This Publius is thought to have been governor for the Romans in this island. Howsoever, he was a man of great account and estate, that could provide for so many as were in the ship, and receive them into his own house. read more
A bloody flux; a painful and dangerous disease; the torment in the bowels frequently causing a fever. And prayed; Paul could do nothing of himself, and therefore begs of God the recovery of Publius’s father. It is God only that kills and makes alive, 1 Samuel 2:6. Laid his hands on him; this imposition of hands was commonly used in miraculous cures, as Matthew 9:18; Mark 6:5; and is joined with prayer, Matthew 19:13, which it might be a symbol of. Thus Publius was well paid for what he did for... read more
The fame of this cure, wrought so suddenly, perfectly, and only with the laying on of Paul’s hands, could not but spread far and near; especially being done upon the governor: and men are usually very careful about their bodily health and welfare. So that their diseases were blessed occasions to bring them to the knowledge of God in Christ, whom Paul preached; and they might have perished eternally if they had not perished (or been thus near unto perishing) temporally. read more
CRITICAL REMARKSActs 28:1. The best authorities read, “And when we were escaped, then we knew”—lit., And having been saved, then we knew, or learned (by intercourse with the inhabitants) Melita.—Not Meleda, an island off the Illyrian coast in the Gulf of Venice, but the modern Malta.Acts 28:2. The barbarous people, οἱ βάρβαροι, were not savages, but natives who spoke neither the Greek nor the Roman tongue (compare Romans 1:14; 1 Corinthians 14:11; Colossians 3:11), but most likely the... read more
Tonight we'd like to just go through the twenty-eighth chapter of Acts and finish this book so that next Sunday night we move into the first two chapters of Romans. That's your reading assignment for next week, the first two chapters of Romans. But tonight, this fascinating, interesting final chapter to the story of the beginning of the church and the ministry of Paul the apostle.You remember last week, we were left in a very exciting and dramatic place. Paul was on the ship that was being torn... read more
Acts 28:1 . Melita, now Malta. This island seems to have been inhabited by runaways, for melim, in the language of Carthage, is to escape. It was inhabited by a colony of refugees from Carthage, a people of Phœnicia. So Dr. Lightfoot. Others say it was so called from its abounding with honey. It is about twenty miles in length, and eleven in breadth. Julius Cæsar is said, with great difficulty, to have taken it from the Carthaginians. It was given to the knights of St. John, who were... read more
Acts 28:1-14And when they were escaped then they knew. Tomorrow, a revealerA great many things are clearer today than they were last night. Tomorrow will clear up some of the mysteries of today. Weird shapes of the darkness take a matter-of-fact form when the sun rises. Doubts and fears which oppress us during the storm are found to be baseless after the clouds are scattered. This ought to comfort us when we most need cheer. What we do not know now, we shall know hereafter. If now we see as in... read more
Acts 28:7-15In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius. PubliusHere is--I. An obscure man made famous. History says nothing about Publius. As far as the Roman annalists are concerned, such a man might not have lived. They were busy with the Neros, Felixes, Agrippas--names whom the world would willingly let die. Yet the obscure governor of Melita is a personage known and reverenced in thousands of households. Why? Because he was brought into... read more
7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. Ver. 7. Who received us and lodged us three days courteously ] Gr. φιλοφρονως , of a friendly mind. As he is the best Christian that is most humble, so is he the truest gentleman that is most courteous. And as fair flowers in the spring draw passengers’ eyes, so doth courtesy in high degrees win men’s affections. read more
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Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 28:7-10
Acts 28:7-2 Samuel : . Visit to Publius.— The “ chief” man of the island is in the Gr. the “ first” man, an official title, found on inscriptions in Malta (p. 614 ). The cure of his father by Paul is effected by prayer and imposition of hands ( cf. Acts 9:12 ; Acts 9:17). Paul believed in his own power to do such things ( 2 Corinthians 12:12), and in the gift of healing given to other believers ( 1 Corinthians 12:9); see also James 5:14. It is not necessary to suppose that there was a... read more