Bible Commentaries

F.—PAUL AT CORINTH; HIS ZEAL, HIS TRIALS, AND THE RESULTS OF HIS LABORS

Acts 18:1-17

1, After these things Paul [he]¹ departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; 2And found a certain [found there a] Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from² Rome,) and came [went] unto them 3 And because he was of the same craft [trade], he abode with them, and wrought [worked]: ([om. parenthetical marks] for by their occupation [trade]³ they were tentmakers.) 4And he reasoned [discoursed] in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded [sought to convince both] the Jews and the Greeks 5 And [But] when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit [impelled by the word⁴], and testified [to testify] to the Jews that Jesus was⁵ Christ⁶ [the (τὸυ) Christ]. 6And [But] when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook [out, ἐξτιν] his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads [your head, ·χεφαλὴν]; I am clean: from henceforth I will [head; as a clean person, I shall henceforth, χαθαρὸς ἐγὼ—πορεύσομαι] go unto the Gentiles 7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus⁷, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard [adjoined] to the synagogue 8 And [But] Crispus, the chief [om. chief] ruler of the synagogue, believed on [became a believer in] the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized 9 Then spake the Lord [But (δὲ) the Lord spake] to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace [and keep not silence]: 10For I am with thee, and no man shall [will] set on thee to hurt [harm] thee: for I have much people in this city 11 And he continued [sat]⁸ there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them 12 And [But] when Gallio was the deputy [proconsul]⁹ of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against [with one accord assaulted] Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, 13Saying; This fellow [This person, οῦ̓τος] persuadeth men to worship God contrary to [against] the law 14 And [But] when Paul was now [om. now] about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong [were a wrong done] or wicked lewdness [a flagitious crime], O ye Jews, reason would that I should [I should with reason] bear with you: 15But if it be a question¹⁰ of words [concerning doctrine] and names, and of [om. of] your law, look ye [yourselves, αὐτοί] to it; for I will be no [I am not willing to be a] judge of such [of these, τούτων] matters. 16And he drave them [drove them away] from the judgment seat 17 Then all the Greeks [om. the Greeks]¹¹ took [seized] Sosthenes, the chief [om. chief] ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things [And none of those things was matter of concern to Gallio].

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

[“ Song of Solomon, in Martial, Tacitus, and Suetonius, Livia and Livilla, Drusa and Drusilla, are used of the same person.” (Conyb. and H. I:415. n8.—Tr.]. Meyer has very successfully shown, (in opposition to the opinion of Neander, Ewald, and others), that she and her husband cannot be assumed to have already been Christian converts at the time when they met Paul in Corinth; for in the first place, Luke says simply τινα ʼΙουδαῖον, without appending πεπιστευκότα or μαθητήν; secondly, the words πάντας τοὺς ʼΙουδαίους distinctly include Aquila as one of the number; thirdly, the motive which led Paul to these two persons, Acts 18:3, was derived from the circumstance that they were all of the same trade and not from a common faith in Jesus. Still, we must assume that they were converted at an early period after their intercourse with Paul had commenced, since both are described in Acts 18:26 as already actively engaged in giving religious instruction to Apollos.

Acts 18:2-3. a. And found … tentmakers.—Aquila and Priscilla had quite recently come from Italy to Corinth (προςφάτως, nuperrime). They had doubtless resided in the city of Rome, as the cause of their departure from Italy is here traced to the banishment of the Jews from Rome. According to the passage before us, Claudius had commanded all the Jews by an edict to leave that city. This statement agrees with the well-known words of Suetonius: Judæos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantes Roma expulit (Claud. 25.); but it appears to be in conflict with the account given by Dio Cassius, 606, viz, that Claudius did not expel (οὐκ ἐξήλσε) the Jews, as such a measure seemed, in view of their large Numbers, to be hazardous, but simply prohibited their assemblies. But there is no reason to assume that the present passage and that in Suetonius refer to precisely the same period of time of which Dio Cassius is speaking, and we have, consequently, the confirmatory statement of at least one witness. [Meyer supposes that the imperial act to which Dio Cassius refers, preceded the edict mentioned by Luke and Suetonius.—Tr.]. We learn, however, from a subsequent chapter ( Acts 28.), that Jews and Christians soon afterwards again established themselves in Rome.

b. And came unto them.—Paul visited (προςῆλθεν) these persons, who had come from Italy, and abode in their house, as his occupation was the same as that of Aquila; he accordingly worked with the latter as a σκηςοποιός, a tentmaker. It has often been supposed that this word necessarily indicated the manufacture of tent-cloth [weaving], especially of the Cilician hair-cloth, made of goats’ hair (cilicium), which was at that time a favorite material in the construction oftents. But the word σκηςοποιός indicates not the manufacture of the material, but the act of converting it into tents (Chrysostom: οκηνοῤρ́άφς).—It may here be remarked that we are indebted to the present passage for our knowledge of an interesting fact, viz, the particular branch of trade with which Paul was acquainted, as his own Epistles (e. g., 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8 [and comp. Acts 20:34]) merely state the general fact that he was accustomed to support himself by his own manual labor. [It was a rule among the Jews, which their high respect for trade in all its forms sufficiently explains, that boys, including the sons of the Rabbins, should learn a trade. “What is commanded of a father towards his son?” asks a Talmudic writer. “To circumcise him, to teach him the law, to teach him a trade.” (Meyer, ad loc.; Conyb. and H. Vol1. p51. London, 1854.—Tr.]

Acts 18:4-6. And he reasoned [discoursed] in the synagogue.—Even at this early period the apostle neglected no opportunity which presented itself for preaching the Gospel; but he restricted himself to the sabbath-days, and, with regard to the locality, to the synagogue, where, however, he was enabled to proclaim the truth in Christ, not only to Jews, but also to those Greeks who attended the public worship. He was animated by a sincere desire to convince them (ἔπειθεν). The result, however, is not yet stated here; the first notice of it occurs in Acts 18:6.—But after Silas and Timotheus had come from Macedonia (comp. Acts 17:14 ff; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:6), a crisis occurred. Συνείχετο τῷ λόγω [see above, note4, appended to the text.—Tr.] may be taken either in the middle or the passive voice; in the former case, the sense would be: instabat verbo (Vulg.), totus occupabatur, i.e., he devoted himself to, or occupied himself earnestly with, the doctrine (Kuinoel, de Wette, Baumgarten, Lange, Ewald, p481); if taken as a passive verb, the sense would be: he was severely tried, assailed, in reference to the doctrine (Meyer, 2d edition). The New Testament usus loquendi is unquestionably in favor of the interpretation which assigns a strictly passive sense to συνέχεσθαι. But συνείχετο is also taken in a passive sense, if it be thus understood: he was impelled in reference to the word, he was entirely absorbed, engrossed by, the doctrine (Meyer, 3d edition); the word συνείχετο refers, according to this interpretation, not to adversaries, but to the inward impulse of his own mind [substantially agreeing—says Meyer—with the interpretation adopted by the Vulgate, etc, as stated above.—Tr.].—But the Jews now began to oppose and blaspheme, in consequence of which conduct the apostle was induced to sever all the ties which connected him with the synagogue. ʼΕκτιαξ. τὰ ἱμάτια, i.e., he shook the dust out of his garments, as, Acts 13:51, he shook off the dust of his feet—in each case the act was a sign of renunciation so complete, that not even the slightest particle should continue to adhere as a bond of union.—The brief but energetic terms of the denunciation: τὸ αῖ̓μα—ὑμῶν [with which comp. Ezekiel 33:4. Sept.—Tr.], imply that the bloody end, the inevitable divine punishment, will, as he hopes, befall them personally (κεφαλήν) and not others. Καθἁρός, which, as conveying the leading thought, stands first in the clause, refers primarily to these words, viz, τὸ αῖ̓μα—ὑμῶν, in the sense: I am pure, free from guilt and responsibility, although you perish. [See the text, Acts 18:6, above; the punctuation in Luther’s and Lechler’s German translation, differs from that of the English Version. Alford prefers the former, and says: “I have adopted the punctuation of Lachmann, erasing the colon after ἐγώ, i.e, I shall henceforth with a pure conscience go to the Gentiles.”—Tr.]

Acts 18:7-8.—And he departed thence.—Μεταβάς, i.e., he passed over to another house, contiguous to the synagogue, and belonging to a Gentile proselyte, whose name was Justus [of whom nothing is known, except that he was a proselyte, which fact is indicated, as elsewhere, by σεβόμενος.—Tr.]. This rupture of Paul’s connection with the synagogue, led to an internal decision on the part of a ruler named Crispus. [“It may be presumed (from his office) that he was a man of learning and high character—Paul baptized him with his own hand. 1 Corinthians 1:14.” (Conyb. and H. I:430.—Tr.]. And from this period many of the pagan inhabitants of the city (for they alone can be meant by Κορινθίων), who were hearers in the new place of assembly, became believers, and were baptized.

Acts 18:9-10.—Then spake the Lord … by a vision.—The appearance by night of Jesus, who addressed words of encouragement to the apostle, and directed him to speak with the utmost freedom, was designed to infuse a joyful spirit into the latter, while laboring at that post. For the apostle received, on the one hand, the promise that he should be divinely protected against the hostility and ill-treatment of his enemies (ἐπιθέσθαι, invadere, impetum facere), and, on the other hand, it was revealed to him that Christ possessed a numerous people in the city (λαός, people of God, as contradistinguished from ἑ̓θνη). Both here, and in the words οὐδείς—σε, a revelation of facts not yet apparent must be understood; it cannot, therefore, refer to those who were already converted, but must indicate [“proleptically, comp. John 10:16; John 11:52” (Meyer).—Tr.] those alone who were yet to be converted, whom, however, the Redeemer already knew and described as His own people.

Acts 18:11.—And he continued [sat].—In consequence of this revelation Paul remained (ἐκάθισε; comp. Luke 24:49) a year and a half in Corinth, and taught the word of God among them (ἐν αὐτοῖς, i.e., the Corinthians). Bengel says, in allusion to ἐκάθισε: ‘cathedra Pauli Corinthia, Petri Romanâ testatior.’ It is usually assumed that the chronological statement in Acts 18:11, refers to the entire period of the apostle’s residence in Corinth, until he left the city, Acts 18:18. Rückert and Meyer understand Acts 18:11 as referring only to the time which preceded the accusation in Acts 18:12 ff, first, because Acts 18:12 seems to them to be antithetical to Acts 18:11, and, secondly, because ἔτι, in Acts 18:18, indicates the beginning of a new period of time. But it may be replied that Acts 18:12 does not, in point of fact, present a contrast with Acts 18:11; all, on the contrary, that follows Acts 18:10, to the word ἱκανάς in Acts 18:18, is the result and fulfilment of the divine revelation described in Acts 18:9-10. The command and the revelation which Paul then received, induced him to remain in Corinth; the promise of Christ that none should harm the apostle is fulfilled in Acts 18:12-17, and, after this episode, Paul may still have remained a considerable time [ Acts 18:18] in the city. The statement of the time in Acts 18:11, accordingly, refers to the entire period of the apostle’s abode in Corinth.

Acts 18:12-13. a. Gallio.—He was the proconsul of Achaia, that is, of the Roman province, which, after the conquest, 146 B. C, embraced Hellas and the Peloponnesus. Gallio was a brother of the philosopher Lucius Annæus Seneca; his original name was Marcus Annæus Novatus, but after he had been adopted by the rhetorician Lucius Junius Gallio, he received that of Marcus Annæus Gallio. Tiberius had converted Achaia, which was originally a senatorial province, into an imperial one, and had sent thither a procurator (Tac. Ann. I:76), but Claudius restored it to the senate, (Suet. Claud. 25); hence, the term αʼνθυπατεύτος precisely agrees with well established facts of history. [See Exeg. note on Acts 13:4-8. c.—Tr.]

b. The Jews made insurrection [assaulted] etc.—(Κατεφίστημι, insurgo contra). The event occurred during the administration of Gallio; the same spirit influenced all the Jews. (The very term ὁμοδυμαδόν is sufficient to refute Ewald’s conjecture that the Jews dragged Sosthenes, their own ruler of the synagogue, Acts 18:17, together with Paul, to the tribunal, supposing him to be favorably disposed to Jesus.). The charge referred to a violation of the law, i.e., of the Mosaic institutes; Paul was accused of influencing the people to adopt a different mode of worshipping God. ʼΑναπείθειν describes the act of unsettling and eradicating a conviction of the mind, by substituting other views and arguments. The comprehensive term τοὺς ἀνθρώπους is intentionally chosen, in order to exhibit Paul in an odious light, as a man whose general purpose it was to gain partisans.

Acts 18:14-15.—And when Paul, etc.—Gallio refuses to investigate the case even before Paul can find an opportunity to defend himself; the matter obviously referred, not to any violation of the civil law, but to the internal religious affairs of the Jews. [“It was out of Gallio’s province to take cognizance of such questions. The Roman laws allowed the Jews to regulate their religious affairs in their own way. Lysias ( Acts 23:29) and Festus ( Acts 25:19) placed their refusal to interfere on the same ground.” (Hackett.)—Tr.]. Οῦ̓ν, the inference deduced from the nature of the charge itself. ʼΑίκημα, i.e., an act of injustice, a violation of private rights, constituting the ground of a legal process. ʼPᾳδιούργηυα πονηρόν, i.e., any malicious and reckless Acts, strictly speaking, a crime, subjecting the accused to a criminal prosecution. Εἰ with the imperfect, implies with sufficient distinctness, that such a case was not really submitted to Gallio. Κατὰ λογου, i.e., according to reason, or, reasonably, justly. The term ἀνέχεσθαι is purposely chosen, partly, in order to indicate the granting of a judicial hearing, but partly, too, in order to intimate to the Jews that the whole matter was an annoyance, and, indeed, an intolerable burden to the proconsul (in accordance with the proper sense of the word). The supposition which the latter then expresses (hypothetically, εἰ—ἐστι, Acts 18:15), is, according to his opinion, well founded. He indicates already by the term ζήτημα, technically employed in scientific or theoretical matters, in the sense of a question of the schools, a debated point, that the present case did not belong to a court of justice. This statement is still more emphatically repeated by Gallio when he mentions as illustrative features of the case doctrine [λόγου, Engl, version: “words.”—Tr.], names (ὀνόματα represents the matter as a logomachy; the accusers had doubtless occasionally mentioned the names Messiah and Jesus of Nazareth), and, “your law” (νόμος ὁ καθʼ ὑμᾶς, i.e., specially, the Jewish law, not the Roman law, or any law of the country), ̓́Οψεσθε αὐτοί, i.e., ye may yourselves investigate and determine the matter. Κριτής emphatically precedes the other words of the clause; the sense is: The right to act as a judge in such cases, I have no wish to claim.—This conduct of Gallio fully agrees with his character as described by his brother Seneca, Quæst. Nat. IV. Præf. The latter extols not only his abilities, but also his disinterestedness, amiable disposition, and gentle manners; e. g, Cœpisti mirari comitatem, et incompositam suavitatem.—Nemo enim mortalium uni tam dulcis est quam hic omnibus. And thus, in consequence of Gallio’s purpose to confine himself to his strictly judicial functions, and of his personal kindness of disposition and humanity, the promise of the Redeemer that no harm should befall the apostle, is literally fulfilled.

Acts 18:16-17. And he drave them, etc.—As the result of the proconsul’s refusal to Acts, the accusers are at once dismissed. It is possible that the act of driving them away was occasioned by the continued and importunate representations of the Jewish leaders, who would not yield to the proconsul’s will, until the officers of justice compelled them to withdraw. The same obstinacy may also have led to the scene described in Acts 18:17 [for the omission of the word “Greeks” in Acts 18:17, see above, note11, appended to the text.—Tr.]. Πάντες, i.e., all who were present. They were unquestionably neither Jews (as Ewald supposes), nor Christians, but pagans, who were incensed on seeing the obstinacy and undisguised hostility of the accusers; encouraged, as they were, moreover, by the refusal of the Judges, these pagans seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and the representative of the accusers, and beat him. The latter was either the successor of Crispus, who is mentioned in Acts 18:8, or his colleague (as, in Acts 13:15, several contemporaneous rulers of the same synagogue, are mentioned). It is not, however, probable that he is the Sosthenes described in 1 Corinthians 1:1, as an associate of Paul (Theodoret and Ewald). The ruler was publicly beaten before the tribunal, without any interference on the part of Gallio. This was impartiality carried to an extreme, it is true, or, rather, it was undue indifference on Gallio’s part, for the act was an ἀδίκημα, Acts 18:14, a personal injury inflicted on another. Luke, however, mentions the circumstance only as an evidence that the promise in Acts 18:10 was completely fulfilled; while no harm whatever was done to Paul, his accusers suffered from the blows of pagans.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. However painful the parting scene described in Acts 18:6, may have been, it could not be conscientiously avoided. The apostle lays the whole burden of the guilt of those who opposed him and blasphemed, on their own conscience; his conscience—he declares—does not reproach him. It is probable that when he made this twofold declaration, the word of God in Ezekiel 33:8 ff. occurred to his mind:—When the wicked man does not regard the warning, he shall die on account of his iniquity, but his blood will not be required at the hand of the watchman; his blood, that is, his bloody death, his punishment, his eternal destruction, must be considered as altogether his own work. There is a certain community of life among men, established not merely by nature, but also by the arrangement and revelation of God. Hebrews, to whom office, power and the word are intrusted for the benefit of others, is a partaker of their guilt, and is polluted by their sin, unless he delivers his testimony with all possible earnestness-Indeed, even such a judicial declaration as we find in Acts 18:6, may produce a profound impression, and lead to repentance and conversion; such appears to have been the effect in the case of Crispus.

2. Christ had “much people” in the city ( Acts 18:10), although the apostle, even if he knew that some souls had been won, saw before him only a comparatively small number of converts, whom he could individually name. “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” [ 1 Samuel 16:7]. And man can see only that which the present moment exhibits, but the Lord, to whom the future and past are “an eternal now” also sees that which is to come. The Redeemer said: “Other sheep I have” ( John 10:16), although these had not yet heard his voice; they did not know him, but he knew them. Thus Christ knows his people in every place, whom he has chosen, and who will do homage to him. “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” 2 Timothy 2:19.

3. The conduct of the Roman, Gallio, does not deserve the unqualified praise which has often been lavished upon it. It is unquestionably true that he did not encourage an act of injustice in the case of Paul; nevertheless, he was the calm spectator of an act of gross injustice, and did not exercise his authority either by preventing, or by punishing it. The absolute indifference which he exhibited on this occasion, even renders it doubtful whether his refusal to listen to the application of the Jews, proceeded from the purest sentiments, and was the dictate of a noble character. Possibly a certain love of ease and pleasure, and the desire to be relieved from an unwelcome task, may, in part at least, have induced him to declare that he was not a competent judge in the case.—Independently, however, of his private motives, the principle which he avowed, viz, that violations of the law alone could be legally punished, and that doctrinal questions and internal religious affairs ought not to be removed from their own sphere, is certainly sound; it should exercise a controlling influence on the relations existing between a Christian government and ecclesiastical interests, and on those between a Christian state and the adherents of creeds and confessions of faith. In all cases, however, the principle should be practically carried out with a greater degree of consistency and conscientiousness than we can discover in the present instance, Acts 18:17.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Acts 18:1. Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth.—How great is the mercy of God! Nineveh, Sodom, Corinth—no city is so corrupt, that He does not send preachers of righteousness to the people. (Starke).—Christ is sometimes more readily received in faith by open and avowed sinners, than by the learned, and by those who are apparently righteous. Paul accomplished a greater work in the wicked city of Corinth, than in the learned city of Athens, (id.).—Paul had the pleasure of changing these impure and sinful souls into pure brides, whom he conducted to Christ, and to whom he could afterwards say: ‘Ye were thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners—but ye are washed—sanctified—justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.’ [ 1 Corinthians 6:10-11.]. Such a fact ought to strengthen our faith; it urges us to exhibit increased fidelity; it teaches us not to grow weary, even when we are dealing with the worst of men. (Ap. Past.).

Acts 18:2. And found a certain Jew named Aquila, etc.—As Paul walked faithfully in the path of duty, the paternal care of God attended him, and, even before he reached Corinth, provided a home, work, society, and an open door for the Gospel. The emperor banishes the Jews from Rome, in order that Aquila may proceed to Corinth, and there furnish Paul with an abode and support. Thus the overruling Providence of God avails itself of the plans of princes, and of the changes which occur in the world, in order to provide for His children, and extend His kingdom. (Ap. Past.).—Paul found Aquila and Priscilla; this word teaches us two lessons: I. That the servants and children of God very easily, and, as it were, by a secret elective affinity, find, and learn to know one another, even in foreign lands; II. That the apostle regarded these two upright persons as a precious treasure which he had found, from which he derived more real pleasure than from all the great and magnificent objects which he saw in the rich commercial city of Corinth. (From Ap. Past.).—He who has learned, like Paul, in whatsoever state he is, therewith to be content [ Philippians 4:11], can always easily find a host. (Starke).—He who has himself experienced sorrow and affliction, knows how to succor them that are afflicted, (id.).—Paul and Aquila in Corinth, or, “Thy ways, O Lord, are wonderful, but they are ways of blessedness:” I. The Lord had conducted each in a wonderful way to Corinth; (a) Paul, who retired from Athens as a despised witness of the truth, scarcely hoping for greater success in the wicked city of Corinth; (b) Aquila, a son of Abraham, who was forcibly expelled from Rome, and who sought merely a temporary shelter in Corinth. II. They were led in a blessed way, and happily found each other in Corinth; (a) Paul, an entire stranger in that place, finds in Aquila a kind fellow-countryman [Cilicia and Pontus, both provinces of Asia Minor.—Tr.] and host; (b) Aquila finds in Paul not only a fellow-craftsman and companion, but also a preacher of righteousness, and a guide to eternal life.—Aquila’s hospitable reception of Paul in Corinth, or, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” ( Hebrews 13:2): I. The command; II. The promise. (Examples: the angel of the Lord with Abraham; Elijah at Sarepta; Jesus with Zaccheus, etc.).—The Lord, providing homes for his servants, even in foreign lands: I. Their heavenly Father accompanies them; II. They find brethren and sisters; III. They soon find employment, Acts 18:3 ff.

Acts 18:3. And because he was of the same craft [trade], … wrought.—Let no mechanic be ashamed when he is found in the workshop, earning his bread or wages by manual labor; Paul was not ashamed of it. (Starke).—Let the teacher be as little ashamed of a trade, as Christ was ashamed that he was termed a carpenter’s Song of Solomon, or the apostles that they were fishermen. If we could support ourselves by other means, we would neither solicit favors of the ungrateful, nor be troublesome to the perverse, who hate the Gospel and the ministry of the word, when these subject them to expense, (id.).—Paul in the workshop: I. His course may put preachers of the Gospel to shame; even if it is not at present suited to the sacred office, it nevertheless puts to shame (a) much ecclesiastial pride of office, (b) much carnal luxury and sloth. II. It affords an encouraging example to mechanics: (a) Be not ashamed before God of thy trade—every honest calling is acceptable in his eyes; (b) but, with thy trade, be not ashamed of thy God and thy Christianity. Even when a man performs manual labor, he can be a servant of God, a Christian, an apostle in the family.—The Christian journeyman on his travels: I. The dangers encountered abroad (the temptations, the voluptuousness, of Corinth); II. The acquaintances made on the road (Aquila); III. The work at the trade, Acts 18:3; IV. The care for the soul (the word of God, the sanctification of God’s holy day, Acts 18:4).

Acts 18:4. He reasoned [discoursed] in the synagogue every sabbath.—“He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much,” [ Luke 16:10]. Even as Paul gained a living by working diligently with his own hands, Song of Solomon, too, he is equally diligent in discharging the duties of his office on every sabbath. (Starke).—The narrative emphatically states that the apostle taught on every sabbath, addressing Jews and Greeks, i.e, all men. Such is the close attention, with which God surveys the degree of diligence and fidelity exhibited by teachers, and so precious in his eyes is that servant, who neglects not a single opportunity, and overlooks Bet a single soul! (Ap. Past.).—The work of the week, and the sanctification of the sabbath—each requiring and sustaining the other: I. The former creates a hunger and thirst for the repose and the nourishment which the latter affords; II. The latter imparts strength and pleasure in doing the work of the week.

Acts 18:5. When Silas and Timotheus were come … Paul was pressed.—A slothful servant is always ready to impose his portion of the work on others; when Paul, on the contrary, meets with fellow laborers, he becomes the more zealous. When a number of evangelical laborers work together in harmony, they encourage one another; for spiritual fellowship promotes the interests of the cause of God. Philippians 2:22. (Quesnel).—And testified that Jesus was Christ .—As Paul’s act of teaching on every sabbath is so plainly distinguished here from that of testifying that Jesus is the Christ, we may conjecture that his preliminary instructions were intended to prepare the way for an awakening among Jews and Greeks. Still, he cannot have been long occupied with the former work, as the love of Christ constrained him to proclaim with boldness the fundamental truth of the Gospel. (Rieger).—He had, doubtless, hitherto allowed the apostolical spirit to gleam forth occasionally, but had not yet ventured to discuss the main topic fully. (Williger).

Acts 18:6. Your blood be upon your own heads!—As no blood-guiltiness, in a literal sense, had been here contracted, the words must refer to spiritual self-murder. When these people rejected the life which is in Christ, they became guilty of spiritual suicide. (Starke).—Such divine severity on the part of Paul, was due, not only to the dignity of the preached Gospel, but also to these obstinate souls themselves; it might possibly make a salutary impression on them. But a carnal zeal cannot justify itself by this example. Let him who desires to say with a clear conviction, like the apostle, that he is not stained with the blood of the lost, previously examine whether he has performed all that the apostle did in the case of these hardened men. (Ap. Past.).

Acts 18:7. Entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus.—Paul’s zeal was not diminished by the conduct of these obstinate sinners. With the same earnest spirit with which he parted from the blasphemers, he turned to the little band of awakened souls; thus he persevered in his work, and did not cause the whole flock to suffer for the fault of which the great majority was guilty. Many teachers here pursue a wrong course, when they obey the dictates of the flesh. (Ap. Past.).—His entrance into a house which was very near to the synagogue, proves that he would gladly have continued his labors in the latter; it likewise bore witness aloud to the Jews (as the house was probably henceforth the place where willing hearers assembled) concerning the blessing which they had rejected with scorn. (Williger).

Acts 18:8. And Crispus, etc.—Crispus belonged to the number of those who enabled Paul at least to say: “not many wise men after the flesh,” instead of: “none at all.” 1 Corinthians 1:26. (Williger).—We here have another instance of God’s care of his faithful servants. When Paul turned away with a sad spirit from the blaspheming Jews, God opened a door for him in the house of Justus, in the immediate vicinity of the synagogue, and filled his heart with joy on seeing the conversion of the ruler of the synagogue; the result was, that many of the Corinthians believed in the Lord. (Ap. Past.).

Acts 18:9. Then spake the Lord to Paul In the night by a vision.—Even the most eminent saints, and men endowed with an heroic faith, have had seasons of weakness, and hours of temptation, in which they needed encouragement and strength from above. For example: Abraham, before Abimelech; Moses, in the wilderness; David (psalms composed in seasons of affliction); Elijah, under the juniper tree; John, in the prison; Jesus, in Gethsemane; Luther, in his temptations. On one occasion Luther remarked: “Many persons, to whom I often seem to be cheerful in my outward appearance, suppose that I am always walking on roses: but God knows what my true condition is.”

Acts 18:10. For I am with thee … much people in this city.—What a glorious safe-conduct is here presented to Paul! And every faithful shepherd may avail himself of it, although he should be dragged before a Judges, or great calamities should seem to impend. And therefore, O teacher, keep not silence, or the beams of the house will cry aloud, and thou shalt hereafter stand speechless before the tribunal of God. (Starke).—The Lord’s comforting words: ‘Be not afraid !’ addressed to His servant who trembles when assigned to a post of danger (Installation sermon): the Lord directs the attention of his servant, I. To His own gracious presence: ‘I am with thee’ II. To the powerlessness of all enemies: ‘No man shall set on thee, to hurt thee’ III. To the blessing which shall attend His word, although it be not yet manifested: ‘I have much people in this city.’—The Lord’s words addressed to his servant: ‘I have much people in this city:’ I. They admonish him, in a solemn manner, to be faithful to the duties of his office (‘Feed my lambs; Feed my sheep’ [ John 21:15-16]); II. They comfort and sustain him, when oppressed by the burdens and cares of his office (Say not: ‘I, even I only, am left.’ [ 1 Kings 19:10]).

Acts 18:11. And he continued, etc.—Continued prayer, much patience, great confidence in God, fervent zeal—are the means by which the interests of the cause of God are promoted. (Quesn.).—At length Paul found repose, after these words of Jesus had been addressed to him, whereas previously, at Corinth, he had always seemed to himself to be a mere stranger and sojourner waiting for the intimation: ‘Now depart.’ He had hitherto remained so long in no other place. (Williger).

Acts 18:12. The Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul.—The promises of divine aid and protection in this life, are not to be understood as excluding the bearing of the cross. (Starke).—The Jews refrained from disturbing Paul during a year and a half, not because their own inclinations dictated this course, but in accordance with the divine promise, and by the special providence of God. We can never trust the world—it always remains the same. As soon as God removes the barrier, the bitter feeling that had been repressed, breaks forth anew. Let us give heed to this fact, while we enjoy the repose which God at present grants us. (Ap. Past.).

Acts 18:13. Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.—We can easily persuade ourselves that any act which interferes with the indulgence of our passions, is contrary to the law of God. (Quesn.).—It is nothing new that those whose errors in religion are the most grievous of all, should, nevertheless, accuse others of heresy. (Starke).

Acts 18:14. And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said, etc.—As the Lord had promised to be Himself the protector of the apostle, the latter was not allowed to open, his mouth, in order to defend himself. The divine word of promise is the most trustworthy safe-conduct; it successfully claims the respect of the world and of the most imbittered foes, God shuts the mouths of enemies, as he shut the lions’ mouths in the case of Daniel. [ Daniel 6:22.]. (Ap. Past.).

Acts 18:15. But if it be a question of words … look ye to it.—It is wise in magistrates to refrain from judging in matters of religion which they do not understand. But they by no means exhibit a devout spirit, when they are unwilling to learn and understand what religion really is, or to protect believers, as their office requires. (Starke).—When we view Gallio as a pagan Judges, we cannot forbear to commend the moderation and impartiality which are here displayed. His course puts to shame that spirit of persecution and that thirst for blood, which so many rulers who bore the Christian name, have indulged, under the pretext of religion. But when Christian rulers refer to the present ease as one that justifies their indifference to all religion, the fallacy of their reasoning is easily exposed. This sinful Gallio-like spirit has unhappily extended in our day from the courts of kings (and through many judges and officers) even to the huts of the meanest peasants. (Ap. Past.). “Fulfil thy duties as a citizen, and I ask not what thy faith is” such is the principle which political wisdom adopts at present—but is it the true principle?

Acts 18:17. They beat Sosthenes before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.—This incident illustrates the truth that the indifference of men to religion may easily lead them to be equally negligent in the administration of eivil justice. (Ap. Past.).—The praiseworthy and the censurable features of Gallio’s conduct as a Judges, a source of instruction for all magistrates: I. The praiseworthy course adopted by Gallio on ascertaining the nature of the charge, Acts 18:12-15; he dismisses the Jews, as their complaint exclusively referred to a disputed point of religion. II. His censurable course, when the Greeks [see Exeg. note on Acts 18:16-17.—Tr.] proceeded to acts of violence, Acts 18:16-17; here he betrayed indifference and unfairness. When ecclesiactical difficulties call for a decision on the part of the government, the latter is bound to distinguish between that which is above the law and that which is contrary to the law, and to condemn the guilty party, whichever it may be. (Lisco).—The pagan Gallio, not a suitable model for a Christian judge: for the latter should, I. Forbear to oppress the conscience or to interfere with the religious rights of men, but he himself should have a conscience and religion; and, II. Refrain from judging in matters of doctrine and faith, but should protect men of every creed against violence and ill treatment.

ON THE WHOLE SECTION, Acts 18:1-17.—The task assigned to the evangelical ministry: “Compel them to come in” [ Luke 14:23]: it is to be performed, I. With noble self-denial; Paul supports himself by the labor of his own hands; Acts 18:1-3, and comp. 1 Corinthians 9:1 ff.; II. With unwearied zeal—a zeal that seizes every opportunity for doing good, Acts 18:4, delivers the message of salvation alike to all, Acts 18:4, is constantly enkindled anew by the Spirit of God, Acts 18:5, and exhibits Jesus to all men as the Christ, Acts 18:5; III. With unshaken courage in the presence of adversaries, Acts 18:6 ff. (Lisco).

Solemn admonitions and divine consolations, addressed to the heralds of salvation: I. The solemn admonitions; Speak—and hold not thy peace—even though thou mayest give offence, Acts 18:9; but let thy conduct agree with thy words, Acts 18:2-4. II. The divine consolations: I am with thee—and no man shall set on thee, to hurt thee. I have much people in this city, Acts 18:10. He who perseveres, shall receive a heavenly crown; comp. 2 Corinthians 2:14 ff. (Lisco).

With what degree of confidence can we go forth and preach the Gospel to the heathen? I. The Lord commands: Speak, and hold not thy peace; II. The Lord comforts: I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee, to hurt thee; III. The Lord promises: I have much people even in this heathen city. (id.).

The decisive word in the preachers mouth: ‘Jesus is the Christ,’ Acts 18:5. It decides, I. As to the spirit in which he speaks—whether it be the spirit of man’s Wisdom of Solomon, the spirit that prompts men to court popularity, or whether it be the Holy Spirit of the Lord; II. As to the state of the hearts of the hearers; some oppose and blaspheme, others believe and are baptized; Christ is the rock, on which those that fall, shall be broken, but which is the firm support of others, Acts 18:5-8; III. As to the result of his labors; Paul had previously neither borne the cross of his office at Corinth, nor experienced its blessing; he now meets with both—the cross of Christ, Acts 18:6, and the blessing of Christ, Acts 18:9-11.

Paul in Corinth, or, “When I am weak, then am I strong,” 2 Corinthians 12:10 : I. The apostle was weak, (a) externally; he was an unknown stranger, a poor artisan, opposing with the foolishness of the preaching of the cross [ 1 Corinthians 1:18], both the vices of the splendid city of Corinth, and the prejudices and hatred of his Jewish brethren; (b) internally; he was conscious of his weakness; and, possibly, still depressed by his limited success in Athens, he delays to proclaim the fundamental truth, viz, that Jesus is the Christ. But, II. The apostle is strong in the power of the Lord; (a) internally; the Lord renews his apostolical courage, and awakens in him the spirit of a bold witness, by the arrival of beloved fellow-laborers, and, in a still higher degree, by the consolations of His Holy Spirit, and the revelation of his personal and gracious presence, Acts 18:5; Acts 18:9-10; (b) externally: he is strong in the contest with his adversaries, whose sin the apostle throws back on their own heads, Acts 18:6, and whose mouth the Lord Himself shuts, Acts 18:10 ff.; he is, moreover, strong in consequence of the growth of the congregation, which, in increasing Numbers, gathers around him, Acts 18:7-8; Acts 18:10-11.

[Paul at Corinth: I. The difficulties which he encountered; (a) the notorious vices of the heathen population: (b) the religious prejudices of the Jews, Acts 18:6; Acts 18:13; (c) his own insufficiency, 1 Corinthians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 2:16. II. The grounds of his hope of success; (a) the results of his previous labors; (b) the power of divine truth, Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:2-4; 2 Corinthians 3:5-6; (c) the special revelation and promise, Acts 18:9-10. III. The result of his visit; (a) personal experience of the divine favor, Acts 18:2; Acts 18:5; Acts 18:7-8; Acts 18:12 ff.; 2 Corinthians 12:12; (b) the conversion of large Numbers, Acts 18:8; 2 Corinthians 3:2; (c) the permanent establishment of a Christian congregation, 1 Corinthians 1:5-7; 2 Corinthians 9:2.—Tr.]

Footnotes