λαλούντων δὲ αὐτῶν : the speech was interrupted, as the present participle indicates, and we cannot treat it as if we had received it in full. It is no doubt possible to infer from αὐτῶν that St. John also addressed the people. ἐπέστησαν αὐτοῖς : commonly used with the notion of coming upon one sudd... [ Continue Reading ]
διαπονούμενοι, _cf._ Acts 16:18, only in _Acts_ in the N.T., not, as often in classical Greek, referring to the exertions made by them, but to the vexation which they felt, “being sore troubled,” R.V. (πόνος, _dolor_, Blass), _cf._ LXX, Ecclesiastes 10:9, used of pain caused to the body, and 2Ma 2:2... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπέβαλον αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας : the verb is always as here joined with the same noun in Acts, and twice in the Gospel; the phrase is found once in Matthew and Mark, and twice in John; see Luke 20:19; Luke 21:12; Acts 4:3; Acts 5:18; Acts 12:1; Acts 21:27, _cf._ in LXX, Genesis 22:12; 2 Samuel 18:12;... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐγενήθη : “came to be” R.V., only here in St. Luke, except in the quotation in Acts 1:20 (see also Acts 7:13,., and Blass in [148] hellenistic, frequently in LXX; in N.T. _cf._ 1 Thessalonians 2:14; Colossians 4:11; also Jos., _Ant._, x., 10, 2, Winer-Schmiedel, p. 108, note). ἀνδρῶν. This word here... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐγένετο δὲ : the formula is another characteristic of St. Luke's style, Friedrich, _Das Lucasevangelium_, p. 13, also Dalman, _Die Worte Jesu_, pp. 26, 29. Compare for the type of construction, according to which what takes place is put in the infinitive mood, depending upon ἐγένετο, Acts 9:32; Acts... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἄννας : Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Annas, was the high priest actually, in office, but like other retired high priests, the latter retained not only the title, but also many of the rights and obligations of the office. Josephus certainly appears to extend the title to ex-high priests, and so in the... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐν τῷ μέσῳ : according to the Mishnah the members of the court sat in a semicircle, see Hamburger, _u. s._, to be able to see each other. But it is unnecessary to press the expression, it may be quite general, _cf._ Matthew 14:6; Mark 3:3; John 8:3. On the usual submissive attitude of prisoners, see... [ Continue Reading ]
πλησθεὶς πνεύ. ἁγ.: the whole phrase is characteristic of St. Luke, who employs it in the Gospel three times and in Acts five (Friedrich, Lekebusch, Zeller). Acts has sometimes been called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit, and the number of times St. Luke uses the title “Holy Spirit” justifies the name... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰ : chosen not without oratorical nicety, _if, as is the case_ = ἐπεὶ ἡμεῖς, expressing at the same time the righteous indignation of the Apostles in contrast to the contemptuous ὑμεῖς of Acts 4:7, and their surprise at the object of the present inquiry; so too in ἐπʼ εὐεργεσίᾳ St. Peter again indi... [ Continue Reading ]
St. Peter does not hesitate to refer his judges to the same passage of Scripture which a few short weeks before Jesus of Nazareth had quoted to a deputation of the Sanhedrim. In that case too the question put to Jesus had been as to the authority by which He acted, Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 21... [ Continue Reading ]
οὗτος : “He, as in R.V. All E.V [152] previously translated it “this,” referring it to ὁ λίθος, but in the next verse a person is directly spoken of, not under the metaphor of a stone, and the pronoun finds its subject better in the ἐν τούτῳ, masculine of Acts 4:10. See Winer-Schmiedel, p. 216. ὁ ἐξ... [ Continue Reading ]
ἡ σωτηρία, _cf._ Acts 5:31; Acts 17:11, _i.e._, κατʼ ἐξοχήν, the Messianic salvation. The interpretation which would limit ἡ σωτ. to bodily healing is less satisfactory; infinitely higher than the healing of one man, Acts 4:9, stands the Messianic salvation, for which even the Sanhedrists were hopin... [ Continue Reading ]
θεωροῦντες δὲ, _cf._ Acts 3:16, not merely βλέπ., as in Acts 4:14, but “inest notio contemplandi cum attentione aut admiratione,” Tittm., _Synon. N. T._, p. 121. The present participle marks this continuous observation of the fearless bearing of the Apostles during the trial (Rendall). παρρησίαν : e... [ Continue Reading ]
ἑστῶτα : standing, no longer a cripple, _firmo talo_ (Bengel), and by his presence and attitude affording a testimony not to be gainsaid. σὺν αὐτοῖς, _i.e._, with the disciples. We are not told whether the man was a prisoner with the disciples, but just as the healed demoniac had sought to be with J... [ Continue Reading ]
συνέβαλον πρὸς ἀλλήλους, _sc._, λόγους : only in St. Luke's writings, in different significations; _cf._ for the construction here, Eurip., _Iphig. Aul._, 830, and Plutarch, _Mor._, p. 222, C. see on Acts 17:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
τί ποιήσομεν : for the deliberative subjunctive, which should be read here, _cf._ Acts 2:37; it may express the utter perplexity of the Sanhedrists (so Rendall); in questions expressing doubt or deliberation, the subjunctive would be more usual in classical Greek than the future indicative, Blass, _... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπὶ πλεῖον may be taken as = _latius_ (2 Timothy 2:16; 2 Timothy 3:9) or = _diutius_ (Acts 20:9; Acts 24:4), but the context favours the former. The phrase is quite classical, and it occurs several times in LXX, _cf._ Wis 8:12; 3Ma 5:18. διανεμηθῇ : only here in N.T. but frequently used in classical... [ Continue Reading ]
καθόλου : only here in N.T. The word which had been very common since Aristotle (previously καθʼ ὅλου) is quite classical in the sense in which it is used here, and it is also found a few times in the LXX (see Hatch and Redpath for instances of its use without and with the art [159], as here in T.R.... [ Continue Reading ]
Parallel sayings may be quoted from Greeks and Romans, and from Jewish sources, see instances in Wetstein, _cf._ Plato, _Apol._, 29,., the famous words of Socrates: πεισόμεθα τῷ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ὑμῖν, and Livy, xxxix., 37; Jos., _Ant._, xvii., 6, 3; xviii. 8, 2; on ἐνώπιον see Acts 4:10; ἀκούειν = πειθα... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐ … μὴ : on the two negatives forming an affirmative _cf._ 1 Corinthians 12:15; Viteau, _Le Grec du N. T._, p. 220 (1893). Winer-Moulton, Leviticus, 9, compares Aristoph., _Ran._, 42; see also Burton, _N. T. Moods and Tenses_, p. 184.... [ Continue Reading ]
προσαπειλησάμενοι : “when they had further threatened them” R.V., or the word may mean “ _added_ threats to their warning” Acts 4:18 (“prius enim tantum præceperunt,” Erasmus). So Wendt as against Meyer; _cf._ in LXX, Sir 13:3,., and Dem., p. 544, 26. ἀπέλυσαν : “dimiserunt [Acts 3:13] non absolveru... [ Continue Reading ]
Characteristic of St. Luke to note the age, as in the case of Æneas, Acts 9:33, and of the cripple at Lystra, Acts 14:8, _cf._ also Luke 8:42 (although Mark also here notes the same fact), Acts 13:11. The genitive with εἶναι or γίγνεσθαι, instead of the accusative, in reference to the question of ag... [ Continue Reading ]
τοὺς ἰδίους : not necessarily limited to their fellow-Apostles (so Meyer, Blass, Weiss), but as including the members of the Christian community (so Overbeck, Wendt, Hilgenfeld, Zöckler), _cf._ Acts 24:23, John 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:8, and also of one's fellow-countrymen, associates, John 1:11 2Ma 12:22... [ Continue Reading ]
ὁμοθυμαδὸν, see above on Acts 1:14. The word must not be pressed to mean that they all simultaneously gave utterance to the same words, or that they were able to do so, because they were repeating a familiar Hymn; it may mean that the Hymn was uttered by one of the leaders, by St. Peter, or St. Jame... [ Continue Reading ]
The words form an exact quotation from the LXX (Psalms 2:1). ἵνα τί, again in quotation, Acts 7:26; _cf._ Luke 13:7; 1 Corinthians 10:29; twice in Matthew 9:4; Matthew 27:46, quotation; W.H [161], Blass (Weiss, ἱνατί), _sc._, γένηται, Blass, _Grammatik des N. G._, p. 14, and Winer-Schmiedel, p. 36.... [ Continue Reading ]
παρέστησαν : not necessarily of hostile intent, although here the context indicates it; R.V., “set themselves in array,” lit [162] “presented themselves,” an exact rendering of the Hebrew יָצַב, which sometimes implies rising up against as here, Psalms 2:2, and _cf._ 2 Samuel 18:13 (R.V. margin). Of... [ Continue Reading ]
γάρ : confirms the truth of the preceding prophecy, by pointing to its historical fulfilment, and does not simply give a reason for addressing God as ὁ εἰπών to emphasise this fulfilment συνήχ. is again quoted, and placed first in the sentence. ἐπʼ ἀληθείας, of a truth, _i.e._, assuredly, Luke 4:25;... [ Continue Reading ]
ποιῆσαι, infinitive of purpose, see on Acts 3:2; but even this purpose was overruled by God to the accomplishment of His will, _cf._ Luke 22:22; Luke 24:26, συνῆλθον μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ὡς ἐχθροὶ … ἐποίουν δὲ ἃ σὺ ἐβούλου, Oecum. ἡ χείρ σου, a common expression to signify the controlling power of God, _... [ Continue Reading ]
τὰ νῦν (_cf._ Acts 3:17) only used in the Acts 5:38; Acts 17:30; Acts 20:32; Acts 27:22, but frequently found in classical writers (Wetstein), _cf._ also 1Ma 7:35; 1Ma 9:9; 2Ma 15:8, Klostermann, _Vindiciœ Lucanœ_, p. 53. As elsewhere St. Peter's words have a practical bearing and issue, Acts 2:16;... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐν τῷ κ. τ. λ., Acts 3:26 : a Hebraistic formula; for similar expressions used of God _cf._ Exodus 7:5; Jeremiah 15:6; Ezekiel 6:14, etc., most frequently in the act of punishment; but here the context shows that it is for healing, Luke 5:13; Luke 6:10; “while thou stretchest forth thine hand” the c... [ Continue Reading ]
δεηθέντων, _cf._ Acts 16:26, where a similar answer is given to the prayer of Paul and Silas: the verb is characteristic of St. Luke and St. Paul, and is only used by these two writers with the exception of one passage, Matthew 9:38; in St. Luke's Gospel it is found eight times, and in Acts seven ti... [ Continue Reading ]
δέ marks no contrast between the multitude and the Apostles; it introduces a general statement of the life of the whole Christian community, _cf._ Acts 15:12; Acts 15:30. On St. Luke's frequent use of words expressing fulness, see Acts 4:32. Deissmann, _Neue Bibelstudien_, p. 59 (1897), points out t... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀπεδίδουν τὸ μαρτύριον, “gave the Apostles their witness,” R.V. See Acts 4:12. τὸ μαρτ., prop., “res quæ testimonio est,” but sometimes in N.T. pro μαρτυρία (Blass). ἀπεδ., however, implies paying or rendering what is due; it suggests that there is a claim in response to which something is given (We... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνδεής : _cf._ Deuteronomy 15:4, where the same adjective occurs; _cf._ Acts 15:7; Acts 15:11; Acts 24:14; Isaiah 41:17. No contradiction with Acts 6:1, as Holtzmann supposes; here there is no ideal immunity from poverty and want, but distribution was made as each fitting case presented its... [ Continue Reading ]
The statement marks, it is true, an advance upon the former narrative, Acts 2:44, but one which was perfectly natural and intelligible. Here for the first time we read that the money is brought and laid at the Apostles' feet. As the community grew, the responsibilities of distribution increased, and... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἰωσῆς δὲ : δέ introduces the special case of Barnabas after the general statement in Acts 4:34. ὁ ἐπικ., _cf._ Acts 1:23. On what occasion this surname was conferred by the Apostles nothing certain is known (ἀπό as often for ὑπό, Acts 2:22), although the fact that it was conferred by them may indica... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀγροῦ, better “a field” R.V.; the possession was not great, but if the field lay in the rich and productive island of Cyprus, its value may have been considerable. τὸ χρῆμα : rarely in this sense in the singular, only here in the N.T., and never in Attic Greek, but _cf._ Herod., iii., 38, and instan... [ Continue Reading ]