성경 주석서

Acts 9:1. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings, &c.— This is a very emphatical expression, and shews the implacable hatred which Saul bore to the Christian profession; and it must have increased his rage to hear, that those whom he had been instrumental in driving from Jerusalem, were so successful in spreading that religion which he was so eager to root out. The person now in the office of high priest, seems to have been Caiaphas, the inveterate enemy of Christ: he would therefore gladly employ so active and bigotted a zealot as Saul; and it is well known, that the Sanhedrim, however its capital power might have been abridged by the Romans, was the supreme Jewish Court, and had great influence and authority among their synagogues abroad. There are several disputes concerning the time of this transaction. Spanheim advances several arguments to prove, that it happened six or seven years after Christ's death, about the fourth year of Caligula, in the year 40. Benson and others, agreeably to Pearson's Chronology, think it was sooner; but the exact time cannot be fixed by any circumstances transmitted to us.

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Acts 9:2. And desired of him letters— These letters contained a mandate from the high-priest, empowering him to act, as appears from chap. Act 26:12 where they are explained by the words authority and commission; and Saul seems to have been a very proper person for executing those orders at that time, being a young man, warm in his temper, and possessed with a most intemperate zeal for Judaism. Damascus was the principal city of Syria, situated on the east sideof the mountain Antilibanus, about one hundred and twenty miles north-east from Jerusalem. How much it abounded with Jews, may partly appear from Josephus, who in one place takes notice of the inhabitants shutting up and destroying in the Gymnasium 10,000 Jewsin one hour. In another place he represents the Damascenes, as having murdered 18,000 Jews, with theirwives and children. A place which so much abounded with Jews, was very likely to have some Christians; and Saul most probably had heard that there were several converts at this place. But it may be inquired, by what authority Saul could execute at Damascus the commission given him by the high-priest? The letters were directed to the Synagogues at Damascus, and the Jews were generally indulged, in foreign states where they settled, with their synagogue worship, and the exercise of their church discipline. But can it be supposed that they were empowered to send persons, even those of their own nation, out of other countries, in order to their being punished at Jerusalem? This seems inconsistent with the laws of nations, and derogatory to the honour of states in general: but Herod, who beheaded John the Baptist, was at that time in possession of Damascus, and greater liberty was then granted the Jews than afterwards; for the year following, a war broke out between Herod and his father-in-law Aretas king of Arabia, in which Herod being defeated, Damascus came into the hands of Aretas, who placed a governor in it; and therefore not long after, when Saul returned thither, and preached Christ in the Synagogues, though the Jews designed to kill him, yet they did not attempt it without the governor's notice, who favoured them so far, as to place a garrison at the gates in order to apprehend him, 2Co 11:32 and this perhaps he might do, both to prevent disturbances, and the better to reconcile them to the government of their new prince. See the note on Isaiah 17:1.

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Acts 9:7. Stood speechless, hearing a voice— Stood perfectly astonished;—stood fixed and confounded. The original implies the attitude of a person who is so astonished as not to be able to stir. In chap. Act 22:9 it is said, that they did not hear the voice of him that spake: but this is easily reconciled with the present passage, by the double sense of the Greek word φωνη, which signifies either a human voice, or indistinct sound of words, in general; or a distinct voice or speech. In the passage before us, it is to be understood in the general sense, and in the other as denoting a distinct and articulate sound of words, intelligible to the hearers: so that the companions of Saul heard a voice, but not in so clear a manner as to understand what was said. And this seems to be further confirmed from hence, that we do not find that any of them embraced the Christian truths or dispensation, which probably would have been the case, had it been designed for the conviction of any but Saul himself. So Joh 12:29 those present when the voice from heaven came to Christ, heard the sound, so as to take it for thunder, without distinctly understanding what was said. From St. Paul's taking such particular notice that the voice spake unto him in the Hebrew tongue, chap. Acts 26:14. Dr. Benson thinks we may gather, that possiblyhis companions might be Hellenistic Jews, who, though theyheard the sound of the words, yet did not understand their meaning,—for not hearing is frequently put in scripture for not understanding; see particularly 1Co 14:2 in the original. And it does not appear, that Saul informed them who it was that made this glorious appearance unto him, or what the voice had said: very likely he kept it secret from every one, at least till he had received further directions in Damascus. It is said also, that they saw no man; and the case was the same with the men who were with Daniel when he saw the vision, Daniel 10:7.

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Acts 9:8. And when his eyes were opened, he saw no man:— And though his eyes were open, he was incapable of discerning objects, and saw no one man of those who stood near him; forhis nerves were so affected with the glory of that light, which had shone from the body of Jesus, that he had lost the power of sight. The divine Glory had struck his bodily eyes quite blind; as the eyes of his understanding had hitherto been in the midst of the marvellous light of the gospel: see ch. Acts 22:11. But the judicious reader, desirous of enteringfully into this wonderful transaction, will not refer to single verses only, but will diligently compare the whole account, as given by St. Paul himself.

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Acts 9:9. And he was three days without sight,— Scales grew over his eyes, not only to intimate to him the blindness of the state that he had been in, but to impress him also with the deeper sense of the almighty power of Christ, and to turn his thoughts inwards, while he was rendered less capable of conversing with external objects. This would also be a manifest token to others, of what had happened to him in his journey, and ought to have been very convincing and humbling to those bigoted Jews, to whom, as the most probable associates in the cruel work that he intended, the sanhedrim had directed those letters, which Saul would no doubt destroy as soon as possible. It is very doubtful, and cannot at present be determined, whether the fast of three days, here mentioned, was a voluntary one, undertaken by Saul, in consequence of his deep humiliation on account of his former persecutions, or whether it was the result of that bodily disorder, into which he was thrown by the vision, and of the attachment of his mind to those new and astonishing divine revelations, with which during this time he seems to have been favoured. See 2 Corinthians 12:1.Galatians 1:11; Galatians 1:11. If we compare the prophet Daniel's being affected by some of his visions, with this case of Saul, we shall find that they bear a great resemblance;only Daniel had not been guilty of such great crimes, and consequently did not pass through such bitter repentance, as Saul had. See the Reflections on this chapter.

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Acts 9:10. Ananias;— As we read of Ananias only in this history, it is difficult to determine who he was. Some suppose him to have been a native of Jerusalem, and to have first planted the gospel at Damascus. Some of the ancients say, that he was one of the seventy disciples; others, from his being called a devout man according to the law, ch. Act 22:12 have thought that he was a proselyte of righteousness. Perhaps he was a native of Damascus, converted at the first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended, and afterwards honoured him with this embassy to Saul, as a Christian of the oldest standing in that place, and so very probably an officer of the church there; which the commission to baptize him may further intimate. We may remark that God himself appoints a man to teach Saul, as an angel did in the case of Cornelius, ch. Act 10:5 in admirable condescension dealing with us by men like ourselves.

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Acts 9:15. He is a chosen vessel, &c.— Beza observes, that an instrument of building, agriculture, &c. is often expressed in Greek by the word σκευος ; and the word may very probably have that signification here. For he is my chosen instrument to bear my name, &c. Polybius uses this same word personally, in order to denote one extremely proper for a particular design. Ananias could not infer from these words of our Lord, that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles while they continued uncircumcised,—a mystery which St. Peter did not yet know; for Christ might have used theseexpressions, had St. Paul been brought before Heathen kings for preaching him as a Messiah to the Jews and proselytes.

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Acts 9:16. I will shew him how great things he must suffer— If this intimates, as some very learned commentators seem to think, that Saul should presently have a revelation, and perhaps a visionary representation of all his sufferings, it must appear a most heroic instance of courage and zeal, under the power of grace, that with such a view he should offer himself to baptism, and go on so steadily in his ministerial work. Never surely was there, on that supposition, a more lively image of that adorable Lord, who so resolutely persevered in his work, though he knew all things that were to come upon him.

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