ties ; others, as Calvin and many others, refer it to what fol- lows, i. e., to the account which he was about to give of his escape from Damascus. To give this explanation the more plausibility, Meyer assumes that Paul had intended to intro- duce an extended narrative of his escape and sufferings, be- ginning with the incident at Damascus, but was interrupted and did not carry out his intention. As, however, there is no intimation of this in the context, it is probable that the refer- ence is to the w^hole of the preceding narrative. He intended to satisfy his readers that he had not exaggerated or over- stated his sufferings. God knew that all he had said was true.
32. Ill Damascus tlie governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes Avith a garrison, desirous to apprehend me.
It is useless to inquire why Paul introduces, as it were, as an after-thought, this disconnected account of his escape from Damascus. It is enough that the fact occurred to him when writing, and that he saw fit to record it. The account here given agrees with that found in Acts 9, 24. 25, except that there the attempt to apprehend the apostle is attributed to the Jews, and here to the governor of the city. There is no* inconsistency between the two. The governor acted no doubt at the instigation of the Jews. He had no grievance of his own to redress or avenge. The governor, or ethnarch^ a term applied to a vassal prince, or ruler appointed by a sovereign over a city or province. Governor imder^ literally, o/ Aretas the king. Aretas was a common name of Arabian kings, as Pharaoh of the kings of Egypt. A king of that name is men- tioned as contemporary with the high-priest Jason, and with the king Antiochus Epiphanes. The one here referred to was the fatlier-in-law of Herod Antipas. Herod having re2:)udiated the dnughtcr of Aretas, the latter declared war against him and totally defeated his army. Vitellius, proconsul of Syria, undertook to punish him for this assault on a Roman vassal, but was arrested on his march by the death of tlie emperor Tiberius. It is commonly supposed that it was during this respite that Aretas, who was king of Petra, gained temporary possession of Damascus. J'CejJt the city of the Damasce^ies^ not, besieged the city^ but as it is expressed in Acts, watched