Bible Commentaries

I know thee to be expert, &c. Agrippa being himself a Jew.

And am judged; am upon trial.--The hope of the promise, &c.; meaning the promise that a Messiah was to come. His belief that Jesus was the Messiah--that is, his belief in the realization of that hope--had been the true origin of the difficulty.

Our twelve tribes. Such phraseology was still used to denote the Jewish nation, though ten of the tribes had long before been scattered and lost.

Compelled; urged and pressed them.--To blaspheme; to abjure Christ.

The pricks; the goads.

To small and great; to high and low.

That should rise from the dead, and should show; that is, probably, whose resurrection should show.

With a loud voice; in order that the whole assembly might hear the taunt.

The king.--Agrippa.--Knoweth of these things; of the facts respecting the death and resurrection of Christ, and Paul's conversion.

It is not probable that Agrippa was in earnest in this remark; for, even if a serious impression had been made upon his mind, he would not probably have expressed the interest which he felt, so abruptly on such an occasion. The supposition that he was not serious is confirmed by Paul's answer, which has the character of a serious reply to a jesting remark.

Except these bonds; except being a prisoner,--bonds denoting, in this case, simply restraint, as it is not probable that he was actually bound. He was confined with chains at first, by Lysias, (Acts 21:33;) but when it appeared that he was a Roman citizen, they were removed. (Acts 22:29,36.)