Xen. Econ. 11, 9. and Æsch. Socr. 2, 29.), since the article To follows, which is usually so prefixed as to indicate the following sentence; as in Luke 12, 2. See the note on Mark 9. 23. Пos may be rendered on what pretence, or pretext. The Sanhedrim, we may observe, knew not how they could decree any punishment against the Apostles, or how they could so put it in execution as that the people might not break out into a tumult. IIάvres denotes, by hyperbole, the bulk of .the people; as in Joh. 12, 14. (Kuin.)

23, 24. ἦλθον πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους. Schmid, Heumann, Morus, and others, explain the words: "They returned home:" and the roùs idious, they take to mean the other Apostles, or the Christians who occupied the same lodging with Peter and John. I would rather understand by it the apartment, or private oratory, in which the Christians had met to offer up prayers for the release of the Apostles. (Compare 12, 5, 2, 1.) By idio are often meant any one's partisans; as in Philo 630 A. Mavons ἐθάρσυνε τοὺς ἰδίους.

44. ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἦραν φωνὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν. By ὁμοθυ padov is meant together. See the note on 1, 1, 14. To the examples there adduced, I add Athen. 623 d. κρότου δε γενομένου, καὶ πάντων ὁμοθυμαδὸν αὐτὸν καλε

Twv. The Hebrews prefix the formula NW

to verbs of speaking; so that it is almost redundant. This idiom has been adopted by the writers of the New Testament, who prefix eTaipei TYY Φωνήν to the verbs εἶπειν, λέγειν, ἀποφθέγγεσθαι, which give them a sort of intensive force. It is well observed by Limborch, that all did not at once break out into this prayer, since, without divine inspiration, [which, however, it is not absurd to suppose, and is adopted by Doddridge,] how can it be imagined? The sense of the words is this: "All, on hearing of the threatenings, addressed themselves to prayer. Some of the Apostles pronounced, with a loud voice, the following precatory address, and the rest, in a

low voice, pronounced the same words, or adopted them mentally, adding their own earnest wishes to the prayer, which, as being pronounced on so memorable an occasion, was afterwards committed to writing." That this precatory address was (as some conjecture) not pronounced extempore, but a precomposed form of prayer, we cannot rationally suppose, since the words advert to circumstances not known until that very time; as, for instance, the threatenings of the Sanhedrim, (ver. 29.) of which they had been but just then informed and the words ἀκούσαντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἦραν φωνὴν, will not allow us to imagine any interval between the report of Peter and John, and this prayer.

The words σὺ * ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς form a periphrasis of Lord of the universe. A similarly worded prayer is cited by Wetstein from Joseph. Ant. 4, 3, 2. τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνασχών, γεγως νὸς ἐκβοήσας δέσποτα, φησὶ, τῶν ἐπ ̓ οὐρανοῦ τε καὶ rûs kai laxáσons, & Bell. 3, 8, 8. Hieros. Avoda Sara, fol. 42, 3. speaking of Alexander the Great: Non dominabatur in mari: Sed Deus O. M. dominatur tam in mari quam in tellure.

Almost all

25. ὁ διὰ στόματος Δαβίδ τ. π. σ. ε. Commentators, both ancient and modern, even Dath, (who is sceptical enough upon such points,) agree that the Psalm has reference to the Messiah. But from this opinion Kuinoel dissents; whose reasons, however, do not seem entitled to much attention when opposed to the united authority of the sacred

It is generally thought that els or el, art, is wanting after où. This has been partly owing to the construction's being suspended through several verses, and not coming out before ver. 29; and this difficulty was increased by the words kaì тà vũv, which were very proper; và võv (or ravõv? being opposed to worè, which may, or may not, be understood before einov: "Thou, Lord, who formerly saidst by David, Why do the Heathen rage, &c. now also look upon their threats," &c. If formerly be omitted, the mention of David is sufficient to show the opposition to now. Ὁ Θεὸς is put for Océ. (Markland )

writer, and the most eminent Theologians, including Rabbi Solomon Jaschi, who confesses that all the ancient Rabbis did so interpret it. I shall therefore omit the empty speculations of that Commentator, and rather turn to his solid philological illustrations of the passages in question, which being, as usual, derived from the best sources, are deserving of great attention. 'Ivarí, why. So the S, which Symmachus renders is ri, for what. Hesychius explains the word by diari. Ppvárσew (like the Heb. w) and its derivatives are used of the whinnying, or neighing of horses; as in Xen. de re Eq. 12, 12. Diod. Sic. 687 D. Callim. Lav. Pall. 2. See Gataker on Anton. 9. p. 364. and the Commentators on T. Mag. 901. It is, however, used metaphorically of men. Hence φρύαγμα and τύφος are joined by Alian V. Η. 2, 10. Aristan. 2, 12., and we have púayua and μeyahavxía in Plut. de Ed. 2, 6. So quáσre in Diodor. Sic. 191 D. 3 Macc. 2, 2. Other examples may be seen in Valcknaer. The sense, therefore, is this: "Why do they rebel against the Messiah, why endeavour to shake off his rule."

25. Λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενὰ; Μελετάν, like the Heb.

, signifies to meditate on, think of; as in Mark 13, 11. Xen. Cyr. 5, 5, 14. кevά (as Bengel well observes) has the force of an adverb; as in Job. 21, 34., where the Sept. renders Tapakaλeîte kevά; but by Aquila the Heb. p is expressed by Kevs. (Kuin.) Wetstein illustrates the sentiment by a proverb found in Suidas and Apostolius: κενὰ κενοὶ λογίζονται vel. βουλεύονται.

26. παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, i. e. stood up (for opposition). The Heb. is, which with y signifies to minister unto, help; as in Job. 1, 6, 2. Zach. 6, 5., and is, by the Alexandrian Jews, and the writers of the New Testament, expressed by TapaσTηkévaι. But by is also, like TapaστKévα, used in a bad sense of those who oppose, stand as adversaries against; like ανθεστηκέναι and συνίσ

παραστη

as,יתיצבו cohere with על יהוח Baciat. The words

66

here κατὰ του κυρίου with παραστηκέναι· κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, σε against God, and the King anointed and appointed by him." For those kings rebelled against God, by resisting the King whom God had appointed. (Kuin.)

27. συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπ ̓ ἀληθείας. Γὰρ has here the sense of utique, surely. See the note on Joh. 9, 30. Many MSS. of different recensions, and several Fathers and Versions add ἐν τῇ πόλει ταυτῇ, which was approved by Lightfoot and Hammond, and has been received into the text by Beza, Bengel, and Griesbach, with the approbation of Rosenmuller and Kuinoel. The words are thought to be supported_by Ps. 2, 6. to which they seem to have reference. But how then are we to account for their omission? To me, I confess, they appear to be derived from the margin; and such, I suspect, was the opinion of Wetstein. The plural aois, it may be observed, is put for the singular 2a, which Kuinoel thinks is for the sake of more exact correspondence. I have, however, noticed many such instances of plurals for singulars in the later Greek, the Alexandrian, and the Hellenistic writers. Such a use also had place in the Latin populus, of which Wetstein adduces examples from Livy, Justin. Mala, Pliny, and Virgil. It is remarkable, that in all of them the plural is associated with another noun in the plural, which seems. to confirm the observation of Kuinoel.

28. ποιῆσαι ὅσα ἡ χεὶρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλή σου προώρισε yéverbal. Some Commentators are of opinion that ποιῆσαι connects with ἔχρισαι at ver. 27, not the intermediate words Ηρώδης and λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ with συνxoav. But this trajectio is harsh, and, as far as I know, unexampled. Ποιῆσαι may more rightly be referred to συνήχθησαν. Compare 3, 17 & 18. Ἡ χεὶρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλὴ are an hendiadis for thy allpowerful will." (Kuin.) And so ŒEcumenius. This, however, appears harsh and unauthorized. I prefer, with most Greek and Latin Fathers, as Vatablus, Camerarius, &c. taking it to denote the providential

ordering of God. For, as Whitby justly observes, the hand of God, in the Old Testament, relates not so much to his power, as to his wisdom and providential dispensations. So Job 27, 11. "I will teach you by the hand of God. (See more in Whitby.) The sentiment conveyed in these words is this: "They persecuted and slew Jesus the Messiah; but this was done by the will, providence, permission of God, who could, if he had pleased, have frustrated all their efforts. *

29. καὶ τὰ νῦν, Κύριε, ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τὰς ἀπειλὲς αὐτῶν. Τὰ νῦν is an elliptical expression for κατὰ τὰ νῦν ὄντα πрáyμarα, in præsentid, for the present. The expression occurs in the best Classical writers; of which examples are given by Raphel, Elsner, and Wetstein. Grotius observes that in Hebrew the correspondent particle ny has a hortatory force. It is rightly remarked by the Latin Fathers, and, of the modern Commentators, Menochius and Kuinoel, that ide signifies, "So look upon their threats as to frustrate

* The same view of the subject is taken by Wetstein, in the following elegant annotation :

"Herodes et Pilatus sine dubio volebant suum consilium perficere, suâque potestate abuti. Putabant non posse aliter fieri, quàm ut lumen Evangelii extingueretur: se vel minis vel ultimo certè supplicio Apostolos ad silentium redacturos; omnem, per quam elaberentur Apostoli, rimam esse obstructam; se aut callido isto consilio, quo silentium ipsis indixerant, aut vi apertâ victuros: Apostoli verò ipsi, dum hæc aguntur, ad Deum confugiunt; hominum consiliis opponunt consilium Dei, cujus sapientiæ comparata omnium hominum calliditas stultitia est; hominum potentiæ opponunt divinam potentiam. Scimus causam Evangelii, quæ et nostra est, tibi curæ cordique esse: scimus hostes nostros tecum bellum gerere; scimus te omnia ipsorum consilia et molimina uno spiritu difflare posse; credimus, eos ne capillum quidem capiti nos-tro eripere posse, nisi tu permittas; te autem ne permissurum, nisi quòd nobis salutare, et doctrinæ Filii tui promovendæ idoneum erit. Si decrevisti ut hostium vexationibus porro exponamur, habes nos paratos veritatis testes: si nos decrevisti è præsenti periculo eripere, cujus potentiæ hoc est facillimum, agemus tibi gratias. Confidimus autem, quomodocunque res cadat, causam Evangelii sub te rectore detrimentum non esse passurum, et illis, qui te diligunt, omnia etiam quæ pessimo consilio et summâ vi ab inimicis ipsorum agitantur, in bonum cessura."