Gevurot 20:37

37 And there was much weeping among them, and, having fallen upon the neck of Rav Sha’ul, they were kissing him,

Gevurot 20:37 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 20:37

And they all wept sore
At the thoughts of parting with such a faithful and affectionate friend and servant of Christ; and no doubt but their affections were greatly moved by his prayers for them, as well as by his discourse to them. Christians are not Stoics, religion does not take away and destroy the natural affections, but regulates and governs them, and directs to a right use of them:

and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him;
as Esau fell on Jacob's neck and kissed him, ( Genesis 33:4 ) and Joseph on his brother Benjamin's, and his father Jacob's, ( Genesis 45:14 ) ( 46:29 ) . And it was usual with the eastern nations, particularly the Persians ^F12, for friends and relations to kiss at parting, as well as at meeting; see ( Ruth 1:9 Ruth 1:14 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Xenophon. Cyclopedia, l. 1. c. 20.

Gevurot 20:37 In-Context

35 "In all this I was showing you a mofet (example) that thus working hard it is necessary to help the weak and to have zikaron of the dvarim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua, that he himself said, ‘Beser (better) to geben (give) than to nemen (take).’"

36 And having said these things, Rav Sha’ul fell down and, with them all, began davening.

37 And there was much weeping among them, and, having fallen upon the neck of Rav Sha’ul, they were kissing him,

38 with agmat nefesh above all at the dvar in which Rav Sha’ul had said that no longer would they see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the oniyah.