Acts 11:24

24 because he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large number were added to the Lord.

Acts 11:24 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 11:24

For he was a good man
He had the grace of God wrought in his soul, and did good works; he was very kind, and generous, and charitable; he sold what land he had, and gave the money to the apostles, for the use of the community, ( Acts 4:37 )

and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith;
he was full of the several graces of the Spirit, and particularly of faith; and he was full of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and of the faith of miracles; he was full of the doctrine of faith, and of spiritual gifts for the preaching of it: the same character is given of Stephen, ( Acts 6:5 )

and much people was added unto the Lord;
by the means of Barnabas, through his ministry, and the exercise of those gifts he was full of; so the Arabic version, "and he drew a large multitude to the Lord".

Acts 11:24 In-Context

22 {And the report came to the attention} of the church that was in Jerusalem about them, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch,

23 who, [when he] arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged [them] all to remain true to the Lord with {devoted hearts},

24 because he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large number were added to the Lord.

25 So he departed for Tarsus to look for Saul.

26 And [when he] found [him], he brought [him] to Antioch. And it happened to them also [that they] met together [for] a whole year with the church and taught a large number [of people]. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Footnotes

• [a] Or "were brought"