There [is] little Benjamin, [with] their ruler
Or who is "their ruler" F25; that is, in the congregations or
churches, where he was a ruler; or in the procession, the
triumphal progress of Christ in Judea, and in the Gentile world,
by the ministry of the word; where the singers and players of
instruments, and damsels with timbrels, went in order: for not
the tribe of Benjamin is meant, called "little", because Benjamin
was Jacob's younger son; or because it was greatly weakened and
reduced at Gibeah, ( Judges 20:48
) ; and was one of the smallest tribes in Israel; and Saul's
family, who was the first king of Israel, the least in that
tribe, ( 1 Samuel
9:21 ) ; though the Targum interprets it of the tribe; and so
Jarchi; but the Apostle Paul is here meant, who was of the tribe
of Benjamin, ( Romans 11:1 ) (
Philippians 3:5 ) ; was
a young man when he was converted, ( Acts 7:58 ) ; as the
Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions have it here; was "little"
in stature, as is generally reported of him, and as his name
"Paul" may be thought to signify, and might be given him on that
account; see ( 2
Corinthians 10:10 ) ; and was little in his own eyes, less
than the least of all saints, and the chief of sinners; one born
out of due time, and unworthy to be called an apostle; as well as
he was little and contemptible in the eyes of others; yet he was
greatly honoured by Christ, had an authority from him, was a
"ruler" in his churches; set in the first place there, made an
apostle, and was an apostle of the Gentiles, and not a whit
behind the very chief of the apostles; and he was a principal in
this progress, and therefore is named first: he was a chosen
vessel to bear the name of Christ, and carry it into the Gentile
world; he travelled and laboured more abundantly than the rest,
and preached the Gospel fully from Jerusalem round about to
Illyricum. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, render it,
"there was Benjamin the younger in an ecstasy", or trance, as the
Apostle Paul was, ( Acts 9:9 ) ( 22:17 ) ( 2
Corinthians 12:2-4 ) ; but our version is best;
the princes of Judah, [and] their council;
or "company", as Kimchi; their churches, or congregations over
which they presided, or were the means of gathering; these were
the apostles, some of which were of the tribe of Judah, of which
tribe Christ was, and so must be those that are called his
brethren, ( Matthew
13:55 ) ( Acts 1:14 ) ; these were
"princes", not only in common with other Christians, by adoption
and regeneration, but by their office, being apostles, and over
others in the Lord; and besides the church at Jerusalem, where
James presided, there were other churches in Judea, which had
spiritual guides and governors over them; see ( Hebrews 13:7
Hebrews
13:17 ) ; and so the Septuagint version, and those that
follow it, render the words, "the princes of Judah, their
governors"; and so Aben Ezra interprets them, and observes that
"regem", in ( Zechariah
7:2 ) so signifies; to which the sense of R. Menachem in
Jarchi agrees, who renders it "their purpled ones"; so Cocceius;
but Gussetius F26 renders it "their stoning"; who
stoned those that preached the Gospel to them; see ( Matthew
21:35 ) ( 23:37 ) ; or
stoned their enemies, conquered them; or "their stone"
F1, the Messiah, that sprung from
Judah, ( Genesis
49:24 ) ( Psalms
118:22 ) ;
the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of
Naphtali;
the rest of the apostles, who were of Galilee, in which country
lay the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali: such as Peter, Andrew,
James and John, Philip and Nathaniel, see ( Matthew
4:13-21 ) ( John
1:44-46 ) .