CHAPTER 8

1. [2 in Aramaic] And on that day there came to be a great persecution of the congregation at Yerushalayim, and they were all scattered throughout the towns of Yehudah and among the Shomronites, outside of the Delegates alone.

Shomronites: better known today as the Samaritans. The Delegates remained in contact with those who had been scattered. (v. 14) But they had a calling to fulfill in Yerushalayim, so YHWH gave them enough favor in the eyes of the other Yehudim to allow them to stay there. This was a political, not religious, persecution. The balance of power was upset, and if they did not keep the peace, the Romans, who had given them their positions, would rescind them. So they try to get rid of the political liability. 

2. And devout men took Stefanos away and buried him, and mourned very much over him,

Devout: or confident; i.e., brave, trusting YHWH to keep them safe since they would also become targets.

3. while Sha’ul persecuted the congregation of Elohim when he entered houses and was snatching away men and women and delivering them over to the round-house.

Snatching: or, dragging; the Hebrew word, garar, is onomatopoetic for such a grating sound as being dragged away. Round-house: again, a fortified prison. Though he was a P’rush, Sha’ul would ingratiate himself to the Tzadoqim who were in power if he were to carry out this “dirty work” that would achieve their very goals.

4. But those who were scattered went around and proclaimed the word of Elohim.

Thus they were hurled rather suddenly into the second and third stages of the plan Yeshua had laid out in 1:8—from Yerushalayim to “all Yehudah and Shomron”. YHWH made it abundantly clear that it was time to get on with this part of the task. He used a man who was zealous for the faith as he had been taught it and who also had political ambition to give them a push as Pharaoh had driven Israel out of Egypt, since it is Israel’s tendency not to move until we have to. But they did not hide; they took Stefanos’ murder as a challenge and only stepped up their activity, saying in essence, “You pushed us out, so we will take the message everywhere we go! We will not shut up. If you kill us, we will only become stronger!” Unlike the last time part of Israel was scattered, these believers were not willing to forget about the Kingdom just because of some opposition.

5. And Filippos went down to a city belonging to the Shomronites and made proclamation to them about the Messiah.

Filippos: one of the Hellenistic Jewish counterparts of Stefanos (6:5). This was not as large a step for him as it would have been for one of the native-born Jews. (Yoch. 4:9)  

6. And when they had heard his message, the people who were there were attentive to him and consented to all that he said, because they saw the signs that he carried out,

Were attentive: literally, pricked up (their ears). They, too, were a people awaiting the Messiah. They were a “special case” in that they were Gentiles (having been brought in by Assyria to replace the exiled Israelites after 722 B.C.E.) but were Torah-observant to some extent, though they had some points of doctrine wrong. (They had been threatened by wild beasts, and, assuming they had offended the local deity, requested that priests be sent back to teach them His ways, as told in 2 Kings 17:24-35.) YHWH honored their misguided attempts by sending them the fuller truth at this point. 

7. because many who were held captive by unclean spirits clamored with a loud voice when they came out of them, and others who were paralyzed and lame were healed,

Paralyzed: from a word meaning “held still”, as rendered in Hebrew.

8. and great joy came to that city.

Aramaic, and there was great cheering in that city. Was this the same city Yeshua had gone to in Yochanan 4, preparing the way for these messengers? He’d told them it was time to worship not just in spirit but in truth, or, better rendered, what is firm and real. The Kingdom is still hidden, but it is not just a spiritual belief we can hold without it affecting our practical lives; since His visit, the groundwork had been laid for that kingdom to become physically tangible as well.

9. There was one man there whose name was Sim’on, who had stayed within that city for a long time, and when he practiced his sorceries there he was leading the Shomronite people astray while he made himself exalted, and he was saying, “I am great!”

Sim’on: Even in the Aramaic and Hebrew versions where Shim’on Kefa’s name is spelled according to the original Hebrew pronunciation (v. 14ff), his name is spelled with a different initial letter, indicating that this may have been the Samaritan pronunciation as well as the Greek. Exalted: in a fraudulent and pretentious manner. I am great: Aramaic, I am the rabbi; Greek, claiming himself to be some great one.

10. And everyone, great and small, inclined after him, and they said, “This one is the great force of Elohim!”

Great force: Stern suggests that this was one of the levels in a spiritual hierarchy in their version of Gnosticism. He was crediting his power to Elohim, not to himself, yet was a charlatan like many “faith-healers” today.

11. And they had been listening to him, because for a long time he had been astonishing them with his sorceries.

12. But when they believed Filippos who brought the glad news of the Kingdom of Elohim in the name of our master Yeshua the Messiah, men and women were being immersed.

Immersed: An extra-biblical practice (for the Torah only specifies that those who are ritually unclean need to “wash” themselves with water) but one that was widely practice by many stripes of Jews from the P’rushim to the Essenes, and approved by Yeshua (most notably in Mat. 3:15) and even practiced by Him. It is a ritual that makes the statement, “I wish to ascend to the next level of being set apart.” It is as much a witness to oneself as to those around him, for self is what makes us unclean. It is a vivid picture of dying to self and being “born again”, awakened by the water to a heightened sense of being fresh and new. They were not contradicting the Torah, so what was the “news” in their message? That the Messiah had conquered death and the Davidic throne again had a rightful heir after 600 years of vacancy. This “baptism” was a declaration that they recognized this king and were now His subjects, and that they would honor no other king as their own. “We are that kingdom, and we will do what it takes to bring it about. We have no allegiance to Rome or anyone it places in power; there is a real king now!” This is why others were concerned enough to persecute them, because they realized that their own illegitimate power was now on shaky ground. Now the Shomronites, too, were recognizing the cracks in their own system, and despite their long-time animosity with the Jews, were saying, “We now recognize the Davidic throne and will be loyal to it.” 

13. And even he, Sim’on, believed and was immersed and joined himself to Filippos as he saw 

The one who amazed others with his tricks (v. 11) knew that the power this man walked in was more real than the sources he had tapped into. Filippos was not exalting himself, but putting everyone’s focus on the Kingdom that his signs were merely meant to herald. Why do we not see such powerful signs now? Partly because we are not yet as committed as they, and partly because it is not the season for them yet. When we have burned all bridges of dependency on other things besides Him, we will see His power.


14. Now when the Delegates who were in Yerushalayim heard that the Shomronite people had received the word of Elohim, they sent Shim’on Kefa and Yochanan to them.

15. When they came down, they prayed over them that they might receive the spirit of holiness,

Spirit of holiness: can also be rendered “wind [from] the Holy Place” in the Temple, that is, a breath sent back from the Kingdom that it represents as a place of laboring for YHWH.

16. because it had not yet come upon one of them; they had only been immersed in the name of our master Yeshua.

They had changed citizenship, but still did not have the power to follow through; they have the firm truth but not the spirit. So YHWH now gives them something that can rewire our inclinations from selfish to selfless in a way that the other kingdom of which they had been a part had no power to do, despite its superior military strength.

17. Then they leaned their hands on them, and they received the spirit of being set apart.

18. Now when Sim’on saw that [it was] by the laying on of hands [that] the Delegates delivered the spirit of being set apart, he offered them silver,

19. and said, “Give me this leaning too, so that whoever I lean hands on will receive the spirit of being set apart!”

20. But Shim’on Kefa said to him, “May your money go with you to the great destruction, because you thought that the gift of Elohim could be bought with the product of the earth!

Bought: or acquired; the word for product here is a related term.

21. “You have no share-holding—not even a portion [assigned by lot]--in this faith, because your heart is not sincere before Elohim.

Sincere: straight, unbent, level, direct, upright. Portion: the idea may be “not even a chance” (like the casting of the lot), as anti-YHWH as the concept of chance is. Faith: or firm reality, i.e., “you have no part in this Kingdom”.

22. “Yet, repent from this evil of yours, and seek from Elohim; maybe He will forgive the mischief of your heart for you,

Mischief: or, lewdness, crime, apostasy. 

23. “because I see that you have been found in bitterness of wormwood and in the fetters of perversion!”

He had been bound by the poison that comes from holding onto a hurt suffered even though the perpetrator has refused to repent and no more can be done about it. That obsession keeps our eyes on self and prevents us from fully receiving the Kingdom. We cannot give ourselves completely if we keep part hidden behind a tough callous. Even if we have been burned by authorities in the past, it does not mean we can refuse the authority YHWH is setting in place once again in Israel. If we nurture the grudge, we are the ones that lose. This brother to depression is the ultimate selfishness. Filippos saw it, for it shows up in the light of YHWH’s presence. When Filippos began to correct Sim’on, it was the last thing he wanted, for we tend to take comfort in feeling sorry for ourselves if we have been hurt. This would have shown up on his face. YHWH apparently did give him that open door to repent, whatever that would require of him, for though he wanted to have whatever it would take to make him a be a “star”, he very quickly lowers himself and recognizes that he is not even worthy to speak, let alone garner a following.  

24. Sim’on answered and said, “Seek on my behalf from Elohim that not [one] word of these things that you have said will come upon me!”

25. And after they had given witness before them and taught the Word of Elohim, Shim’on and Yochanan headed back for Yerushalayim, and announced the glad news to many villages of the Shomronites.

26. But a messenger of YHWH spoke with Filippos and told him, “Get up [and change your course]; walk southward along the wilderness highway that goes down from Yerushalayim to ‘Azzah.

‘Azzah: called Gaza today because of the Greek rendering of the guttural beginning of the word. Wilderness: Greek, deserted. He had an important appointment:

27. So he got up and went, and met up with an officer of the court who came from Kush--a royal minister having great authority [under] Qandaq the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge over her whole treasury [and] who had come to worship in Yerushalayim,

Officer of the court: often rendered “eunuch”, and sometimes validly so in both Hebrew and Greek, but eunuchs were not allowed to worship in the Temple. (Deut. 23:1) Quite often court officers, especially those in charge of watching over the king’s harems, were indeed made eunuchs, and thus the word came to be a synonym for any court officer. To worship: or to do homage. By tradition, King Shlomo (Solomon) married the Queen of Sheba and their son became the patriarch of the royal Ethiopian dynasty, which continued to do homage to Yerushalayim even after there was no longer an earthly king there. This dynasty, which was already quite ancient in Filippos’ day, lasted until 1974—nearly 3,000 years! So this man either had Jewish lineage or was a proselyte.

28. and when he had turned to embark on [his] journey, he was sitting in [his] chariot and reading in Yeshayahu the prophet.

29. And the Spirit told Filippos, “Approach and join yourself to this chariot.”

Join yourself to: Greek, keep company with.

30. So, when he had approached, Filippos heard him reading in the prophet Yeshayahu, and said, “So do you understand what you are reading?”

When he had approached: Greek, running to it. Do we understand what we are reading? The things that seem straightforward at face value in the “New Testament” end up contradicting the Torah until we have enough intimate knowledge of the Torah to look at it from a Hebraic perspective. When we know enough about the history and the layout of the Temple to know what it meant to go to Yerushalayim to worship, the pieces fall into place much better than when we approach it from a 21st-century perspective strongly colored by Greek thought. The more we live like our ancestors did, the more we can approach the text as Hebrews. 

31. And he said, “How can I understand unless [some] man instructs me?” And he asked Filippos to come up and sit with him.

32. The section of Scripture in which he was reading was this: 

“He was conducted along like a lamb to the slaughter, and just as a ewe is put to silence before her shearers, He too will not open His mouth”

33.when he is laid low. “He was taken away from restraint and from due process, and who can tell of His generation? Because they took His life from the earth.” [Yeshayahu 53:7-8]

When he is laid low: Greek, in his humiliation. This explanatory phrase does not appear in the Masoretic text, but is present in the Greek LXX instead of the phrase “from restraint”, but the Aramaic Peshitta includes all three phrases here. Who can tell of: the Masoretic text has “who can ponder…?” His generation: The Aramaic has “his struggle” (as translated by Lamsa). He had no progeny, being killed before he could have children, but verse 11 of the same chapter says, “He will see his seed” and will be satisfied. They took His life from the earth: the Heb. Masoretic text reads, He was severed from the land of life.

34. And the officer said to Filippos, “I [respectfully] ask from you, about whom is this prophet speaking—about himself or about another man?”

Note his courtly manner of speaking.

35. Then Filippos opened his mouth and began from this Scripture and proclaimed to him the glad news about our master Yeshua.

Began: or, let loose. The message flowed out freely. The great news is that another descendant of David is back to claim His throne, and He is the “other man” it is speaking of.

36. And as they traveled along the road, they came upon a certain place where there was water. So the official said, “Here is water! What is keeping me back from being immersed?”

He is saying that he wants to join the new Kingdom, no matter whether this would allow him to ever go back to Ethiopia or not. As a highly-placed official, he knew the significance of loyalty to a sovereign.  

37. [Filippos said, “If you believe with your whole heart, you are free (to do so).” And he answered and said, “I believe that Yeshua the Messiah is the son of Elohim!”]

Verse 37 does not appear in the Aramaic, so no teaching that depends on this verse alone can be counted on. But “Son of Elohim” is an ancient title for the king who sits on the throne of David and Shlomo. (Psalm 2:7)

38. So he commanded the chariot to be held back, and both of them went down to the water, and Filippos immersed the officer.

Immersed: not pushing him under the water in the Mithraic fashion so common today, but acting as witness while the officer immersed himself, to verify that his entire body and all his hair went under the water. If even a hair or a fingertip is left in the other kingdom, it will come back to haunt us and will harm those with whom we are associated. Filippos himself did not necessarily go into the water.

39. And as they came up from the water, the spirit of YHWH seized Filippos, and the official did not see him any longer, and this one went on his way rejoicing.

Spirit: or wind. Filippos ended up about ten miles off the road he had been traveling on:

40. But Filippos was found in Ashdod, and from there he went around proclaiming the glad news in all the cities until he arrived at Caesarea.

Was found: Stern renders it, showed up. Ashdod: one of the principal coastal cities in the ancient Philistine territory. Caesarea (Herod’s capital, where the Roman procurators resided, with one of the world’s finest harbors at that time) is some 45 miles north of Ashdod. Some of the cities he would have passed through were Yamnia (later the main center for Rabbinic study), Yafo (Joppa), and Apollonia (apparently a Gentile or Hellenistic colony) on his way. Much of this area was again in the territory of the Shomronites, but riots between Jews and Gentiles here would begin the Great Revolt against Rome in 66 C.E., so there were substantial Jewish communities in each as well.


CHAPTER 9

1. But Sha’ul continued to be full of threat and murderous rage against the students of our Master.

Full of threat (or menace): Greek, breathing out threats—a colorful description by Luke. Why was Sha’ul so angry? Probably because he has heard the truth many times, but does not want to accept it, yet he knows he cannot win the argument. He did not even take his teacher Gamli’el’s advice to let the movement die out on its own. He knows that if he were to admit the truth, he would lose the position and power that he had spent his entire lifetime earning. He therefore tries to win a fight instead. The number of believers in Yeshua is growing so fast and he cannot counter the teachings, so he resorts to intimidation and violence.  

2. And he [ardently] requested letters from the high priest to give them to the synagogue at Dameseq, that if men or women should be found who walk in this “Way”, he could tie them up and bring them to Yerushalayim. 

Letters: Stern points out that Sha’ul would have to cross two borders to extradite them, and that though he had no real political power, the high priest was well-enough respected by Jews living outside the Land to grant him cooperation from the Jewish community in Dameseq, now the capital of Syria. Another possibility is that this referred to the other community known to its members as Dameseq (now called by its Arabic name, Qumran), which is only about 15 miles from Yerushalayim. Many copies of what is known as “the Damascus Document” were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls buried there. Women: Apparently they too were having a significant enough impact on Jewish society to warrant Sha’ul’s attention. This Way: Yeshua called Himself “the Way” in Yochanan 14:6; the term also simply means “lifestyle” or “path”. 

3. But as he walked and began to reach Dameseq, suddenly a light from the heavens shined over him,

4. and he fell to the ground and heard a voice speaking to him: “Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why are you persecuting Me?

Sha’ul’s own accounts of this incident (22:5-16 and 26:13-18) add several details, but none of them mentions him falling off a horse, a tradition that probably stems from popular illustrations alone! This is the only recorded time that Yeshua takes anyone by storm rather than persuading him by logic and testimony, but it has occurred in other extra-biblical cases. 

5. “It is a [severe] difficulty for you to kick against the cattle-prods!” And he said, “Who are you, my master?” And our Master answered, “I am Yeshua the Notzri, whom you are persecuting!

Kicking against the cattle-prods: in Greek the term specifies ones made of iron. It is interesting that the Hebrew word for “teach” means to prod or goad with a pointed stick. Yeshua will rule with a rod of iron. (Psalm 2:9; Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15) But this is also an idiom for futile resistance. Difficulty: it will require a harsh, punishing, heavy, laborious effort, and even then it cannot be successful. Yeshua’s reign will come no matter what Sha’ul does, so he might as well surrender and be part of it. My master: in Greek it could be read simply as “sir”, which, when compared with the response in verse 10 by one who recognized the Shepherd’s voice, could be somewhat less respectful. He had done nothing personally against Yeshua, whom he might never have even seen in the flesh, but by treating Yeshua’s “Body” this way, he had to be affecting its Head.  

6. “But get up, enter into the city, and there it will be discussed with you concerning what should be done about you.”

The Greek adds: “Master, what do You want me to do?” before the first phrase. Why would YHWH not just kill him and get him out of the way, as He did with Chananyah and Shapira? Because Sha’ul’s zeal, determination, and Torah expertise were useful to Him. He has proven he is someone who will respond with fervor beyond his contemporaries; he is just listening to the wrong voice. Being on the counsil, he had to have been aware of all the miracles and signs that were proving Yeshua’s disciples right, but he was still running from reality. Since he would not choose the right way, YHWH took the choice away from him. He loved him enough to push him onto the right path.

7. And the men who were walking with him on the way stood [there] awestruck, because they had heard only the sound, yet no man appeared to them.

Walking with him: It was dangerous to travel alone in those days, as seen in the parable of the Samaritan. Yeshua sent His disciples out at least in pairs. (Compare Qoheleth/Eccles. 4:9.) Sound: Sha’ul says in 26:14-15 that the voice was in Hebrew, which is probably why they heard a sound, but not an intelligible voice (22:9), if they were Greek-speakers accompanying him (suggested by v. 29 below).

8. When Sha’ul got up off the ground, nothing was visible to him despite the fact that his eyes were open!  

9. And he could not see for three days, and he did not eat or drink [anything].

Esther fasted for three days to prepare for a dangerous approach to the king. There were three days of darkness in Egypt. Yonah was in the darkness of the fish’s belly for three days, and Yeshua was in the dark grave for three days. Israel had to purify themselves for three days prior to receiving the Torah at Sinai. Y’hoshua told Israel to do the same three days before crossing the Yarden River. The butler and baker in prison with Yosef had to wait three days for their dreams to be fulfilled. So three days seems to be the right amount of time to wait while preparing for something dreadfully momentous, as a time of cleansing for body, mind, and spirit. This “Way” interrupts, divides, and sets us apart from whatever holds us in bondage. He was stopped in his tracks; he could not do anything toward his goals. Being unable to see, he would inevitably have time to think about times the Torah uses sight and blindness figuratively. Deut. 16:19 speaks about how a bribe blinds the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. Sha’ul was benefiting financially from his religious zeal, and this had to have been his reason for resisting. Deut. 27:18 also warns us not to make the blind wander off the path, and by resisting Yeshua’s followers, he would keep the Northern Kingdom blind and prevent them from returning to Torah—a realization he makes clear in Rom. 11:25, where he speaks of another temporary blinding tha he himself was instrumental in bringing to an end. Part of maturing is getting to the point where we do not need to be blinded, but surrender much more quickly to the obvious truth.

10. In her—in Dameseq—there was one disciple whose name was Chananyah, and the Master said to him in a vision, “Chananyah!” And he said, “Here I am, Master!”

11. Then our Master told him, “Get up! Go to a street that is called the straight one, and look in the house of Yehudah for a Sha’ul who is from the city of Tarsos, because look, while he was praying, 

House of Yehudah: probably an idiom for a synagogue—a natural place to go to fast and pray and study the torah scrolls to see what YHWH was trying to tell him. Straight: or level. Tarsos: a port of about half a million along the Kydnos River on the Kilikian plain, 10 miles (16 km.) from the southern coast of what is today Turkey, not far from where the coast bends southward to form the Levant. A highway went north from there to an important pass through the Taurus Mountains, some 50 miles north of the city. Dr. E.M. Blaiklock, Professor of Classics at the University of Auckland, notes that the city was colonized by Greeks after having been ruled by the Persians. The region of Kilikia bordered on Syria but was largely autonomous by this time, and possibly since the time of the Maccabees a large and tight Jewish enclave had formed there, though since the time Pompey settled there, they often enjoyed Roman citizenship, as was the case for Sha’ul. Both Roman and Greek influence were strong but somewhat repelled by more oriental leanings the century before this, though the Romans used the area to patrol the coast for pirates to protect their inland interests here. Growing up in this context shaped who Sha’ul was. Playing his Roman citizen “card” seemed a matter of pride and dignity to him, but would end up getting him in more trouble than was necessary.

12. “he saw in a vision a man name Chananyah coming in to lay hands on him in order that his eyes might be given their sight.”

13. But Chananyah said, “Master, I have heard about this Sha’ul from many [people]—how many evils he is bringing upon your set-apart ones in Yerushalayim!

14. “And look! Now he even has support from the head priests to restrain any who proclaim Your Name!”

15. The Master said to him, “Get up; go, because he is a chosen vessel for Me, to lift up My Name for Gentiles and for kings and among the descendants of Israel--

Descendants of Israel: specifically those who were not Yehudah, having kept this name after the kingdom divided and Yehudah became a separate realm.

16. “because I will show him how ready he is to bear a burden for My Name!”

Sha’ul was apparently proud of his zeal and how much he was willing to suffer for YHWH’s sake. Well, now this would be tested to the limit. On the other hand, YHWH was showing him how beneficial his Torah knowledge really was beneficial, though the burden (the way of walking out one’s interpretation of the Torah) he had chosen was not as light as Yeshua’s. (Mat. 11:28-30) A burden is also the Torah’s way of describing the duties of those who serve YHWH full-time in the Temple. (Num. 4:15, 31, 32, 47, 49) 

17. Then Chananyah went to him at the house and laid hands on him, and told him, “Sha’ul, my brother, our Master Yeshua who appeared to you on the road as you were coming—He has sent me for the purpose of restoring sight to your eyes and fill you with the spirit of holiness.”

18. And in him, in an instant, something like scales fell from his eyes, and his eyes received sight, and he got up and he was immersed.

19. And he accepted food and was strengthened, but for some days he was apart from the disciples who were at Dameseq.

20. Then immediately he was proclaiming in the synagogues of the Jews about Yeshua, that He is the son of Elohim!

Son of Elohim: a particular title for the king of all Israel who sits on David’s throne. (Psalm 2:7 et al)

21. And all who heard him were amazed at him, and said, “Isn’t he the one who persecuted any who called on this Name in Yerushalayim? And look! He had been sent here on account of this in order to tie them up and lead them before the head priests!

22. “However, Sha’ul has again strengthened himself further, and shaken the Jewish expatriates in Dameseq when he has proven that he is the Messiah!”

Strengthened himself: or, tightened his grip—i.e., distinguished himself.


23. And when he extended his days there, the Jews formed a plot in regard to him—to kill him.

24. But the plot that they were seeking to perpetrate against him became known to Sha’ul. While in vain they watched the gates of the city day and night to kill him,

25. at that time the disciples put him in a basket and lowered him from the [city] wall by night!

They got this idea from what Rahav did for the two spies in Y’rikho. (Y’hoshua 2:15)

26. When he went to Yerushalayim, he wanted to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and not believing that he was a disciple.

When he went: according to Sha’ul’s own account in Galatians 1 and 2, he did not go there until he had spent three years in Arabia. Join: Aramaic, follow along; the Hebrew word used is based on the word for “tear away”, and since it is reflexive, it would suggest separating from what he used to be in order to be separated unto them. They obviously had reason to be suspicious, considering how recently he had been trying to kill them, but there was a brave soul willing to believe that YHWH had done a miracle yet again:

27. But Bar-Naba’ took him and brought him in to the Delegates and recounted to them how he had seen the Master on the way, and how He had spoken to him, and how in Dameseq he had spoken openly in the name of Yeshua.

Sha’ul says he only met (at least to any significant degree) with Shim’on Kefa and Yaaqov, the brother of Yeshua (who had risen to prominence by that time), and that for only about two weeks (Gal. 1:18-19) Butthey approved the message he planned to take to the Gentiles. (Gal. 2:9).  

28. So he came in and went out with them in Yerushalayim, and spoke openly in the name of Yeshua.

29. And he argued with the Jews who knew Greek, despite the fact that they wanted to kill him.

Who knew Greek: Apparently either his Hebrew was poor or this was simply the only community of Jews in Yerushalayim who would give him a hearing, other than the Delegates of Yeshua.

30. Now when the brothers knew this, they brought him into Caesarea by night, and from there they sent him off to Tarsos. 

They apparently recognized better than he the danger he was getting himself into. They let Bar-Naba’ accompany him (Gal. 2:9). Paul refers to this time in Kilikia in Gal. 1:21. He did not return to Yerushalayim again for fourteen years. (Gal. 2:1)  

31. However, for the congregation in all of Judea, in the Galil, and in Shomron, there came to be peace, and she established and walked in the fear of Elohim, and abounded in the consolation of the spirit of holiness.

Stern suggests that it was because wherever Sha’ul went he tended to stir up trouble, no matter which side he was on, and they thought it best for him to go back to his hometown (v. 11) so that his spiritual life could grow to match his zeal. No one was persecuting them now, and we know that the emperors Nero and Claudius included the believers in Yeshua in the same protection they offered to Judaism as a “legitimate religion”.  

32. And as Shim’on was going around among the cities, he also went down to the set-apart ones who were sojourning in the city of Lod,

Lod: A few miles inland from coastal Yafo, very close to where the Ben-Guryon Airport is located today. He was teaching those who were dispersed from Yerushalayim, assuring that things were being done in the proper order. It was not a new religion that was being established, as apopular misinterpretation says, but the much more ancient rule of Torah that was being restored after so many centuries in which those who knew the Torah walked in tradition instead.

33. and encountered one man whose name was Aniyas, who was being transported on a stretcher, and had been paralyzed for eight years.

A possible meaning for the name Aniyas (Aineas in Greek) is “laudable”. Stretcher: a litter or simply a pad.

34. And Shim’on said to him, “Aniyas, Yeshua the Messiah is healing you! Get up and put your stretcher in order.” And he got up instantly.

35. And all those sojourning in Lod and the Sharon saw him and turned to Elohim.

The Sharon: the whole coastal plain.


36. There was a female disciple in the city of Yafo whose name was T’vitha. This [woman] was rich in beneficial actions and in the righteousness by which she worked.

Yafo: the seacoast city from which Yonah had embarked on his voyage to avoid Nin’weh and through which the Ayalon River used to flow, allowing the cedars of Levanon to be taken by ship much closer to Yerushalayim. Today it is an artists’ colony on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. The Greek version adds that Tavitha’s name translates as “gazelle”. The fact that this appears only in Greek and not in Aramaic, in which it is unnecessary, points to the fact that the Semitic version(s) predated the Greek.  

37. However, she became ill and died within a matter of days, and they washed her [body] and placed her in an upper room.

38. When the disciples heard that Shim’on could be found in the city of Lod, which is near Yafo, they sent three men to him to plead with him that he would not refuse to come to them.

39. So Shim’on got up and went with them, and when he arrived, he went up to the upper room, and all the widows gathered and stood around him, and they cried and showed him the shirts and upper garments that T’vitha had given them while she was alive.

40. But Shim’on took all the people outside, then bent down on his knees and prayed. Then he turned toward the corpse and said, “T’vitha, get up!” And she opened her eyes and when she saw Shim’on, she sat up.

41. And he extended his hand and raised her up, and called to the holy ones and the widows and delivered her to them alive.

42. And this matter became known throughout the whole city, and and many put their confidence in our Master.

43. And he was in Yafo not a few days, as he stayed in the home of Shim’on the [leather] tanner.

He may have been there, in an undesirable place, to get away for some rest and refreshment.


CHAPTER 10

1. Now in Caesarea there was a certain man, Kornelios by name, a centurion from what was called the Italian Detachment,

Caesarea (pronounced Kaisaria): King Herod’s showcase city on the Mediterranean coast, the Roman capital of the province of Judea. It boasted a deep, dredged harbor with a lighthouse, a hippodrome, and a theatre that was so well-preserved that with minimal restoration has again become acoustically fit for outdoor concerts. Kornelios’ name in Latin means “of a horn”. Interestingly, Rome, for which he works, is related to the “horn” by which Dani’el (7:20) describes the counterfeit Messiah of the latter days. It is actually related to the Hebrew word for horn, keren, as well! Centurion: a leader of a company of 100 soldiers. In the Hebrew translation from Aramaic, he is referred to as a “ruler of a hundred”, which is one of the levels of leadership mandated for Israel. (Ex. 18:21) So he has the right idea but is working for the wrong nation. He is a picture of the Northern Kingdom today—having some authority but in the wrong context. Detachment: specifically, one part of a legion.

2. [one who was] devout and a fearer of Elohim along with his entire household, who made many charitable donations to the People and was constantly making petitions to YHWH.

Devout: or dedicated. This is the first characteristic by which he is introduced. He prays when it is time to pray (v. 3), and is faithful to what he knows, but is still looking for something more. A fearer of Elohim: a particular designation for a non-Jew who attached himself to Judaism but chose not to undergo formal conversion. They are known in Judaism as “proselytes of the gate”, i.e., they were inside (worshipping one Elohim) but stayed “at the gates” rather than coming all the way into circumcision and public immersion. (Stern) The People: a specialized usage understood to refer to the Jews. He is showing kindness to “the least of these [Yeshua’s] brothers”. He is thus already serving Yeshua without realizing it, and so is rewarded (v. 4) with further light: 

3. Around the ninth hour of the day, in a vision he plainly saw a messenger coming toward him, and saying to him, “Kornelios!”

Ninth hour: halfway between noon (the sixth hour) and dusk (the twelfth), one of the three daily times of prayer practiced by many, based on the times of oblation in the Temple. Note that the time is not as precise as in western thought. But he is lining his life up with the ebb and flow of YHWH’s sanctuary. Plainly: Aramaic, in sight as a face, openly.

4. And as he was looking intently at him, he began to be terrified, and said, “What is it, master?” And the messenger told him, “Your prayers and your donations [to the poor] have risen up to [be] remembered in the presence of YHWH.

Risen up: mounted or stacked up, perhaps due to their large quantity as well as sincerity. He has been storing up treasures in heaven (Mat. 6:20) Just as the cup of sin can reach its fullness (Gen. 15:16), one’s cup of righteousness can fill up. Kornelios had filled up a storehouse, and will receive heavenly dividends—not financial, but he is blessed with a message that brought him closer to YHWH, which was his goal anyway. He is already seeking first the Kingdom, so now the Kingdom seeks him out.

5. “So now, send [some] men to the city of Yafo and have them bring Shim’on who is [also] called Kefa.

Yafo: a Mediterranean coast city just south of present-day Tel Aviv, from which the prophet Yonah sailed when trying to escape YHWH’s order to call Nin’veh to repentance. Thus the city was already tied to YHWH’s concern for the nations. It is about 30 miles south of Caesarea. Kefa: Petros in Greek; both mean “a small stone”.

6. “This [man] is a guest in the house of Shim’on the tanner, by the sea. [He will tell you what you have to do.]”

The phrase in brackets appears in the Greek text, but not the Aramaic. The house was by the sea for a breeze because of the stench of dog manure used for tannic acid in the tanning process. Tanners would have been the only Israelites who owned dogs.  

7. As the angel who [was] speaking to Kornelios departed, he called two of his domestic servants and a soldier who feared Elohim [from among] those continually waiting on him,

Waiting on him: Aramaic, obeying him. They are former pagans who now worship YHWH, not Zeus, etc., but have not embraced the Torah in its fullness.

8. and having recounted all [these] things to them, he dispatched them to Yafo.

9. Now the next day, as they were traveling and getting close to the city, Shim’on went up onto the housetop to offer prayers near the sixth hour.

Sixth hour: noon, the second time of daily prayer.  Housetop: where the sea breeze would more readily blow away the stench of the tanner’s materials.

10. Then he became very hungry, and wanted to take some food. But while they were preparing [some], a trance came over him.

Trance: a waking glimpse into another dimension; literally, an ecstasy; Aramaic, an amazement or astonishment.

                                                    11. And he perceived the sky being split open and, coming                                                     down over him, a certain container like a large sheet tied at                                                     the four corners, and being let down to the ground from the                                                     sky,

                                                    Sky split open: compare Yeshayahu 64:1. Container: This 
                                                    term is often used in Greek as a metaphor for the human                                                     body; Aramaic, garment. Sheet: The term is also used for a                                                     fine linen shirt or undergarment, which hints at the priestly                                                     garments (2 Chron. 5:12 et al) and the white garment of                                                     Messiah’s righteous bride. (Rev. 3:4-5; 7:13) Tied at the                                                     four corners: as with tzitziyoth, the fringes prescribed in                                                     Numbers 15:38-39 to remind us to keep YHWH’s                                                     commandments. It symbolizes the descendants of Israel                                                     that were scattered to the four corners of the earth now                                                     being brought back as promised (Yeshayahu 11:12), again to be bearers of His Torah. The ground: alt., the earth, or, especially, the Land (a bordered country)—a bride in white linen and tzitziyoth (symbolizing that she keeps the commandments) being brought back to the Land of Israel.

12. in which there were coming forth all the four-footed beasts of the earth, as well as the wild animals, the reptiles, and the birds of the air.

These symbolize Gentiles, who love to make images of all these creatures, and become like what they worship. (Psalm 115:1-8; 135:15-18; Rom. 1:18ff. The latter speaks of those who suppress the truth, indicating that they once knew it, i.e., departed from the covenant. Indeed, Hoshea 2:18, in the very context of their return from living like Gentiles to being His people again, says YHWH would place the Northern Kingdom in particular in the position of a covenant with these very types of animals. Since they then intermingled, these “Gentiles” would actually include descendants of the Northern Kingdom.)

13. And a voice came to him: “Shim’on! Get up, slaughter and eat!”

14. But Shim’on said, “By no means, sir, because I have never eaten anything that is defiled or unclean!”

Defiled: or common. (Pollina) Unclean: according to the kosher laws (regarding what is acceptable to eat) laid out in Leviticus 11. Compare the precedent for this in Y’hezq’el/Ezk. 4:14.

15. Then for the second time a voice came to him: “Do not consider what YHWH has cleansed to be defiled.”

Notice that only the “common” is being addressed here. Only clean meats can ever become considered defiled; he is not being told to eat anything actually “unclean” by Torah definition, only to interact with people who by Rabbinic/Pharisaical definition, it was not lawful for any Jew to ever associate with, especially in table fellowship. (Pollina)

16. This occurred three times, then the container was taken back up into the sky.

17. Then as Shim’on was perplexed within himself, [at a loss] as to what this vision that he had seen might mean, just then the men who had been sent by Kornelios (having asked around for Shim’on’s house), were standing at the gate of the courtyard

Perplexed: The meaning was not self-evident, contrary to the popular interpretation that this vision gave blanket permission to literally eat beasts that YHWH had told Israel were not to be considered food for us. He knew YHWH would never tell him to do something forbidden by Torah. Kefa is undoubtedly hearing and smelling the tanner’s dogs all around him when three men come to the door who seem to fit in the same category figuratively:

18. and calling out there and asking whether Shim’on, who was [also] called Kefa, was being lodged there.

19. Now as Shim’on was deliberating [in himself] about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Look! Three men are looking for you,

Men: Avi Ben Mordechai points out that in first-century Jewish usage, this would refer only to Israelites; others were known as the kinds of animals seen in Kefa’s vision. (See v. 28.) The Talmud says those who do not keep Torah are animals. “Dogs” was a particular epithet used of Gentiles (compare Mat. 15:22-28)—an extreme measure because it was also a term for male homosexual prostitutes in pagan temples, so the two were counted as equivalent. Y’hezq’el 34:30-31 in particular identifies this term “men” with the House of Israel, the Northern Kingdom that was now beginning to return, in part through these very men!

20. “so stand up, go down, and accompany them [on their] journey without any hesitation, because I have sent them.”

Hesitation: Aramaic, doubt.

21. So Shim’on went down to the men who were sent to him by Kornelios, and said, “Here, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come [here]?”

Aramaic, on what pretext are you present?

22. So they said, “A righteous man [named] Kornelios, a centurion who fears Elohim as witnessed by all the Jewish people, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you [to be brought] to his house and to hear from you what you have to say.”

23. So calling them inside, he provided them with lodging, then the next day Kefa went with them, and some of the brothers from Yafo accompanied him.

24. The following day, they arrived in Caesarea, and Kornelios was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and closest associates.

Closest associates: literally, friends he could not do without. Clearly his messengers beat the apostle back to Caesarea, because he had time to gather everyone who mattered most to him and was prepared to receive him. He was already an evangelist!

25. As Shim’on was coming in, Kornelios met him, falling down at his feet and was [beginning to] bow prostrate.

How did he know which of the men was Shim’on? He may have been the same centurion whose son Yeshua healed in Kfar Nahum. (Mat. 8:5-13) He would have seen him with Yeshua there in Shim’on’s home town. Other hints to this effect are that he is familiar with the taboo on Jews entering Gentiles’ houses (v. 28; the centurion in Kfar Nahum knew he was not worthy to have Yeshua enter his home), he was familiar with Yeshua’s ministry in Galil (v. 37), and he may have been included in the “we” of v. 39. At that time, Yeshua did not tell him He was the Messiah, because it was not the right season. But he started serving Israel because this Jew helped him, and Kefa undoubtedly brightened up when he recognized who had sent for him.

26. But Shim’on raised them up, saying, “Stand up! I myself am a man [just] the same [as you].”

Shim’on was not used to being bowed down to, and thought he was worshipping him. He may have been echoing Kornelios’ own words, “I, too, am a man under authority.” (Mat. 8:9)

27. And as he was talking with him, he went inside and found many who had assembled there.

28. So he told them, “You are aware of how it is taboo for a man—a Jew—to be associated with or [even] come close to someone from another race. However, YHWH has shown me that I should never affirm a person [as] defiled or unclean.

Taboo: contrary to established custom, against standard practice, not considered proper, contrary to cultural norms (Stern); this was not contrary to YHWH’s actual instruction, but was an added fence built to keep one from even coming close to breaking a commandment. It began with noble intentions (prohibiting a repeat of the humiliation by Antiochus Epiphanes (as written in 1 Maccabees) , but ended up going beyond YHWH’s intent, and thus had to be corrected. (Eph. 2:14.) But this type of added distinctions persisted in rabbinic Judaism, constituting much of the Mishnah’s tractate Avodah Zarah, which details the ways one must limit contact with Gentiles—not eating their bread or drinking their wine or milk, not doing business with them when they are on the way to an idolatrous festival, etc. Ohalot 18:7 specifically states that “the dwelling-places of Gentiles (literally, Kanaanites, i.e., the Gentiles living in the Land of Israel) are ritually unclean.” The “18 Edicts” also supported this viewpoint. It was therefore “against the law” in that day, though not against Torah, and one could be hauled before the council for doing so. Another race: just as accurately, “a different tribe”. Undoubtedly most of the “proselytes of the gate” were actually returnees from the “lost tribes”, who, like those today who are returning in the same way, realized that they were not meant to become Yehudah, yet knew they had to be connected to Israel. Affirm: i.e., assume by prejudicial means, and speak of him as such. YHWH has shown me: What follows is the only point the vision was intended to make. It cannot be misconstrued to mean YHWH was rescinding His eternal commandments. 

29. “Because of this, I indeed came without misgivings when I was sent for. Consequently I am asking, what is the reason you sent for me?”

30. So Kornelios said, “Since four days ago until this [very] hour I have been fasting. When, at the ninth hour I was offering prayers in my house, then, lo and behold, a man in brilliant, transparent clothing stood in front of me

Brilliant, transparent clothing: Aramaic, wearing white.

31. “and said, ‘Kornelios, your prayer has been heard, and your donations are remembered in the presence of YHWH.  

32. “‘So send [men] into Yafo, and summon Shim’on, who is [also] known as Kefa; this [man] is a guest in the home of Shim’on, a tanner, by the sea. After he comes, he will tell you [what he has to say].’

33. “So I sent for you immediately, and you have been so beneficent as to show up. So now, here we all are—ready in the sight of Elohim to hear everything that is being assigned to you by Elohim.”


34. Shim’on therefore opened his mouth and said, “I am truly catching for myself [the point] that Elohim is not one who accepts outward appearances,

Not one who accepts outward appearances: Aramaic, does not reject by the face. Contrary to later Christian assumption which overlooked this verse, the point Kefa got from the vision and what followed on its heels was not that it was now acceptable to eat what is not kosher (a contradiction in terms, since kosher means “acceptable”!), but that in order to determine who the lost sheep of the House of Israel (the target audience to whom he had been sent) are, there has to be more interaction with Gentiles than the rabbinic authorities would allow for. (Compare 15:20ff.) This became Kefa’s practice. (Gal. 2:12) Kefa realized he could not recognize who was an Israelite by their clothing or haircut, for these men undoubtedly looked very Roman. The fence had been built because Jews had usually been dragged down by such interaction, but because of the factor of Yeshua, they now had the upper hand spiritually so they could pull others out of the quicksand.

35. “but among any ethnicity the one who fears Him and carries out what is right is granted access to Him.

Ethnicity: also just as accurate to translate “tribe”, i.e., any of the twelve tribes of Israel, though others who have no genetic connection have always been permitted to join the people of Israel and may not be reminded that they were ever anything else. Carries out what is right: that is, does acts of righteousness.

36. “The [embodiment of the] message that He sent to the descendants of Israel, proclaiming the glad news of peace through Yeshua the Messiah (who is possessor of everything)--

Peace: includes the idea of national unity; Aramaic, shalom (total well-being) and quiet.

37. “you are familiar with the matter that was carried out publicly throughout all of Judea, beginning from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan heralded:

38. “Yeshua, the one from Natzereth—how Elohim anointed Him with the Spirit of Holiness and with capability, who passed through, bestowing benefits and making whole all who were subjugated by the Slanderer, because Elohim was with Him.

With Him: or, behind Him (i.e., empowering what He was doing). Subjugated by the Slanderer: Aramaic, oppressed (or harmed) by evil.

39. “We indeed are [eye]witnesses of all that He did, both in the Land of the Jews and in Yerushalayim, whom they did away with, suspending Him on a beam.

40. “Elohim recalled that one [to life] on the third day and allowed Him to be seen openly in public [as evidence], 

41. “not to the whole populace, but to witnesses who were hand-picked in advance by Elohim—to us, the ones who ate and drank with Him after He rose from [being] dead.

42. “He also gave us orders to proclaim to the populace and to earnestly testify [to the fact] that He is the one who was appointed under Elohim to be the judge of the living and the dead.

Note Yeshua’s position under the authority of the One who had raised Him (v. 40); he did not derive this authority from Himself. (Yoch. 5:30, 43)  

43. “To this one all the prophets give testimony that through His Name, anyone who has confidence in Him [is] to receive release from the penalty of wandering from the [right] path.”

What the prophets give testimony to is a descendant of David reigning over both Houses of Israel again. The penalty of wandering: One had to be on the right path once to wander off it. Hebrews 9:15 makes it clear that those the renewed covenant chiefly addresses are those who transgressed the earlier covenant, that is, the descendants of Israel. (v. 36)

44. While Shim’on was still speaking these words, the Spirit of Holiness rushed down upon all the ones listening to the message.

They were counted as clean vessels ready to pour through. Holiness: being set apart unto YHWH and Israel—i.e., making the Kingdom a priority, a very unnatural action especially for one with much worldly prestige. Kefa was sent to tell him how to come the rest of the way—by recognizing Yeshua as king. This would, of course, affect his loyalty to Rome and probably the high esteem in which many Jews held him as well. 

45. Then the faithful from among the circumcision, all who had accompanied Shim’on, were thrown into amazement, because the gift of the Spirit of Holiness was distributed upon the Gentiles as well,

Everyone who was lost to Israel can come back if they make the Kingdom a priority, even if they were not yet circumcised. Acceptance into the community of Yeshua before circumcision became an issue later, as seen in this book and in Galatians, but YHWH placed His seal of approval on this order rather than the opposite, though of course they would not be permitted certain privileges such as partaking in the Passover lamb until they were circumcised.

46. since they heard them speaking [other] languages and declaring Elohim’s greatness. Then Shim’on remarked [in reference to this],

Heard: Apparently they understood enough of them to know these were real human languages, not the “tongues of angels”. These men were already proclaiming the same glad news to others.

47. “Can anyone withhold water so that these [men] may not be immersed who have also received the Spirit of Holiness just as we did?”

48. So He ordered them to be immersed in the Name of Yeshua the Messiah. Then they begged him to remain [for] a few days.

In the Name: not a proselyte immersion of conversion to Judaism, but they were indeed changing their citizenship from Rome to Israel and therefore could not continue in Rome’s orbit very long. For a few days: Aramaic, toward day (i.e., until the next day). They wanted more insight into how to stop living like Romans and how to live like the Israelite subjects of Yeshua they had now publicly proclaimed that they were.


CHAPTER 11

1. Now the Delegated Envoys and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of Elohim

Gentiles: or “nations”, but this did not mean entire nations were coming into Covenant with YHWH. These are descendants of the House of Efrayim, which mixed itself with the nations. (Hos. 7:8) YHWH used this means to bring salvation to the many nations where they were still exiled.

2. and when Shim’on went up to Yerushalayim, those from the circumcision set themselves at variance toward him,

The circumcision: Sometimes a description of the Jews in general, and later used by Sha’ul while he was still somewhat of an independent maverick who did not have adequate respect for the authorities Yeshua had set in place (Gal. 2:12; Titus 1:10) to designate a particular party that insisted that Gentiles joining the Messianic community had to be circumcised before being fully welcomed, rather than first understanding “what they were signing” before they received the sign of the covenant. (15:5; 21:20) The group he discusses was led by Yaaqov, so it is clearly the same group led by the apostles here. They should not be taken as arrogant as Christians often do, because they were simply the ones who already had the sign of the covenant on them. According to the Mishnah, this was an issue that had long been a matter of debate among the P’rushim, and the latter school was the one that won out, as is seen by common practice in rabbinic Judaism today. Never at issue was whether converts would be circumcised (that is Torah), only when they would be circumcised. The issue had never come up among the believers in Messiah until this event. Y’hezq’el (Ezek.) 44:9 tells us that no son of a foreigner who was not circumcised both in heart and flesh may enter YHWH’s sanctuary. While it is allowable to be circumcised in heart before being circumcised in flesh (which was the case with these men), this does not cancel the command as to the latter. We are not to boil a kid in its mother’s milk. (Ex. 34:26) Since the term for “boil” also means “raise to maturity”, this is also symbolic of pressuring a newcomer to grow too quickly too soon. However, they could not wait very long; any foreigner who wishes to eat of the Passover sacrifice must be circumcised. (Ex. 12:48) That is Torah.

3. as they said, “Since you approached men having foreskins and ate with them!”

They could not believe that someone of his caliber was violating such an ingrained taboo. But this in itself was not a Torah commandment, but a human law. It was a step that legislated holiness by building a fence around the Torah which at one time made perfect sense. The Torah does not change, but the heads of households and tribes in Israel are permitted to make such rulings for those under their jurisdiction if they do not violate Torah. Now that it was time for the rest of Israel to be brought back into covenant, this taboo stood in the way of what YHWH was doing in the world. It also collided with YHWH’s wish, which Yeshua upheld, that His sanctuary be a “house of prayer for all peoples”. (Yeshayahu 56:7) 

4. But Kefa began to explain [it] to them in the order [in which it took place], saying, 

5. “As I was praying in Yafo, [in a trance] I saw a vision—a certain container coming down, like a big sheet being let down out of the sky by four corners, and it came all the way [down] to me.

6. “When I gazed into it, I was paying close attention to it, and I saw the four-footed creatures of the earth, and the wild animals, the reptiles, and the birds of the air.

Four-footed creatures of the earth: animals, yet “from the Land”, that is, having once been Israelites, but having turned away from the covenant. The term used in verse 3 for having foreskins is also used in 1 Makkabees 1:15 of persons who were once circumcised but had an operation to reverse their circumcision so they would look just like Gentiles, undoing what had been done as a mark of belonging to YHWH. These particular people had probably not had that surgery performed on them, but by virtue of their ancestors having forgotten who they were, the end result was the same; they were no longer being circumcised on the eighth day.

7. “Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!’

Slaughter: If this is really only talking about people, why the command to kill? Avi Ben Mordechai points out that (other than the Passover lamb, which is also specially identified with Yeshua is also called in 1 Cor. 5:7), the only type of sacrificial offering with which the Hebrew term for “slaughter” is directly connected in the Torah is the peace offering (shelem), upon which the offerer was required to share the meat in a communal meal. One invited family, friends, and acquaintances and gave special praise to YHWH for a particular benevolent act He had done. (Lev. 7:11ff; 19:5; Deut. 27:7; 1 Shmu’el 11:15; 1 Kings 3:15) It often bespoke a hearty reconciliation and covenant of unity between the parties sharing the meal, mending a past division. (Gen. 31:54) Thus the point being made to Kefa is the reunion between the two formerly-estranged Houses of Israel. All parties who share in it must be ritually pure, since it was eaten in YHWH’s presence (at the Temple). And eating with these now-cleansed men is precisely what he ended up doing. (v. 3) These Israelite souls being gathered from among the Gentiles are no longer strangers, though they still appeared unclean, but were now the Jewish believers’ friends, restored to the same covenant. "He is our peace [offering], who has broken down the wall of division." (Eph. 2:14)

8. “But I said, ‘By no means, sir, because never has anything that is defiled or unclean ever entered my mouth!’

Unclean: Aramaic, what abominates. Why are there two different categories? Because even clean meats (those that are considered food for Israel) can be defiled (or “made common”) if the blood is not removed from them properly at the time of slaughter. Both standards are important. But Kefa may also be emphasizing that his own practice is as “kosher” as any of those who emphasize the need for converts to be circumcised.

9. “Then a voice came back to me a second time out of the heaven, ‘What YHWH has cleansed, don’t you consider defiled.’

10. “Now this occurred three times, then everything was pulled back up into the sky.

11. “Then, lo and behold, three men already stood by the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.

Already: Aramaic, within the hour.

12. “And the Spirit told me to go with them without any hesitation. So these six brothers also came with me, and we went into the man’s house,

Six brothers: counting Kefa and the three men who had sent for him, there was thus a minyan (quorum) of ten to form a representative “congregation” made up of those from both Yehudah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

13. “and he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him, ‘send [men] into Yafo, and summon Shim’on, who is [also] known as Kefa,

14. “‘who will speak to you [about] matters by which you and all of your household can be restored.’

Restored: made well again, saved, rescued from danger of destruction, delivered from the penalty of judgment. Thus though they themselves were devout, they carried a sentence upon them that had to be removed. Hebrews 9:15 reveals that the message was that Messiah’s death had covered the sins of their ancestors, committed under the first covenant, “so those who had been called out might receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance.” If we combine the prophecy that the punishment for the Northern Kingdom was to last 390 years (Y’hezq’el 4:5) and the fact that YHWH would double the sentence before bringing them back (Yirmeyahu 16:18), for a total of 780 years of exile, we arrive at the date 46 C.E., which was within no more than five years of this time. (See note on v. 28.) YHWH was therefore beginning to open the door for this. So why are we having to return to covenant in the same way again today? Because Hoshea 1 specifies two curses: that of “no mercy” (which was rescinded here, allowing those from the nations to filter into the kingdom ever since then) and that of “not being a people” for Him (that is, not a unified political nation); another threat to multiply the sentence seven times if we would not respond applies here. (Lev. 26:18) It extends to either 1996 or 2008 C.E., depending on which deportation we count from (734 or 722 B.C.E.) 

15. “And as I began to speak, the spirit of holiness rushed down upon them, just as it also had on us at the beginning.

They spoke in other languages as the initial disciples had done (chapter 2) in order to gather those for whom Hebrew was no longer a native language; that the event repeated itself showed that these returnees from among the Gentiles were also meant to gather others who did not speak Hebrew back into Israel.

16. “And I remembered the thing the Master mentioned when He said, ‘Yochanan indeed immersed with water, but you will be submerged in the Spirit of Holiness!’

17. “So if YHWH had given them the [very] same gift He also [gave] to us [who] trust in the Master, Yeshua the Messiah, who was I to be able to stand in the way of Elohim?”

18. When they heard these things, they quieted down and gave honor to YHWH, saying, “We see that Elohim has also extended to the Gentiles a repentance [leading] to life!”

To the Gentiles: How the tables have turned, and the Gentiles are by far the majority of believers in Yeshua. But that we still think of ourselves as Gentiles is to our shame, for we should have all been living as Israelites again for two thousand years now. Repentance: return from a particular guiltiness. (See note on v. 14) To life: Deut. 32:47 defines the Torah as the life of those called into covenant with YHWH. Though they had marveled at this and accepted the fact of what Kefa had experienced, they did not make it a practice to fraternize with the uncircumcised; they just recognized that in the process of the task Yeshua had given us, we sometimes have to do things that are outside our normal practice. But part of their marveling may have also had to do with the fact that they were now realizing that the task ahead of them would be more difficult than they had imagined, for if the P’rushim and Tzadoqim had been angry with them over speaking in Yeshua’s name, how much more would they oppose them for appearing to be hobnobbing with Gentiles? But they were simply living out a preliminary fulfillment of the prophecy that Yehudah would not vex Efrayim. (Yesh. 11:13)


19. Now those who had been scattered because of the pressure that occurred on account of the circumstances surrounding Stefanos reached as far as Phoenikia and, for that matter, to the land of Kupros and Antiokhia, but they did not speak the word to anyone except the Jews alone.

Those: the Hellenistic Jews were the ones driven out. Pressure: oppression, or, literally, tight spot. We as Israelites tend not to do all we are supposed to be doing until we are under pressure. We did not even give up our slavery in Egypt until YHWH had Pharaoh drive us out! We need to do better this time, not waiting to come back into Israelite community until we have nowhere else to turn, but rather come back together voluntarily as we now have a right under covenant to do. Phoenikia: the region north of Israel which is known as Levanon today. Kupros: Cyprus.  

20. But men from among them—from Kupros and Kurinia—came and entered Antiokhia and spoke with the Hellenists and brought them the glad news about our Master Yeshua.

Kurinia: Cyrene, a flourishing city in Libya to which Ptolemy I had brought a large number of Jews and given them the rights of citizenship.

21. And the hand of YHWH was with them, and many believed and turned toward YHWH.

22. When this was heard in the ears of the sons of the congregation that was in Yerushalayim, they sent Bar-Naba to Antiokhia,

23. and when he came there and saw the lovingkindness of Elohim, he was overjoyed and strongly urged them to stick close to our Master with their whole hearts.

24. Since he was indeed a pleasant man and filled with the spirit of being set apart and trustworthy, many people were being added to the Master.

25. He then went out to Tarsos to seek out Sha’ul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antiokhia.

26. And extending their stay for a whole year, they were joining themselves together with the congregation and teaching many people, and from that time the disciples were first called “Messianic”.

Extending their stay: or, delaying. Messianic: the term “Christian” was derived from the Greek form of this word, and if it had not taken on many “barnacles” of pagan accoutrements, it might have been an innocent term, though “Christos” (the greek form of “Messiah”) was an eponym applied to many pagan deities as well, and thus is hardly unique or definitive. Since the term has come to connote on the popular level a set of doctrines which are far from Scriptural, it is not a name with which those faithful to the Torah and Yeshua’s true Hebraic ethos should be associated. But Stern points out that here and in 1 Kefa 4:16, the term appears to be a derogatory epithet placed on them by those who were persecuting them, much like applying the slang term “Moonies” to followers of Sun Myung Moon, not a term they used of themselves.  

27. And in those days, prophets came there from Yerushalayim,

28. and one of them, whose name was Khagav, rose and made known to them by the Spirit that a great famine was coming on the whole land, and this famine came in the days of Caesar Claudius.

Khagav: He shows up again in 21:10, but it is interesting that the name of the one predicting the famine means “locust” in Hebrew, reminiscent of a plague that is often the cause of famine! Claudius (whose name means “lame”) ruled the Roman Empire from A.D. 41 through 54, so by this point we are at least 11 years after Messiah’s resurrection (in 30 C.E., according to the record that the red cord placed on the scapegoat at Yom Kippur stopped turning white 40 years before the Temple’s destruction). His most infamous act would be to expel the Jews from Rome (18:2). This drought, due to climate change, was so severe that the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea dropped to unprecedented low levels, and it took a century and a half to get back to their previous levels. There is some evidence that cities like Beth-tzaida were rebuilt closer to the new lake level after it dropped. (Rami Arav)

29. However, the disciples according to whatever each of them had, set aside a service [they felt obliged] to send to the brothers who were living as sojourners in Yehudah, 

30. and sent it to the elders there by the hands of Bar-Naba and Sha’ul.


CHAPTER 12

1. At that time Herodos the king, who had the honorific surname Agrippas, put his hands on men of the congregation in order to harm them.

Herodos: A dynastic title, much like Pharaoh’s. It means “heroic”. This one was the grandson of Herod the Great (who was part-Jewish and part-Edomite or Idumean as it was called by this time), and the son of Aristobulus and Berenike. He reigned from 41 to 44 C.E. after Emperor Claudius extended his dominions to include all of the Levant and Syria, though he had ruled over Judea for four additional years prior to that. The events in this chapter are at the very end of his reign, in the 54th year of his life, according to contemporary historian Flavius Josephus. His son, Agrippas II, will appear in chapters 25 and 26. Herodos had gained such favor with Caligula and Claudius that he was able to make such a decision on his own without having to consult Roman governors as his predecessor had to confer with Pontius Pilatus for permission on such matters.  

2. Yaaqov the brother of Yochanan he murdered with the sword,

This is Yaaqov the son of Zavdi. He is the first of the twelve delegated envoys to suffer martyrdom. Tradition says that of the twelve, only the Yochanan mentioned here died a natural death.  

3. and when he saw that it was pleasing in the eyes of the Jews, he went further and also seized Shim’on Kefa, and the days were days of unleavened bread.

The Jews: not the people in general, but those with enough political clout to matter to him. Like his grandfather, he was a master politician, skilled at playing everyone to his own advantage. His consistent policy was to conciliate the majority. (Stern) As was Rome’s custom, he used the times of the festivals to reach out generously to the Jews (as seen in Mat. 27:15). As more and more Jews followed Yeshua’s disciples, the movement must have been becoming uncomfortably large for Herodos (reminiscent of Pharaoh in Moshe’s day), so he tried to strike timidity in them by killing one of the leaders and arresting another, so that the rest would not dare to make political waves. Unleavened bread: By the best available evidence, this is exactly fourteen years after Yeshua’s death and resurrection.

4. When he had seized him, he sent him to the “round-house”, and put him in the custody of sixteen soldiers who would guard him with the intent that after Passover he would turn him over to the congregation of the Jews.

Round-house: again, an idiom for a prison. After Passover: Technically, if they were already in the days of unleavened bread, the Passover slaughter had already taken place, but already, as is still common today, this had been extended to refer to the whole seven-day feast. Congregation of the Jews: again, those in leadership.

5. And while he, Shim’on, was being guarded in the “round-house”, prayer was being lifted up collectively on his behalf from within the congregation of Elohim.

Collective prayer adds weight to individuals’ petitions.

6. And during the night-time as it was dawning toward the morning he was preparing to turn him over, as Shim’on was sleeping between two soldiers and he was bound to both by chains, with others watching the doors of the “round-house”, 

Herodos was so afraid of his getting away that he actually chained him to some of the guards! 

7. a messenger of YHWH took his stand above him, and light shone throughout the whole house, and poked at his side and made him stand up and told him, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell from his hands.

Poked…get up: Being pierced in the side, guarded by soldiers until after Passover, and told by angels to rise up all increased Kefa’s identification with Yeshua’s death, burial, and resurrection. 

8. Then the messenger told him, “Tie up your waist and put on your shoes.” So he did just that. And again he told him, “Put on your upper [garment] and come after me!”

Tie up your waist: The typical inner garment was much like a nightshirt, which would be pulled up between the legs and tied with a belt much like those seen among field workers in east Asia today. This was one could move about freely without loose ends becoming snagged while working. At such times one usually set aside his outer garment (on the corners of which the tzitziyoth commanded in Numbers 15:38-39 are worn); when sleeping, it was typically used as a blanket. (Deut. 24:13)

9. So he went out and walked after him, not sure whether what was done by the hands of the messenger was real, since he actually thought he was seeing a vision.

10. Now when they had passed the first and guardpost as well as the second, they came as far as the iron gate, and it opened to them by itself. And when they had gone out and crossed one street, the messenger departed from him.

Passed…crossed: Both words are from the root from which the term Hebrew (“crosser-over”) is derived. Kefa was experiencing another re-enactment of the first Passover in his escape from bondage. 

11. At that point, Shim’on came to realization and said, “Now I have truly understood that YHWH has sent His messenger and let me slip out of Herodos’ hands and what the Jews had plotted in regard to me!”

12. And when he discerned [this], he came to the house of Miryam the mother of Yochanan who was called Marqos, because many brothers were coming there and interceding.

The mother of Yochanan: literally, his mother, belonging to Yochanan: Yeshua said we would come to regard those who did YHWH’s will as more truly our mothers and siblings than those to whom we were born. (Mat. 12:48-50) Marqos: Yochanan was such a common name at this time (as with the Yochanan in verse 2 who was assigned to care for Yeshua’s mother, also Miryam) that some means of disambiguating was needed, even the use of a foreign nickname. While from our perspective of moving in the opposite direction today it seems treasonous to Hebraic loyalties to use a Latin name, it may even have been mandatory in some cases during the Roman occupation. This Yochanan was a nephew of Bar-Naba’ (4:36-37; 13:5, 13; 15:37-39; Col. 4:10) and became the author of the book of Mark.

13. Then he knocked on the gate of the courtyard, and a girl named Rhoda came out to answer it.

14. When she recognized Shim’on’s voice, in her joy she did not [even] open the gate for him, but instead turned around and ran and told them, “Look! Shim’on is standing at the gate of the courtyard!”

Luke preserved this anecdote that must have provided ample comic relief for those under such stress.

15. They replied to her, “You are mad!” However, she argued that the matter was so. Then they told her, “Maybe it’s his angel.”

Mad: They thought she was hallucinating due to wishful thinking. His angel: i.e., his “ghost”, in modern parlance.

16. But Shim’on was knocking on the gate, so they went out and saw him and were astounded.

They apparently did not believe YHWH would do what they were asking Him to do! Are we any different?

17. But he waved his hand to quiet them down, and he came in and recounted to them how YHWH had brought him out of the “round-house”. And he told them, “Tell this to Yaaqov and the brothers!” Then he left and went to a different location.

Yaaqov: Not the one who had just been killed, but the brother of Yeshua. The brothers: possibly Yeshua’s other natural brothers, but probably including at least the ten other delegates. Though initially he was skeptical of Yeshua’s special role (Yoch. 7:5), Yaaqov was a believer after the resurrection (1:14) and was already becoming an important leader in the assembly (15:13; 21:18; Gal. 2:9-12), as shown by Kefa’s wanting to be sure he stayed informed. A different location: so those who had captured him previously would not easily find him, especially with the commotion those in this location had just been making.

18. And as the morning brightened up, there was a great consternation among the soldiers in regard to what had become of Shim’on.

19. Now after he was set free and could not be found, Herodos judged the soldiers and commanded that they be put to death. Then he left Judea and stayed in Caesarea.

This was very much in character for Herodos. But soon we will see the price he had to pay for unjustly condemning (without even a trial) these men who were not at fault in Kefa’s escape.

20. And when he was filled with agitation over those from Tzur and Tzidon, they immediately gathered themselves together and came to him, unified, and persuaded Blastos, the king’s chamberlain, begging from him that there might be peace for them, due to the assessment that the support for their land was dependent on the sovereignty of Herodos.

Dependent on: or, hanging in question. They were begging even for food at this point. (11:28)

21. Now on the day that had been fixed, Herodos dressed himself in royal attire, sat on the judgment seat, and addressed the assembly.

Fixed: possibly the last day of unleavened bread, appointed as a feast in Exodus 13:6, explaining why they would be so celebratory even while there was a famine in the Land. Royal attire: Josephus specifies that it was made entirely of silver and reflected the sun at dawn in such an eerie way as to spread horror over those who watched. The semi-circular open-air theatre in which he would have stood has been excavated and is again used for musical concerts, having perfect acoustics after minimal repairs to the structure.

22. And all the people cried out and said, “These are daughters of the voice of an elohim and not from the sons of Adam!”

Daughters of the voice: a Hebrew idiom referring to a voice from heaven. Accepting flattery is always to one’s detriment, as the enemy uses this to take us off guard and sneak many otherwise-obvious attacks through. Yet the modern Gospel is based on flattery, presented primarily in terms of “what it can do for you”:

23. And due to the fact that he did not assign weightiness to Elohim, in but a moment he was struck down by a messenger of YHWH, was infested with maggots, and died.

Maggots: or another form of larval worm. Josephus adds many details about this event in Antiquities of the Jews 19:8:2. . He says those in attendance said that while they had formerly seen him as one like the rest of them, they would now regard him as having a nature superior to that of mortals. At this point he noticed an owl sitting above him, and considered it an evil omen, and suddenly a sever pain arose in his stomach. He told the people that though they had called him a “g-d”, he was now being commanded to depart this life, thereby proving their barely-spoken words wrong. He was taken up to a chamber from which he could see people wearing black below, already mourning for him. After five days, he died, having said he had lived a satisfactorily-enjoyable life.

24. Then the glad news of Elohim was proclaimed and hedged about.

Hedged about: or, pushed back boundaries, caused its enemies to draw back.

25. Now Bar-Naba and Sha’ul returned from Yerushalayim to Antiokhia after they had completed their service, and they took Yochanan who was called Marqos with them.


CHAPTER 13

1. There were prophets and teachers in the congregation at Antiokhia—Bar-Naba’, Shim’on who was called Niger, Luqius from the city of Kurini, Mana’el son of the forces of Herodos, and Sha’ul.

Niger is Latin for “black”, and Luqius means “bright white light”. Most Jews were neither extreme, so already we see people representing the whole spectrum representing the Kingdom. There are some racist groups of both colors who call themselves Israelites, but the true Israel returning from exile encompasses all types of people. Mana’el: the Aramaic version; the Gk. form Menaen is apparently a corruption of Menahem, a common Hebrew name. Son of the forces: The Greek says he was brought up with Herodos. Interestingly, Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 15:10:5) records the account of an Essene Menahem who was Herod’s contemporary and once saluted Herod as the king of the Jews when he was but a child, prophesying that he would be found worthy to be king and start well, have an everlasting reputation and outdo everyone in enjoyment of life, but would eventually forget piety and righteousness, for which he would be punished. Sha’ul may be listed last because the final “and” may imply that Sha’ul, too, was brought up with Menahem. Being a Roman citizen, he had some influence, and had to be from a wealthy family to study under Gamli’el. This may be why he was taken seriously by several governors, though his lifestyle appeared foolish to them.

2. And when they were fasting and rendering service to Elohim, the spirit of being set-apart indicated, “Separate unto Me Sha’ul and Bar-Naba’ for the service to which I have called them.”

Rendering service: from the same root word as liturgy, which denotes doing service at one’s own expense, implying that if one is paid for his “ministry”, it is not truly ministry). It is the same term used of the priests who served YHWH in an official public capacity. Thus those chosen for service were people who were already active.

3. So after they had fasted and interceded, they laid a hand on them and sent them out.

Laying hands on someone symbolizes that he is their representative.

4. Then they, being sent expressly [by the] spirit of being set-apart, went down to Seleukia, and from there traveled by sea as far as to Cyprus.

Expressly: literally, from the taste of. Cyprus: Gk, Kupros; Heb., Qafrisim. This is the first of four journeys Sha’ul took for the same purpose. (See 15:40-18:22; 18:23-21;15; 27:1-28:16.)

5. And when they had entered the city of Salamis, they proclaimed the glad word of our Master in the synagogues of the Jews, and Yochanan ministered to them.

Why did Sha’ul go to the synagogues? Because that is where people who were already hungry to know YHWH would be. He knew that no one who was not “hungry” would receive the message he had to bring them. We today can also find the Israelite unaware of their identity within the ranks of those who are not Jews but are drawn to the things of YHWH that Yehudah has preserved—the Sabbath, festivals, and other aspects of Torah. Jews made it a custom to read the Scriptures in the marketplace on market days, and many may have been attracted to come to the synagogues on the Sabbath to hear more.

6. And when they had gone around the whole island as far as the city of Pafos, they met one man--a sorcerer, a Jew who had been a false prophet--and his name was Bar-Shuma.

Sorcerer: literally, one who mutters charms or incantations in a low voice. Greek, magos, from which we derive the term magician, but it implied one who watched the stars to interpret the signs that Gen. 1:27 says YHWH would place in the heavens. In this vein, we can understand the difference between astronomy (which studies “the laws of the stars”) and astrology (“the word of the stars”—i.e., not their normal patterns of behavior but what they are “saying” to us). Bar-Shuma: Gk., Bar-Iesous, i.e., son of Y’hoshua.  

7. This one was from near a wise man who had been the [military] officer and was called Sergius Paulus, and he called the officer to Sha’ul and to Bar-Naba’ and begged to hear from them a word of Elohim.

Sergius means “earth-born”, the same meaning as the LXX’s interpretation of the pre-flood creatures that were half-human, half-demon. Officer: Heb., netziv; the Greek term, anthupatos, identifies him as proconsul of a senatorial province, one of those into which Caesar Augustus had divided the Empire, possibly because of the census he took at the time of Messiah’s birth.

8. But this sorcerer, Bar-Shuma, stood in opposition to them, as is the translation of his name, Elumos, because he wanted to incline the officer away from the belief.

As is the translation: Elumas is a name not of Greek origin, and since he was Jewish, it is possible that this name is the corruption of a Hebrew word. If it is the sorcery to which his name is related, as the Greek (rather than Aramaic) phrase order suggests, Stern suggests chalom (“dream”) or ‘alim (“knowing/understanding science”). ‘Alam (“hidden/concealed”) might be another possibility.

9. However, Sha’ul (who is [also] called Paulus), being filled with the spirit of being set apart, stared at him,

Paulus: as in the name in verse 7, the Latin term means “small”, but it also approximates a Hebrew word, Pa’ul, which rhymes with Sha’ul and means “put to work” or “put into effect”. Spirit of being set apart: Since Elymas was a Jew, Sha’ul had a right to expect him to be separate from sorcery, which the Torah forbids. (Deut. 18:11)

10. and said, “Woe to you, who are filled with all craftiness and all evil, son of the devouring accuser and enemy of everything that is righteous. Will you not stop perverting the straight paths of YHWH?

Being Jewish, the raw materials Bar-Shuma began with would have been the “straight paths of YHWH”. Any type of change made to what is straight is by definition perversion, in Hebrew.

11. “So now, the hand of YHWH is against you, and you will be blind and not see the sun until the appointed time!” And in a moment there fell upon him gloom and darkness, and he began to go around searching for someone to hold him by the hand.

Blind: Those who twist the revelation they have been given are not permitted to see much more. He was put in the same position physically that he had already been in spiritually. Not see the sun: He would be unable to look for the signs in the heavens for a while. Hold him: Greek, lead him. He had considered himself unteachable, and now he needed a mentor. Sha’ul cursed him, outdoing his own magic. As a well-trained rabbi, Shau’l may have known how such things could be manipulated. In this day it was not uncommon for even the Jewish priests to wear amulets bearing blessings or curses.  

12. When the officer saw what had taken place, he opened his eyes and trusted in the instruction of the Master.

13. Then Paulus and Bar-Naba’ traveled by sea from the city of Pafos and came to the city of Pergi, which is in Pamfülia. But Yochanan separated from them and went to Yerushalayim.

Pamfulia: the name means “of every tribe”. This is a province on the mainland of Asia Minor (now Turkey) west of Kilikia, the province where Sha’ul grew up. Separated: see also 15:39. Possibly because he was put off by Sha’ul’s cursing someone in such a bizarre display. He was going back to a place where they did not strike people blind! What was the difference between Elumas and Sha’ul if he used the same tricks? This time it was done in YHWH’s power, whether just to shut Elumas down or to bring him to true repentance. It certainly got the officer’s attention. He was looking for a sign, and Sha’ul gave him what he needed. We hear no about Sergius Paulus, so we do not know whether this fruit remained or whether the spectacle merely swept the house clean to make room for seven worse demons to come back into. This is one reason it is so vital to have a community into which to bring new believers for instruction.

14. They left Pergi and came to the city of Antiokhia which is in Pisidia, and they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.

15. And after the reading of the Torah and the Prophets, the elders of the synagogue sent to them and said, “Men, brothers, if you have a word of comfort, speak [it] to the people!”

They respected the order of their hosts’ house and did not speak until spoken to. In Jewish circles it is still common practice to read a haftarah from the prophets or writings which relates to the reading from the Torah. This practice was begun when the Greeks forbade the study of the Torah, so the Jews resourcefully taught the same lessons from the prophets and were thus able to indirectly teach each portion of the Torah. After this, it is common to allow those present to teach if able, and the dictates of hospitality often meant that this privilege would be offered to a guest. This is suggested in Luke 4:16-17, where Yeshua is asked to read what may have been the haftarah for that week. (The designated haftaroth have changed in some cases over the centuries.)

16. So Paulus stood, waved his hand, and said, “Men, sons of Israel and fearers of Elohim, listen!

We can see here three designations: “Men” was, in that day, a term applied only to Jews. Sons of Israel, until the two houses of Israel are reunited, is a particular designation for those from the Northern Kingdom, who were now being drawn back to the synagogues because this was the closest they could get to Israel at that time, without the additional information he had to bring. They are the ones designated “Gentiles” in the Renewed Covenant; those who were “pure” Gentiles with no connection to Israel were seen as on the level of animals, often specifically dogs. Fearers of Elohim: a special term for those who were considering becoming proselytes. 

17. “The Elohim of this people chose our ancestors and was enlarging them and making them numerous while they were sojourning in the land of Egypt and with an upraised arm he brought them out from it, 

18. “and sustained them in the wilderness forty years.

19. “Then He destroyed seven nations in the Land of Kanaan, and gave them their Land for an inherited possession.

20. “And for a duration of four hundred fifty years He gave them judges until Shmu’el the prophet,

21. “and at that time they demanded a king for themselves, and Elohim gave them Sha’ul the son of Qish, a man of the tribe of Binyamin—forty years,

Forty years: a figure not found in Scripture, but it does agree with Josephus’ total in Antiquities of the Jews (6:14:9), though in another place (10:8:4), he says 20.

22. “then He removed him and raised up for them David the king, and bore witness concerning him, and said, ‘I have found David, son of Yishai, a man according to My own heart; he will do whatever I desire.’

23. “From the seed of this [man], Elohim raised up for Israel what He had promised—Yeshua the Messiah.

I have found…from the seed of this man…what He had promised: Here we see very strong parallels with Avraham, with whom YHWH chose to have an intimate friendship partly because he was one who would make sure his family would do what YHWH desired. (Gen. 18:19) The promised One must be the seed of David—through a woman, no doubt, but not some Greek-style “seed of Elohim” that produced a half-man like the Nefilim prior to Noakh’s flood.

24. “And He sent Yochanan to announce prior to His coming an immersion of repentance to all of the people of Israel.

His coming: Not before He was born, but before He emerged as Messiah. Prior to taking on this office, He was an ordinary man, like the priests before their 30th year, though they were clearly designated to that position from birth. Until Yochanan called the people to repentance, Yeshua had nothing to work with.

25. “And when Yochanan was fulfilling his ministry, he said, ‘Who are you imagining that I am? Not I! That one is indeed coming after me—the one the thongs of whose sandals I am not suited to loosen!’ 

This is “kinsman-redeemer” language, for the one who relinquished his right to redeem to the next in line who was qualified to fill that position. This was his way of saying he was not as qualified as Yeshua to redeem the people, as seen in Ruth 4:7-8.  

26. “Men! Our brothers! Sons of the family of Avraham and those who, with them, stand in awe of Elohim, to you the word of life has been sent forth,

27. “because these inhabitants of Yerushalayim and their heads have not recognized—not at all—the writings of the prophets who are read every Sabbath, except to judge them, in fulfillment of all the words that are written.

These inhabitants: those usurpers who were “occupying” the Temple. Not only were they not the persons YHWH had prescribed for the positions of leadership therein; they did not even believe the things they were hearing and even saying so often!

28. “And even though they found nothing as a reason for death, they begged Pilatus to murder Him.

29. “And when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they brought Him down from the cross, and laid Him to rest inside a tomb.

30. “But Elohim raised Him up from the house of the dead

31. “and he was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from the Galil to Yerushalayim, and they are now His witnesses to the people.

32. “And also we [ourselves] indeed bring you the glad news that the promise that came to the patriarchs--

33. “lo and behold, Elohim is fulfilling it for us, their descendants—because He raised Yeshua, as it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’

This was initially spoken of King Shlomo at his coronation, and thus “son of Elohim” is an idiom for the one who sits on the throne that he passed down to his sons. Raised: in this first instance, at His immersion He was raised from His everyday life as the carpenter’s son to be the set-apart deliverer of Israel. (See note on v. 24.) In the next verse, we see the other type of raising:

34. And Elohim did indeed raise Him from the house of the dead, so as not to return again to see corruption—as He said, “[I will give you] the confirmed lovingkindnesses of David.” 

Confirmed: or reliable. The Greek version adds the first phrase to the LXX version; the Hebrew original of Yeshayahu 55:3 says, “Obey, and your soul will thrive, and I will cut an eternal covenant with you, the kindnesses of David being upheld.” This sets Sha’ul’s message squarely within the framework of Torah, so as Kefa said, it was the unlearned and unstable who twisted it to sound contradictory to Torah. (2 Kefa 3:16)

35. “Again he says, in another place, ‘You will not allow Your pious one to see corruption.”

Pious: or kind, merciful. This is the Hebrew word hasid, from which a major branch of Orthodox Jewry is derived. Corruption: or, decay (also in v. 34). The quote is from Psalm 16:10.

36. “Look; David, in his generation, served the will of Elohim, and he lay down to be gathered to his ancestors, and he saw decay.

Gathered to his ancestors: an idiom for having one’s bones collected a year or so after death—after the flesh had rotted away--and placed in the same part of a tomb or ossuary box as the bones of one’s ancestors. In other words, there had to be a greater fulfillment of this promise later in his lineage.

37. “But this one whom Elohim raised up did not see decay!

38. “Therefore, let it be known to you, our brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is announced to you,

39. “and from everything that you were not able to justify yourselves through the Torah of Moshe, through this one, everyone who places his trust is justified.

This means Yeshua is a supplement to, not a substitute for, the extent to which we can keep the Torah. We trust Him to take our utmost further than we can and make it adequate in the Father’s eyes. From another angle, Stern points out that the Mishnah’s tractate Kritot lists 36 transgressions from which one cannot be cleared from being cut off from his people since there is no designated sacrifice or punishment that restores fellowship. These include prohibited sexual unions, idolatry, profaning the Sabbath, some violations of purity laws, eating leavened bread during the Feast of Matzah, eating or working on Yom Kippur—things all of us from the Northern Kingdom once were guilty of while living in a Gentile framework. The Renewed Covenant reiterates that there is no remedy for intentional (“high-handed”) rebellion (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26; Romans 3:7-8; 6:1-2) As a people we had no kinsman-redeemer, because no one in the House of Yehudah had enough “purchasing power” to ransom us. There must be one qualified remaining if redemption is to take place, but until Yeshua came on the scene, there was no way the Torah could provide either house of Israel with a king or kingdom, for that had been lost to both. Torah had become so twisted in its interpretation that it could not declare anyone right, because no one was upholding it anymore. So YHWH raised up one who was not under sin and could set it back on its proper footing and bring it back to its undiluted fullness. While the kinsman redeemer sets one free from slavery, he is now under obligation to honor that redeemer as our new owner.

40. “Be warned, then, so that what is written in the prophets does not come upon you:

41. “‘Look, you mockers, and be awestruck and listen, because I am about to do something in your days that you would not believe if a man recounted to you.’ [Havaqquq 1:5]”


42. And when they departed from their presence, they begged of them that they would speak these words to them the next Sabbath.

43. And after the congregation was sent out, many Jews and also proselytes who feared Elohim walked after them, so they spoke to them and urged them to stick to the kindness of Elohim.

Urged: from the word for stubborn. The kindness: as opposed to the rabbinic restructuring of the Torah, which Yeshua and Kefa said was too heavy a burden for anyone to be laden with.

44. But on another Sabbath, the whole city congregated to listen to the Word of Elohim,

45. but when the Jews saw the huge crowd, they were filled with jealousy, and rose up in opposition to the words Paulus was speaking, and reviled [against them].

Jews: that is, the leaders of the local synagogue, because those who were speaking were also Jews. The huge crowd: This, not what he said, was the catalyst for their opposition. They had been trying hard to make proselytes and had a handful of followers, but now there was clearly an adequate kinsman-redeemer, and to this they responded. (See also v. 48.)

46. But Paulus and Bar-Naba’ looked at them [fiercely] and said, “It was appropriate that the words of Elohim be spoken to you first, but since you are flushing it from yourselves and detaching yourselves from any suitability for eternal life, we are indeed turning toward the Gentiles!

The year that the curse of “no mercy” for the Northern Kingdom (Hoshea 1:6) had completed its course was 46 C.E. (based on the doubling in Yirmeyahu 16:18 of the 390-year sentence pronounced in Y’hezq’el 4:5) Since the events in chapter 12 were only two years prior to that and some time has clearly elapsed since that time, with the travels throughout Asia Minor, across to Cyprus, around the island, and back again in conditions that would sometimes require a long wait for more favorable weather (27:12), it is not at all unreasonable to hypothesize that 46 is the exact date here. Gentiles: the Greek term can also mean “tribes”.

47. “Because thus our Master commands us, as it is written, ‘I am appointing you…as an illuminator of the nations’, in order that there might be a deliverance as far as the ends of the earth.

The quote is from Yeshayahu 49:6, which is clearly in context of the restoration.of the tribes of Israel as the main task of the Messiah (1:6), with the nations added as a bonus gift since He deserved more.

48. And when the Gentiles heard, they rejoiced and shouted in celebration of Elohim and trusted [Him]—those who were appointed for eternal life.

They started cheering loudly, because at last there was a way to become part of Israel that was not too burdensome as the rabbinic way was. (15:10; Mat. 11:28-30)

49. And the word of YHWH was thoroughly declared throughout that whole district.

Clearly there were many “lost sheep of the House of Israel” in this region!

50. But the Jews instigated the heads of the city and the wealthy women who feared Elohim, and raised a persecution against Paulus and Bar-Naba, and they deported them from their borders.

Wealthy women: They were idle and could stir things up with gossip due to their influence.  

51. So as they left, they emptied their feet of the dust against them, and came to the city of Iqanon.

This was in obedience to Yeshua’s command in Mat. 10:14, which may relate to the idiom of resurrection in Yeshayahu 52:2. Feet would normally be washed after one knew he was going to stay a long while (Mat. 10;11-13), or there would be none left on the feet to shake off. If the household did not wash the feet of the guest (Luke 7:44), it was clear that this house was unworthy to stay in. Iqanon: Gk., Iconion; Latin, Iconium, meaning “little image”. It was a well-known city, the capital of Lukaonia. They had a strategic plan, going where they knew some of the lost sheep of the House of Israel would be found.

52. And the disciples were filled with joy and the spirit of being set apart.

Were filled: or, filled themselves, let themselves be filled; they had to make a choice in this circumstance to see the bright side and recognize that they had indeed taken new ground despite the apparent defeat.


CHAPTER 14

1. And they came and entered the synagogue of the Jews and spoke with them in such a way that many from the Jews and from the Greeks believed.

The Greek text reiterates that they were still in Ikonium, the “city of images”. One reason “Greeks” would be in the synagogues is that only there could those who were being drawn to YHWH find diplomatic immunity from otherwise-mandatory idol worship. Yeshua also had told His witnesses not to go in the “ways of the Gentiles”. But the synagogue is also one of the few places the written Torah could be found, from which their message could be verified. If people were not learning the Torah, the envoys’ message would make no sense. That is why there are so many variations in modern Christianity; there is no basis left, without a foundation of Torah knowledge. Butthose who had heard the Torah would be wondering, “What now? We are in exile as the Torah promised we would be, so where is the promised Deliverer?” “Greeks” might also refer to Hellenized Jews.

2. But the Jews who were not convinced were instigating the Gentiles to treat the brothers badly.

This followed the same pattern as Yeshua’s conviction and execution, for this is where the political authority to persecute lay. These Gentiles are those outside the synagogue—the native people of Ikonium. But the maltreatment did not deter them from continuing to do what they were there to do.

3. So they were there a long time, and spoke boldly about the Master, and He gave witness about the word of His mercy through signs and through wonders that He did through their hands.

He gave witness: If the “He” is to be understood as Yeshua, the authorization for them to heal in His Name was given while He was among us. (Luke 9:1) The signs proved that He was behind what they were doing.

4. And the whole throng of the city was divided; some of them were with the Jews, and some of them stuck with the delegated envoys.

5. There was a threat over them from the Gentiles and from the Jews and their heads to hide them away and stone them with stones.

Threat: or assault.

6. And when they were sure of this, they crossed over and escaped to the cities of Lükaonia—Lüstra and Derbi, and spread the glad news there.

They were trying to get the word out as quickly as possible in each place before the enemy could catch up with them—to undermine his order of things before those who recognized that it was damaging to their corrupted power structure could pull the wool back over people’s eyes. They had to “cut to the chase” and choose their audience quickly. Their strategic decision was to go to where people were already keeping the Sabbath—a wise pattern to follow today as well, for if someone does not even obey this command, what sense can other Hebraic things make to him? The pattern was proving to be that they often had only one Sabbath to get the message out before their adversaries took advantage of the tide of emotion to create a mob that could run over anything that was in their way. Emotional appeal is so prevalent in modern society that we often need to over-correct and leave it out altogether, since the enemy plays on the weakness of the human heart. Derbi (Derbe in Greek) is the furthest inland they went on this journey. These two cities and Ikonium were the chief cities of Lukaonia, which is a fertile land well-adapted for pasture, separated from the Kilikian coast by the Taurus Mountains. In this pastureland dwelt some of the “lost sheep of the House of Israel”. The last phrase is verse 7 in Greek, and the rest of verses in the chapter continue in that sequence, one number higher than the Aramaic version.

7. And in the city of Lustra there lived a man afflicted in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked [in his entire life].

8. This [man] heard Paulus speaking, and when Paulus saw him, he knew that he had within him the confidence to be healed.

Knew: the root meaning is to test by investigation and prove; the same term is translated “were sure” in verse 6.

9. He said to him in a loud voice, “Walk, I say, in the name of our Master Yeshua the Messiah! Get up onto your feet!” And he sprang up and stood up and walked on his own.  

10. And the crowd of people, when they saw what Paulus had done, lifted up their voice in the language of the place and said, “The gods have taken on the form of humans and come down to us!”

The language: Greek mixed with Syriac, a form of Aramaic based on the dialect of Edessa. The gods: The well-known Greek myth of Baucis and Philemon which promised blessings to those who would treat well the deities who came in the form of men to test their sincerity would have predisposed these people, who might never have seen a true miracle before, to bend over backwards to try to appease anyone they suspected of being super-human:

11. And they named Bar-Naba’ “Master of the Elim” and Paulus, “Hermes”, since it was he who had started speaking.

Master of the Elim: Gk., Dia, from which the modern Spanish word Dios is derived, and the term “deity”. It is a form of the name Zeus, and corresponds to the Latin Jupiter. Hermes: the equivalent of the Roman Mercurius. None of these names should be on our tongues. (Ex. 23:13; Joshua 23:7; compare Deut. 12:3) But they are physical entities in the heavens. Without “light pollution” and modern forms of entertainment, the drama for most people in this day was what went on in the night sky. Priests like this would have slept in the daytime and been in the “presence” of their elohim when they could be seen. Yet planets do not even give light, but only reflect it! But there are always spiritual entities that attach themselves to anything other than YHWH that is worshipped. This may be the reason that the doors of the Temple of YHWH were locked at night. Yeshua says the night is the time no one can work. (Yochanan 9:4) We are to be “children of the day” who do not work the works of darkness. (1 Thess. 5:5) Started speaking: or, been the chief speaker. As Aharon was the spokesman for Moshe and Gehazi for Elisha, most dignitaries would not address the people face to face, but would utilize a representative, they may have assumed the chief deity would not be the one to do the talking, but would have someone introduce him.

12. Then the priest of Zeus, who had been outside the city, brought bulls and garland-wreaths to the gate of the courtyard of the place where they were staying, and wanted to slaughter them!

The bulls represent the highest sacrifice since it would be eaten by them, and the garland wreaths imply very special treatment such as accorded to the emperor.  

13. But Bar-Naba’ and Paulus, when they heard, tore their garments, jumped up, and went out to the crowd and cried out

Tore their garments: a typical response when hearing blasphemy.

14. in saying to them, “Men, what are you doing?! We, too, are frail humans like yourselves, bringing you glad news that you can rise to turn from these empty things to the Elohim of life who made the heavens and the earth, the seas and everything that is in them!

The only thing most of these people have done is to express the idea that men could be elohim. This is one way Christianity got so far off track. Paulus, whose words have been twisted by many to say that this is true of Yeshua, says that such a concept is useless and that it is ridiculous to worship (except as a king) one who is of the same nature as ourselves. If he had wanted to merely shift the focus to Yeshua instead being Elohim rather than himself, this would have been the perfect time to do so. But note well that he did not.  

15. “He, in the generations of old, let all nations walk in their own paths,

In the past: in a similar statement (17:30), he states the obvious implication: “But now He is calling all men everywhere to repent.”

16. “though he certainly did not leave Himself without witness in what He did for them so kindly from the heavens both by sending rain down to them and causing fruits to flourish in their season and by filling their hearts with food and gladness.”

They did not preach the “Gospel” to these people, since they had no reason to suspect that they were lost sheep of the House of Israel; instead they gave a general witness to the need to worship the only One who truly deserves it.

17. But despite the fact that they said these things, they were [still] struggling to restrain the people so that each would not make a slaughter to them.

It is hard to overcome with mere logic the human tendency to worship a healer, as we see even with “faith healers” today.  

18. Then Jews from Iqanon and from Antiokhia came there and stirred up the people on account of them, and stoned Paulus and dragged him outside the city, because they thought he was dead.

Iqanon (Ikonium) was not far from Lustra, but to come all the way from (Pisidian) Antiokhia meant they were very serious about putting a stop to this message. They were not content to merely “run them out of town”.

19. But the disciples gathered together over him, and he got up and went into the city, and the next day he departed from there with Bar-Naba’, and they came into the city of Derbi.

The disciples must have prayed, because it would be miraculous for someone assumed to be dead to be able to simply get up and walk into the city.  

20. And as they were proclaiming the glad news to the sons of that city, many disciples were raised up. Then they returned and came into the city of Lüstra, then Iqanon, then Antiokhia,

These are the towns they had been “run out of”. But they still had “follow-up” work to do there, and there was much profit in going back to ensure “fruit that would remain”:

21. and were strengthening the heart of the disciples and seeking from them that they would remain confident and telling them that it is necessary to enter the Kingdom of Elohim through the endurance of much suffering.

Strengthening: making their grip more firm. Unlike today’s “Gospel”, the expectation of persecution was clearly taught from the start. But it is clearly worth the high price! It was probably the disciples gathered over Paulus when he revived that engraved on his mind the fact that the only reason he was still alive was for their sake, so he realized he could not just give them the message and then leave them without capable leadership and order:

22. And they established elders for them in each congregation, fasting with them and praying, and stationing them in the hand of our Master, in whom they trusted.

23. And after they had gone around throughout the region of Pisidia, they came into Pamfülia.

24. Then after they had spoken the word of YHWH in the city of Pergi, they descended into Italia,

Pergi: Greek, Perga. Italia: in this case, the Aramaic way of spelling the Greek name Attaleia (a coastal town in Pamfulia, not far from Pergi), not the country we now refer to as Italy.

25. and from there they journeyed [on] and came to Antiokhia, since from there they had been appointed by the kind hands of YHWH to the service which they had [now] completed.

Journeyed: Greek, sailed—the fastest way to make this trip.  

26. And when the whole congregation had gathered together, they recounted all that Elohim had done with them, and how He had opened the gate of faith for the Gentiles.

Being accountable to authority, they report back to those who commissioned them.

27. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.


Go to the next section of Acts
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE
Delegated Envoys
INTRODUCTION:    This is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke, written by the same author. Reading the history of the course Y’shua’s first followers took immediately after he left should help us recover his agenda as they saw it. Both Greek and Aramaic texts, as well as a back-translation from Aramaic into modern Hebrew, were considered in the process of this translation, with the latter two being given the heavier weight where they differed.
Chapter 8            Chapter 9

Chapter 10          Chapter 11

Chapter 12           Chapter 13

            Chapter 14   

          Chapters 1-7

         Chapters 15-21     

         Chapters 22-29