Verse by Verse

18 So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.

19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

20 When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent,

21 but took leave of them, saying,”I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.

22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch.

23 After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

Cenchreae (v.18) — The port they sailed from. It was eight and a half miles from Corinth.

Syria (v.18) — where Jerusalem was

Ironside thinks Paul made a Nazarite vow, which included no cutting of hair, before his conversion and felt compelled, in order not to offend Jews, to keep it for the avowed number of years. That time had been completed and, therefore, Paul cut his hair.

Gabeilein thinks Paul was perhaps wrong to take a legalistic vow but explains it no further. He also thinks Paul was probably wrong to go to the feast in Jerusalem instead of teaching at Ephesus.

Walker thinks Paul took a Nazarite vow because he continued to conform to Jewish law and custom although preaching liberty to Gentiles.

Stam doesn’t go into it much here except to say it was probably a Nazarite vow. He links it with Paul’s later visit to Jerusalem when he aided the four men in taking their vow as recorded in Acts 21:23-26. In that case, he thinks Paul was mistaken, but with good motives and that, although God didn’t direct or want Paul to do it, He still used Paul’s ministry. My view is close to this.

The Holy Spirit wouldn’t let Paul visit Ephesus at the beginning of the journey (Acts 16:6)

Ephesus (v.19) — The real capital of the Roman province of Asia, and, after Corinth, the next great city in order on the main central route from Rome to the East. It lay three miles from the sea, on the river Cayster, which was navigable at that period as far as the city. Four great roads diverged from Ephesus as routes of traffic. With these natural advantages, it was the great commercial center of all that part of Asia Minor, and ranked with Alexandria and Syrian Antioch as one of the most important cities of the Roman East. (Pergamum however, was the residence of the Roman proconsul, one of the most important governors of the empire.) Ephesus contained a goodly company of Greeks, as it had been formerly a Greek colony. The vast majority of inhabitants, however, were Asiatics, zealously attached to their old pagan religion, and proud of the temple of their goddess who, though originally the deity of an aboriginal cult, had adopted under the Greeks the name of Artemis. Her temple stood a little distance outside the city, near the slope of a hill, and was the religious center of the whole district.

The voyage from Cenchreae to Ephesus would occupy from two to three days, the route leading past some of the islands of the Greek Archipelago. The ship called at Ephesus, en route for Caesarea, probably to take in more pilgrims and to allow the passengers to spend the Sabbath in the synagogue. — Walker, page 398.

keep this coming feast in Jerusalem (v.21) — not in the best manuscripts

church (v.22) — the church in Jerusalem. Paul’s stay was probably very brief at this time.

¹² When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat,

¹³ saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you.

¹⁵ But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.”

¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat.

¹⁷ Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Gallio (v.12) — Elder brother of Seneca, the famous philosopher, Nero’s tutor and favorite, and uncle of Lucan the poet. He was born in Spain, his father being Marcus Annaeus Novatus, but he was adopted by Lucius Junius Gallio, whose name he assumed. That he held office in Achaia is corroborated by the statement of Seneca that he caught fever there and had to leave for a sea-voyage. Since his brother Seneca was in disgrace from A.D. 41-49, when he again regained the emperor’s favor, Gallio must have been governor of Achaia subsequent to that date. The most probably dates for his assuming that office are A.D. 52 and A.D. 53, most likely the former. Pliny mentions that he afterwards attained the dignity of counsul at Rome. Contemporary evidence shows him to have been a man of a particularly amiable disposition.

Proconsul (v.12) — Achaia had been a senatorial province from 27 B.C. — A.D. 15. It was then amalgamated with Macedonia and Mysia into an imperial province. From A.D. 44, however, Claudius had made it once more a senatorial province, under a proconsul. So Luke is again seen to be remarkably accurate in his terminology. — Walker, pages 393-394.

Achaia (v.12) — All of Greece under the Romans

rose up against (v.12) — a violent assault

judgment seat (v.12) — a moveable seat set up on the agora for the purpose of trials

Their complaint was that Paul sought to persuade men to worship God “contrary to the law.” They could, of course, have referred to their law (see verse 15) for the Hebrew religion was then protected by the Roman government. It seems more probable, however, that they meant that Paul was setting up an unlicensed religion — one not included among those which were permitted under Roman law. When we consider the wicked and degrading religions which Roman law did permit, right here in Corinth, this charge against Paul was a shabby one indeed. — Stam, page 137.

wrongdoing (v.14) — legal wrong

wicked crimes (v.14) — moral delinquency

words (v.15) — as opposed to deeds

names (v.15) — as opposed to realities

own law (v.15) — Jewish law as opposed to Roman law

Sostenes (v.17) — He is described as “the ruler of the synagogue,” and probably succeeded Crispus in office after the latter’s conversion (v.8). Doubtless, he was the leader of the Jewish party in their prosecution of Paul, and the irritated Greeks seized on him as such. We do not know that he is the same person as is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:1. If so, he must have been converted after this event. Possibly, the beating which he now received induced serious reflections. — Walker, page 396.

beat him (v.17) — repeatedly — a series of blows

took no notice (v.17) — Probably thinking Sosthenes, as the leader of the Jewish mob who stirred up trouble, deserved what he received

1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.

2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.

3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.

4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.

6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;

10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Corinth (v.1) — The capital of the Roman province of Achaia and residence of the governor. As Athens was the intellectual center, so Corinth was the political and commercial center of Greece. It was situated at the southern extremity of the narrow isthmus of the same name, which connected the Peloponnesus with the Grecian mainland, and had two harbors, the eastern one Cenchreae on the Saronic Gulf, and the western one Lechaeum on the Gulf of Corinth. Thus it stretched two arms, so to speak, to unite the Aegean and Adriatic Seas, and lay on the quickest and most central route from Rome to the East. Julius Caesar refounded it as a Roman colony in 46 B.C. It had a very large population, among whom, besides the native Greeks, might be found Romans, Jews, and strangers from various lands. Corinth was famous for the Isthmian Games. It was notorious, too, for its immorality, its temple of Aphrodite alone having connected with it a thousand prostitutes. — Walker, page 387.

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Aquila and Priscilla (v.2) — Acquila, we read, was a man of Pontus (see Acts 2:9), who had settled in Rome. The name is Latin. His wife, Priscilla or Prisca (Paul always uses the latter name, of which Priscilla is the diminutive or familiar form) also bears a Latin name, and is usually mentioned before her husband (Acts 18:18, 26; Romans 16:3; 2 Timothy 4:19), from which fact some have conjectured that she was a Roman lady of some position, whom Aquila the Jew had married. The order of names, however, would be equally accounted for, if she had a stronger personality; and she, too may have been a Jewess by birth. We find them accompanying Paul to Ephesus (v.18), and staying on there when he left (v.26). They are next seen in his company again in that city (1 Corinthians 16:19). Later, we find them once more in Rome (Romans 16:3-4). And our last notice of them shows them back again in Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19). — Walker, page 388.

During his year and a half in Corinth, Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Romans.

Rome hated the Jews, many of whom had settled in the city. Tiberius had sent some 4,000 Roman Jews into an unhealthy country, in hope that the fever there would destroy them, and Claudius, in the year 49 had banished them entirely from the capital of the Roman Empire. The Roman biographer and historian Suetonius (he lived during the reign of Hadrian in the beginning of the second century) in his life of Claudius gives the reason for the harsh edict of the Emperor Claudius because “the Jews were constantly in tumult at the instigation of one Chrestus.” The word “Chrestus” means undoubtedly “Christos,” that is Christ. — Gaebelein, pages 311-312.

Claudius (v.2) — Emperor of Rome A.D. 41-54.

tent making (v.3) — 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8; Acts 20:34 — At Tarsus, there was a famous local industry of making tents out of special goats’ hair material called cilicium after Cilicia.

persuaded (v.4) = sought to persuade

Greeks (v.4) — Greeks who believed in God and went to the synagogue.

Paul probably wrote 1 Thessalonians immediately after Silas and Timothy arrived (v.5).

compelled (v.5) — This probably means that he was led by the Spirit to stop tent-making and preach full-time. It may also mean that, up to this time, he was trying to convince the Jews by gentle persuasion but from this point on spoke boldly of Christ.

Timothy had come with most heartening reports from Thessalonica. They were standing — firmly! True, some were confused about what Paul had said with regard to the rapture of believers to be with Christ, and were mourning for their deceased brethren, whom they feared would now be excluded from that glorious event, but their faith and love were strong and they remembered him affectionately, longing to see him again (1 Thessalonians 3:6).

Silas doubtless brought good news from Berea, where Paul had last left him (Acts 17:14) and there was also a special surprise: a gift from his beloved Philippians! (2 Corinthians 11:9) … Little wonder that with the coming of Silas and Timothy we find Paul preaching Christ with new fervor. Heavy burdens had been lifted from his heart. Financial needs had been supplied. Trusted co-workers would now be at his side. — Stam, pages 125-126.

opposed (v.6) — organized opposition

shook his garment (v.6) — Paul was indicating that he was free of responsibility for the Jews. He’d done his part. (Ezekiel 3:18-19)

I am clean (v.6) — Paul’s conscience was clear

Justus (v.7) — a Gentile. Paul may have moved to Justus’ house after Silas and Timothy arrived, or he may have continued living with Priscilla and Aquila but went to Justus’ house to preach.

worshiped God (v.7) — probably one of those mentioned in verse 4, who had come to trust Christ

Crispus (v.8) — Mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:14, as having been baptized by Paul himself. Though a Jew, his name is Latin. As he was “the ruler of the synagogue,” his conversion must have provoked the Jews more than ever. His was by no means the only conversion from the synagogue. The household of Stephanas had previously become Christians (1 Corinthians 1:16) and Gaius was another convert (1 Corinthians 1:14). — Walker, page 392

afraid (v9) — because of the opposition of the Jews. Paul mentions his distress in 1 Thessalonians 3:6-7.

29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.

30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”

33 So Paul departed from among them.

34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

offspring (v.29) — If men are living, rational and moral, how can their gods be man-made idols?

art (v.29) — in Athens, especially, art reached its highest levels in statues and temples dedicated to their religion.

ignorance (v.30) — see Acts 14:14-16.

overlooked (v.30) — God didn’t excuse their idolatry, but He did not interfere to prevent them from practicing it. But the time is coming when He will.

but now (v.30) — Once men heard of Christ, they could no longer plead ignorance.

repent (v.30) = reconsider, think differently — to turn from idols to God

To hold that repentance has no place in the Pauline message is to misunderstand the nature of repentance, but on the other hand, to preach repentance, rather than grace, is to display ignorance of the message which the risen, ascended Lord committed to Paul and to us.

… Paul was answering the champions of idolatry. Quite naturally he would, in such a case, call upon them to repent and turn to the true God (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:9). And quite naturally he would confirm what Peter had said with respect to our Lord’s resurrection to “judge the world in righteousness.” — Stam, page 113.

in righteousness (v.31) — with justice — the guilty will not get off

ordained (v.31) — the same Greek words as that translated “determined” in verse 26.

given assurance (v.31) — Or ‘He hath furnished a guarantee.” The resurrection of our Lord is the guarantee alike that the risen One possesses the authority and power for His office as Judge (Romans 2:4; John 5:26-27), and that there will be a general resurrection of the dead followed by a righteous judgment (Revelation 20:11-13). — Walker, page 384.

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Dionysius the Areopagite (v.34) — A member of the august court of the Areopagus (v.19). As such, he was a man of weight and seniority, and had probably filled the office of “archon” or chief magistrate.  We know nothing further of him for certain.

Damaris (v.34) — Supposed by some to be a variant of “Damalis” (heifer), a name common among Greeks. as it stands, however, it has a foreign sound, and it has been suggested that she was a foreigner of not very reputable character, since it was not the custom of Greek women of respectability to appear in a public meeting of this kind. — Walker, page 386.

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Certain theologians have criticized Paul for failing to present the way of salvation in his speech at the Areopagus. It must be remembered, however, that he was brought to the Areopagus because he had been preaching “Jesus, and the resurrection” (v.18) and it is unthinkable that he would not have proclaimed salvation through Christ had he been permitted to finish his address.

His discourse before the philosophers at Athens was in fact a masterpiece of God-given wisdom and spiritual power. the dignity and sincerity of his manner, his skillful use of local circumstances, his rare combination of prudence and boldness, the powerful way in which he met human philosophy with divine revelation, the tactful, yet telling manner in which he exposed his hearers as ignorant idolaters, searching their consciences, warning them of judgment and calling upon them to repent and turn to God; the superb manner in which he appealed to the testimony of creation citing such of their poets as recognized any of the truths he proclaimed, and even using the inscription on their altar as his text, answering atheism, polytheism, pantheism, agnosticism, materialism and fatalism, all in the course of a few moments’ time — all this marks his interrupted discourse on Mars Hill. — Stam, page 115.

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

26 And He has made from one blood* every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,

27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

Men of Athens (v.22) — the way many Greek orators began their speeches — Paul was adapting to his audience.

perceive (v.22) — close observation as in verse 16 where it is translated “saw”

religious (v.22) = lit. “fearing the gods” — given to the worship of many deities

considering (v.23) — same word as “perceive” in verse 22, but with a prefix that adds the meaning “again and again”

We have evidence from Pausanias and Philostratus, who both knew Athens at a period a little later than Paul’a visit, that there were altars there erected “for unknown gods,” so that we may well believe that the one which the apostle saw was not the only one of the kind. They were probably erected in consequence of some visitation or trouble by worshipers who did not know to what deity they should address their invocations. Paul made this inscription the text, so to speak, of his sermon. He used the Athenian worshiper’s confessed ignorance of the name and character of the deity whom he addressed as the point of approach to the souls of his hearers. — Walker, page 378

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Who the Unknown God Is — Paul unfolds the truth of God as a Person. He is a personal God and as such He made the world and all things therein. This truth was not owned by the Epicureans or the Stoics. The Epicureans with their atomic theory, that the universe came together by itself, and the Stoics with their cold Pantheism denied this fundamental truth. This bold announcement effectually set aside the philosophical babblings of these wise men, and these few words completely answer the modern Materialists and Pantheists. With the next sentence Paul lays bare the follies of paganism. As Lord of heaven and earth, because He is the Creator, He does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor can He be worshiped with men’s hands as though he needed anythings. In this statement he leaned towards the expressions used by the Epicureans, who declared that the divine nature is self sufficiency and needs nothing from us. But at the same time he rebukes the Stoics by showing that God giveth to all life, and breath and all things. He is the Preserver as well as the Creator. Next Paul shows that God created man and that all nations of men are made by Him of one blood. This was not believed in paganism. Polytheism was closely connected with the conception that the different races came into existence in different ways. The various races therefore had different racial gods. The Greeks had divided the world into two classes, Greeks and Barbarians. That they, the proud Greeks, had sprung from the same stock as the Barbarians must have humbled them greatly. It rebuked their national pride. All the Apostle said to the cultured Greeks, the great philosophers was elementary. The most simple truth about God and the origin of man could not be discovered by the keenest intellect. How all this bears out the divine statement in Romans 1:21-22. — Gaebelein, pages 307-308.

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“This One, whom you worship as unknown,” said the apostle, “I declare to you.” There is an evident allusion here to their charge in verse 18, for the word “declare” in verse 23 is the same as “set forth” in verse 18. They said: “He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods (Lit. demons or divinities). He now replies: “I set forth the true God (Gr. Theos, God) whom you worship as unknown.” thus he pleads “not guilty” to their charge of introducing “strange divinities.” — Stam, page 104.

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Him I proclaim (v.23) — “Him” as distinguished from other gods; “I” as distinguished from their champions. Both words are emphatic in the Greek. — Stam. page 105

blood (v.26) — not in most manuscripts. The idea probably should be that from one person God made all men.

For we are also his offspring. (v.28) — This is a quotation from the Greek poet Aratus (270 B.C.), a Stoic from Paul’s own Cilicia. Almost identical words occur in the hymn to Zeus of Cleanthes (300 B.C.) which is a sort of Stoic creed. While the apostle takes stanzas thus from Greek writers, he is not to be considered in any way endorsing all the views they held. He merely uses their own confessions of a truth which they only dimly realized in order to lead on his hearers into clearer light. Similar quotations from the Greek classics occur in 1 Corinthians 15:33; Titus 1:12, showing the apostle’s acquaintance with them. — Walker, page 382.

16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.

19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?

20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”

21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

Paul remained alone at Athens for some time longer, for though he had sent word to Silas and Timothy to “come to him with all speed” (v.15), when Timothy did come to Athens bearing news of the sufferings of the Thessalonian believers, Paul could not bear to keep him but again “thought it good to be left at Athens alone” and sent him back to establish and encourage them in the faith (1 Thessalonians 3:1-5). Considering the distance between the Macedonian churches and Athens, Paul must have spent a considerable period of time at Athens and mostly alone, except as converts were won. Thus did he sacrifice himself for the good of those he had been forced to leave. Finally Timothy, with Silas, rejoined Paul at Corinth (Acts 18:5) bearing good news from Macedonia (1 Thessalonians 3:6-7). — Stam, page 91.

provoked (v.16) — from the same root as the noun for “sharp contention”

saw (v.16) — close observation

given over to idols (v.16) — Athens, as the center of art, philosophy and religion, was full of idols, temples, shrines and altars to all sorts of deities and even to ideas. The Athenians worshiped ideas as well as gods.

With all their vaunted wisdom, the Athenians could not even settle on a god! One worshiped this “deity” and another that. Most worshiped different gods on different occasions. So great was the confusion that Pliny says that in Nero’s time Athens contained over 3,000 public idols in addition to countless idols possessed by individuals. On every hand there were statues to gods and demigods. Practically every “deity” was represented including those “unknown.” Petronius says humorously that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens, and our Scriptures states that the city was “crowded with idols.” — Stam, page 92.

reasoned (v.17) — repeatedly — using Socrates’ method of question and answer

Gentile worshipers (v.17) — Gentiles drawn to Judaism but not proselytes

marketplace (v.17) — The agora in Athens was filled with art works and lined with painted porticoes where philosophers lectured pupils.

Epicurean (v.18) — Epicurus was born in Samos in 342 B.C., and settled in Athens 35 years later as a teacher of philosophy. He taught that pleasure is the chief end of man, pleasure, i.e. not in the sense of the gratification of each desire as it arises, but in the sense of securing the greatest possible amount of happiness into life when all the interests concerned have been taken into account. He regarded the gods as living a life of calm felicity, far removed from earthly turmoil and disassociated  from all interference with mundane things. He gathered his disciples together in a famous garden for instruction. The Epicureans did not believe in the immortality of the soul; to them man’s existence ceases with death. They were the materialists and utilitarians of Greek philosophy.

Stoic (v.18) — The other great philosophy then prevalent in Athens. The Stoics were followers of Zeno, a native of Cyprus, who flourished about 278 B.C. They were so called because he taught in a painted “Stoa” (portico). The practice of virtue for its own sake was his favorite doctrine, and the great end of existence was considered to be the attainment of a state of mind which is not disturbed by either good or evil, pleasure or pain. He taught the need of mortifying the senses to this end. The Stoics, unlike the Epicureans, were strong believers in a spiritual universe, but were practically pantheists, holding the all-pervasiveness of the divine essence and the final absorption of human spirits into the divine. Their system was also strongly tinged with fatalism. Stoicism was really oriental in origin and represented the contact of eastern influences and doctrines with the world of western classic thought. Zeno himself appears to have sprung from as Asiatic stock. Tarsus, Paul’s birthplace, was a famous center of Stoic teaching. — Walker, pages 373-374.

babbler (v.18) = seed-picker — one who forages (like a bird hunting for seed) for bits of knowledge and imparts them to others with a pretension of intellect

foreign gods (v.18) = lit. “demons.” The word occurs 60 times in the New Testament and is always translated devils except here. It is significant in this connection that demons were behind their idol worship, and that angel spirits are called gods in Scripture because, like the rules of this world, they are supposed to represent God (Psalm 82:1, 6; 86:8; 95:3; 96:4-5; 97:7, 9 etc.) — Stam, page 97

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resurrection (v.18) — Since the word “resurrection” is feminine in Greek, they possibly regarded it as the name of a goddess, especially as they were wont themselves to erect statues to Piety, Modesty, and other personified and deified attributes. If so, Paul seemed to them to be preaching about two alien deities, the one “Jesus” and the other “Resurrection.”

Areopagus (v.19) — Standing near the agora, and a little west of the famous Acropolis, was a hill called “Mars’ Hill” (the literal translation of Areopagus), so named from the legend of the trial of the god Mars supposed to have taken place there. Its brow was crowned with a temple erected to that deity. It was approached by a flight of 16 steps. It has been generally supposed that the Athenian philosophers led Paul to this hill as a quiet spot, in order to give him a special hearing. An objection to this view lies in the fact that it was not a convenient place for the gathering of any very considerable audience. The name “Areopagus,” moreover, belonged not to the hill only but to a famous council which was wont to meet there, the members sitting in the open air on stone benches cut out of the solid rock. They were all, at least originally, men who had filled important magisterial offices, being upwards of 60 years of age. Their decisions, alike in matters of state and questions of religion, were regarded with superstitious reverence. Even under the Romans, they retained a good deal of authority and constituted the most august body in the whole of Attica. From the time of Chrysostom at least, it has been suggested that Paul was dragged before this court to stand a sort of trial. While the context does not favor formal judicial proceedings, we may perhaps understand that he was required, as a strange lecturer, to give an account of his doctrine before the court and pass a test as to its character. Paul, so far from acting on the defensive before the famous council, seized the opportunity for setting forth the facts of Christianity before the most learned and aristocratic company which the western world contained. — Walker, pages 375-376.

spent their time (v.21) — repeatedly — “had leisure for”

some new thing (v.21) — the latest intellectual fad

10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.

15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

Berea (v.10) — An ancient city about 50 miles southwest of Thessalonica, on the eastern slope of the Olympian range of mountains which stretch onwards towards Illyricum. Situated near the edge of a well-watered plain, it had advantages which made it a town of some importance. It was not on the Egnatian Road. Its modern name is Verria. — Walker, page 368.

fair-minded (v.11) — courteous, generous, willing to listen

searched (v.11) — with the idea of sifting evidence, examining closely

prominent women (v.12) — see Acts 13:50.

The Jews of Macedonia were as aggressive in their opposition to Paul as were those in Galatia (Acts 14:19).

men (v.12) — probably including Sopater (Acts 20:4)

to go to the sea (v.14) — The natural interpretation of this is that Berean friends escorted Paul to the sea coast where (perhaps, at Dium, a seaport at the southern extremity of Macedonia near the base of Mount Olympus), they embarked by ship for Athens.

conducted (v.15) — That is, some of the Berean Christians. They may have deemed an escort wise after the violence shown against Paul in Macedonia; or possibly they went with him to introduce him to friends in Athens. Paul was accustomed to having companions in all his travels. The party would land at the Piraeus, the port of Athens.

Athens (v.15) — The capital of Attica and the most celebrated city of ancient Greece. It was the home of classical literature and art, and gloried in a long past of political and intellectual fame. Under the Romans, it was included in the province of Achaia, of which Corinth was the capital. Athens, however, was still the intellectual center, and was the university city of the Roman world. It was also the metropolis of Greek mythology. Its importance as a religious and philosophical center can hardly be overestimated. Paul had come sufficiently, at Tarsus, under the influence of Greek culture and learning to realize the dominating grandeur of the great city in which he now found himself as a missionary of Jesus Christ. — Walker, pages 370-371.

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The Bereans were open-minded. This is the first lesson we must learn from them.  To appreciate this quality in them we must remember that they were Jews who met in a synagogue each Sabbath day. Some of the things Paul preached to them must have seemed strange, if not almost unbelievable and impossible. Yet, if they listened with open mouths, they listened with open minds too. They did not shake their heads in refusal or deem Paul’s’ message unworthy of investigation just because it was so different from that which they had heard all their lives. They were spiritually great enough to give him a sincere and interested hearing.

We must not suppose that the Berean Jews were gullible, or mistake their broad-mindedness for credulity. If they were broad they were narrow too. They were not willing to accept what Paul said just because he said it. They would listen and consider, but would not concede, without real evidence from the Scriptures, that the truth had been preached. Paul’s word must be subjected to God’s Word. This was another sign of their true spiritual greatness. — Stam, pages 83-85.

5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.

7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king — Jesus.”

8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.

9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

envious (v.5) — The Jews opposed the evangelization of the Gentiles. Paul mentions this very persecution in 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16: For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

evil men (v.5) = market-men — men who lounged around the agora looking for trouble.

house of Jason (v.5) — Where the missionaries had their lodging. They were absent when the mob arrived there. “Jason” is the name of a Christian at Corinth (Romans 16:21), and many identify him with this man. He was most likely a Jew by birth, and Josephus tells us of a Hebrew called Joshua who changed his name to the more Gentile form of Jason. — Walker, page 366.

If this is the same Jason as the one in Romans 16:21, he was Paul’s relative.

to the people (v.5) — either expecting mob violence to get rid of the men or for a trial before a public gathering

rulers of the city (v.6) — Greek, “politarches.” This was the title given to the supreme board of magistrates at Thessalonica, the heads of the democracy, as is proved by a stone inscription from a Roman arch there, now in the British Museum. The use of it is a remarkable instance of Luke’s extreme accuracy, since it is not found in any classical author. — Walker, pages 366-367.

king (v.7) — The word “king” in Greek would be “emperor” in Latin.

taken security (v.9) — That is, security (by money or sureties) for their good behavior, so as to prevent further disturbance in the city. The security may have taken the form of an undertaking, on the part of Jason and his friends, that Paul should not return to Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18). — Walker, page 368.

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

passed through (v.1) — on the Via Egnatia, which extended 500 miles from the Hellespont to Dyrrachium, a town on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea.

Amphipolis (v.1) — A town on the Egnatian Road. It was on the eastern bank of the river Strymon, about three miles from the sea. The river winds round the hill on which it was built in a semi-circle, and some have thought that it took its name (All-around city) from this fact. Others, however, attribute the name to the city’s conspicuousness, visible all around, from sea and land. its ancient name was “nine-ways.” After passing into the hands, successively, of the Athenians, Macedonians, and Romans, it was made a free city by the latter and the chief town of that division of Macedonia. It was about 32 miles southwest of Philippi. The missionaries may have spent the night there, but do not seem to have preached.

Apollonia (v.1) — Also situated on the Egnatian Road, about 30 miles southwest of Amphipolis. Very little is known of its history. It seems to be mentioned here as a town where Paul and his coworkers halted for the night, between Amphipolis and Thessalonica.

Thessalonica (v.1) — About 38 miles west of Apollonia, on the Egnatian Road, situated in the northeastern recess of the Gulf of Salonica. Its maritime advantages, added to the fact that the waters of three rivers flow into the sea there, made it an important commercial center. Its name is much later than the original city, and was given to it by Cassander, who rebuilt it in 315 B.C., in honor of his wife, Alexander the Great’s step-sister. Under the Romans, it became the metropolis of the province of Macedonia, and the residence of the governor. It was allowed by them to retain its freedom and to have its own Macedonian constitution. Jews were numerous there, as in other centers of commerce. — Walker, pages 362-363.

as was his custom (v.2) — Acts 9:20; 13:14; 14:1; 17:10, 17; 18:4; 19:8.

Paul still went to “the Jew first,” not with a view to the establishment of the kingdom after all, but that from Jerusalem to Rome the Jews might be left without excuse for their rejection of Christ and, as he explains: If by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them (Romans 11:14). — Stam, page 73.

three Sabbaths (v.2) — three weeks

reasoned (v.2) — discuss by question and answer — tense indicates the reasoning was “frequent and renewed”

Scriptures (v.2) — the Old Testament

demonstrating (v.3) = setting forth — using Scripture to prove his points

Two facts he declared in that synagogue. He first declared that according to their Scriptures, Messiah must suffer and rise. Taking up the Old Testament, he showed them that their own Scriptures declared that their own Messiah must die and rise again. That was the first burden of his teaching. The order in which it is stated here reveals to us the fact that before he told the story of Christ, he made them see what their own Scriptures taught about their own Messiah; and this was exactly what the Jew had entirely failed to grasp, or had completely forgotten. With the ancient prophecies in our hands, with the one prophecy of Isaiah for instance, it seems as though it were impossible for men ever to have studied them without seeing that the pathway of the Servant of God toward His triumph must be that of travail; but the Jew had failed to see it. There were in those days interpreters of the prophecies, scribes and teachers, rabbis, who had discovered a difficulty, and who were teaching that two Messiahs would come for the fulfillment of the ancient ideal; one who should be a suffering Messiah; and another who should be a Messiah winning battles and establishing the throne …

Paul’s work was to declare to these Jews that the Scriptures taught that the Messiah must suffer, and that He must rise again …

Then he declared that the One who fulfilled that portraiture of their ancient Scriptures was Jesus Himself.  — Morgan, pages 400-402.

Many of the Greeks (v.4) were converted directly from idolatry (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

leading women (v.4) — high-born women with influence

35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”

36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”

37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.

39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.

40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

officers (v.35) — lictors (see v.22)

Let those men go (v.35) — We aren’t told why the magistrates changed their minds. Perhaps they connected the earthquake with the arrest of the two men and were afraid, or perhaps they got word that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. (See note on Acts 9:1-2.)

According to Cicero, to bind a Roman was a crime, to scourge him a scandal, to kill him a homicide. It was one of the the most valued privileges of Roman citizenship, this immunity from corporal punishment. The cry civis Romanus sum (I am a Roman citizen) brought even among Barbarians help and safety. — Gaebelein, page 294.

put us out (v.37) — same Greek word as “thrown” in the save verse. The officials threw them into prison and then attempted to throw them out.

secretly (v.37) — in contrast with “openly”

We aren’t told why Paul didn’t mention his Roman citizenship at his arrest or beating. Perhaps the crowd was too riotous, or maybe the Spirit held him back so he could witness to the other prisoners and the jailer.

afraid (v.38) — of the penalty for mistreating a Roman citizen

them (v.40) — not “we” — Luke (and perhaps Timothy) must have stayed in Philippi

Claiming his citizen rights at the point may have been Paul’s attempt to protect the members of the Philippian church from persecution or arrest.