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1 Cor. ix. 12. 2 Cor. xi. 9, 12: xii. 13. Eph. iv. 28.

Thess. iv.

11: v. 14. 2

Thess. iii. 8. ch. vii. 60:

35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring y Rom. v. 1. ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 36 And when he had thus spoken, he " kneeled down and prayed with them all. 37 And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, a Gen. xlv. 14: 38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, b ver. 25. that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.

XXI. And it came to pass, that after we u were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara: 2 and finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth. 3 Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for

trender, had spoken.

I render, Cos.

This

manner: compare "these bonds," ch. xxvi.
29,-and ch. xxviii. 20. See 1 Cor. iv.
12, which he wrote when at Ephesus.-
Observe, ministered unto my necessities,
and to them that were with me.
is not without meaning-his friends were
among his necessities-he supplied by
his labour, not his and their wants, but
his wants and them.
35. the
weak] Not here the weak in faith (Rom.
xiv. 1; 1 Cor. viii. 9), as many think,
-which the context both before and after
will not allow :- but the poor.

It is more blessed to give than to re-
ceive] This saying of our Lord is one of
the very few not recorded in the Gospels,
which have come down to us. Many such
must have been current in the apostolic
times, and are possibly preserved unknown
to us, in such epistles as those of James,
Peter, and John. Bengel remarks, "The
world's opinion is different:" and cites
from an old poet in Athenæus, "A fool the
giver, the receiver blest." But we have
some sayings the other way: not to quote
authors who wrote after this date, and
might have imbibed some of the spirit of
Christianity, we find in Aristotle, "It is
more becoming the liberal man to give just
gifts, than to receive just receipts, or to
abstain from receiving unjust ones. For it
is more the part of virtue to do, than to
receive, good." XXI. 1.] The A. V.,
After we had gotten from them,' does
not come up to the original: which is as in
the margin and Chrysostom says, "The

6

xxi. 5.

xlvi. 29.

■ render, had torn ourselves away.
y render, for, or towards.

expression shews the violence of the part-
ing."
we came with a straight
course] See ch. xvi. 11, having run before
the wind. Cos, opposite Cnidus and Hali-
carnassus, celebrated for its wines and
ointments. The chief town was of the
same name, and had a famous temple of
Esculapius. It was the birth-place of
Hippocrates, the great physician. The
modern name, Stanchio, is a corruption of
"es tan Co" (towards Cos), as Stamboul,
for Constantinople, is of "es tan polin"
(towards the city). Rhodes was at this
time free. It was reduced to a Roman
province under Vespasian. The situation
of its chief town is praised by Strabo.-
The celebrated Colossus was at this time
broken and lying in ruins.-Patara, in
Lycia, the capital of the race, a large
maritime town, a short distance E. of the
mouth of the Xanthus. It had a temple
and oracle of Apollo. There are considerable
ruins remaining.-Here they leave their
ship hired at Troas, or perhaps at Neapolis
(see note on xx. 16), and avail themselves
of a merchant ship bound for Tyre.
3. when we had discovered Cyprus] Lite-
rally, having been shewn Cyprus.
we left it on the left hand] i. e. to the E
This would be the straight course from
Patara to Tyre. Tyre] This city,

so well known for its commercial im-
portance and pride, and so often men-
tioned in the Old Testament prophets,
was now a free town of the province of
Syria. 4. But...] Implying, 'the

IX. 23.

b ch. xx. 30.

there the ship was to unlade her burden.

b

4z And finding

a ver. 12. ch. disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. 5 And when he had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. 6 And when we had taken our leave one of another, we a took ship; and they returned home again. 7 And b when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemaïs, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. 8 And the next day we [that were of Paul's company]

2 render, But having sought out the disciples.

a render, embarked in the ship.

b render, finishing our voyage, we came from Tyre.
comit, with all our oldest authorities.

.....

crew indeed were busied with unlading the ship: but we, having sought out (by enquiry) the disciples.'. . . . . Finding disciples' (A. V.) is quite wrong. It is not improbable that Paul may have preached at Tyre before, when he visited Syria and Cilicia (Gal. i. 21) after his conversion,and again when he confirmed the churches (ch. xv. 41): "the disciples" seems to imply this. seven days] The time taken in unlading:-they apparently proceeded in the same ship, see ver. 6.-The notice here is very important, that these Tyrian disciples said to St. Paul by the Spirit, that he should not go to Jerusalem,—and yet he went thither, and, as he himself declares, bound in spirit by the leading of God. We thus have an instance of that which Paul asserts 1 Cor. xiv. 32, that the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets, i. e. that the revelation made by the Holy Spirit to each man's spirit was under the influence of that man's will and temperament, moulded by and taking the form of his own capacities and resolves. So here: these Tyrian prophets knew by the Spirit, which testified this in every city (ch. xx. 23), that bonds and imprisonment awaited Paul. This appears to have been announced by them, shaped and intensified by their own intense love and anxiety for him who was probably their Father in the faith (see on ver. 5). But he paid no regard to the prohibition, being himself under a leading of the same Spirit too plain for him to mistake it. See below on vv. 10 ff.

5. departed] Literally, went forth: viz. from the house where they were lodged.

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till we were out of the city] "We passed through the city to the western shore of the ancient island, now the peninsula, hoping to find there a fitting spot for the tent, in the open space between the houses and the sea." Robinson, iii. 392. on the shore] "Yet had we looked a few rods further, we should have found a very tolerable spot by a threshingfloor, where we might have pitched close upon the bank, and enjoyed, in all its luxury, the cool sea-breeze, and the dashing of the surge upon the rocky shore." id. ibid. 7. finishing our voyage] viz. the whole voyage, from Neapolis to Syria. The A. V., when we had finished our course from Tyre,' is not so probable a rendering of the original. With their landing at Ptolemais their voyage ended : the rest of the journey was made by land.' (De Wette.) Ptolemais] Anciently Accho (Judg. i. 31,-in Greek and Roman writers Acé), called Ptolemais from (probably) Ptolemy Lathurus. It was a large town with a harbour. It was never (Judg. i. 31) fully possessed by the Jews, but belonged to the Phoenicians, who in after times were mixed with Greeks. But after the captivity a colony of Jews is found there. The emperor Claudius gave it the freedom of the city, whence it is called by Pliny a colony of Claudius Cæsar,' "Colonia Claudii Cæsaris." It is now called St. Jean d'Acre, and is the best harbour on the Syrian coast, though small. It lies at the end of the great road from Damascus to the sea. Population now about 10,000.-The distance

departed, and came unto Cæsarea and we entered into

d

f

h

2 Tim. iv. 5.

26, 46.

Joel ii. 28.

ch. ii. 17.

xx. 23.

the house of a Philip the evangelist, ed which was one of the a Eph. iv. 11. seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had e ch. vi. 5: viii. four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. 10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judæa a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11 And when he was gch. xi. 28. come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, h So ver. 33. ch. shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, ie What mean ye to ich. xx. 24. weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14 And when he would not be persuaded,

d render, being:
: see note.

• render, What do ye, weeping and breaking.

from Ptolemaïs to Cæsarea is forty-four miles. For Cæsarea, see on ch. x. 1. 8. Philip the evangelist] It is possible that he may have had this appellation from his having been the first to travel about preaching the gospel : see ch. viii. 5 ff. The office of Evangelist, see Eph. iv. 11, 2 Tim. iv. 5, seems to have answered very much to our missionary: Theodoret, on the former of these texts, says, "These went about preaching:" and Eusebius,"They fulfilled the work of Evangelists, making it their business to preach Christ to those who had never yet heard the word of the faith, and to deliver to them the record of the Holy Gospels." The latter could hardly have been part of their employment so early as this; nor had the word Gospel in these times the peculiar meaning of a narrative of the life of Christ, but rather embraced the whole good tidings of salvation by Him, as preached to the Jews and Heathens.-Eusebius apparently mistook this Philip for the Apostle: as did also Clement of Alexandria and Papias.

which was one of the seven] See ch. vi. 5, and note. The sentence in the original implies, that the reason why they abode with him was, that he was one of the seven and in English the words ought not to be "which was," but being (one) of the seven. The fact of Philip being settled at Cæsarea, and known as the Evangelist, seems decisive against regarding the occurrence of ch. vi. 8 ff. as the establishment

of any permanent order in the church.
9.] This notice is inserted apparently with-
out any immediate reference to the history,
but to bring so remarkable a circumstance
to the knowledge of the readers. The four
daughters had the gift of "prophecy :" see
on ch. xi. 27. Eusebius (see, however,
his mistake above) gives from Polycrates
traditional accounts of them,-that two
were buried at Hierapolis, and one at
Ephesus. From that passage, and one
cited from Clement of Alexandria it
would appear that two were afterwards
married, according to tradition.-To find
an argument for the so-called 'honour
of virginity' in this verse, only shews to
what resources those will stoop, who have
failed to apprehend the whole spirit and
rule of the gospel in the matter. They are
met however on their own ground by an
argument built on another misapprehension
(that of Philip being a deacon in the eccle-
siastical sense): for if so, this would prove
that it was lawful for deacons to marry.

11.]

10.] This Agabus in all probability is identical with the Agabus of ch. xi. 28. That there is no reference to that former mention of him, might be occasioned by different sources of information having furnished the two narratives. Similar symbolical actions accompanying prophecy are found 1 Kings xxii. 11; Isa. xx. 2; Jer. xiii. 1 ff.; Ezek. iv. 1 ff.; 9 ff.; v. 1, &c. De Wette remarks that "Thus saith the Holy Ghost" is the New Test.

xxvi. 42.

Luke xi. 2:

xxii. 42.

1ch. xv. 4.

m ch. xv. 13. Gal. i. 19: ii. 9.

Rom. xv. 18,

19.

k

15 And

k Matt, vi. 10: we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Cæsarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 17 1 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto m James; and all the elders were present. n ch. xv. 5, 12. 19 And when he had saluted them, "he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles o ch. i. 17: xx. 0 by his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 21 and they are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art

24.

p ch. xxii. 3. Rom. x. 2. Gal. i. 14.

f

render, baggage: see note.

g render, from.

h render, there are among the Jews which have become believers. i render, were. k better, a multitude will certainly.

prophetic formula, instead of "Thus saith
the Lord" of the Old Test.
14. The
will of the Lord be done] One of the
passages from which we may not unfairly
infer, that the Lord's prayer was used
by the Christians of the Apostolic age. See
note on 2 Tim. iv. 18. 15.] The word

'carriages' in the A. V. is used, as in
Judg. xviii. 21, for baggage, things carried.

16.] The word rendered old signifies from the beginning, and probably implies that he had been a disciple all through, and had accompanied our Lord during His ministry. See ch. xi. 15, where the term is applied to the time of the Pentecostal effusion of the Spirit.

17-XXIII. 35.] PAUL AT JERUSA

LEM: MADE PRISONER AND SENT TO
CÆSAREA.
17. the brethren] The
Christians generally not the Apostles and
elders; James and the elders are not men-
tioned till ver. 18.
18. James] the
brother of the Lord' the president of the
church at Jerusalem: see ch. xii. 17; xv.
13; Gal. ii. 12, and notes,—and Introduc-
tion to the Epistle of James, § i. 24-37.

20.] While they praised God for, and fully recognized, the work wrought by him among the Gentiles, they found it re

quisite to advise him respecting the sus-
picion under which he laboured among the
believing Jews. They, led, naturally per-
haps, but incorrectly (see 1 Cor. vii. 18),
by some passages of Paul's life [and of his
already-written Epistles ?], in which he
had depreciated legal observances in com-
parison with faith in Christ, and spoken
strongly against their adoption by Gentile
converts,-apprehended that he advised, on
the part of the Hellenistic believers, an
entire apostasy from Moses and the ordi-
nances of the law.
Thou seest...]

This can hardly be a reference to the elders
present, as representatives of the "myriads"
of believing Jews: for only those of Jeru-
salem were there:-but refers to Paul's
own experience, and knowledge of the vast
numbers of the Jews who believed at Je-
rusalem, and elsewhere in Judæa.

how many thousands (literally, ten thousands, myriads) is perhaps not to be strictly taken. Origen says, that probably the whole number of believing Jews at no time had amounted to 144,000. 21.] they were informed (at some time in the mind of the speaker. The indefinite past tense must be preserved. Below, ver. 24, it is the perfect). The informants were the

13, 18. ch.

come. 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24 them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may a shave their heads: and all m may know q Numb. vi. 2, that those things whereof they were informed concerning xvii. 18. thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, 'we have written, and concluded that they rch. xv. 20, 29. observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. 26 Then Paul took the

t

sch. xxiv.

t

men, and the next day purifying himself with them s entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment Numb. vi.13. of the days of purification, until that Pan offering should be offered for every one of them. 27 And when the seven days were almost ended, "the Jews which were of Asia, uch. xxiv. 18. when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the

1

render, for.

n render, have become believers.
P render, the.

anti-Pauline Judaizers.

22.] Not as A. V., 'the multitude must needs come together, i. e. there must be a meeting of the whole church: but a multitude (of these Judaizers) will certainly come together: they will meet and discuss your proceeding in a hostile manner. 23. a vow] A vow of Nazarites. This vow must not be confounded, historically or analogically, with that of ch. xviii. 18: see note there, and Num. vi. 2-21. 24. them take] to thyself, as comrades. purify thy. self with them] i. e. become a Nazarite with them. The same expression occurs in the LXX, Num. vi. 3, in describing the Nazarite's duties. be at charges for them] It was a custom of the Jews, and was considered a proof of great piety, that the richer Nazarites should pay the expenses of the sacrifices of the poorer. See Num. vi. 14 ff. Josephus, relating Agrippa's thank-offerings at Jerusalem, says that he ordered very many Nazarites to be shaven.On the shaving the head, see Num. vi. 18.De Wette remarks: James and the elders made this proposal, assuming that Paul could comply with it with a safe conscience, perhaps also as a proof, to assure themselves and others of his sentiments: and Paul accepted it with a safe conscience. But this he could only have done on one condition, that he was sure by it not to contribute in these four Nazarites to the error of justification

m render, shall.

• render, decreeing.
a render, from.

25.]

by the works of the law. He might keep,
and encourage the keeping of, the law,-
but not with the purpose of thereby de-
serving the approbation of God.'
See ch. xv. 28, 29. 26.] Paul him-
self entered into the vow with them, and
the time settled (perhaps the least that
could be assigned: the Mischna requires
thirty days) for the completion of the vow,
i. e. the offering and shaving of their heads,
was seven days. No definite time is pre-
scribed in Num. vi., but there, seven days
is the time of purification in case of un-
cleanness during the period of the vow.
to signify] i. e. to make known to
the ministers of the temple.
the ac-
complishment, i. e. that he and the men
had come to accomplish: announcing their
intention of accomplishing.
offering] See Num. vi. 13-17.
seven days] Of the votive period: not (as
some think) since Paul's arrival in Jeru-
salem. Five days of the seven had passed:
see on ch. xxiv. 11.
which were from
Asia] From Ephesus and the neighbour-
hood, where Paul had so long taught.
"Paul, while intent on appeasing the be-
lieving Jews, incurs the furious hostility
of his unbelieving enemies." Calvin, who
adds, 'In how many ways had those who
were at Jerusalem this Pentecost, already
persecuted Paul in Asia?'-Notice the
similarity of the charge against him to

the

27.

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