THEN CAME HE TO DERBE AND LYSTRA,.... Which were cities of Lycaonia, Acts 14:6 after Paul had gone through Syria and Cilicia; in the last of these places, he had been stoned, and yet goes thither again; none of these things moved him from the preaching of the Gospel, and from the care of the churche... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH WAS WELL REPORTED OF,.... Not the father of Timothy, but Timothy himself; to whose piety, virtue, and good conversation witness was borne, BY THE BRETHREN THAT WERE AT LYSTRA AND ICONIUM; the members of the churches which were in these places, and which were not far from one another; and as i... [ Continue Reading ]
HIM WOULD PAUL HAVE TO GO FORTH WITH HIM,.... Perceiving that he was a young man, that not only had the grace of God, but very considerable gifts, and abilities for ministerial service; and having a good testimony of his agreeable life and conversation, the apostle was very desirous he should go alo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AS THEY WENT THROUGH THE CITIES,.... Of Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium, and others in Lycaonia, and in Phrygia and Galatia; the Arabic version reads, "they both"; that is, Paul and Barnabas: THEY DELIVERED THEM THE DECREES FOR TO KEEP; they gave the churches, in these cities, the sentiments, and de... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SO WERE THE CHURCHES ESTABLISHED IN THE FAITH,.... Of Christ, both in the grace and doctrine of faith; and that both by the preaching of the Gospel by the apostle and his companions, and by the decrees of the elders delivered by him: AND INCREASED IN NUMBER DAILY; as well as in gifts and grace.... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW WHEN THEY HAD GONE THROUGHOUT PHRYGIA,.... Acts 2:10 To which may be added, that this country had its name either from the river Phryx, as Pliny w observes, or from the word Phrygios, which signifies "dry"; this being a very dry and sandy country: it was famous for marble stone; hence we read x... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTER THEY WERE COME TO MYSIA,.... Another country in Asia Minor. It is divided by Ptolomy a into two parts; superior Mysia is bounded by Dalmatia on the west, by Macedonia on the south, by part of Thrace on the east, and by part of the river Danube on the north; inferior Mysia is bounded on the wes... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY PASSED BY MYSIA,.... Without stopping or staying there, though they came to it: CAME DOWN TO TROAS; either the country of Troas, as the Syriac version renders it; which, according to Solinus m, is bordered on the north part of Galatia, and was near to Lycaonia, Pisidia, and Mygdonia on the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND A VISION APPEARED TO PAUL IN THE NIGHT,.... Either in a dream, or, it may be, when he was awake: THERE STOOD A MAN OF MACEDONIA; an angel in the form of a man; the Syriac version reads, "as a man of Macedonia", and who might appear in a Macedonian habit, or speak in the Macedonian language; or... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AFTER HE HAD SEEN THE VISION,.... And considered it, and related it to his companions: and when they had well weighed it, and the circumstances of it: IMMEDIATELY WE ENDEAVOURED TO GO INTO MACEDONIA; they determined upon it, and took all the proper methods, and made the necessary provisions for... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE LOOSING FROM TROAS,.... Or setting sail from thence, which, as before observed, was the Hellespont; which was a narrow sea that divided Asia from Europe, now called Stretto di Gallipoii, or Bracci di St. Georgio: and so Pliny q speaking of Troas says, it lies near the Hellespont; and Jerom... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FROM THENCE TO PHILIPPI,.... This place is by Appianus called Datos, which was its original name; and by Diodorus Siculus, Crenidae c, from the fountains of water, which were many and wholesome, that were about it; and it had its name Philippi, from Philip king of Macedon, father of Alexander th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ON THE SABBATH,.... That is, as the Syriac version renders it, "on the sabbath day"; the Jewish sabbath, the seventh day of the week; though the words may be rendered, "on a certain day of the week" agreeably to Acts 20:7 where the first of the sabbath means the first day of the week; but be thi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND A CERTAIN WOMAN, NAMED LYDIA,.... Whether this woman was a Jewess or a Gentile, is not certain, her name will not determine; she might be called so from the country of Lydia, which was in Asia minor, and where was Thyatira, her native place; Horace makes frequent mention of one of this name g an... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN SHE WAS BAPTIZED,.... In water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the commission of Christ, by the apostle, or some one of his companions; by whom she was instructed into the nature and use of this ordinance; and very likely it was performed in that river, by the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS AS WE WENT TO PRAYER,.... That is, to the house of prayer, or to the oratory, as they were in the way to it; for this is not to be understood of their just going to the act, or duty of prayer; for the damsel that now met them, is said to follow them, and to do so for many days, o... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SAME FOLLOWED PAUL AND US,.... Silas, Luke, and Timothy; the Arabic version reads, "the same followed Paul and Silas"; as they were going to the oratory: AND CRIED, SAYING, THESE MEN ARE THE SERVANTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD; not of Python, or Apollo, as she and her masters were; or of any of the d... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THIS SHE DID MANY DAYS,.... As the apostle and his company passed to and from the oratory, being for that time at Lydia's house; she followed them, and repeated the above words. This she was suffered to do, time after time; not that the apostle and his friends wanted such a testimony, or that it... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HER MASTERS SAW,.... As they might by her sedateness and composure; she not being wild and frantic, and not having such motions and agitations she had whilst under the possession of the evil spirit: THAT THE HOPE OF THEIR GAINS WAS GONE; the Syriac version adds, "out of her"; namely, the e... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE MAGISTRATES,.... The same as before; wherefore the Syriac version omits them there, and reads them both together here, calling them the magistrates and chief men of the city; though the word here used, properly signifies military captains, captains of the Roman militia: but t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND TEACH CUSTOMS,.... The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions read in the singular number, "custom or law"; referring to the doctrine of salvation by Christ, in whose name the spirit of divination was cast out of the maid, and whom they took for a new deity; and so concluded that the apostle and hi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE MULTITUDE ROSE UP TOGETHER AGAINST THEM,.... The crowd of people that were gathered together in the court on this occasion; being no doubt spirited up by the proprietors of the maid, out of whom the spirit of divination was cast, and encouraged by the rulers, and being provoked at the hearin... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THEY HAD LAID MANY STRIPES UPON THEM,.... Even above measure, as in 2 Corinthians 11:35. THEY CAST THEM INTO PRISON; designing doubtless to inflict some greater punishment upon them, after they had further examined into their affairs: CHARGING THE JAILER TO KEEP THEM SAFELY; suggesting, t... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO HAVING RECEIVED SUCH A CHARGE,.... So strict an one from the magistrates, was doubly careful and diligent: THRUST THEM INTO THE INNER PRISON: the innermost part of it, the lowest or furthest part of the prison; so that there were the more doors, bolts, and bars, to break open, and pass through,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AT MIDNIGHT PAUL AND SILAS PRAYED, When others were asleep, and all things were still and quiet; Psalms 119:62, and they prayed doubtless for themselves, for their deliverance in God's time and way, and for support under their present afflictions; and for supplies of grace, to enable them to bea... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE,.... An extraordinary and unusual one; which did not arise from natural causes, from wind being pent up in the earth, but from the prayers and praises of the saints, going up to heaven; when God was pleased to testify his presence and power this way; and the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON AWAKING OUT OF HIS SLEEP,.... Not so much by the loud voices of Paul and Silas, as by the uncommon motion of the earth, which so shook him, as thoroughly to awake him: AND SEEING THE PRISON DOORS OPEN; which was the first thing in his fright he was looking after, and ca... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT PAUL CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE,.... Knowing by divine revelation, what the jailer was about to do; though being in the innermost prison, in a dark dungeon, he could not see him, unless it can be thought, that the opening of the doors had let in light sufficient; and it may be also, that he knew in... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN HE CALLED FOR A LIGHT,.... Or "lights"; he ordered his servants to bring in some candles; the Syriac version renders it, "he lighted a light for himself"; and the Ethiopic version, "he brought a light": whilst he was under the influence of Satan, and going about a work of darkness, namely, to d... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BROUGHT THEM OUT,.... Of the inner prison, to some part of the prison that was more free and open: AND SAID, SIRS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? he treats them with great reverence now, and addresses them under a title and character of honour and respect; whom but a few hours ago he despised and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SAID, BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST,.... Not with a bare historical faith, as only to believe that he was the Son of God, and the Messiah, and that he was come in the flesh, and had suffered, and died, and rose again, and was now in heaven at the right hand of God, and would come again t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SPAKE UNTO HIM THE WORD OF THE LORD,.... That is, the Gospel; which comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, as the author of it; and is concerning him, as the subject matter of it, and is what was preached by himself when on earth; this is the word, which is called the word of salvation, the word... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE TOOK THEM THE SAME HOUR OF THE NIGHT,.... After they had done preaching to him, and to his family: AND WASHED THEIR STRIPES; which were very many and heavy, and whereby they were covered with blood; and which by this time began to fester, and to produce corrupt matter; and all this in a pool... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE HAD BROUGHT THEM INTO HIS HOUSE,.... After he and his family had been baptized, either in the pool in the prison, or in the river near the city of Philippi: HE SET MEAT BEFORE THEM; he spread a table for them, with provisions to refresh them after all their fatigue; partly by stripes an... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN IT WAS DAY,.... In one copy Beza says, these words are added, "the magistrates came together in one place in the court, and remembering the earthquake that was made, they were afraid, and sent the sergeants;'' but they seem to be no other than a gloss, which crept into the text; however,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KEEPER OF THE PRISON TOLD THIS, SAYING TO PAUL,.... The Ethiopic version adds, "and to Silas"; this was the same person with the jailer, whom Paul had baptized; and indeed, the same word is here used, though a little differently rendered, who no doubt reported this message to Paul with great... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT PAUL SAID UNTO THEM,.... The sergeants, who were present when the jailer reported to Paul the message they came with from the magistrates; though the Syriac version reads in the singular number, "Paul said to him", to the jailer: THEY HAVE BEATEN US OPENLY UNCONDEMNED, BEING ROMANS, AND HAVE CA... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SERGEANTS TOLD THESE WORDS UNTO THE MAGISTRATES,.... They returned to them, and acquainted them with what the prisoners said: AND THEY FEARED WHEN THEY HEARD THAT THEY WERE ROMANS; they were not concerned for the injury they had done them; nor for the injustice and cruelty they had been gui... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY CAME,.... To the prison in person, as Paul had insisted on they should: AND BESOUGHT THEM; that they would put up the injury that had been done them, and quietly depart out of prison: AND BROUGHT THEM OUT; that is, out of prison; took them by the arms, and led them out, as they had put th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY WENT OUT OF THE PRISON,.... In a public manner, with great honour and reputation, at the request of the magistrates that put them there: AND ENTERED INTO [THE HOUSE] OF LYDIA; whom Paul had baptized, Acts 16:14. The word "house" is rightly supplied, for the sense is not, that they went int... [ Continue Reading ]