Gevurot 18:24

24 Now a certain man, a Yehudi, arrived in Ephesus, Apollos by name, hailing from Alexandria, a lamdan (a Torah scholar with prodigious knowledge), being tief (deep and profound, erudite, keen) in the Kitvei HaKodesh.

Gevurot 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.

Gevurot 18:24 In-Context

22 And having come down to Caesarea and having gone up and greeted the [Yerushalayim] Kehillah of Moshiach, then Rav Sha’ul went down to Antioch.

23 And having spent some time, he embarked, passing through the area of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the Moshiach’s talmidim.

24 Now a certain man, a Yehudi, arrived in Ephesus, Apollos by name, hailing from Alexandria, a lamdan (a Torah scholar with prodigious knowledge), being tief (deep and profound, erudite, keen) in the Kitvei HaKodesh.

25 This one had been taught the Derech Hashem and was on fire in the Ruach Hakodesh and saying shiurim and drashot accurate and true to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. But Rav Apollos was acquainted only with the tevilah of teshuva of Yochanan [see Lk 3:16].

26 And this rabbi began to speak with ometz lev (boldness) in the shul. And having heard him, Priscilla and Aquila took him and more accurately instructed him in the Derech Hashem.