The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 168

God whloh WIIS with him. And now he 1 Ver. 23.-Whioh have a vow; meanin,., 0 pours his tBle into the ears of the chief emphatically the vow of a Nazarite. pastor of the mother 0hurch of Jerusalem, Ver. 2-1,.-These for them, A.V.; /or them and those of the Jewish elders. A tale of for with them, A.V.; shall know for may wonder indeed I know, A.V.; there i, no truih in tlitJ thing8, Ver. 20.-Tliey, t.ahen they heard it for etc , for tlwse thing, .. , are n<>thing, A. V. ; when they heard it, they, A.V.; God for the 11aDe been for WP.re, A. V.; keeping for and Lord, A,V, o.nd T.R.; they said for said, keepest, A.V. As regards tbo transaction A.V.; there are among the Jews of them recommended by Ja.mes, Kypke (quoted by which have believed for of Jews there are Meyer) says, "It wa.s a receiver! thing- tohich believe, A.V. and T.R.; for the Law among the Jews, and was reckoned an act for of the Law, A.V. They . , , glorifted of eminent piety, for a rich man to under- God. There is not the slightest symptom take to bear, on behalf of poor Nazarites the on the po.rt of J amos and the elders of un- expense of those sacrifices which they'had friendliness towards St. Paul, or jealousy or to offer when they shaved their heads at opposition to his work among the Gentiles the expiration of their vow." Josephus (comp. G11.l. ii. 7-9). The appellation seems to allude to the custom, and to speak brother is o.nother indication of friendly of King Agrippa as acting in accordance feeling. Thousands (Greek µvp,a.Bes, tens with it, when he says of him that he ordered of thousands). These need not be deemed great numbers of Nazarites to he shaved to he all Jerusalem Jews; if applied to the (' Ant. Jud.,' XiL vi 1). The sacrifices Church at Jerusalem only, such a word wore costly, consisting of " three beasts, one wonld be probably a gross exaggeration ; for a. burnt offering, another for a sin offer• but there were great numbers of Jews of ing, and a tbird for a peace offering" the dispersion assembled at J ernsalem for (Lightfoot, vol. iL p. 307). Alexander Pentecost-probably o.11 the Christian Jews Jannmus is said to have contributed nine of Judmo., and many from Syria, Galatia, hundred victims for three hundred No.za- Pontus, and the various countries enume- rites (' Diet. of Bible,' under "Nazarite;" rated in oh, ii. 9-11. So that there might comp. 1 Maco. iii. 49). Purify thyself; be several myriads of converted Jews alto- ~:yvla-911.,.., the word used in tile LXX. of gether. All zealous for the Law. 'l'his is Numb. vi 2, S. 8 (with its compound a remarkable testimony to the unanimity lupa-yvlo-aa-9a,, and co-derivatives a-y,,e,a and of the Christian Jews in their attachment li-y,os) for the corresponding Hebrew 1'-!CI, to to the Law of Moses, and throws light upon take the Nazarito vow. St. Paul, therefore, the Epilltle to the Galatians and many became a Nazarite of days for seven days, other passages in St. Paul's Epistles. It intending at the end of the time to off-,r explains the great difficulty experienced in the prescribed sacrifices for himself and his the early Church in dealing with converts four companions (see, however, note on Yer. from Judaism. Zealous ((11Aw'l'al). So the 26, e.t the end). Be at oha.~ges for them fierce sect of Zee.lots were ealled at the time (6a,ra.v110-ov ._,,• au'l'Ois). Make the necessary of the Jewish we.re (see Joseph111l, 'Bell. expenditure on their account, that they may Jud.,' iv. vi. 1, and elsewhere), shave their heads, which they could not do Ver. 21.-Have been for are, A.V.; con- till the prescribed sacrifices were offered. cerning for of, A.V. ; telling them not for Ver. 25.-But a.a for a,, A. V.; have saying that they ou,ght not, A.V. Have been believed for belie-r,e, A .V. ; wrote girnng Judg- imormed (,caT11xfi6110-cw); see eh. xviii. 25; ,nent for hat1e written and con.eluded, A. Y. ; Luke i. 4; Rom. ii, 18, eto. The verb the R.T. omits the clause rendered that they properly means to instruct by word of obsert/B no ruch thing, sat1e only, in the A.V.; mouth, whence our "catechism." The ous- should, keep for keep, A. V. ; sacrificed for toms (.,.ois (Beu,); see eh. vi. 14, both for offered, A. V. ; t.ahat is strangled for strangl.ed, the phro.se e.nd the sentiment, and eh. xv. A.V. As touohing the Gentiles, etc. What 1, note; xxvi. 3; x.xviii. 17. "E9os is a follows is, of course, a quotation from " the favourite wr,rd of St. Luke's, occurring ten decrees that had been ordained of the times in hia Gospel and in the Acts, and apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem " only twice in the New Testament elsewhere (eh. xvi. 4), of which the text is given in eh. (John xix 40; Hob. x. /l"I; see Hobart, on xv. 19, 20, 28. Observe the use of tho Luke ii, 27). identioe.l words--,cplvw, in oh. xv. 19; xvi. ¼ ; Ver. 22.-The R.T. omits the clause in and in this verse; and of ,,..,a-Tell.Aw, in this the T.R. rendered the multitude must needs verse and in eh. xv. 20, with its cognate come together in the A. V.; they 1aiU oertainly 6«0'1'o71.a.µe9u and 11,rea-'l'dJucaµev, eh, xv. 2!, lear for they will hear, A.V. and •.r.B. The 27. This reference on the part of James to 1rdv'l'ws, which in the A.V. belongs to the ihe deorees Wll.ti very important a.s a con- emitted clause, is rendered " oertainly " in firmation of "the gospel which Paul ihe R.T. p,ee.cbed o.mong the Gentiles " (Gal. ii 2). 174 THE ACTS OF THJ<J .APOSTLES. [011, x.u. 1-40.