Bible Commentaries

Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

Men, brethren, and fathers — They that spake for themselves before the Areopagites in Athens, were required to do it ανευ παθων και προοιμιων , without passions or prefaces, not so here.

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2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

In the Hebrew tongue — See Trapp on " Acts 21:40 "

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I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

At the feet of Gamaliel — Among the Jews, the Rabbi sat, termed éåùá or the sitter the scholar was called îäáì÷ or one that lies along in the dust, a token of the scholar’s humility, subjecting himself even to the feet of his teacher, as here, and Luke 10:39 ; 2 Kings 2:5 . Knowest thou not that the Lord will take thy master from thine head? A phrase taken from their manner of sitting in the schools. This, same custom (saith one) it is thought St Paul laboured to bring into the Christian Church,1 Corinthians 14:6; 1 Corinthians 14:6 . (Godw. Antiq. Heb.)

And was zealous toward God — With a blind zeal, which is no better than mettle in a blind horse than fire on the chimney top, than the devil in the demoniac, which threw him into the fire sometimes, and sometimes into the water.

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And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

See Trapp on " Acts 9:1 "

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As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

See Trapp on " Acts 9:2 "

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And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

See Trapp on " Acts 9:3 "

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And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

See Trapp on " Acts 9:4 "

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And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

I am Jesus of Nazareth — Why saith our Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth? Doth any good come out of Nazareth? Why saith he not rather I am Jesus the Son of God, the heir of the world … Nazareth was a reproach cast upon Christ and he glories in it: should not we prefer the reproach of Christ before the highest honour the world can do us?

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