Acts 23 Acts 23:1–5 Paul, pleading his integrity, is smitten at the command of the high priest, whom he reproveth of injustice. Acts 23:6–9 By declaring himself a Pharisee, and questioned for the hope of the resurrection, he causeth a division in the council.

Said, Men and brethren; acknowledging himself to have descended from the patriarchs as well as they; and bespeaks, as much as he could, their favour and attention.

Them that stood by him; the officers, probably. To smite him on the mouth; thus Micaiah was smote by Zedekiah the false prophet, 1 Kings 22:24, and Jeremiah by Pashur, Jer. 20:2; and our blessed Lord escaped not this suffering and indignity, John 18:22.

Thou whited wall; an excellent similitude to represent wicked men, especially hypocrites, by, who counterfeit God’s glory and worship, whilst they intend only their own profit or grandeur. Thus our Saviour compared the scribes and Pharisees unto whited sepulchres, Matt. 23:27.

These partial parasites take no notice of the real injury done unto Paul by the high priest, and readily catch at the seeming calumny spoke by Paul against him.

I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest; Paul does not here ironically say this, because the high priest had, contrary to his place and office, caused him to be smitten; but either: 1. Because he knew now no high priest on earth, but only Christ in heaven to be our High Priest, Heb. 8:1.

I am a Pharisee; in his former profession, opinion, and conversation; and now also in the points that were controverted betwixt them: and St. Paul, with his dove like innocency, does in this but make use of the serpentine subtlety, to preserve himself, and to gain credit unto the truths of the…

Not only of the common people, or standers-by, but of the senators and judges; God by this means dividing and infatuating of them, that they could not bring about Paul’s intended destruction.

The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection; against this our Saviour argued, Matt. 22:23;c. Neither angel; it seems strange that they should deny that there were angels, whereas they owned the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses, in which mention is made frequently of angels: but it seems that…

Scribe is a name denoting an office or place; and the sribes were men skilled in the law. A spirit or an angel; ome take the latter to be exegetical of the former, and that by a spirit is only meant an angel; by such messengers God many times sending his messages to the children of men.

A great dissension: feuds about pretended religion are usually among all men very sharp, because their opinions, being the issues of their own brains, are more beloved than their children, the fruit of their bodies.

The Lord stood by him; in a revelation appearing inwardly to his mind; which is the rather thought to have been so, because it is here said to have been in the night; but whether by vision or revelation, it is all one as to this purpose, and neither were unfrequent unto Paul, 2 Cor. 12:1.

If they did not kill Paul before they did eat or drink any more, they wished that they might become a cherem, or anathema; as Jericho and the inhabitants thereof were, being devoted to utter ruin and destruction.

They made themselves sure (they thought) of killing Paul; there were above forty to one. The church’s enemies are unanimous and resolute. As David formerly, so might now Paul say, They that are mad against me are sworn against me, Ps. 102:8.

They came to the chief priests and elders, whose place and office it was to have dissuaded such an abominable murder: For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, Mal. 2:7. And they could not but have been guilty of the blood of St.

Ye with the council; the chief priests are to join with the council in this desire to the chief captain; for they had no authority to command him. As though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: the plot against Paul’s life was laid very deep, and not easily to be discovered; it…

Paul’s sister’s son, who is thought to have been one of Paul’s company: but the hatred against Paul by the Jews being so general, because of his (supposed) profaning of the temple, they were not so curious who they spake to of this confederacy and design.

The chief captain having the command of a thousand soldiers, there were ten captains under him: one of these Paul intrusts with his message to the chief captain, not making any particular request unto the chief captain, supposing him to have so much of the Roman justice in him, that when he…

The centurion took Paul’s kinsman, and went with him, as he was desired, unto the chief captain, that there might be no mistake, but that he might hear all out of the young man’s own mouth, and be the more affected with it.

He took him by the hand, as a token of courtesy; these commanders showing an excellent example of humanity and pity towards their inferiors and supposed criminals.

The Jews; both the council, and those forty and upwards spoken of, in Acts 23:12–13.

Do not thou yield unto them; this the young man desires out of his care for his uncle’s (Paul’s) preservation, as also touched with the horror of the fact if it should have been executed; and howsoever, by this means he delivers his own soul, having done his utmost to hinder it.

The chief captain shows by this his care, both for St. Paul, and for the young man too; for had it been known that he had discovered their conspiracy, they would have sought his life, and might divers ways have taken it away; and as for Paul, being disappointed in this, they would have made other…

Make ready two hundred soldiers; two hundred were the usual proportion or number of men which were under the two centurions; so that they were commanded to have their companies in readiness. And horsemen threescore and ten; horsemen being usually added for defence of their foot soldiers.

What a strong guard and retinue does God by his providence get together for the safe guarding of Paul! None of all these intended the least good unto him; but God can make use of them as effectually as if they had had the greatest good will for him.

It is not certain whether the following words were the letter itself, or only the sum or contents of the letter.

Most excellent; a title given to persons of great eminency, as, Luke 1:3, it is given to Theophilus, unto whom also this book of the Acts is inscribed, Acts 1:1.

He represents Paul’s case fairly and indifferently, God overruling his heart and pen; but withal, he conceals his binding of him, and instead thereof magnifies his care of him, being a Roman; and probably being touched with a sense of his fault, he represents Paul’s case the better.

The council understanding those questions (as he thought) best, and having yet retained some power fron the Romans concerning them.

According to the Roman laws, or imperial constitutions. That he undervalued the great things in question concerning our blessed Saviour’s death and resurrection, and the whole gospel, it is not to be wondered at; he spake and wrote as a pagan; and God overruled his very slighting of these…

The Jews laid wait for the man; this reflects upon the Jews, as being seditious, and ready to attempt against the government; as also gives the governor an account why he troubled him with this prisoner, and why he sent so great a guard with him.

Not that they came to Antipatris by night; but they began that journey by night, as Acts 23:23, and went as much of it as they could by night, for fear of being discovered, and attempted upon by the Jews.

The footmen returned to the castle or fort of Antonia in Jerusalem, from whence they did set out, there being no fear of any such design upon Paul at that distance from Jerusalem, which the horsemen might not easily avoid.

Caesarea; Caesarea Stratonis, as it was called, to difference it from the other. They presented Paul, as being their charge, whom they had safely kept, and now delivered according to appointment.

He asked of what province he was; Palestine and the countries thereabouts being divided into several heptarchies or jurisdictions, the governors were very loth to infringe the limits of one another.

I will hear thee thoroughly, the whole matter, as the preposition δια, here used, does import; and as it is commanded unto all judges, Deut. 1:16. When thine accusers are also come; for this the dictate of nature did teach the very heathen, that both parties ought to be heard before anything were…