Acts 14:19
Read Acts 14:19 Using Other Translations
What does Acts 14:19 mean?
And there came thither certain Jews
Either just at the same time, or however whilst the apostles were
in this city: in four manuscripts of Beza's, and in some other
copies, it is read, "as they abode there, and taught, there came"
These Jews were inveterate enemies of the apostles, and seemed to
have followed them from place to place, on purpose to oppose
them, and to stir up the people against them, and to hinder the
success of their ministry all they could: for these came
from Antioch;
not Antioch in Syria, but in Pisidia: where they had contradicted
and blasphemed the word of God, and was the reason why the
apostles turned to the Gentiles, ( Acts 13:45 Acts 13:46 ) .
And Iconium:
where also the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles against
the apostles, and both of them made an assault upon them, to use
them ill, ( Acts 14:2 Acts 14:5 )
who persuaded the people;
in the above manuscripts of Beza's, and in some other copies, are
these words,
``and they disputing confidently, persuaded the people to depart from them, saying, that they said nothing true, but in all things lied;''which though they may not be considered as the text, are a good gloss upon it: they persuaded the people not to hearken to them, told them that they were deceivers and jugglers, and instead of having honours conferred upon them, they ought to be severely punished; and to these Jews they hearkened, as appears by what follows:
and having stoned Paul;
even the same persons that just before were for sacrificing to
him as a god; which shows the fickleness and inconstancy of the
populace, and how little they are to be depended on; for they
were the Gentiles that stoned Paul, at the instigation of the
Jews; though the latter might probably join with them in it: a
like instance we have in the conduct of the Jews towards Christ,
who cried "Hosanna" to him one day, and on another, very quickly
after, with great importunity say, Crucify him, Crucify him; of
this stoning, the apostle makes mention, ( 2
Corinthians 11:25 ) ( 2 Timothy
3:11 ) When they had stoned him,
they drew him out of the city, supposing he had been
dead;
which is an addition to their barbarity and inhumanity; for they
not only stoned him until he was dead, as they supposed, but they
dragged his body through the streets of their city, in contempt
of him, and indignation against him, and cast him out of it,
where they left him as unworthy of a burial.
