John Gill

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

“And all that sat in the council,.... The whole sanhedrim, looking steadfastly on him; to observe whether his countenance altered, his tongue stammered, or he trembled in any part of his body, neither of which appeared; but on the contrary, they saw his face, as…”

On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.

“And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren,.... That is, when the brethren of Joseph went a second time down to Egypt for corn, Joseph made himself known unto them, Gen 45:1.”

Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.

“And were carried over into Sichem,.... The Syriac version reads in the singular number, "and he was translated into Sichem, and laid", &c.”

The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’

“And the next day he showed himself to them, as they strove,.... To two men of the Hebrews, who were quarrelling and contending with one another: these are said by the Jews (w) to be Dathan and Abiram; who were disputing and litigating the point…”

‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

“Saying, I am the God of thy fathers,.... Who made a covenant with them, promised the land of Canaan to them, and to their posterity, and to bring the children of Israel out of their servitude and bondage, and into the possession of the promised…”

At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.

“And they made a calf in those days,.... Whilst Moses was in the mount; this was done in imitation of the Egyptian idol Apis or Serapis, which was an ox or a bullock; and it was made of the golden earnings of the people, which…”

You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

“Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Mo,.... Sometimes called Molech, and sometimes Milcorn; it was the god of the Ammonites, and the same with Baal: the one signifies king, and the other lord; and was, no doubt, the same with the Apis or Serapis…”

Has not My hand made all these things?’

“Hath not my hand made all these things? The heaven, and the earth, and all that is in them; the Arabic version renders it, "all these creatures"; and therefore what can be made for God? or what house built for him?”

They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

“And cast him out of the city,.... Of Jerusalem; for the place of stoning was without the city.”

Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them.

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria,.... The city which was formerly called Samaria, but now Sebaste; it had been destroyed by Hyrcanus, and was rebuilt by Herod; and called by him, in honour of Augustus, by the name of Sebaste (d); and…”

So there was great joy in that city.

“And there was great joy in that city. Both on a spiritual account, for the good of their souls, through the preaching of Christ and his Gospel to them; and on a temporal account; for the good of their bodies, or their friends, being dispossessed…”

The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not…

“The place of the Scripture which he read was this,.... Or the paragraph or section of Scripture; that part of it in which he was reading was Isa 53:7 which shows, that by this time the Scriptures were divided into sections, chapters, and verses; whereas…”

Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

“Then Philip opened his mouth,.... With freedom and boldness, and spoke clearly and distinctly, and expounded the passage to him.”

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.

“And when they were come up out of the water,.... Which is another circumstance, showing that baptism was then performed by immersion; with this compare Mat 3:16 and so it is said of the high priest, when he washed himself on the day of atonement…”

“Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.

“And he said, who art thou, Lord?.... For he knew not whether it was God, or an angel, or who it was that spake to him; he knew not Christ by his form or voice, as Stephen did, when he saw him standing at the…”

I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.”

“For I will show him,.... In vision, and by prophecy, either now, or hereafter; or by facts, as they come upon him: how great things he must suffer for my name's sake; such as weariness, pain, and watchings, hunger, thirst, fastings, cold, and nakedness, perils…”

But Saul was empowered all the more, and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

“But Saul increased the more in strength,.... Not of body, but of mind; his gifts and graces, and spiritual light and knowledge increased; his abilities were greater; his fortitude of mind, boldness, and freedom of speech, every day increased: he got more, and new, and…”

After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him,

“And after that many days were fulfilled,.... This phrase is used by the Septuagint on Exo 2:11 for a considerable length of time, for many years.”

but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.

“But their laying await was known of Saul,.... Either by divine revelation, or by some friends, who had got knowledge of it, and gave him information, as in Act 23:16 and they watched the gates night and day to kill him; that is, the Jews…”

One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall.

“Then the disciples took him by night,.... The Alexandrian copy reads, "his disciples"; the disciples of Saul, such as he had been instrumental in making at Damascus: but it is not usual for the saints to be called in Scripture the disciples of any man…”

When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

“Which when the brethren knew,.... When the members of the church heard of it, by some means or another: they brought him down to Caesarea; not that which was before called Strato's tower, the same as in Act 8:40 but Caesarea Philippi, mentioned in Mat…”

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace.

“Then had the churches rest,.... Meaning not spiritual rest in Christ; this they had before, even in tribulation, but rest from persecution; not so much because of the conversion of Saul, the great persecutor of them, for his conversion had been three years before; but…”

There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.

“And there he found a certain man,.... In a house in that city, into which he entered: named Aeneas; which is a Gentile name, and so might the person be; though there is mention made of this name among the Jews.”

and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

“And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron,.... Saron, which is here joined to Lydda, is the name of a fruitful country on the borders of the Mediterranean sea, between Joppa and Caesarea, beginning at Lydda.”

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity.

“Now there was at Joppa,.... The same with Japho, Jos 19:46 a sea port town in the tribe of Dan, said by some historians (w) to be a very ancient one, even before the flood.”