Acts 18:24

The Early Ministry of Apollos

24 Now a certain Jew {named} Apollos, {a native} Alexandrian, arrived in Ephesus--an eloquent man who was well-versed in the scriptures.

Acts 18:24 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 18:24

And a certain Jew named Apollos
Who by some is thought to be the same with Apelles, ( Romans 16:10 ) , his name is Greek, though he was a Jew, not only by religion, but by birth, being of a Jewish extract:

born at Alexandria;
in Egypt, which was built by Alexander the great, from whence it had its name; it was the metropolis of Egypt, and the seat of the kings of it; great numbers of Jews were in this place; here lived Philo the famous Jew:

an eloquent man;
in speech, as well as learned, wise, and "prudent", as the Ethiopic version renders it:

and mighty in the Scriptures;
of the Old Testament, particularly in the prophecies of them concerning the Messiah; he had thoroughly read them, and carefully examined them, and could readily cite them; as well as had great knowledge of them, and was capable of explaining them; he was "skilful in the Scriptures", as the Syriac version renders it; or he "knew" them, as the Ethiopic; he had large acquaintance with them, and was well versed in them: it is a Jewish way of speaking; so Ahithophel is said to be (hrwtb rwbg) , "mighty in the law" ^F4; the same is said of the sons of Reuben ^F5: this man

came to Ephesus;
after the departure of the Apostle Paul, and while Aquila and Priscilla were there; the reason of his coming hither was to preach the word, as he did.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 T. Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 29. 1.
F5 Tzeror Hammor, fol. 60. 1.

Acts 18:24 In-Context

22 And [when he] arrived at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, [and] went down to Antioch.

23 And [after] spending some time [there], he departed, traveling through one [place] after another [in] the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

24 Now a certain Jew {named} Apollos, {a native} Alexandrian, arrived in Ephesus--an eloquent man who was well-versed in the scriptures.

25 This man had been instructed [in] the way of the Lord, and being enthusiastic in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the [things] about Jesus, [although he] knew only the baptism of John.

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but [when] Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

Footnotes

• [a] Literally "by name"
• [b] Literally "by nationality"