Stocks (vAov). Lit., thetimber. An instrument of torture having five holes, four for the wrists and ankles and one for the neck. The same word is used for the cross, ch. v. 80; x. 89; Gal. iii, 18; 1 Pet. ii. 24.
25. Prayed and sang praises (mpooevxopevor Duvovr). Lit., praying, they sang hymns. The pr aying and the praise are a: described as distinct acts. Their singing of hyinns was their prayer, probably Psalms.
Cu. XVI] THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 535
27. Would have killed (guedXev avarpetv). Rev., more cor- rectly, was about to kill. Knowing that he must suffer death for the escape of his prisoners.
29. A light (dé7a). Rev., more correctly, “éghts. Several lamps, in order to search everywhere.
Sprang in. See on ran in, ch. xiv. 14.
33. He took (raparaB8ov). Strictly, “took them along with (rapa) him :” to some other part of the prison.
Washed their stripes (€Xovcev amd Tav TAnyV). Properly, “ washed them from (azo) their stripes.” The verb Aovew ex- presses the bathing of the entire body (Heb. x. 23; Acts ix. 87; 2 Pet. ii. 22) ; while véarrew commonly means the washing of a part of the body (Matt. vi. 17; Mark vii. 3; John xiii. 5), The jailer bathed them; cleansing them from the blood with which they were besprinkled from the stripes.
34. Brought (dvayayov). Lit., “brought up (avd).” His louse would seem to have been above the court of the prison where they were. See on took, ver. 33.
Believing (semcrevxws). More correctly, having believed ; assigning the reason for his joy: “ in that he had believed.”
35. Serjeants (paBdovxous). Lit., those who hold the rod. The Roman Jictors. They were the attendants of the chief Roman magistrates.
‘¢Ho, trumpets, sound a war-note ! Ho, lictors, clear the way ! The knights will ride, in all their pride, Along the streets to day.” Macau.ay, Lays of Ancient Rome.
They preceded the magistrates one by one in a line. They had to inflict punishment on the condemned, especially on Roman
586 WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. [Cu. XVII.
citizens. They also commanded the people to pay proper re- spect to a passing magistrate, by uncovering, dismounting from horseback, and standing out of the way. The badge of their office was the fasces, an axe bound up in a bundle of rods; but in the colonies they carried staves.
Those men. Contemptuous.
37. They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men that are Romans. Hackett remarks that “almost every word in this reply contains a distinct allegation. It would be difficult to find or frame a sentence superior to it in point of energetic brevity.” Cicero in his oration against Verres relates that there was a Roman citizen scourged at Messina; and that in the midst of the noise of the rods, nothing was heard from him but the words, “Iam a Roman citizen.” He says: “It is a dreadful deed to bind a Roman citizen; it is a crime to scourge him ; it is almost parricide to put him to death.”
40. They went out. Note that Luke here resumes the third person, implying that he did not accompany them.