And Saul was consenting unto his death
This clause, in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic and Ethiopic
versions, stands at the close of the preceding chapter, and which
seems to be its proper place; and so it does in the Alexandrian
copy: that Saul consented to the death of Stephen, and approved
of that barbarous action, is evident from his taking care of the
clothes of the witnesses that stoned him; but the word here used
signifies not a bare consent only, but a consent with pleasure
and delight; he was well pleased with it, it rejoiced his very
heart; he joined with others in it, with the utmost pleasure and
satisfaction; this, and what is before said concerning his having
the clothes of the witnesses laid at his feet, as well as what
follows, about his persecuting the saints, are, the rather
mentioned, because this violent persecutor was afterwards
converted, and became an eminent preacher of the Gospel; and
these accounts serve to set off and illustrate the grace of God,
which was abundant towards him.
And at that time there was a great persecution against the
church
which was at Jerusalem:
it began "on that day", as the words may be rendered, on which
Stephen was stoned. As soon as they had put him to death, these
bloodthirsty wretches were the more greedy after the blood of
others; and being now in great numbers, and filled with rage and
fury, fell upon the members of the church wherever they met them,
and killed them; for that more, besides Stephen, were put to
death, seems plain from ( Acts 26:10 ) and,
according to some accounts, though they cannot be depended on,
two thousand persons suffered at this time: and if this was the
case, it might be called a great persecution:
and they were all scattered abroad;
not all the members of the church, nor perhaps any of the private
ones; for we afterwards read of devout then that carried Stephen
to his grave; and of the church being made havoc of by Saul; and
of men and women being haled out of their houses, and committed
to prison by him; but all the preachers of the word, except the
apostles; for they that were scattered, went about preaching the
word, ( Acts 8:4 )
( 11:19 )
They seem to be the seventy disciples, and other ministers of the
word, on whom the Holy Ghost fell at the day of Pentecost, or was
since bestowed; among who were Philip, who went to Samaria; and
Ananias, who was at Damascus; and others that went as far as
Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch: and particularly they are said to
be dispersed
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria;
where their ministry was so greatly blessed, to the conversion of
souls, that there were quickly many churches planted and formed
in these parts, as appears from ( Acts 9:31 ) so that this
persecution was for the furtherance and spread of the Gospel:
that upon this dispersion any of them came into France and
England, or into any other parts of Europe, is not probable;
since the particular places they went to are mentioned; and since
they preached to Jew only: and this scattering by reason of the
persecution, was of all the preachers,
except the apostles;
the twelve apostles, who stayed at Jerusalem to take care of the
church; to encourage the members of it to suffer cheerfully for
the sake of Christ and his Gospel; and to animate them to abide
by him: and this was not only an instance of courage and
constancy in them, and of the divine protection and preservation
of them, in the midst of their enemies; but also of the timidity
of their adversaries, who might be afraid to meddle with them;
remembering what miraculous works were performed by them, and how
they had been delivered out of prison, and especially the case of
Ananias and Sapphira, who were struck dead by Peter. Beza's
ancient copy adds, "who remained in Jerusalem".