The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  9:3–6 This was the first of 6 visions to be seen by Paul in Acts (cf. 16:9, 10; 18:9, 10; 22:17, 18; 23:11; 27:23, 24).

  9:3 a light…from heaven. The appearance of Jesus Christ in glory (cf. 22:6; 26:13), visible only to Saul (26:9).

  9:4 why are you persecuting Me? An inseparable union exists between Christ and His followers. Saul’s persecution represented a direct attack on Christ. Cf. Matt. 18:5, 6.

  9:5 goads. Sticks for prodding cattle (26:14).

  9:10 Ananias. One of the leaders of the Damascus church, and therefore, one of Saul’s targets (cf. 22:12).

  9:11 street called Straight. This street, which runs through Damascus from the E gate to the W, still exists and is called Darb el-Mustaqim. Tarsus. The birthplace of Paul and a key city in the Roman province of Cilicia, located on the banks of the Cydnus River near the border of Asia Minor and Syria. It served as both a commercial and educational center. The wharves on the Cydnus were crowded with commerce, while its university ranked with those of Athens and Alexandria as the finest in the Roman world.

  9:15 chosen vessel. Lit. “a vessel of election.” There was perfect continuity between Paul’s salvation and his service; God chose him to convey His grace to all men (Gal. 1:1; cf. 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). Paul used this same word 4 times (Rom. 9:21, 23; 2 Cor. 4:7; 2 Tim. 2:21). before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. Paul began his ministry preaching to Jews (13:14; 14:1; 17:1, 10; 18:4; 19:8), but his primary calling was to Gentiles (Rom. 11:13; 15:16). God also called him to minister to kings such as Agrippa (25:23—26:32) and likely Caesar (cf. 25:10–12; 2 Tim. 4:16, 17).

  9:17 laying his hands on him. See note on 6:6. be filled with the Holy Spirit. See note on 2:4. The Spirit had already been active in Paul’s life: convicting him of sin (John 16:9), convincing him of the Lordship of Christ (1 Cor. 12:3), transforming him (Titus 3:5), and indwelling him permanently (1 Cor. 12:13). He was then filled with the Spirit and empowered for service (cf. 2:4, 14; 4:8, 31; 6:5, 8; see also note on Eph. 5:18). Saul received the Spirit without any apostles present because he was a Jew (the inclusion of Jews in the church had already been established at Pentecost) and because he was an apostle in his own right because Christ personally chose him and commissioned him for service (Rom. 1:1).

  9:20 He is the Son of God. The content of Paul’s message was that Jesus Christ is God (see notes on Heb. 1:4, 5).

  9:23 after many days were past. A period of 3 years, in which he ministered in Nabatean Arabia, an area encompassing Damascus S to the Sinai peninsula (see notes on Gal. 1:17, 18).

  9:24 gates. Damascus was a walled city, thus the gates were the only conventional means of escape.

  9:25 let him down…in a large basket. “Basket” was a large woven hamper suitable for hay, straw, or bales of wool.

  9:27 Barnabas. See note on 4:36.

  9:29 Hellenists. The same group Stephen debated (see note on 6:1).

  9:30 Caesarea. Cf. 8:40. An important port city on the Mediterranean located 30 mi. N of Joppa. As the capital of the Roman province of Judea and the home of the Roman procurator, it served as the headquarters of a large Roman garrison. sent him out to Tarsus. Paul disappeared from prominent ministry for several years, although he possibly founded some churches around Syria and Cilicia (15:23; Gal. 1:21).

  9:31 the churches…had peace and were edified. Paul’s conversion and political changes contributed to the rest. A stricter Roman governor and the expansion of Herod Agrippa’s authority restricted the persecution.

  9:32 Lydda. Lod in the OT. Located about 10 mi. SE of Joppa, it was a hub servicing roads from Egypt to Syria and from Joppa to Jerusalem.

  9:33 Aeneas. Use of “certain man” to describe him means he was an unbeliever (cf. v. 36). His paralysis was incurable by the limited medical knowledge of that day.

  9:35 Sharon. The plain surrounding Lydda and Joppa and extending N to Caesarea.

  9:36 Joppa. A seacoast town today known as Jaffa, S of Tel Aviv. Tabitha. She was more commonly known by her Gr. name, “Dorcas.” Both names mean “gazelle.”

  9:37 upper room. This arrangement was similar to that of the upstairs room in 1:13; 2:1. While it was customary to bury a body immediately, the believers in Joppa had another plan.

  9:38 near Joppa. 10 mi. SE.

  9:39 tunics…garments. Close fitting undergarments and long outer robes.

  9:43 Simon, a tanner. Cf. 10:5, 6. Peter breaks down a cultural barrier by staying with a tanner, an occupation despised by Jewish society because the tanner dealt with the skins of dead animals. The local synagogue probably shunned Simon.

  Acts 10

  10:1 a centurion. One of 60 officers in a Roman legion, each of whom commanded 100 men (see note on Matt. 8:5). Italian Regiment. Or “Italian Cohort.” Ten cohorts of 600 men each made up a legion.

  10:2 feared God. A technical term used by Jews to refer to Gentiles who had abandoned their pagan religion in favor of worshiping Jehovah God. Such a person, while following the ethics of the OT, had not become a full proselyte to Judaism through circumcision. Cornelius was to receive the saving knowledge of God in Christ (see note on Rom. 1:20).

  10:3 About the ninth hour. 3:00 p.m. (see note on 3:1).

  10:4 memorial. A remembrance. Cornelius’ prayers, devotion, faith, and goodness were like a fragrant offering rising up to God.

  10:7 devout soldier. See note on vv. 1, 2.

  10:9 housetop to pray. All kinds of worship occurred on the flat roofs of Jewish homes (2 Kin. 23:12; Jer. 19:13; 32:29). sixth hour. 12:00 noon.

  10:12 all kinds of four-footed animals. Both clean and unclean animals. To keep the Israelites separate from their idolatrous neighbors, God set specific dietary restrictions regarding the consumption of such animals (cf. Lev. 11:25, 26).

  10:13 kill and eat. With the coming of the New Covenant and the calling of the church, God ended the dietary restrictions (cf. Mark 7:19).

  10:14 common or unclean. Unholy or defiled.

  10:15 God has cleansed. More than just abolishing the OT dietary restrictions, God made unity possible in the church of both Jews, symbolized by the clean animals, and Gentiles, symbolized by the unclean animals, through the comprehensive sacrificial death of Christ (see note on Eph. 2:14).

  10:22 instructed by a holy angel. Cf. vv. 3–6.

  10:23 invited them in. Self-respecting Jews did not invite any Gentiles into their home, especially soldiers of the hated Roman army. some brethren. Six Jewish believers (11:12), identified as “those of the circumcision” in v. 45.

  10:26 I myself am also a man. Cf. 14:11–15; Rev. 22:8, 9. Only the triune God deserves our worship.

  10:28 unlawful. Lit. “breaking a taboo.” Peter followed the Jewish standards and traditions his whole life. His comments reveal his acceptance of a new standard in which Jews no longer were to consider Gentiles profane.

  10:34 God shows no partiality. Taught in both the OT (Deut. 10:17; 2 Chr. 19:7; Job 34:19) and NT (Rom. 2:11; 3:29, 30; James 2:1). The reality of this truth was taking on new dimensions for Peter.

  10:35 accepted. This Gr. word means “marked by a favorable manifestation of the divine pleasure.”

  10:36 preaching peace. Christ, by paying the price of sin through His sacrificial death, established peace between man and God (see note on Rom. 5:1–11).

  10:37 the baptism which John preached. Cf. 1:22; 13:24; 18:25; 19:34; see notes on Matt. 3:2–12.

  10:38 how God anointed Jesus. Cf. 4:27. The beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry (cf. Matt. 3:13–17; Luke 3:21, 22).

  10:41 to witnesses chosen. Jesus became visible after His resurrection only to believers (cf. 1 Cor. 15:5–8).

  10:43 believes in Him. The means of salvation—faith in Christ alone (see note on Rom. 1:16; cf. John 3:14–17; 6:69; Rom. 10:11; Gal. 3:22; Eph. 2:8, 9).

  10:44 the Holy Spirit fell. See notes on 2:4; 8:17.

  10:45 the circumcision. Cf. 11:2. Jewish Christians (see note on v. 23).

  10:46 tongues. See not
es on 2:4; 8:17.

  Acts 11

  11:3 ate with them! The Jewish believers were outraged over such a blatant breach of Jewish custom. It was difficult for them to conceive that Jesus could be equally Lord of Gentile believers.

  11:4–14 Cf. 10:1–23, 28–33.

  11:14 your household. All who were under Cornelius’ authority and care, who could comprehend the gospel and believe (cf. 16:15, 31). This does not include infants.

  11:15 at the beginning. God attested to the reality of Gentile salvation with the same phenomenon that occurred at Pentecost (see note on 8:17).

  11:16 baptized with the Holy Spirit. See note on 1:5.

  11:18 God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. One of the most shocking admissions in Jewish history, but an event that the OT had prophesied (Is. 42:1, 6; 49:6; see note on 2:38).

  11:19 See notes on 8:1–3. Phoenicia. The coastal region directly N of Judea, containing the trading ports of Tyre and Sidon. Cyprus. See note on 4:36. Antioch. Located some 200 mi. N of Sidon, Antioch was a major pagan metropolis, the third largest in the Roman Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria.

  11:20 men from Cyprus and Cyrene. See notes on 6:9; 13:4. Hellenists. Cf. 6:1; 9:29. The preferred reading is “Greeks,” or Greek-speaking non-Jews (see note on 6:1).

  11:21 hand of the Lord. This refers to God’s power expressed in judgment (cf. Ex. 9:33; Deut. 2:15; Josh. 4:24; 1 Sam. 5:6; 7:13) and in blessing (Ezra 7:9; 8:18; Neh. 2:8, 18). Here, it refers to blessing.

  11:22 Barnabas. See note on 4:36. Since he was a Cypriot Jew, he came from a similar background to the founders of the Antioch church.

  11:25 Tarsus. See note on 9:11. to seek Saul. This was to be no easy task. Several years had elapsed since Saul fled Jerusalem (9:30). Apparently, he had been disinherited and forced to leave his home due to his new allegiance to Christianity (Phil. 3:8).

  11:26 Christians. A term of derision meaning “of the party of Christ.” Cf. 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16.

  11:27 prophets. Preachers of the NT (cf. 1 Cor. 14:32; Eph. 2:20; see notes on 13:1; 21:9; Eph. 4:11).

  11:28 Agabus. One of the Jerusalem prophets who years later played an important part in Paul’s ministry (21:10, 11). a great famine. Several ancient writers (Tacitus [Annals XI.43], Josephus [Antiquities XX.ii.5], and Suetonius [Claudius 18]) affirm the occurrence of great famines in Israel ca. A.D. 45–46. all the world. The famine reached beyond the region of Palestine. Claudius Caesar. Emperor of Rome (A.D. 41–54).

  11:30 elders. This is the first mention of the men who were pastor-overseers of the churches (15:4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 21:18); i.e., a plurality of godly men responsible to lead the church (see notes on 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9). They soon began to occupy the leading role in the churches, transitioning from the apostles and prophets, who were foundational (cf. Eph. 2:20; 4:11).

  Acts 12

  12:1 Herod the king. Herod Agrippa I reigned from A.D. 37–44 and was the grandson of Herod the Great. He ran up numerous debts in Rome and fled to Palestine. Imprisoned by Emperor Tiberius after some careless comments, he eventually was released following Tiberius’ death, and was made ruler of northern Palestine, to which Judea and Samaria were added in A.D. 41. As a hedge against his shaky relationship with Rome, he curried favor with the Jews by persecuting Christians.

  12:2 James. The first of the apostles to be martyred (see note on Matt. 10:2). with the sword. The manner of his execution indicates James was accused of leading people to follow false gods (cf. Deut. 13:12–15).

  12:3 during the Days of Unleavened Bread. The weekly feast following Passover (see notes on Ex. 23:14–19; Matt. 26:17).

  12:4 four squads. Each squad contained four soldiers and rotated the watch on Peter. At all times two guards were chained to him in his cell, while the other two stood guard outside the cell door (v. 6).

  12:12 Mary. Mark is called the cousin of Barnabas in Col. 4:10, so she was his aunt. John…Mark. Cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10), acquaintance of Peter in his youth (1 Pet. 5:13), he accompanied Barnabas and Paul to Antioch (v. 25) and later to Cyprus (13:4, 5). He deserted them at Perga (13:13) and Paul refused to take him on his second missionary journey because of that desertion (15:36–41). He accompanied Barnabas to Cyprus (15:39). He disappeared until he was seen with Paul at Rome as an accepted companion and co-worker (Col. 4:10; Philem. 24). During Paul’s second imprisonment at Rome, Paul sought John Mark’s presence as useful to him (2 Tim. 4:11). He wrote the second gospel that bears his name, being enriched in his task by the aid of Peter (1 Pet. 5:13).

  12:15, 16 his angel. According to Jewish superstition, each person had his own guardian angel who could assume that person’s form.

  12:17 James. The Lord’s brother, now head of the Jerusalem church (see Introduction to James; see note on 15:13). he departed. Except for a brief appearance in chap. 15, Peter fades from the scene as the rest of Acts revolves around Paul and his ministry.

  12:19 Herod. See note on v. 1. put to death. According to Justinian’s Code (ix. 4:4), a guard who allowed a prisoner to escape would suffer the same fatal penalty that awaited the prisoner. Caesarea. See note on 9:30.

  12:20 Herod. See note on v. 1. Tyre and Sidon. Two port cities N of Caesarea, in a region called Phoenicia. Mutual interdependence existed between these cities and Galilee, although Tyre and Sidon were more dependent on Galilee (see note on Mark 3:8). Blastus. The king’s treasurer acted as an intermediary between Herod and the representatives of Tyre and Sidon.

  12:21 So on a set day. A feast in honor of Herod’s patron, the Roman emperor Claudius. arrayed in royal apparel. According to Josephus, he wore a garment made of silver.

  12:23 did not give glory to God. The crime for which Herod was executed by God (A.D. 44), who will eventually condemn and execute all who are guilty of this crime (Rom. 1:18–23). eaten by worms. According to Josephus, Herod endured terrible pain for 5 days before he died.

  12:25 had fulfilled their ministry. After Herod’s death, they delivered the famine relief to the Jerusalem church (11:30). John…Mark. See note on v. 12.

  Acts 13

  13:1 Chapter 13 marks a turning point in Acts. The first 12 chapters focus on Peter; the remaining chapters revolve around Paul. With Peter, the emphasis is the Jewish church in Jerusalem and Judea; with Paul, the focus is the spread of the Gentile church throughout the Roman world, which began at the church in Antioch. prophets. These had a significant role in the apostolic church (see notes on 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 2:20). They were preachers of God’s Word and were responsible in the early years of the church to instruct local congregations. On some occasions, they received new revelation that was of a practical nature (cf. 11:28; 21:10), a function that ended with the cessation of the temporary sign gifts. Their office was also replaced by pastor-teachers and evangelists (see note on Eph. 4:11). Barnabas. See note on 4:36. Simeon…called Niger. “Niger” means “black.” He may have been a dark-skinned man, an African, or both. No direct evidence exists to equate him with Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21). Lucius of Cyrene. Not the Lucius of Rom. 16:21, or Luke, the physician and author of Acts. who had been brought up with. Can be translated “foster-brother.” Manean was reared in Herod the Great’s household. Herod the tetrarch. Herod Antipas, the Herod of the gospels (see note on Matt. 14:1).

  13:2 ministered. This is from a Gr. word which in Scripture describes priestly service. Serving in leadership in the church is an act of worship to God, and consists of offering spiritual sacrifices to Him, including prayer, oversight of the flock, plus preaching and teaching the Word. fasted. This is often connected with vigilant, passionate prayer (cf. Neh. 1:4; Ps. 35:13; Dan. 9:3; Matt. 17:21; Luke 2:37), and includes either a loss of desire for food or the purposeful setting aside of eating to concentrate on spiritual issues (see note on Matt. 6:16, 17).

  13:3 laid hands on them. See note on 6:6.

  13:4 Seleucia. This city served as the port for Antioch, some 16 mi. away at the mouth of the Orontes River. Cyprus. See note on 4:
36. Saul and Barnabas chose to begin their missionary outreach there because it was Barnabas’ home, which was only a two-day journey from Antioch, and had a large Jewish population.

  13:5 arrived in Salamis. The chief port and commercial center of Cyprus. synagogues. See note on 6:9. Paul established the custom of preaching to the Jews first whenever he entered a new city (cf. v. 14, 42; 14:1; 17:1, 10, 17; 18:4, 19, 26; 19:8) because he had an open door, as a Jew, to speak and introduce the gospel. Also, if he preached to Gentiles first, the Jews would never have listened to him. John as their assistant. See note on 12:12.

  13:6 Paphos. The capital of Cyprus and thus the seat of the Roman government. It also was a great center for the worship of Aphrodite (Venus), and thus a hotbed for all kinds of immorality. a certain sorcerer…a Jew. “Sorcerer” is better translated “magician.” Originally it carried no evil connotation, but later was used to describe all kinds of practitioners and dabblers in the occult. This particular magician put his knowledge to evil use (see note on 8:9).

  13:7 the proconsul. A Roman official who served as provincial governor (cf. 18:12).

  13:8 Elymas. The Gr. name of Bar-Jesus, a transliteration of the Arab. word for magician.

  13:9 Saul…called Paul. Paul’s Hebrew and Roman names.

  13:13 came to Perga in Pamphylia. Perga was a major city in the Roman province of Pamphylia, in Asia Minor—some 200 mi. N across the Mediterranean from Cyprus. John, departing from them. Whatever reason John Mark gave for leaving, Paul didn’t accept it (15:38). While his desertion did not hamper the mission, it did later create dissension between Paul and Barnabas (15:36–40). This was finally resolved (cf. Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11). See note on 12:12.

  13:14 Antioch in Pisidia. Not to be confused with Antioch in Syria, the location of the first Gentile church. This Antioch was located in the mountains of Asia Minor (modern Turkey).