Verse 40
And when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with the hand unto the people; and when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, saying.
Beckoning with the hand ... Such a gesture, so characteristic of Paul, might not have been possible unless the chiliarch had ordered the easing or removal of his chains.
A great silence ... How strange that the uproar ceased. The hand of God was surely in the astounding silence that fell over the temple mob. By such a means, God would give them one more opportunity to hear and believe the truth; and one may only wonder if perhaps there was even a single individual who dared in his heart to forsake such blind and frenzied prejudice and come to the fullness of faith in Jesus our Lord.
The Hebrew tongue ... Strictly, this was Aramaic, or the common vernacular of the people. Paul was a linguist; and it may be supposed that if his dream of reaching Spain was ever realized, even there he would have been able to preach in a tongue known to the people. The content of Paul's speech is the burden of the next chapter.
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