The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 258

Poter eo.w, w111 exe.otly the case with Simon, the road that goes from ,Jerusalem t0 Gnza, whose he11rt w11s not straight with Goel, where the country is desert." Philip wo.e but "hnd turned 11w11y from him," e.e it is to prooeed from Samaria along the south said In Deutoronomy. Though baptized, he country till he came to where the ,JeruAnlem was still an idofater in heart, o.nd likely to road met his road. That district, he is trouble mo.ny. "The gall of bitterness" reminded, w,e desert, part, i.e., of the desert is the same as "g111l 11nd wormwood," or of Judrea. The spot was probably selected "bitterness." " Gall," or "bile," is in clns- for that very reason, as affording the privacy sico.l Greek and other languages II synonym necessary for the eunuch to rear! in his for "bitterneBB," especially in a figurative chariot, and for Philip to join him and sense (see Lam. iii. 15, 19-1r11cpla ,cal xo"A.f,, expound the Word of God to him. Chry- LXX.). The uncommon phrase, the bond of sostom (followed by others) takes '"'-r/i. iniquity, seems to be borrowed from lea.. µe1171µ/3p[a11 in the sense of "at noonday lviii. 6, wheretheLXX. have the same worcls, "A.OE ,rc/..,.,.a. <10116e11µ011 l.6,,cla.s, "loose the ~~n~~~sU:t~;s:~~t!!r~~~~-~~~~.g~ix~; also bands of wickedness," A. V. Simon was Ver. 27.-Was 011er for had the charge of, still bound in these bands. A.V.; who for and, A.V. Candace. Accord- Ver. 24.-.And Simon answered for then ing to Pliny, the queens of Ethiopia, who annaered Simon, A.V.; for me to the Lord for reigned at lleroe, were so named throu:;h " t.o the Lord for me, A. V. : the for these, A. V. long course of yeare ('Nat.Hist.,' vi. :15-37). Pray ye, eto. : addressed to both Peter and Dion Cassius speaks of II warlike Queen of John, who were acting together, and whose Ethiopia of that name, who was brought to prayers had been seen to be effectuo.l (ver. terms by Caius Petronius in the year A.u.c. 15) in procuring the gift of the Holy Ghost. 732 (liv. 5, 4). Eusebius (' Eccl. Hist.,' lib. ii. In like manner, Pharaoh, under the influ- cap. i.) says that the custom still continued ence of terror at God's judgments, had asked in his day of the Ethiopians being governed again and again for the prayers of Moses hy a queen. lle.d oome to J'ernsalem, etc. and Ao.ron (Exod. viii. 8, 28; ix. 27, 28; He we.s doubtless II proselyte of the gate. x. 16, 17, eto.). But in neither case was Eusebius, in the place above cited, speaks oi this an evidenoe of true conversion of heart. him 88 the first Gentile convert, und as the Ver. 25.-Theytherefore for and they, A.V.; firstfruits of the faithful in the whole world. spoken for preached, A. V. : t.o many for in He adds, 88 Irenaius before him had hinted many,A.V. (iii. xii. 8), that he is reported to ha.veprea.ched Ver. 26.-But an angel for and the angel, the gospel to the Ethiopians, by which the A.V.; the same is for which is, A. V. An prophecy of Ps. 1xviii. 31 was fulfilled. Later angel. "The angel," o.s in A.V., is right, traditioll8 speak of Candace as baptized by just e.s ~11oµa. Kuplou (Matt. xxi. 9 : xxiii. 39: him. Luke xix. 38, eto.) and n~,; CtP. in Hebrew Ver. 28.-.And lie tDaB for .aas, A.V.; was mean " the Name of the Lord," not "a reading for read. A.V.; Isaiah for Esaias, Name" (see eh. v. 19: vii. 31, notes). The A.V., the Hebrew for the Greek form. The south, meaning that part of Judaia which diffusion of the Holy Scriptures among the we.s oa.Iled "the south country;" H.ibrew Gentiles by means of the Jewish dispersion :iit'J (Gen. xx. 1; xxiv. 62; etc.). This and the facility given to Gentiles for read. ing the Scriptures by their translation into is generally rendered in the LXX. by 1rpbs Greek at Alexo.ndria, and by the universal >..llJa or 1tpbs 110-ro11. But in 1 Sa.m. xx. 41, use of the Greek language through the con- in Symmaohus, µ•<111µ1Jp/a stands as the quests of Alexander the Great, are striking rendering of :iJJli, As rego.rds the words, iustances of the providence of God working the same is desert, it is observable that in all things after the counsel of lw own will. Numb. xxi. 1 and Dent. xxxiv. 3 (p11µos is Ver. 29.-.And for ihen, A.V. the LXX. rendering of c::iin, and that part of Ver. 30.-Ran for ran thither, A.V.; read- the country is called '' the wilderness of ing Isaiah the p-rophet for read the prophet J udaia." 'fhe words of the angel, therefore, Esaiaa, A.V. and T.R. Heo.rd him. He was mean, not that Gaza is desert, nor that the reading aloud. In Hebrew, the word for "to road itself is desert, but that the country to which he was directing Philip's journey read " (lt~P.) means " to oall,'' "to proclaim was part of that known as the desert : a.~-r11 aloud." Hence the keri, that which is read, 88 distinguished from the cethib, that which does not refer to <16os or to r.i~·.,, but to -;ic:cl,pa, understood as contained in lp71µos. is written. Reading Isaiah the prophet. The The meaning of the whole sentence I take same providence which sent Philip to meet to ho as follows:-" Take thy journey in him in the desert doubtlesd directed his read- [or, 'by'.] the south [oomp. Luke xv. 14; oh. ing to the fifty-third ohapter of the great v. 15: XL 1; xiii. l] as for as ['1ri, • not11ns evangelical prophet. looUJQ vel tenllUl.lll!l ad 4ue~• (Sohleusner)J Ver. s1.-0r1uhall for 111GA sAot.Z<I, .\.V. 254: THE AOTS OF THE APOSTLES. [on. vm. 1-40,