Matthew Henry

After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry…

“This character was given of him before he was first anointed, 1 Sam. xiii. The Lord hath sought out a man after his own heart, such a one as he would have.”

But when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them,

“Who the plotters were: Both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers. The Gentiles and Jews were at enmity with one another, and yet united against Christians, like Herod and Pilate, Sadducees and Pharisees, against Christ; and like Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, of…”

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.

“That introduced the gospel among the Jews, this among the Gentiles; both that and this were designed to represent the impotency of all the children of men in spiritual things: they are lame from their birth, till the grace of God puts strength into them…”

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.

“Herein the scripture was fulfilled, that when the wilderness of the Gentile world is made to blossom as the rose then shall the lame man leap as a hart, Isa. xxxv.”

This man was listening to the words of Paul, who looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be healed.

“There was not found such great faith in Israel as was among the Gentiles, Matt. viii. The cure wrought: Paul, perceiving that he had faith to be healed, brought the word and healed him, Ps. cvii.”

The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates, hoping to offer a sacrifice along with the crowds.

“The same power of the god of this world which prejudices the carnal mind against truth makes errors and mistakes to find easy admission; and both ways his turn is served.”

Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.

“Popular breath turns like the wind. If Paul would have been Mercury, he might have been enthroned, nay, he might have been enshrined; but, if he will be a faithful minister of Christ, he shall be stoned, and thrown out of the city.”

They preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

“And it should seem that Timothy was of that city, and was one of the disciples that now attended Paul, had met him at Antioch and accompanied him in all this circuit; for, with reference to this story, Paul tells him how fully he had…”

strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

“And this confirms the souls of the disciples; it fortifies their pious resolutions, in the strength of Christ, to adhere to Christ whatever it may cost them. Note, [1.] Those that are converted need to be confirmed; those that are planted need to be rooted.”

After passing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

“That the gospel was now preached to Jews and Gentiles together, and those of each denomination that believed came together into the church.”

Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

“Many that had been proselytes to the Jewish religion became Christians; and they would have such as were proselyted to the Christian religion to become Jews.”

And after engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about…

“As faithful servants of Christ, they would not see his truths betrayed. They knew that Christ came to free us from the yoke of the ceremonial law, and to take down that wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles and unite them both in himself…”

And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us.

“Note, The Lord knows those that are his, for he knows men's hearts; and we are as our hearts are.”

When they had finished speaking, James declared, “Brothers, listen to me!

“He addresses himself respectfully to those present: " Men and brethren, hearken unto me. You are men, and therefore, it is to be hoped, will hear reason; you are my brethren, and therefore will hear me with candour.”

Simon has told us how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His own.

“(2.) that the glory of God was the end of it: it was to take out of them a people for his name, who should glorify him, and in whom he would be glorified.”

so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things

“Then Israel shall possess the remnant of Edom (so it is in the Hebrew); but the Jews called all the Gentiles Edomites, and therefore the Septuagint leave out the particular mention of Edom, and read it just as it is here, that the residue of…”

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

“The kingdom of God, in which they are to be trained up, is not meat and drink, neither the opposition nor the imposition of indifferent things, which will but trouble them; but it is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, which we…”

For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from ancient times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

“"You cannot blame them if they have a great veneration for the law of Moses; for besides that they are very sure God spoke to Moses," (1.)”

It has come to our attention that some went out from us without our authorization and unsettled you, troubling your minds by what they said.

“It was owing to the subtlety and malice of the great enemy of the church's peace (as it appears by Paul's frequent complaints of these judaizing teachers, these false apostles, these deceitful workers, these enemies of the cross of Christ ), that it had not…”

So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

“If they had been disposed to turn Jews, they could have done that long since, before the apostles came among them; but, if they cannot be interested in the Christian privileges without submitting to the Jews' yoke, they will be as they are.”

And when they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them.

“They came to Mysia, and, as it should seem, preached the gospel there; for though it was a very mean contemptible country, even to a proverb ( Mysorum ultimus, in Cicero, is a most despicable man ), yet the apostles disdained not to visit it…”

From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

“Why was not Paul introduced with solemnity, and the keys of the city put into his hand? Here is nothing like this; for, 1.”

She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come…

“Thus Paul shows the way of salvation indeed, that it is by breaking the power of Satan, and chaining him up, that he may not deceive the world ( Rev. xx.”

When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.

“If the preaching of the gospel ruin the craft of the silversmiths ( ch. xix. 24 ), much more the craft of the soothsayers; and therefore here is a great outcry raised, when Satan's power to deceive is broken: the priests hated the gospel because…”

They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil

“They take it for granted that these men are Jews, a nation at this time as much an abomination to the Romans as they had long ago been to the Egyptians.”