131 who was now "breathing menace and murder against the disciples" was entertained by him as a christian guest; see 21, 8. Luke's narrative brings us frequently to Cæsarea. It was about sixty miles northwest from Jerusalem, on the Mediterranean, south of Carmel. It was the ancient Eтрáτwvos núрyos, which Herod the Great had rebuilt and named Cæsarea in honor of Augustus. It was now the residence of the Roman procurators. Its inhabitants were mostly heathen; the Jewish population was small. CHAPTER IX. V. 1-9. Christ appears to Saul on the Way to Damascus. .... V. 1. dé, but, turns the attention again to Saul. - ἔτι connects this verse with 8, 3. — ἐμπνέων . . . . φόνου, breathing menace and murder; in 26, 11, épμaivóμevos. The figure is founded apparently ἐμμαινόμενος. on the fact, that a person under the excitement of strong emotion breathes harder and quicker, pants, struggles to give vent to the passion of which he is full (Wetst., Kyp., Kuin., Olsh.). veiv Tivos, to breathe of something, to be redolent, is a different expression. The genitive in this construction denotes properly that from or out of which one breathes, as the cause, source; the accusative, that which one breathes, as the substance, element. See W. § 30. 9. c; Mt. § 376. Meyer translates éμrvéwv, inhaling; but év in this compound was generally lost; see Tromm's Concord. s. v. — Tập ȧpxipei. If Saul was converted in A. D. 36, the high-priest was Jonathan, the successor of Caiaphas and a son of Ananus, or Annas; but if he was converted in 37 or 38, the high-priest was Theophilus, another son of Annas. V. 2. émoтodás, letters, which were not merely commendatory, but armed him with full power to execute his object; see v. 14; 26, 12. The Jews in every country recognized the Sanhedrim as their highest ecclesiastical tribunal. In v. 14 below, and in 26, 10, Paul says that he received his authority from the ȧpxɩpeîs, and in 22, 5, from the πрeσßuтéρiov, which are merely different modes of designating the Sanhedrim; see on 4, 5. He says here that he had his commission from the high-priest; which harmonizes entirely with the other passages, since the high-priest represented the Sanhedrim in this act. On receiving Saul's application, he may have convened that body, and have been formally instructed to issue the letters. The proposal was sufficiently important to engage the attention of the entire council. — eis Aaμaσkóv states the local destination of the letters. This ancient capital of Syria was still an important city, and had a large Jewish population. It lay northeast of Jerusalem, distant about one hundred and forty miles, which made for those times a journey of six or eight days.—pòs tàs ovvaywyás, unto the synagogues, i. e. the officers of them, who were the apxσυναγωγός (Luke 8, 49), and the πρεσβύτεροι associated with him (Luke 7, 3). The former term was sometimes applied to them both; see 13, 15; Mark 5, 22. These rulers formed a college, whose province it was, among other duties, to punish those who deserted the Jewish faith. De Wet. Heb. Archæol. § 244. Hence it belonged to them to discipline those who joined the christian party; or, as it was proposed in this instance, to carry them to Jerusalem, to aid Saul in their discovery and apprehension. — Ts ódoû, i. e. kar' ¿¿oxýv, of the (well-known christian) way in regard to faith, manner of life, etc.; comp. 19, 9. 23; 22, 4; 24, 14. 22. See the idea expressed more fully in 16, 17; 18, 25. W. § 20. 3. ódoû depends on ovras under the rule of appurtenance, property. K. § 273. 2; C. § 387. V. 3. ἐν δὲ τῷ πορεύεσθαι, κ. τ. λ., Now while he journeyed, it came to pass (Hebraistic) that he, etc.- Aapark depends on the Δαμασκῷ verb (K. § 284. 3. 2); not the dative of the place whither. — Tepińoτpayev avtòv pôs, a light gleamed around him. The preposition in the verb governs auróv. In 22, 6, it is repeated, according to the rule stated on 3, 2. In 22, 6, Paul says that the light which he saw was a powerful light, and in 26, 13, that it exceeded the splendor of the sun at noonday. V. 4. KOVσE, K. T. λ. See also 22, 7; 26, 14. The necessary inference is, that Saul heard audible words, and not merely that an impression was made upon him as if he heard them. It was a part of the miracle that those who accompanied him heard the voice of the speaker, but failed to distinguish the words uttered. The communication was intended for Saul, and was understood, therefore, by him only. V. 5. Tis el, kúpie; Who art thou, Lord? He did not know yet that it was Christ who addressed him. Hence kúpe has the significance which belongs to it as recognizing the fact, that an angel, or perhaps God himself, was now speaking to him from heaven. To suppose it used by anticipation, i. e. as denoting him who proved to be Christ, makes it Luke's word, and is unnatural. The remainder of the verse, as it stands in the common text, viz. σκληρὸν . . . . λακτίζειν, has been transferred to this place from 26, 14. .... The words καὶ ὁ κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν have - ἀλλά occurs often before a command V. 6. Most of the manuscripts begin this verse with aλá. The sentence τρέμων .... ποιῆσαι (which the English translation has copied) is wanting in the best authorities. It rests chiefly upon some of the early versions. been derived from 22, 10. abruptly given; comp. 10, 20; 26, 16. W. § 57. 4; K. § 322. R. 12. καὶ λαληθήσεται, κ. τ. λ. It would appear from 26, 16 – 18, that Christ may have made to Saul, at this time, a fuller communication than Luke has reported. The verb here does not exclude that supposition; for it may import that, on his arrival in the city, he should be confirmed in what he had heard, or instructed further, in regard to his future labors. Some prefer to consider Paul's narrative before Agrippa as the abridged account. The message which Ananias delivered to Saul was a message from Christ; and as the apostle makes no mention of Ananias in 26, 16 sq., it is very possible that he has there, for the sake of brevity, passed over the intermediate agency, and referred the words directly to Christ, which Christ communicated to him through Ananias. This would be merely applying the common maxim, Quod quis per alium facit, id ipse fecisse putatur. V. 7. eiorýkelσav évveoí, stood, stopped, speechless, overcome by amazement and terror; comp. μpoßoɩ éyévovтo, in 22, 9. The adjective is more correctly written éveoí. W. § 5. 1. This verb often means to stand, not as opposed to other attitudes, but to be fixed, stationary, as opposed to the idea of motion; comp. 8, 38; Luke 5, 2. See the Class. Lexx. s. v. In this sense the passage is entirely consistent with 26, 14, where it is said that when they heard the voice they all fell to the ground. Plainly it was not Luke's object to say that they stood erect in distinction from kneeling, lying prostrate, and the like; but that, overpowered by what they saw and heard, they were fixed to the spot; they were unable for a time to speak or move. The conciliation which some adopt (Bng., Kuin.) is that they at first fell to the ground, but afterwards rose up and stood. · ἀκούοντες μὲν τῆς φωνῆς, hearing indeed the voice. The Some For in genitive after this verb points out the source or cause of the hearing; the accusative (see v. 4), that which one hears. See the Note on v. 1. In 22, 9, Paul says, in reference to the same occurrence, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν οὐκ ἤκουσαν τοῦ λαλοῦντός μοι, which we may render, but they understood not the voice of him speaking to me. ȧkovw, like the corresponding word in other languages, means not only to hear, but to hear so as to understand. Of the latter usage, the New Testament furnishes other clear examples. 1 Cor. 14, 2: "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue, speaketh not unto men, but unto God; for no man understands him,". · οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀκούει ; comp. v. 16, where ȧkovet passes into oide. Mark 4, 33: "And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to understand it,"- καθὼς ἠδύναντο ἀκούειν. reckon here John 6, 60; Gal. 4, 21, and other passages. stances of this sense in the classics, see Rob. Lex. s. v. The same usage exists in the Hebrew. One of the definitions of yo (see Gesen. Lex. s. v.) is to understand. In Gen. 42, 23, it is said that Joseph's brethren "knew not that he heard them" (i. e. understood, in the Eng. vers.); "for he spoke unto them by an interpreter." See also Gen. 11, 7. The English language has the same idiom. We say that a person is not heard, or that we do not hear him, when, though we hear his voice, he speaks so low or indistinctly that we do not understand him. The intelligence of the writer forbids the idea of a palpable contradiction in the two passages. Since in 22, 9 we have porn, and here in v. 7 pwns, some would attribute to the genitive a partitive sense, i. e. something of the voice, or indistinctly. But the difference does not hold; for in 22, 7, Paul says of himself kovσa povns, where he cannot mean that he had only a confused perception of what was said to him. Some prefer to vary the sense of povń, viz. noise or sound in this place, but voice in 22, 9. But allowing the word to admit of that distinction (see on 2, 6), it is much less common than the proposed variation in ȧkoúw, and much less probable here, since the use of the verb would be varied in passages so remote from each other, whereas own would have different senses in almost successive verses. · μηδένα δὲ θεωροῦντες, but seeing no one who could have uttered the voice. This appears to be denied of Saul's companions, in opposition to what was true of him, viz. that simultaneously with the light he had seen a personal manifestation of Christ; comp. v. 17; 22, 18. To this fact it is generally supposed that Paul alludes in 1 Cor. 9, 1, where he mentions his having seen the risen Saviour as an evidence of his equality with the other apostles; see the Note on 1, 3. Neander, De Wette, Meyer, Osiander, and others, maintain this view. V. 8. ἀνεωγμένων . . . . αὐτοῦ, and when his eyes were opened, i. e. his eyelids, which he had spontaneously closed when struck with the gleaming light. This expression refers usually to the recovery of one's eyesight, as in Matt. 9, 30; John 9, 10. 20. etc. - οὐδένα *Вλene, saw no one, i. e. of his companions, because he was blinded; not, as in v. 9, no one from whom the voice came (Bng.). The next clause requires this sense. V. 9. un accompanies Bénov, where we might expect où; comp. the other clause. Winer thinks (§ 59. 4) that the denial may be opposed to the idea that Saul might have regained his sight before the expiration of three days. Meyer says that the negatives are interchanged here. V. 10-18. Ananias is sent to Saul, and baptizes him. V. 10. That Ananias was one of the seventy disciples is an unsupported conjecture of some of the older writers. — ó kúpιos, i. e. Christ, see v. 17. — ¿doù éyw This answer implies that the person hears, and waits to listen further; comp. Gen. 22, 1. 7 ; 27, 1; 1 Sam. 3, 8, etc. V. 11. On ávaσtás, see v. 18. — þúμŋv, alley, rather than street. "This morning," says 66 Maundrell, we went to see the street called Straight. It is about half a mile in length, running from east to west through the city. It being narrow, and the houses jutting out in several places on both sides, you cannot have a clear prospect of its length and straightness." The present name of this street may have come down from the age of Paul. — Tapoéa, a native of Tarsus (22, 3); see on v. 30. · ἰδοὺ γάρ, κ. τ. λ. This is mentioned as a reason why he might be sure of a favorable reception. V. 12. kai eidev, K. T. λ., and has seen a man, (made known to him in the vision as) Ananias by name. – ἐπιθέντα αὐτῷ χεῖρα, placing hand upon him, as a sign of the benefit which he was to be the medium of communicating; comp. on 6, 6. The expression is indefinite, like that in 12, 1. Lachmann thinks the authority sufficient to read ràs xeîpas, as in v. 17.ȧraßλén, might see again. This sense, out of the New Testament, is not common; an instance of it occurs at the close of Plut. de sera Num. vindicta. |