Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.

“It is worthy of notice that nowhere else are such communications of the risen Redeemer said to have been given "through the Holy Ghost."”

After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.

“Lest it should be thought He had disappeared when they were looking in some other direction, and so was only concluded to have gone up to heaven, it is here expressly said that "while they were looking He was taken up, and a cloud received…”

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?

“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven, &c.--"as if your now glorified Head were gone from you never to return: He is coming again; not another, but 'this same Jesus'; and 'as ye have seen Him go, in the like manner…”

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and…

“Parthians, &c.--Beginning with the farthest east, the Parthians, the enumeration proceeds farther and farther westward till it comes to Judea; next come the western countries, from Cappadocia to Pamphylia; then the southern, from Egypt to Cyrene; finally, apart from all geographical consideration, Cretes and Arabians…”

You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’

“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life--that is, resurrection-life. thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance--that is, in glory; as is plain from the whole connection and the actual words of the Psalm.”

Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

“The Psalm is then affirmed to have had its only proper fulfilment in JESUS, of whose resurrection and ascension they were witnesses, while the glorious effusion of the Spirit by the hand of the ascended One, setting an infallible seal upon all, was even then…”

Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!”

“To prove to them merely that Jesus was the Messiah might have left them all unchanged in heart. But to convince them that He whom they had crucified had been by the right hand of God exalted, and constituted the "LORD" whom David in spirit…”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the…

“Repent--The word denotes change of mind, and here includes the reception of the Gospel as the proper issue of that revolution of mind which they were then undergoing. baptized . . . for the remission of sins--as the visible seal of that remission.”

This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

“For the promise--of the Holy Ghost, through the risen Saviour, as the grand blessing of the new covenant. all afar off--the Gentiles, as in Eph 2:17, but "to the Jew first."”

But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

“Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee--What a lofty superiority breathes in these words!”

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus.

“When "Son" is intended a different word is used. whom ye delivered up, &c.--With what heroic courage does Peter here charge his auditors with the heaviest of all conceivable crimes, and with what terrific strength of language are these charges clothed!”

And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.

“And now, brethren--Our preacher, like his Master, "will not break the bruised reed." His heaviest charges are prompted by love, which now hastens to assuage the wounds it was necessary to inflict.”

For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.

“Peter takes it for granted that, in the light of all he had just said, it would be seen at once that One only had any claim to be that Prophet.”

And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth…

“Ye are the children . . . of the covenant--and so the natural heirs of its promises. in thy seed, &c.--(See on Ga 3:8, &c.).”

But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.”

“But that it spread no further . . . let us straitly--strictly. threaten . . . that they speak henceforth to no man in this name--Impotent device! Little knew they the fire that was burning in the bones of those heroic disciples.”

For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard--There is here a wonderful union of sober, respectful appeal to the better reason of their judges, and calm, deep determination to abide the consequences of a constrained testimony, which betokens a power…”

You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

“David--to whom the Jews ascribed the second Psalm, though anonymous; and internal evidence confirms it. David's spirit sees with astonishment "the heathen, the people, the kings and princes of the earth," in deadly combination against the sway of Jehovah and His Anointed (his Messiah, or…”

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),

“Joses, &c.--This is specified merely as an eminent example of that spirit of generous sacrifice which pervaded all. son of consolation--no doubt so surnamed from the character of his ministry.”

And great fear came over the whole church and all who heard about these events.

“And great fear came upon all the church, &c.--This effect on the Christian community itself was the chief design of so startling a judgment; which had its counterpart, as the sin itself had, in Achan (Jos 7:1-26), while the time--at the commencement of a new…”

God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

“Heb 2:10). to give--dispensing as a "Prince." repentance and remission of sins--as a "Saviour"; "repentance" embracing all that change which issues in the faith which secures "forgiveness" (compare Ac 2:38; How gloriously is Christ here exhibited; not, as in other places, as the Medium, but…”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from…

“Stephen, &c.--As this and the following names are all Greek, it is likely they were all of the "Grecian" class, which would effectually restore mutual confidence.”

Now Stephen, who was full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

“And Stephen, &c.--The foregoing narrative seems to be only an introduction to what follows. full of faith--rather, "of grace," as the best manuscripts read.”

And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and…

“It is the glory of absolutely free grace. appeared unto our father Abraham before he dwelt in Charran, and said, &c.--Though this first call is not expressly recorded in Genesis, it is clearly implied in Ge 15:7 and Ne 9:7; and the Jewish writers speak…”

As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.

“But when--rather, "as." the time of the promise--that is, for its fulfilment. the people grew and multiplied in Egypt--For more than two hundred years they amounted to no more than seventy-five souls; how prodigious, then, must have been their multiplication during the latter two centuries…”

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?’

“Moses, grieved at the spectacle, interposes as a mediator; but his interference, as unauthorized, is resented by the party in the wrong, whom Stephen identifies with the mass of the nation (Ac 7:35), just as Messiah's own interposition had been spurned.”