Acts 1:16

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Acts 1:15-26

The sin of Judas was not only his shame and ruin, but it made a vacancy in the college of the apostles. They were ordained twelve, with an eye to the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve patriarchs; they were the twelve stars that make up the church's crown (Rev. 12:1), and for them twelve thrones were designated, Matt. 19:28. Now being twelve when they were learners, if they were but eleven when they were to be teachers, it would occasion every one to enquire what had become of... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Acts 1:12-20

1:12-20 Then they made their way back to Jerusalem from the hill which is called the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, about half a mile away. When they came in. they went up to the upper room where they were staving; Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James were there. All of them with one united heart persevered in prayer, together with certain women and with Mary,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 1:16

Men and brethren ,.... Which is said not so much by Peter to express his modesty, and humility, and his brotherly love; or on account of the spiritual relation that subsisted between him and the persons he speaks to, as it was a common form used in addresses; see Acts 7:2 it should seem, that the women, were not reckoned into the number of the hundred and twenty here addressed; and the Syriac version calls that number, "the number of men", unless they are supposed to be included in them: ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 1:16

The Holy Ghost by the mouth of David - Thus is a strong attestation to the Divine inspiration of the book of Psalms. They were dictated by the Holy Spirit, and spoken by the mouth of David. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 1:16

Verse 16 16.It was meet that the Scripture should be fulfilled. Because Peter doth speak in this their assembly, therefore the Papists will have him to be the head of the church. (57) As though no man might speak in any assembly of the godly but he should straightway be Pope. We do grant, that as in every assembly there must be some which must be chief, so in this assembly the apostles did ascribe this honor unto Peter. But what maketh this unto (the proving of) their Papacy? Wherefore, bidding... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 1:12-26

The interval between the Ascension and Pentecost. I. THE SCENE IN THE UPPER ROOM . Obedient to the Lord's command, the disciples return to Jerusalem. A certain upper chamber, probably in a private dwelling, became the first Christian Church. Epiphanius says that when Hadrian came to Jerusalem, he found the temple desolate and but few houses standing. This "little church of God," however, remained; and Nicephorus says that the Empress Helena enclosed it in her larger church.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 1:15-26

The rewards of iniquity. The physical laws by which the material world is governed are not more fixed and certain than the moral laws which secure to iniquity its just reward. Nor has the patient and honest inquirer more difficulty in ascertaining those laws than the physicist has in ascertaining the laws of nature by observation and experiment. Neither is it peculiar to Holy Scripture to set forth the sequences of cause and effect which occur under those moral laws; the history of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 1:15-26

The path of sin and the way of the righteous. The passage treats of the miserable end of the traitor apostle and of the elevation of Matthias to the office from which "Judas by transgression fell." We are reminded of— I. THE PATH OF SIN . ( Acts 1:16-20 .) This is a gradual descent. "No one ever became most vile all at once," wrote the Roman; and he was right. Some men descend much more rapidly than others the path of folly and of sin, but no one leaps at once from the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 1:15-26

The Church's first corporate action. I. A GLIMPSE INTO PRIMITIVE CHURCH LIFE , showing: 1. Its purity and simplicity. No pomp, no complicated organization, appeal to the body of the Church. 2. Its separation from the world. " The names " were recorded in some way, and numbered; probably a written record kept from this time in the upper room. They were all regarded as "brethren." 3. Its reverence for Scripture. The quotation of the Apostle Peter is not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 1:16

Brethren, it teas needful that the Scripture should be fulfilled for men and brethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, A.V.; spake before by the mouth of David for by the mouth of David spake before, A.V. It was needful , etc. So our Lord declared, "The Scriptures cannot be broken" ( John 10:35 ); and "All things must be fulfilled which were written" ere. ( Luke 24:25-27 , Luke 24:44-46 ). It is most important to our Christian integrity that we should view the... read more

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