1 Men, G435 brethren, G80 and G2532 fathers, G3962 hear ye G191 my G3450 defence G627 which I make now G3568 unto G4314 you. G5209
And G1161 he said, G5346 Men, G435 brethren, G80 and G2532 fathers, G3962 hearken; G191 The God G2316 of glory G1391 appeared G3700 unto our G2257 father G3962 Abraham, G11 when he was G5607 in G1722 Mesopotamia, G3318 before G4250 G2228 he G846 dwelt G2730 in G1722 Charran, G5488
And G1161 as he G846 thus G5023 spake for himself, G626 Festus G5347 said G5346 with a loud G3173 voice, G5456 Paul, G3972 thou art beside thyself; G3105 much G4183 learning G1121 doth make G4062 thee G4571 mad. G1519 G3130
But G1161 sanctify G37 the Lord G2962 God G2316 in G1722 your G5216 hearts: G2588 and G1161 be ready G2092 always G104 to G4314 give an answer G627 to every man G3956 that asketh G154 you G5209 a reason G3056 of G4012 the hope G1680 that is in G1722 you G5213 with G3326 meekness G4240 and G2532 fear: G5401
At G1722 my G3450 first G4413 answer G627 no man G3762 stood G4836 with me, G3427 but G235 all G3956 men forsook G1459 me: G3165 I pray God that it may G3049 not G3361 be laid G3049 to their charge. G846
But G1161 the other of G1537 love, G26 knowing G1492 that G3754 I am set G2749 for G1519 the defence G627 of the gospel. G2098
Even as G2531 it is G2076 meet G1342 for me G1698 to think G5426 this G5124 of G5228 you G5216 all, G3956 because G1223 I have G2192 you G5209 in G1722 my G3165 heart; G2588 inasmuch as both G5037 in G1722 my G3450 bonds, G1199 and G2532 in the defence G627 and G2532 confirmation G951 of the gospel, G2098 ye G5209 all G3956 are G5607 partakers G4791 of my G3450 grace. G5485
Again, G3825 think ye G1380 that G3754 we excuse ourselves G626 unto you? G5213 we speak G2980 before G2714 God G2316 in G1722 Christ: G5547 but G1161 we do all things, G3956 dearly beloved, G27 for G5228 your G5216 edifying. G3619
For G1063 behold G2400 this G5124 selfsame thing, G846 that G5209 ye sorrowed G3076 after G2596 a godly sort, G2316 what G4214 carefulness G4710 it wrought G2716 in you, G5213 yea, G235 what clearing of yourselves, G627 yea, G235 what indignation, G24 yea, G235 what fear, G5401 yea, G235 what vehement desire, G1972 yea, G235 what zeal, G2205 yea, G235 what revenge! G1557 In G1722 all G3956 things ye have approved G4921 yourselves G1438 to be G1511 clear G53 in G1722 this matter. G4229
Which G3748 shew G1731 the work G2041 of the law G3551 written G1123 in G1722 their G846 hearts, G2588 their G846 conscience G4893 also bearing witness, G4828 and G2532 their thoughts G3053 the mean while accusing G2723 or G2228 else G2532 excusing G626 one another;) G3342 G240
And G1161 it came to pass, G1096 that after G3326 three G5140 days G2250 Paul G3972 called G4779 the chief G4413 G5607 of the Jews G2453 together: G4779 and G1161 when they G846 were come together, G4905 he said G3004 unto G4314 them, G846 Men G435 and brethren, G80 though I G1473 have committed G4160 nothing G3762 against G1727 the people, G2992 or G2228 customs G1485 of our fathers, G3971 yet was I delivered G3860 prisoner G1198 from G1537 Jerusalem G2414 into G1519 the hands G5495 of the Romans. G4514
Then G1161 Agrippa G67 said G5346 unto G4314 Paul, G3972 Thou G4671 art permitted G2010 to speak G3004 for G5228 thyself. G4572 Then G5119 Paul G3972 stretched forth G1614 the hand, G5495 and answered for himself: G626 I think G2233 myself G1683 happy, G3107 king G935 Agrippa, G67 because I shall G3195 answer for myself G626 this day G4594 before G1909 thee G4675 touching G4012 all the things G3956 whereof G3739 I am accused G1458 of G5259 the Jews: G2453
To G4314 whom G3739 I answered, G611 G3754 It is G2076 not G3756 the manner G1485 of the Romans G4514 to deliver G5483 any G5100 man G444 to G1519 die, G684 before G4250 that G2228 he which is accused G2723 have G2192 the accusers G2725 face to face, G2596 G4383 G5037 and have G2983 licence G5117 to answer for himself G627 concerning G4012 the crime laid against him. G1462
Then G1161 Paul, G3972 after that the governor G2232 had beckoned G3506 unto him G846 to speak, G3004 answered, G611 Forasmuch as I know G1987 that thou G4571 hast been G5607 of G1537 many G4183 years G2094 a judge G2923 unto this G5129 nation, G1484 I do G626 the more cheerfully G2115 answer G626 for G4012 myself: G1683
But G1161 when Paul G3972 perceived G1097 that G3754 the one G1520 part G3313 were G2076 Sadducees, G4523 and G1161 the other G2087 Pharisees, G5330 he cried out G2896 in G1722 the council, G4892 Men G435 and brethren, G80 I G1473 am G1510 a Pharisee, G5330 the son G5207 of a Pharisee: G5330 of G4012 the hope G1680 and G2532 resurrection G386 of the dead G3498 I G1473 am called in question. G2919
And G1161 they drew G4264 Alexander G223 out of G1537 the multitude, G3793 the Jews G2453 putting G4261 him G846 forward. G4261 G4261 And G1161 Alexander G223 beckoned G2678 with the hand, G5495 and would G2309 have made his defence G626 unto the people. G1218
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 22
Commentary on Acts 22 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 22
In the close of the foregoing chapter we had Paul bound, according to Agabus's prophecy of the hard usage he should receive from the Jews at Jerusalem, yet he had his tongue set at liberty, by the permission the chief captain gave him to speak for himself; and so intent he is upon using that liberty of speech which is allowed him, to the honour of Christ and the service of his interest, that he forgets the bonds he is in, makes no mention of them, but speaks of the great things Christ had done for him with as much ease and cheerfulness as if nothing had been done to ruffle him or put him into disorder. We have here,
Act 22:1-2
Paul had, in the last verse of the foregoing chapter, gained a great point, by commanding so profound a silence after so loud a clamour. Now here observe,
Act 22:3-21
Paul here gives such an account of himself as might serve not only to satisfy the chief captain that he was not that Egyptian he took him to be, but the Jews also that he was not that enemy to their church and nation, to their law and temple, they took him to be, and that what he did in preaching Christ, and particularly in preaching him to the Gentiles, he did by a divine commission. He here gives them to understand,
Observe,
Now, if they would lay all this together, surely they would see that they had no reason to be angry with Paul for preaching among the Gentiles, or construe it as an act of ill-will to his own nation, for he was compelled to it, contrary to his own mind, by an overruling command from heaven.
Act 22:22-30
Paul was going on with this account of himself, had shown them his commission to preach among the Gentiles without any peevish reflections upon the Jews, and we may suppose designed next to show how he was afterwards, by a special direction of the Holy Ghost at Antioch, separated to this service, how tender he was of the Jews, how respectful to them, and how careful to give them the precedency in all places whither he came, and to unite Jews and Gentiles in one body; and then to show how wonderfully God had owned him, and what good service had been done to the interest of God's kingdom among men in general, without damage to any of the true interests of the Jewish church in particular. But, whatever he designs to say, they resolve he shall say no more to them: They gave him audience to this word. Hitherto they had heard him with patience and some attention. But when he speaks of being sent to the Gentiles, though it was what Christ himself said to him, they cannot bear it, not so much as to hear the Gentiles named, such an enmity had they to them, and such a jealousy of them. Upon the mention of this, they have no manner of patience, but forget all rules of decency and equity; thus were they provoked to jealousy by those that were no people, Rom. 10:19.
Now here we are told how furious and outrageous the people were against Paul, for mentioning the Gentiles as taken into the cognizance of divine grace, and so justifying his preaching among them.