But Elymas

8 and desired to hear the word of God. the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy 9 from the faith. Then Saul (who also is called Paul), filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on 10 him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the II Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about 12 seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

13

III. THROUGH PERGA TO PISIDIAN ANTIOCH

(xiii. 13, 14).

Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John 14 departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

R.V., Seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.

9. R.V., But Saul, who is also called Paul. Two explanations have been offered for the introduction of Saul's other name at this point. i. That he either took it or had it conferred on him by the proconsul; ii. That he had always possessed it, and must have given it as his name to the Roman officer who summoned him to the presence of the proconsul..

But

12. R.V., Being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

13. Paul and his company. The words mark a change; Paul, not Barnabas, now takes the lead.

R.V., John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem. We do not know why Mark turned back. Some think he was afraid of the

dangers of the journey;

others that he did not want to preach to the Gentiles; or that he objected to some change in St. Paul's plans. St. Paul regarded it as a desertion, and refused to take him on the second journey.

14. R.V., But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. The language seems clearly to indicate that the Apostles did no work either at Perga on the way to

9-10. Note the contrasts : Paul is Filled with the Holy Ghost," Elymas with all guile and all villainy, R.V.; the name Bar-jesus means itself or son of Jesus," but Paul calls him a son of the devil (R.V.)

II. Not seeing the sun. This shows that he was to be stone blind; the light of the Eastern sun would be perceptible if he had any sense of sight.

Antioch.

Antioch in Pisidia. More correctly "Pisidian Antioch," to distinguish it from other cities of that name and especially from Carian Antioch on the Mæander.

when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia.

IV. PHRYGIAN GALATICA (xiii. 146-xiv. 7).

(a) Pisidian Antioch (xiii. 146–52).

Paul's Sermon in the synagogue. Subject: Jesus the Saviour of the seed of David, rejected of the Jew, but declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection.

i. The choice of Israel, and the gift of the inheritance (17-19).

ii. The Gift of the Davidic kingdom (after the rejection of Saul (20-22).

iii. Jesus, the seed of David, the promised Saviour (23-37).

(a) Heralded by John.

(b) Rejected by the rulers and hanged on the tree by Pilate.

(c) Proclaimed the Son of God (Ps. ii.) by the resurrection from the tomb, thus fulfilling

the promises to David (Is. lv. 3; Ps. xvi. 10.)

iv. Forgiveness and justification through the Risen Saviour (38-39).

v. A solemn warning against unbelief (Hab. i. 5)

(40-52).

The sermon should be contrasted with the speeches of Peter and Stephen.

The result of the Apostles' work is the formation of the first Gentile Church, independent of the synagogue, thus arousing the most bitter hostility of the Jew.

(b) Iconium (xiv. 17).

Many converts from among both Jews and Greeks; but the active opposition of the unbelieving Jews causes the Apostles to flee.

(a) Pisidian Antioch (14b-52).

146And went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and 15 sat down. And after the reading of the law and the

prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of 16 exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, 17 and ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out

15. Of the synagogue (see p. xiv.).

Rulers of the synagogue. It was their office to have charge of the public service.

16. R.V., Beckoning with the hand. This means some gesture which was characteristic of Paul. St. Luke must

often have seen St. Paul thus begin a speech.

17. Exalted. It is not clear what is meant; it may be an allusion to the position of Joseph, or, more likely, we should combine it with what follows and refer it to the deliverance, when the Israelites were exalted in triumph over Pharaoh.

18 of it. And about the time of forty years suffered 19 he their manners in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, 20 he divided their land to them by lot. And after

:

that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. 21 And afterward they desired a king and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of 22 Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when

he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise 24 raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: When John

had first preached before his coming the baptism of 25 repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am ? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one

after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to 26 loose. Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, 27 to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they

that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have 28 fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they 29 Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him 30 down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But

31 God raised him from the dead. And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the 32 people. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how

that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this 34 day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give 35 you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith

also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine 36 Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw 37 corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw 38 no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore,

men and brethren, that through this man is preached 39 unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is 41 spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and

wonder, and perish : for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man

31. R.V., Who are now his witnesses. (Comp. the stress which St. Peter lays on the duty of witnessing to the resurrection; i. 22; ii. 31; iii. 15; iv. 33). St. Paul

would feel that those who were at Jerusalem at the time could give the best witness to the fact that the body of Jesus had left the tomb; and he goes on to emphasise the contrast between the body of David and the body of Jesus, as Peter had done on the day of Pentecost (ii. 29).

32. R.V., We bring you good tidings of the promise.

33. The quotation from Ps. ii. is generally applied to the Baptism (comp. Luke iii. 22; Heb. i. 5); but St. Paul regards the resurrection as the final and Divine assurance of the Sonship of Jesus; so in Rom. i. 4:

42 declare it unto you. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next 43 sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of 44 God. And the next sabbath day came almost 45 the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of ever47 lasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for 48 salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord : and as many as were ordained to 49 eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was 50 published throughout all the region. But the Jews

stirred up

the devout and honourable women, and the