The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 255

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER vm men who feared God, and still loved Stephen as being himself a devout Jew though he Ver. 1.-There arose on that day for at WBB a disciple. Buried. 'Jlu-y,coµ.l(a, ooourre Owt time there 'I.Ml!, A.'V.; in for at, A.V. only here in the New Testament; but it.a Ssul WBB consenting to his death. St. Paul's oommon use for carrying corn to a barn or repeated reference to thie sad episode in his granary seems to indirate that "carrying to life is very touching (see oh. xxii. 20; his burial" of the A.V. is the most exaot 1 Cor. xv. 9; l Tim. i. 13). (For the word rendering. The word is said 1ilso to be .,..,,,,.8ooc•w, to <'0neent, see eh. xxii. 20; applied to the acts prepamtory to burial- Luke xi. 48; Rom. i. 32; l Cor. vii. 12.) closing the eyes, washing, anointing the Arose on that day. The phrase is manife~tly 'body, and so on; but this meaning is less the Hebrew one,~,;,:, c\•::i., so constantly used certain than that of'' carrying." in Isaiah and the ~ther prophets, not of B 'Ver. 8.-But for as/or, A.'V.; laid waste single day, but of a longer or shorter time, for he made ha'VOC of, A.V. From the dis- and means, e.s the A.V. has it, "at that time," persion of the disciples will flow the not the particular Tuesday or Wednesday narrative in this present chapter. It is on which Stephen was killed. If St. Luke therefore mentioned first. From the per- had meant to state that the persecution set secution of Saul will flow the narrative in in the very day on which Stephen we.e eh. ix. and to the end of the book, stoned, be would have expressed it much Stephen's burial completes the preceding more pointedly, and used a diEerent word narrative. from i-y.ivero. It is otherwise with cb. ii. 41 Ver. 4.-They fherefore for therefore they, and Luke xvii. 31, where the context A. 'V.; about for everywhere, A. V. Went defines the meaning, and confines it to a about; i.e. from place to place, and wher- specified day; just as the equivalent Hebrew ever they went they preached the Word. phrase is ss commonly applied to o. literal t:.,,pxoµ.,z, here is used in the same sense as day e.e to a time or period. The context in ver. 40, and in eh. :a:. 38; xvii. 23; xx. 25, shows which is the sense in which it is used. and elsewhere. Here the thing spoken of, the persecution, 'Ver. 5.-And for then, A.V.; proclaimed did not take place on a day. It lasted many unto them the Christ for preached CM ist unto davs. Therefore 71µ.<pa. means here "time." them, A.V. Philip; the deacon and evangelist Tiiey were a.11 soe.ttered. Just as the wind (eh. vi. 7; xxi. 8), not the apostle. As blows the seed to a distance to fructify in regards Sa.maria, it is always used in the different places. Exoept the apostles. TJ,ey, New Testament of the country, not of the like faithful watchmen, rem.a.ined at their city, which at this time was called Sebaete, post, to confirm the souls of those disciples from 'Jl,{Ja.cr-ros, i.e. Augllf!tus Caiso.r (see eh. who for one reason or another were unable xxv. 21, 26, etc.; John iv. 5; o.nd Josephus. to flee (for of course the word all must not 'Ant. Jud.,' xv. vii. 9). Whether, therefore, be pressed strictly), and to e1.hort them to we read with the 'l'.R. ...o>..w, or with the R.T. continue in the faith, as St. Paul did later .,.~,, ...&>..111, we must understand Samaria to at Lvstra, IC1Jnium, and Antioch ( eh. xiv. 22 ), mean the country, and probably the city and ·to keep up the nucleus of the Church to be the capital, Sebaste. Alford, however, in the metropolis of Christendom. with many others, thinks that l::iychem is Ver. 2.-Buried for carried to his burial weant, as in John iv. 5. (the le.et l.hree words in italics), A.V. Ver. 6.-The multitudea ga'De h~d with Devoll1 men; av5pES ,u>..a.{Jiis. This word one accord for the people with one accord is applied to Simeon (Luke ii 25 J, and to ga'DB heed, A.V.; the for those (things), A.V, tl.ie Jews who were assembled at Jerusalem that were spoken by Philip for which Philip on the day of Pentecost (eh. ii 5), and, spake, A.V.; when they heard and saw the uceording to the .R.T., to Ananie.e (eh. xxii sigm for hearing and Beeing the miracles, A.V. 12); but occurd nowhere else in the New Note St. Luke's favourite word, with one Testa.u.wnt. It is not certain, therefore, that aoeord (above, eh. ii. I, note). theJie men were Chri.&tie.n•, though they Ver. 7.-From many of thoae whioh had might be. If not, they were pious Jew11, unclean spirita, they came out cr-ving Ulitl, 11 OH, VIII, 1-40,] THE AOTS OF THE APOSTLES.