PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Acts
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 334,323 words · 428 reading sections
Acts 24:13
Acts 24:13 Ver. 13. Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. As that he was a pestilent fellow, a mover of sedition, and a profaner of the temple these things they could not set forth in any clear light, and bring testimonies, or give demonstration of; they could not make them appear to be true, w…
86 wordsSECTION 362Acts 24:14
Acts 24:14 Ver. 14. But this I confess unto thee,.... What was truth he was not ashamed of, but ready to own, and bear his testimony for, whatever was the consequence of it: that after the way which they call heresy; referring to the charge of his being a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, Ac 24:5 and meaning b…
393 wordsSECTION 363Acts 24:15
Acts 24:15 Ver. 15. And have hope towards God,.... Of an interest in him, and of enjoying eternal life and happiness with him in a future state: which they themselves also allow; that is, some of the Jews, not the Sadducees, for they denied what is afterwards asserted; but the Pharisees, who believed the immortality …
1,031 wordsSECTION 364Acts 24:16
Acts 24:16 Ver. 16. And herein do I exercise myself,.... Or because of this; on account of this doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, which is a doctrine according to godliness, and promotes and engages to a holy life and conversation, as the contrary tends to encourage a dissolute and sinful manner of living; see…
245 wordsSECTION 365Acts 24:17
Acts 24:17 Ver. 17. Now after many years,.... Absence from Jerusalem; it was now about five and twenty years since his conversion, and most of this time he spent among the Gentiles; three years after it he went up to Jerusalem, and fourteen years after that, Ga 1:18 but it had now been some years since he had been the…
3,148 wordsSECTION 366Acts 25:1
Acts 25:1 Ver. 1. Now when Festus was come into the province,.... Of Judea, which was a Roman province, over which he was made governor by Nero, the Roman emperor, in the room of Felix; he now being landed in some part of the province, namely, at Caesarea, and so might be said to have entered upon the government of it…
173 wordsSECTION 367Acts 25:2
Acts 25:2 Ver. 2. Then the high priest,.... Ananias, as in Ac 23:2 the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin version, and all the Oriental versions, read, "the chief priests", the whole college of the priests: and the chief of the Jews; their rulers and elders, the members of the Jewish sanhedrim; informed him against…
181 wordsSECTION 368Acts 25:3
Acts 25:3 Ver. 3. And desired favour against him,.... Paul; they asked what would be a favour to them, and a prejudice to him: or "of him", that is, of Festus; they asked a favour of him, and desired it as such, as what would be gratefully accepted and acknowledged by them; which sense is confirmed by the Syriac versi…
236 wordsSECTION 369Acts 25:4
Acts 25:4 Ver. 4. But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea,.... Or that he was kept there, and was in proper custody, under the care of a centurion, and should continue there; nor was there any reason why he should be removed, especially since he should return thither speedily, as he adds: and that h…
147 wordsSECTION 370Acts 25:5
Acts 25:5 Ver. 5. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able,.... Who are at leisure, can spare time, and to whom it will be convenient, without interrupting other business, to take such a journey; and who are able to bear the expenses of it, without hurting their families, and whose health and age will adm…
172 wordsSECTION 371Acts 25:6
Acts 25:6 Ver. 6. And when he had tarried among them more than ten days,.... The Alexandrian copy, and three of Beza's copies, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, "no more than eight or ten days"; and the Syriac and Ethiopic versions leave out the phrase "no more", and read "when he had stayed there",…
184 wordsSECTION 372Acts 25:7
Acts 25:7 Ver. 7. And when he was come,.... Into court: the Jews which came down from Jerusalem; along with Festus, perhaps the high priest with the elders, and Tertullus the orator, as before: stood round about; either the Apostle Paul, or the judgment seat; the witnesses and accusers were to stand, as well as the …
148 wordsSECTION 373Acts 25:8
Acts 25:8 Ver. 8. While he answered for himself,.... As he was allowed by the Roman laws to do, he pleaded his own cause, and showed the falsehood of the charges exhibited against him; by observing, that as the crimes alleged against him were reducible to three heads, neither of them were just and true: neither again…
389 wordsSECTION 374Acts 25:9
Acts 25:9 Ver. 9. But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure,.... As did his predecessor Felix, Ac 24:27 he being just entered upon his new government, and having met with some caresses and civilities from the Jews at Jerusalem, by whom he had been much pressed and urged about the affair of the apostle: answered P…
211 wordsSECTION 375Acts 25:10
Acts 25:10 Ver. 10. Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat,.... Not that here was a seat in the judgment hall built by Herod for Caesar himself to sit in, should he ever come there, as some have thought; but the seat on which Festus sat is called Caesar's judgment seat, because it was in a Raman court of ju…
196 wordsSECTION 376Acts 25:11
Acts 25:11 Ver. 11. For if I be an offender,.... Against the law of Moses, or the temple at Jerusalem, or Caesar the Roman emperor: or have committed anything worthy of death; by the laws of the Romans, as sedition, murder, &c. I refuse not to die; signifying that he did not decline going to Jerusalem, either throug…
241 wordsSECTION 377Acts 25:12
Acts 25:12 Ver. 12. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council,.... Not with the Jewish sanhedrim, or any part of it that came down on this occasion; but with Roman counsellors, which he had to assist him in judgment, when any difficult matters were before him; the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it, "wit…
192 wordsSECTION 378Acts 25:13
Acts 25:13 Ver. 13. And after certain days,.... Several days after the above appeal made by Paul: King Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus: this King Agrippa was the son of Herod Agrippa, who killed James the brother of John, and of whose death mention is made in Ac 12:1 the Jewish chronologer {h}…
695 wordsSECTION 379Acts 25:14
Acts 25:14 Ver. 14. And when they had been there many days,.... Indulging themselves in pleasure, and spending their time in conversing on various subjects; and in order to carry on the conversation, and pass away time, Festus declared Paul's case unto the king; in the following manner: saying, there is a certain ma…
67 wordsSECTION 380Acts 25:15
Acts 25:15 Ver. 15. About whom, when I was at Jerusalem,.... Quickly after he came to his government: the chief priests and elders of the Jews informed me; brought an accusation to him, exhibited to him charges against him, presented to him a bill of information, setting forth various crimes he had been guilty of: d…
106 wordsSECTION 381Acts 25:16
Acts 25:16 Ver. 16. To whom I answered,.... As follows: it is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die; or to give any man to destruction; to pass sentence of death upon him, without hearing his cause, and purely at the request of another, and merely to gratify him: before that he which is accused have…
190 wordsSECTION 382Acts 25:17
Acts 25:17 Ver. 17. Therefore when they were come hither,.... To Caesarea, namely the chief priests and elders of the Jews: without any delay on the morrow, I sat on the judgment seat: that is, the next day after they came down, Festus went into the judgment hall, and took his place there, in order to hear this cause…
1,550 wordsSECTION 383Acts 26:1
Acts 26:1 Ver. 1. Then Agrippa said unto Paul,.... After Festus had made the above speech to him, and to all present, and had introduced the affair of Paul, who now stood before them: thou art permitted to speak for thyself; which a prisoner might not do, until he had leave; and this leave was granted by Festus the R…
188 wordsSECTION 384Acts 26:2
Acts 26:2 Ver. 2. I think myself happy, King Agrippa,.... This was an handsome and artificial way of introducing his defense, and of gaining the affection and attention of the king, and yet was not a mere compliment; for it had been his unhappiness hitherto, that his case was not understood; neither Lysias the chief c…
251 wordsSECTION 385Acts 26:3
Acts 26:3 Ver. 3. Especially, because I know thee to be expert in all customs,.... Rites and ceremonies of the Jews, whether enjoined by the law of Moses, or by the elders, fathers, and wise men: and questions which are among the Jews; concerning angels, spirits, and the resurrection of the dead; which were moved and…
493 wordsSECTION 386Acts 26:4
Acts 26:4 Ver. 4. My manner of life, from my youth,.... That is, his conduct and deportment, his behaviour among men, from the time that he was capable of performing religious exercises, and of knowing the difference between one sect and another, and of being observed and taken notice of by men: which was at the firs…
159 wordsSECTION 387Acts 26:5
Acts 26:5 Ver. 5. Which knew me from the beginning,.... From his youth, from his first coming to Jerusalem: if they would testify; what they know, and speak out the truth of things, they must say, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee; there were three sects of religion among the Jews…
307 wordsSECTION 388Acts 26:6
Acts 26:6 Ver. 6. And now I stand, and am judged,.... Before the Roman governor, and in the presence of Agrippa: for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; either for the hope of righteousness, life, and salvation, by the Messiah; who was promised to the Jewish fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and o…
187 wordsSECTION 389Acts 26:7
Acts 26:7 Ver. 7. Unto which promise,.... Of the Messiah, and salvation by him; and of the resurrection of the dead and eternal glory, as following upon it: our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night hope to come; and enjoy the Messiah, and all blessings along with him; and the happy state of the resurrec…
375 wordsSECTION 390Acts 26:8
Acts 26:8 Ver. 8. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you,.... You Heathens and Sadducees; for the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was thought an incredible doctrine by the Heathens in general, and therefore was laughed at by the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers at Athens, when preached by the ap…
300 wordsSECTION 391Acts 26:9
Acts 26:9 Ver. 9. I verily thought with myself,.... This seems to be a correction of himself, why he should wonder at their ignorance and unbelief, particularly with respect to Jesus being the Messiah, and his resurrection from the dead, and expostulate with them about it; when this was once his own case, it was the r…
133 wordsSECTION 392Acts 26:10
Acts 26:10 Ver. 10. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem,.... The metropolis of Judea, where he had had his education, and was well known; here he consented to the death of Stephen, and held the clothes of the witnesses while they stoned him; and here he haled men and women out of their houses, and committed them to pr…
279 wordsSECTION 393Acts 26:11
Acts 26:11 Ver. 11. And I punished them oft in every synagogue,.... In Jerusalem, where there were many; See Gill on "Ac 24:12"; by beating and scourging them there, as the manner was; see Mt 10:17. and compelled them to blaspheme; the Lord Jesus Christ, both to deny him to be the Messiah, and to call him accursed; a…
227 wordsSECTION 394Acts 26:12
Acts 26:12 Ver. 12. Whereupon as I went to Damascus,.... Being intent, upon the above said things, to punish the saints, compel them to blaspheme, imprison them, and even put them to death on account of these things; upon this errand and business he went to Damascus, the chief city of Syria, where he knew there were m…
117 wordsSECTION 395Acts 26:13
Acts 26:13 Ver. 13. At midday, O king,.... So in Ac 12:6. This circumstance is omitted in Ac 9:3. King Agrippa is called upon by the apostle, to excite his attention to what he was about to relate, it being very wonderful, and of great importance. I saw in the way; that is, to Damascus, when near the city; a light f…
147 wordsSECTION 396Acts 26:14
Acts 26:14 Ver. 14. And when we were all fallen to the earth,.... Saul, and the men that were with him, for fear of the divine Majesty, who by this extraordinary light was thought to be present: the other narratives only relate Saul's falling to the earth; how this is to be reconciled to their standing speechless, in …
88 wordsSECTION 397Acts 26:15
Acts 26:15 Ver. 15. And I said, who art thou, Lord? and he said,.... Or "the Lord said", as the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions read, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest; the Syriac and Ethiopic versions read, "Jesus of Nazareth"; See Gill on "Ac 9:5".…
51 wordsSECTION 398Acts 26:16
Acts 26:16 Ver. 16. But rise and stand upon thy feet,.... This, and what follows in this and the two next verses, are not in any of the former accounts; and these words are used not only because Saul was fallen to the earth, and are an encouragement to rise up, and stand corporeally, but to take heart, and be of good …
352 wordsSECTION 399Acts 26:17
Acts 26:17 Ver. 17. Delivering thee from the people,.... That is, the people of the Jews, as they are distinguished from the Gentiles; and so the Syriac version, and two of Beza's copies, and two of Stephens's, read; for the Lord knew, that as soon as ever Saul was converted and professed his name, and preached his Go…
156 wordsSECTION 400Acts 26:18
Acts 26:18 Ver. 18. To open their eyes,.... The eyes of their understanding, which were shut, and darkened, and blind: one copy reads, "the eyes of the blind"; and the Ethiopic version renders it, "the eyes of their heart"; and to have them opened, is to have them enlightened, to see their lost state and condition by …
7,159 wordsSECTION 401Acts 27:1
Acts 27:1 Ver. 1. And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy,.... The chief city of which was Rome, the metropolis of the empire, where Caesar had his palace, to whom the apostle had appealed; and his voyage thither was determined by Festus, with the advice of Agrippa and his council, pursuant to the ap…
365 wordsSECTION 402Acts 27:2
Acts 27:2 Ver. 2. And entering into a ship of Adramyttium,.... Which was in the port of Caesarea; for from thence they set sail to the place where this ship was bound, which very likely was the place here mentioned; there was a city of this name in Africa, and which was built upon the sea shore, and is sometimes calle…
704 wordsSECTION 403Acts 27:3
Acts 27:3 Ver. 3. And the next day we touched at Sidon,.... This was a famous city in Phoenicia, upon the northern border of the land of Israel; it was a maritime place, and noted for trade and navigation; Mela {q} calls it rich Sidon, and the chief of the maritime cities; Jerom {r} calls it the ancient city Sidon; an…
839 wordsSECTION 404Acts 27:4
Acts 27:4 Ver. 4. And when we had launched from thence,.... From Sidon: we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary; that is, they sailed below the island of Cyprus; of which see Ac 4:36 whereas if the wind had been right for them, they would have sailed above the island; leaving it on the right hand, in …
97 wordsSECTION 405Acts 27:5
Acts 27:5 Ver. 5. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia,.... For these two seas joined, as Pliny says {f}, "mare Pamphylium Cilicio jungitur", the Pamphylian sea is joined to the Cilician; and in another place {g} he observes, that in the Pamphylian sea were islands of no note, and in the Cilici…
685 wordsSECTION 406Acts 27:6
Acts 27:6 Ver. 6. And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria,.... Alexandria was the chief city in Egypt, built by Alexander the great, from whom it took its name; it was situated near the sea, and had a famous haven or port, which R. Benjamin {n} calls hayrdnokla lv lmnh, "the port of Alexandria"; from hence …
341 wordsSECTION 407Acts 27:7
Acts 27:7 Ver. 7. And when we had sailed slowly many days,.... Because of contrary winds, as in Ac 27:4 or else for want of wind, as some think; the Syriac version renders it, "and because it sailed heavily"; that is, the ship being loaden with goods: and scarce were come over against Cnidus; or "Gnidus", as it is so…
514 wordsSECTION 408Acts 27:8
Acts 27:8 Ver. 8. And hardly passing it,.... That is, Salmone, with great difficulty, because of the winds: came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens; called by other writers Cale Acte, or the fair shore, and is placed by Ptolomy {c} in Eubaea, and by Herodotus {d} in Sicily; but by Stephanus {e} is said to b…
264 wordsSECTION 409Acts 27:9
Acts 27:9 Ver. 9. Now when much time was spent,.... In sailing against the wind, or by staying at the Fair Havens; for so the Syriac version renders it, "where we stayed a long time"; and the Ethiopic version, "and there we remained many days": it follows, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now …
295 wordsSECTION 410Acts 27:10
Acts 27:10 Ver. 10. And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive,.... Not only by the tempestuous weather which they had met with, and still continued, and which they must expect to have, if they continued on their voyage; but by a spirit of prophecy, which he was endued with, by which he foresaw, and so foretold, as follows;…
147 wordsSECTION 411Acts 27:11
Acts 27:11 Ver. 11. Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship,.... Who were either one and the same person, or if two persons, the one was the owner, whose the ship was, and the other, he that was at the helm, and steered and directed it; or the one might be the captain, and the other th…
460 wordsSECTION 412Acts 27:12
Acts 27:12 Ver. 12. And because the haven was not commodious to winter in,.... Which was called the "Fair Havens", Ac 27:8 which name it might have by an antiphrasis, it being just the reverse; it might be a good summer haven, but not be fit for winter: perhaps it might be an open road or bay, and having nothing to sh…
327 wordsSECTION 413Acts 27:13
Acts 27:13 Ver. 13. And when the south wind blew softly,.... Or moderately, which was a good wind for them: supposing that they, had obtained their purpose; that things would succeed according to their wish, and favour their design: loosing thence; from the Fair Havens; the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions render…
168 wordsSECTION 414Acts 27:14
Acts 27:14 Ver. 14. But not long after,.... They had not been long at sea, but there arose against it; the ship, or the island of Crete, or both:a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon; in the Greek text it is a "Typhonic" wind, so called, not from the name of a country from whence it blew; rather from Typho, the same …
10,412 wordsSECTION 415Acts 28:1
Acts 28:1 Ver. 1. And when they were escaped,.... From the danger they were exposed to by shipwreck, and were got safe to land; this is omitted in the Syriac version: then they knew that the island was called Melita; an island toward the African shore, where it is placed both by Pliny {g}, and Ptolomy {h}; in which, …
391 wordsSECTION 416Acts 28:2
Acts 28:2 Ver. 2. And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness,.... The inhabitants of this island are called barbarians, not from the country of Barbary, near to which they were; nor so much on account of their manners, for, though Heathens, they were a civil and cultivated people, being, as appears from the…
314 wordsSECTION 417Acts 28:3
Acts 28:3 Ver. 3. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks,.... Had picked up some sticks, and put them in a bundle fit for the fire, as everyone was busy to assist in this extremity; nor did the apostle think such an action below him, who in all things was a man of great humility and condescension: and laid the…
526 wordsSECTION 418Acts 28:4
Acts 28:4 Ver. 4. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast,.... The viper is called "Therion", a beast, it being of the viviparous kind; and hence comes "Theriaca", or "Venice treacle", the foundation of which composition is vipers' flesh; and it is called venomous, because it is of all serpents the most venomou…
655 wordsSECTION 419Acts 28:5
Acts 28:5 Ver. 5. And he shook off the beast into the fire,.... Having held it a while, and as being master of it, and as not being afraid of it, though it was the ready way to provoke it to fasten on him again: and felt no harm; it having not bit him, nor infected him with its poison; and hereby was fulfilled what o…
75 wordsSECTION 420Acts 28:6
Acts 28:6 Ver. 6. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen,.... With the venomous bite of the viper; swelling is one of the symptoms following the bite of this creature; and if the bite does not issue in death, yet the swelling continues inflamed for some time. The symptoms following the bite of a viper are sai…
719 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.