Act 12:1-4, 16:22-26, 21:30-31, 22:30, 24:1-9, 25:1-2, 11-12, 22-25 | TSK | STEP | King Herod persecutes the Christians, kills James, and imprisons Peter; whom an angel delivers upon the prayers of the church. Herod in his pride taking to himself the honour due to God, is stricken by an angel, and dies miserably. After his death, the word of God prospers. Saul and Barnabas return to Antioch. Cir. A.M. 4048. A.D. 44. stretched forth his hands. or, began. to vex.

Seeing.Felix, bad as he was, had certainly rendered some services to Judaea. He had entirely subdued a very formidable banditti which had infested the country, and sent their captain, Eliezar, to Rome; had suppressed the sedition raised by the Egyptian impostor (ch. 21:38); and had quelled a very afflictive disturbance which took place between the Syrians and Jews of Cæsarea. But, though Tertullus might truly say, "by thee we enjoy great quietness," yet it is evident that he was guilty of the grossest flattery, as we have seen both from his own historians and Josephus, that he was both a bad man and a bad governor.

26,27; Ps 10:3; 12:2,3; Pr 26:28; 29:5; Jude 1:16

most.

23:26; *Gr:

26:25; Lu 1:3; *Gr:

that.

Heb 11:32

we have.

6:13; 16:20,21; 17:6,7; 21:28; 22:22; 28:22; 1Ki 18:17,18; Jer 38:4

Am 7:10; Mt 5:11,12; 10:25; 1Co 4:13

and a mover.

1Sa 22:7-9; Ezr 4:12-19; Ne 6:5-8; Es 3:8; Lu 23:2,5,19,25

1Pe 2:12-15,19

the sect.

14; *Gr:

5:17; 15:5; 26:5; 28:22; 1Co 11:19; *Gr:

Nazarenes.

Mt 2:23

gone.

12; 19:37; 21:27-29

whom.

21:30-32; 22:23; 23:10-15

and.

Joh 18:31; 19:7,8

the chief.

21:31-33; 23:23-32; Pr 4:16

great.

21:35; 23:10

Commanding.

23:30,35; 25:5,15,16

by.

19-21

6:11-13; Ps 4:2; 62:3,4; 64:2-8; Isa 59:4-7; Jer 9:3-6; Eze 22:27-29

Mic 6:12,13; 7:2,3; Mt 26:59,60; Joh 8:44

Acts 25:1-2

1 The Jews accuse Paul before Festus.

8 He answers for himself,

11 and appeals unto Caesar.

14 Afterwards Festus opens his matter to king Agrippa;

23 and he is brought forth.

25 Festus clears him of having done any thing worthy of death.

into.

23:34

the province.By the province, Judea is meant; for after the death of Herod Agrippa, Claudius thought it imprudent to trust the government in the hands of his son Agrippa, who was then but seventeen years of age; and therefore, Cuspius Fadus was sent to be procurator. And when afterwards Claudius had given to Agrippa the tetrarchy of Philip, he nevertheless kept the province of Judea in his own hands, and governed it by procurators sent from Rome.

he.

5; 18:22; 21:15

15; 24:1; Job 31:31; Pr 4:16; Ro 3:12-19

Acts 25:11-12

if I.

18:14; Jos 22:22; 1Sa 12:3-5; Job 31:21,38-40; Ps 7:3-5

no man.

16:37; 22:25; 1Th 2:15

I appeal.An appeal to the emperor was the right of a Roman citizen, and was highly respected. The Julian law condemned those magistrates, and others, as violaters of the public peace, who had put to death, tortured, scourged, imprisoned, or condemned any Roman citizen who had appealed to Cesar. This law was so sacred and imperative, that, in the persecution under Trajan, Pliny would not attempt to put to death Roman citizens, who were proved to have turned Christians, but determined to send them to Rome, probably because they had appealed.

10,25; 26:32; 28:19; 1Sa 27:1

unto Cesar shalt.

21; 19:21; 23:11; 26:32; 27:1; 28:16; Ps 76:10; Isa 46:10,11; La 3:37

Da 4:35; Ro 15:28,29; Php 1:12-14,20

Acts 25:22-25

9:15; Isa 52:15; Mt 10:18; Lu 21:12

with.

12:21; Es 1:4; Ec 1:2; Isa 5:14; 14:11; Eze 7:24; 30:18; 32:12; 33:28

Da 4:30; 1Co 7:31; Jas 1:11; 1Pe 1:24; 1Jo 2:16

at.

9:15

King Agrippa.King Agrippa was the son of Herod Agrippa; who upon the death of his uncle Herod, king of Chalcis, A.D. 28, succeeded to his dominions, by the favour of the emperor Claudius. Four years afterwards, Claudius removed him from that kingdom to a larger one; giving him the tetrarchy of Philip, that of Lysanias, and the province which Varus governed. Nero afterwards added Julias in Peraea, Tarichaea, and Tiberias. Claudius gave him the power of appointing the high priest among the Jews; and instances of his exercising this power may be seen in Josephus. He was strongly attached to the Romans, and did every thing in his power to prevent the Jews from rebelling; and when he could not prevail, he united his troops to those of Titus, and assisted at the siege of Jerusalem. After the ruin of his country, he retired with his sister Berenice to Rome where he died, aged 70, about A.D. 90.

about.

2,3,7

that he.

22:22; Lu 23:21-23

committed.

23:9,29; 26:31; Lu 23:4,14; Joh 18:38

and that.

11,12

Augustus.The honourable title of [Sebastos ,] or Augustus, that is venerable or august, which was first conferred by the senate on Octavius Caesar, was afterwards assumed by succeeding Roman emperors.