τῶν ἁγίων, see above Acts 9:13, _cf._ its use in Acts 9:32; the word aggravates St. Paul's own guilt. Agrippa too would know of pious Jews by the same design... [ Continue Reading ]
τιμωρῶν (_cf._ Acts 22:5), more usually in the middle voice in this sense, although the active is so used sometimes in classical Greek, Soph., _O. T._, 107, 140, Polyb., ii., 56, 15. For ecclesiastial censures and punishments see Edersheim, _History of the Jewish Nation_, p. 374, _cf._ Matthew 10:17... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐν οἷς, _i.e._, as I was thus engaged, _inter quæ_, “on which errand,” R.V. margin, see Acts 24:18. ἐπιτροπῆς, 2Ma 13:14, Polyb., iii., 15, 7, “commission,” A. and R.V. “Paulus erat _commissarius_,” Bengel, the two nouns show the fulness of the authority committed to Paul.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἡμέρας μέσης : temporal genitive, Blass, _Gram._, p. 107 (in classical Greek ἡμ. μεσοῦσα). The expression is perhaps stronger than in Acts 22:6, in the bright full light of day. κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν : “on the way,” and so foreboding nothing (Weiss). βασιλεῦ : “advertitur rex ad miraculum rei,” Blass, _cf._... [ Continue Reading ]
See notes on Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:7, and reading above in β. τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλ.: this is intimated in Acts 9:4 and Acts 22:7 by the form Σαούλ, but here the words are inserted because Paul was speaking in Greek, or perhaps he spoke the solemn words, indelible in his memory, as they were uttered, in He... [ Continue Reading ]
Evidently the following verses contain a summary of what in the other two accounts of the Conversion is spoken to Paul by Ananias, and revealed by the Lord in a vision, _cf._ Acts 9:15; Acts 22:14 (so Alford, Felten, Zöckler). This is far more satisfactory than to suppose that the two narratives in... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀλλὰ ἀνάστηθι : “Prostravit Christus Paulum ut eum humiliaret; nunc eum erigit ac jubet bono esse animo,” Calvin; for the expression _cf._ Ezekiel 2:1-2. προχειρ., _cf._ Acts 3:14; Acts 22:14; Acts 9:15, σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς. ὑπηρέτην καὶ μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες, so like the Twelve, and _cf._ also αὐτόπται κα... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐξαιρούμενός σε : “delivering,” A. and R.V. Vulgate, _eripiens_, and so the word is elsewhere rendered in N.T., _cf._ Acts 7:10; Acts 7:34; Acts 12:11; Acts 23:27; Galatians 1:4, and below, Acts 26:22; so very frequently in LXX (although twice in the sense below, Job 36:21; Isaiah 48:10). It may be... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθ. αὐτῶν, _cf._ Acts 9:8; Acts 9:40, and also Matthew 9:30; so too Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 42:7. Both Jews and Gentiles were blinded (οὕς above, referring to both), the former because seeing they saw not, Matthew 13:13; Romans 11:8; the latter in that knowing God in His creation they glorified... [ Continue Reading ]
ὅθεν : “wherefore,” R.V., so in Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 8:3; Hebrews 9:18 (locally in Luke 11:24; Acts 14:26; Acts 28:13); probably best taken here as referring to the whole revelation from Acts 26:12, marking the natural res [ Continue Reading ]
ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐν Δ.: “both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem,” reading τε (see critical note) after πρῶτον, thus closely connecting Damascus and Jerusalem as the scenes of Paul's first activity, _cf._ Acts 9:20; Acts 9:28. εἰς πᾶσάν τε τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰ., see critical note. If we read accusative... [ Continue Reading ]
ἔνεκα τούτων : because I preached to Jews and Gentiles alike, proclaiming one Gospel to both, and placing both on an equality before God (not for profaning the Temple), _cf._ Acts 21:28. On ἕνεκα see Blass, _Gram._, p. 21. This Attic form of the word is read here by all authorities, and Blass notes... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπικουρίας … τῆς παρὰ (ἀπὸ) Θεοῦ : “the help that is from God,” R.V., _i.e._, the help which cometh from God only; only here in N.T., _cf._ Wis 13:18 (ἐμπειρίας, 2), for the use of the same phrase _cf._ instances in Wetstein from Polybius; the word is found in Josephus, but also frequently in classi... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰ = Hebrews 7:15, _i.e._, as is most certain from the authority of Scripture, “how that the Christ,” R.V. παθητὸς : “must suffer,” R.V. (“although is subject to suffering,” margin), _cf._ Vulgate, _passibilis_ (not _patibilis_); no question here of the abstract possibility of, or capacity for, suff... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀπολ.: the present participle, indicating that Festus broke in upon the speech, _cf._ Acts 4:1. μεγ. τῇ φ.: raising his voice, because interrupting in surprise and astonishment, and no doubt with something of impatience if not of anger (Chrysostom). Μαίνῃ : a hyperbolic, but not a jesting expression... [ Continue Reading ]
Οὐ μαίνομαι κ. Φ.: whatever may have been the sense in which Festus addressed Paul, there is no doubt as to the courtesy of the Apostle's answer, μετὰ ἐπιεικείας ἀποκρινόμενος, Chrys. κράτιστε : “most excellent,” R.V., see above, Acts 1:1. ἀληθ. καὶ σωφροσ.: _veritas_ not _veracitas_, objective trut... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπίσταται γὰρ : here only with περί : in proof that his words were words of soberness, and that he was basing his statements on facts, St. Paul appeals to the knowledge of Agrippa, a knowledge which he would have gained from his close connection with the Jewish religion, but also to some extent perh... [ Continue Reading ]
πιστεύεις; the question and answer were quite natural as addressed to a Jewish king; it was a belief which St. Paul could justly presuppose in every Jew, even in one like Agrippa, educated amongst the Romans. The question may well have been asked as a proof that the words which had preceded were wor... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐν ὀλίγῳ με πείθεις Χ. γένεσθαι, see critical note, “with but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian,” R.V. reading ποιῆσαι, and πείθεις being used _de conatu_ (so Zockler in his 2nd edition); _cf._ προσήλυτον ποιεῖν, Matthew 23:15. Schmiedel, _Encycl. Bibl._, i., 754, inclines to... [ Continue Reading ]
εὐξαίμην ἄν : on the optative with ἄν, Burton, p. 80, Blass, _Gram._, p. 202, Viteau, _Le Grec du N.T._, p. 40 (1893); with dative only here in N.T. καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγ.: “whether with little or with much,” R.V. See critical note and Acts 26:28, _i.e._, with little or much trouble, and cost. σήμερ... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ταῦτα εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ : of these words are not retained, see critical note, their omission seems to make the rising up more abrupt (_subito consurgit_, Blass), and probably this is the meaning of the passage, although the order of rank is maintained in leaving the chamber. For the vividness of th... [ Continue Reading ]
πράσσει, present tense: “agit de vitæ instituto” (Grotius, Blass).... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐδύνατο : a true affirmative imperfect of verbs denoting obligation or possibility, when used to affirm that a certain thing could or should have been done under the circumstances narrated; therefore not correct to speak of an omitted ἄν, since the past necessity was not hypothetical or contrary to... [ Continue Reading ]