3 I G1473 am G1510 verily G3303 a man G435 which am a Jew, G2453 born G1080 in G1722 Tarsus, G5019 a city in Cilicia, G2791 yet G1161 brought up G397 in G1722 this G5026 city G4172 at G3844 the feet G4228 of Gamaliel, G1059 and taught G3811 according G2596 to the perfect manner G195 of the law G3551 of the fathers, G3971 and was G5225 zealous G2207 toward God, G2316 as G2531 ye G5210 all G3956 are G2075 this day. G4594
And G1161 the Lord G2962 said unto G4314 him, G846 Arise, G450 and go G4198 into G1909 the street G4505 which G3588 is called G2564 Straight, G2117 and G2532 enquire G2212 in G1722 the house G3614 of Judas G2455 for one called G3686 Saul, G4569 of Tarsus: G5018 for, G1063 behold, G2400 he prayeth, G4336
Then G1161 stood there up G450 one G5100 in G1722 the council, G4892 a Pharisee, G5330 named G3686 Gamaliel, G1059 a doctor of the law, G3547 had in reputation G5093 among all G3956 the people, G2992 and commanded G2753 to put G4160 the apostles G652 forth G1854 a G5100 little space; G1024
Circumcised G4061 the eighth G3637 day, of G1537 the stock G1085 of Israel, G2474 of the tribe G5443 of Benjamin, G958 an Hebrew G1445 of G1537 the Hebrews; G1445 as touching G2596 the law, G3551 a Pharisee; G5330 Concerning G2596 zeal, G2205 persecuting G1377 the church; G1577 touching G2596 the righteousness G1343 which G3588 is in G1722 the law, G3551 G1096 blameless. G273
Which knew G4267 me G3165 from the beginning, G509 if G1437 they would G2309 testify, G3140 that G3754 after G2596 the most straitest G196 sect G139 of our G2251 religion G2356 I lived G2198 a Pharisee. G5330
But G1161 Paul G3972 said, G2036 I G1473 am G1510 G3303 a man G444 which am a Jew G2453 of Tarsus, G5018 a city in Cilicia, G2791 a citizen G4177 of no G3756 mean G767 city: G4172 and, G1161 I beseech G1189 thee, G4675 suffer G2010 me G3427 to speak G2980 unto G4314 the people. G2992
And G1161 when they heard G191 it, they glorified G1392 the Lord, G2962 and G5037 said G2036 unto him, G846 Thou seest, G2334 brother, G80 how many G4214 thousands G3461 of Jews G2453 there are G1526 which G3588 believe; G4100 and G2532 they are G5225 all G3956 zealous G2207 of the law: G3551
And G2532 she G3592 had G2258 a sister G79 called G2564 Mary, G3137 which G3739 also G2532 sat G3869 at G3844 Jesus' G2424 feet, G4228 and heard G191 his G846 word. G3056
I say G3004 then, G3767 G3361 Hath G683 God G2316 cast away G683 his G846 people? G2992 God forbid. G3361 G1096 For G1063 I G1473 also G2532 am G1510 an Israelite, G2475 of G1537 the seed G4690 of Abraham, G11 of the tribe G5443 of Benjamin. G958
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
Then G1161 there arose G450 certain G5100 of G1537 the synagogue, G4864 which G3588 is called G3004 the synagogue of the Libertines, G3032 and G2532 Cyrenians, G2956 and G2532 Alexandrians, G221 and G2532 of them of G575 Cilicia G2791 and G2532 of Asia, G773 disputing G4802 with Stephen. G4736
And Elisha H477 came again H7725 to Gilgal: H1537 and there was a dearth H7458 in the land; H776 and the sons H1121 of the prophets H5030 were sitting H3427 before H6440 him: and he said H559 unto his servant, H5288 Set H8239 on the great H1419 pot, H5518 and seethe H1310 pottage H5138 for the sons H1121 of the prophets. H5030
And the king H4428 called H7121 the Gibeonites, H1393 and said H559 unto them; (now the Gibeonites H1393 were not of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 but of the remnant H3499 of the Amorites; H567 and the children H1121 of Israel H3478 had sworn H7650 unto them: and Saul H7586 sought H1245 to slay H5221 them in his zeal H7065 to the children H1121 of Israel H3478 and Judah.) H3063
They zealously affect G2206 you, G5209 but not G3756 well; G2573 yea, G235 they would G2309 exclude G1576 you, G5209 that G2443 ye might affect G2206 them. G846 But G1161 it is good G2570 to be zealously affected G2206 always G3842 in G1722 a good G2570 thing, and G2532 not G3361 only G3440 when G1722 I G3165 am present G3918 with G4314 you. G5209
Afterwards G1899 I came G2064 into G1519 the regions G2824 of Syria G4947 and G2532 Cilicia; G2791
And G2532 profited G4298 in G1722 the Jews' religion G2454 above G5228 many G4183 my equals G4915 in G1722 mine own G3450 nation, G1085 being G5225 more exceedingly G4056 zealous G2207 of the traditions G3862 of my G3450 fathers. G3967
For G1063 I bear G3140 them G846 record G3140 that G3754 they have G2192 a zeal G2205 of God, G2316 but G235 not G3756 according G2596 to knowledge. G1922 For G1063 they being ignorant G50 of God's G2316 righteousness, G1343 and G2532 going about G2212 to establish G2476 their own G2398 righteousness, G1343 have G5293 not G3756 submitted themselves G5293 unto the righteousness G1343 of God. G2316
And G1161 when the governor G2232 had read G314 the letter, G2532 he asked G1905 of G1537 what G4169 province G1885 he was. G2076 And G2532 when he understood G4441 that G3754 he was of G575 Cilicia; G2791
And G1161 he went through G1330 Syria G4947 and G2532 Cilicia, G2791 confirming G1991 the churches. G1577
And they wrote G1125 letters by G1223 them G5495 G846 after this manner; G3592 The apostles G652 and G2532 elders G4245 and G2532 brethren G80 send greeting G5463 unto the brethren G80 which G3588 are of G1537 the Gentiles G1484 in G2596 Antioch G490 and G2532 Syria G4947 and G2532 Cilicia: G2791
Then G1161 departed G1831 Barnabas G921 to G1519 Tarsus, G5019 for to seek G327 Saul: G4569
Which when G1161 the brethren G80 knew, G1921 they brought G2609 him G846 down G2609 to G1519 Caesarea, G2542 and G2532 sent G1821 him G846 forth G1821 to G1519 Tarsus. G5019
Then G1161 they went out G1831 to see G1492 what was done; G1096 and G2532 came G2064 to G4314 Jesus, G2424 and G2532 found G2147 the man, G444 out of G575 whom G3739 the devils G1140 were departed, G1831 sitting G2521 at G3844 the feet G4228 of Jesus, G2424 clothed, G2439 and G2532 in his right mind: G4993 and G2532 they were afraid. G5399
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.