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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Acts 5:17-25

Never did any good work go on with any hope of success, but it met with opposition; those that are bent to do mischief cannot be reconciled to those who make it their business to do good. Satan, the destroyer of mankind, ever was, and will be, an adversary to those who are the benefactors of mankind; and it would have been strange if the apostles had gone on thus teaching and healing and had had no check. In these verses we have the malice of hell and the grace of heaven struggling about them,... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Acts 5:26-42

We are not told what it was that the apostles preached to the people; no doubt it was according to the direction of the angel?the words of this life; but what passed between them and the council we have here an account of; for in their sufferings there appeared more of a divine power and energy than even in their preaching. Now here we have, I. The seizing of the apostles a second time. We may think, if God designed this, ?Why were they rescued from their first imprisonment?? But this was... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Acts 5:17-32

5:17-32 But the high priest and his party (the local sect of the Sadducees) were filled with envy, and they laid hands on the apostles and put them under public arrest. But through the night the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out and said, "Go, stand in the Temple and tell the people all the words of this life." When they heard this they came into the Temple very early and began to teach. When the high priest and those with him arrived, they summoned the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 5:25

Then came one and told them, saying ,.... Who this man was, is of no consequence to know; it can hardly be thought that he was one of the number of the disciples, or a member of the church, or a professor of the Christian religion; but rather an enemy, and one that sought his own interest, and to obtain the favour and affection of the chief priests and elders, and therefore very officiously came to them, and reported as follows: behold, the men whom ye put in prison , last night, are... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 5:26

Then went the captain with the offcers ,.... That is, the captain of the temple, who had the command of it; he went thither attended with the officers and servants of the chief priests, the same that had been sent to the prison, to fetch the apostles: and brought them without violence ; they did not lay hold upon them, and drag them away in a violent manner; but gave them good words, and allured them, and entreated them to go along with them, and perhaps promised them, that no hurt... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 5:27

And when they had brought them ,.... From the temple, to the place where the sanhedrim sat, which, by this, seems to have been not in the room Gazith, nor in the shops, which were both in the temple, but in some part of the city of Jerusalem: they set them before the council ; whereby was fulfilled what Christ had foretold, Matthew 10:17 "they will deliver you up to the councils"; they placed them before the whole sanhedrim; in the midst of it; see Gill on Acts 4:7 ; and as the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 5:28

Saying, did not we straitly command you ,.... Or give you strict orders, with severe threatenings, that you should not teach in this name ? the Ethiopic version reads, "in the name of Jesus"; which is what is meant, but was not expressed by the sanhedrim; see Acts 4:17 and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine ; they disregarded the council, and its orders, its commands and threatenings, and preached the doctrines of the Gospel; and particularly that concerning the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Acts 5:29

Then Peter, and the other apostles, answered and said ,.... Peter began, as the mouth of the apostles, being the eldest man, and very bold and zealous; and the rest followed, or joined, with him in what he said: we ought to obey God rather than men ; this is said in answer to the charge of disobedience to the orders and commands of the council: men, civil magistrates, and ecclesiastical rulers, are to be obeyed in things which are not repugnant to the will of God; but in things that are,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 5:25

Then came one and told them - While they were in the perplexity mentioned above, a messenger surprised them with the information that the very men whom they had imprisoned the preceding night were standing in the temple and teaching the people! read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 5:26

Brought them without violence - On receiving the information mentioned above, proper officers were sent to seize and bring them before the council. The officers, on reaching the temple, found the multitude gladly receiving the doctrine of the apostles, and so intent on hearing all the words of this life that they were afraid to show any hostility to the apostles, lest the people should stone them; we may therefore conclude that the officers entreated them to accompany them to the council;... read more

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