Acts 1:17

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 1:17

For he was numbered with us ,.... He was chosen an apostle with: the rest, and was ordained into that office when they were, and was always reckoned one of the twelve, and stands in the catalogue when they are mentioned: and had obtained part of this ministry ; by lot, as the word signifies; the providence of God so ordering it, according to his eternal purpose and decree, that he was not only called an apostle, and enrolled among them, but he really had a part in that ministry; he... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 1:17

Obtained part of this ministry - Ελαχε τον κληρον , He obtained the lot of this ministry - not that he or any of the twelve apostles, was chosen to this ministry by lot, but as lot signifies the portion a man has in life, what comes to him in the course of the Divine providence, or as an especial gift of God's goodness, it is used here, as in many other parts of the sacred writings, to signify office or station. On this subject the reader is referred to the notes on Leviticus 16:8 , ... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 1:17

Verse 17 17.Adopted. It is word for word reckoned. And he saith that he was one of the number, that he might signify unto them that it was needful that the empty place should be filled, to the end that the number might continue whole. And to this propose serveth that which followeth, that he had obtained a part in the ministry. For thereupon it doth follow that the body should be, as it were, lame, if that part should be wanting. Surely it was a thing which might make them greatly amazed, that... 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 1:16-19

Judas, an apostle. That Judas should have been selected by Christ has occasioned much difficulty to Bible-readers. It is assumed that our Divine Lord, by his omniscient power, must have known what Judas really was, and what Judas would ultimately do. But it is so difficult for us to realize that, in gracious condescension, God put himself, in Christ, within the limitations and conditions of manhood; and as our Lord would not use his miraculous powers to provide for his own necessities,... read more

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