The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 316

H, notee. It ii knowu. to 'Ill ; •.e. thongh we with Moses nnd the prophets, whlle hi■ h&ve heard nothing agnin~t yon P&ul, we ad,·erearies, with theil· boaeted zenl for \ha have hc>e.rd of the ee<'t of the N&Zl\rcnee Law, were really its ant.e.Ronfets. The atU- e.nd hnve he&rd nothing but harm conoem- tude of the true Ce.tholics, in protesting ing it. Spoken e.ga.inst (&....-,:>..,-,,,.-,11); eee ngainst the corruptions and perversions of oh. xiii. 45; ver. 19; Rom. x. 21; Titus i. 9. the Church of Rome, and showing that they It ie c-alled e." 1111perstitio pr&ve., malefioa, ex- are the faithful followers of Boripture and itfabilis" (Pliny, • Ep.,' x. 96; Suetonius, of npostolio tradition, o.nd the true up • Nero,' 16 ; Tacitus, 'Annal.,' xv. 44; holders of the primitive discipline o.nd • Speaker'e CommmtH.ry '). doctrine of the Church, is very similar. Ver. 23.-They eame t,o him •nm hu lodg- Ver. 26.-Go thou for go, A.V.; by hear- tl'lf/ in great numb,,,. for there Mme many lo ing for hearing, A.V.: in no v,i,e for not, him into hi.I lodging, A.V.: e:i:pounded the A.V.; shall in 110 ,oise for not, A.V, Go matter for ezpottnded, A.V.; ttt.tifying for thou, ete. The quotation is o.11 but oor- and tutifed., A.V.: and perBttading for per- batim from the LXX. of lee.. vi. 9, 10. Bttad;ng, A. V.; from for ovt of (twice), A.V. Thie particular ohnpter was evidently Rill lodging; ~oia..eleewhere only in Philem. deemed one of great importe.nce, since our 22. It may well be ihe same as the "hired Lord quotes from it (Matt. xiii, 14, 15), o.nd dwellin;: "in ver. 30. Expounded (e(,.-18,.-o). St. John (John xii. 37--41), as well WI St. The verb governs the accusative .-1111 /30.111:>..,la.v Paul in the pnssage before us. By hearing .-oii e,ou, as in eh. xviii. 26, e.nd is not (ircoji). Why the LXX. translated p\cl!! by intransitive, ae in eh. xi. 4. Testifying; the eubete.nti ve ( arcop) instead of by the p:,,rti- 15,a.u.a.p.,-vpaµ,vos, e. favourite word of St. oiple (arco6011ru), as in the precisely similar Luke's, most commonly intransitive, and phrase which follows-/3:>..e1ro....-es, /3:>..El/,a.n so to be tnken here. It quo.lifi,-,s the verb --0.oee not appear. The Hebrew reads, as (sr·e Luke ni. 2S : eh. ii. 40 ; viii. 25; x. it is rendered in tile A.V., " Hear ye, . . . 42 ; xx. 23 ; xxiii. 11 ). It is transitive in e.nd see ye,'' etc., in the imperative mood, eh. =- 21, 24; doubtful in eh. xviii 5. The not differing much in sense (in prophetical kingdom of God. The gree.t subject-matter language) from the future. It is impossible of the gospel in all its pe.rt.s-gmce, righteous- to give the force in English exactly of the ness, glory, through .Jesus Christ (soe ver. repetition of the verb in the infinitive mood 31 and oh. XL 25). From the Law of lllloeea p\ct:t iypi;, and \tt:i 1tt7 by a very common and from the prophets (see Luke x:xiv. 27, Hebrew idiom. It is done imperfectly by 44). From morning till evening. So do the the word "indeed." Rosenmiiller quotes Jews frequent the housee of the missionaries from Demosthenes (' Contr. Aristogit.,' i.) to this day, e.nd listen with great interest the proverbial saying, 'Opwna.s µ.tJ op;jv, rcal and apparent eamestnese to their teaching. cLcoUovrcu µ.~ r&1eo6Et11. Ver. 24.-Di.sbeliei,ed for beliet100. not, Ver. 27.-This peqpk', heart for the heart A. V. The nsn&l division of the hearers of of #Au'peopk, A. V.; they l&ar,e for hat1e they, the Word. A. V.; lut haply they 1hould perceive for lest Ver. 25.-IsaiaA for Esaias, A.V.; your they should Bee, A. V, ; turn again for be con- for our, A.V. and T.R. When they agreed f/erted, A. V. Thie people's heart, etc. So the nat; a.cr6,.,.,,,,o, /,vru, only here in the New LXX. But the Hebrew hos the imperative Testament ; but 11vµ.tf>oo11<00, to agree, occurs form, "make fat,'' "make heavy," "shut," repeatedly (Luke v. 36 ; eh. v. 9: xv. 15; in the prophetical style (comp. Jer. i 10). and Matthew, passim); also 116µ,tpu,11os and They have closed (ircd.µ,µ,u11a.11). The verb cruµ,,pw.,.,,,ns (1 Cor. vii 5; 2 Cor. vi. 15), rca.µ.JJ-1,,,,, contracted from rca.-ra.JJ-6"' (µ.{,u,, to 'Atr6µ.,p,,,,,os occnrs in Wied. xviii 10 and close, from the action of the lips in r,ro- in cLisaica.l writers. Probably tile disagree- nouncing the sound JJ.v), means" to shut 'or ment led to eome altercation, and to the " close " the eyes. It is fonnd repeatedly exhibition of the usual bigotry and preju- in the LXX., o.nd, in the form Ka.-ra.µ,l,w, in dice &nd bitter opposition on the part of classical writers. The word "mystery" is tile unbelieving Jews. They departed; etymologically connected with it. The a1re:>..uoY'l"o , the proper word for the break- word here exprP.eses the wilfulne,, of their ing up of an BS11Bmbly (Matt. xiv. 15, 22, unbelief: " Ye will not come to me that ye 23: xv. 32, 39; eh. xv. 30; xiL 41, etc.). might have life." Well IJlll,ke the :S:oly Ghosl;. Note the d.Js- Ver. 28.-Thu aalvation for tlie 1alt1atum, tinct usertion of the inspiration of Iae.iah. A.V. and T.R.; they will al,o hear for and Compare the words of the Oreed, " Who that tlwJy will hear it, A.V. The A.V. gives spake by the prophet.I;" and for llimilar the sense better than the R. V. Thie sal· stateman.ta, see Mark m 36; Heh. iii. 7 ; vation ; .-1, 11..,,.-f,p,ol'. This form, instead of :a:. 15, ete. Note &leo how 11110lntely St. the more common O'Ul'l"1Jpla., i, found in Luke Paul maint.&ine hill own etandpoiDt as the ii. 30 : iii. 6 ; and Eph. vi. 17, The Gentiles faithful and oonmient Ianielit.e in aooord ' taee eh. xiii. 4(1; :itvili. 6 ; uii. 26; uvi. on. xxvrn. 1-31.] THE AC'l'S Ol1' THE .A.POSTLES. 325