1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. 3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. 9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 12 When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, 13 saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. 15 But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” 16 And he drove them from the judgment seat. 17 Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
Commentary
Vs. 1 “After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.”
The Apostle Paul then leaving Athens, now goes westward to the coastal city of Corinth, the capital of the province Achaia (the southern half of Greece). Its importance lay in the fact that it was the most important trading city of the region, for it linked Rome the capital of the world with the east (Eerdmans). Now Corinth though a large city, with the potential to reach many people with the Gospel, was also noted for its gross immorality.
Vs. 2-3 2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. 3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.
Now while there the Apostle Paul befriended a certain Jew named Aquila who was born in Pontus, (Pontus was located on the southern shores of the Black Sea, now Jews from there were at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and later there will be a church established there (1 Peter 1:1). And so, this man along with his wife Priscilla had both recently left Italy, and had come to Corinth, because the Roman Emperor Claudius had commanded all Jews to leave Rome. And because the Apostle Paul was of the same trade as Aquilla, he stayed with them and worked for they were both tentmakers. Now it may have been then that both Aquilla and Priscilla were already believers when the Apostle Paul found them, or it may have been that through him they came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, ultimately that doe’s nt matter, what matters is that they did believe, and they themselves were a husband-and-wife couple who not only strengthened those in the faith, as they encountered them, but they themselves also opened their own home as church for those who were believing.
Vs. 4 “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”
Once again, the Apostle Paul began his preaching in the local synagogue of the Jews, for being a Jews and a Pharisee at that he could very easily use the Old Testament Scriptures to bring Christ to light, and so the Scripture says he persuaded both Jews and Greeks there.
Vs. 5 “When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.”
Now when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia (i.e., Thessalonica) to him, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified that Jesus is the Christ (vs. 5), which maybe indicating that until then his preaching was largely being supported by his own labors. However, with their arrival and their bringing with them some aid, he could now devote himself entirely to the work of the Gospel. And so being compelled by the Spirit to do so he did, he gave himself entirely and zealously to that good work, preaching to the Jews there that Jesus is the Christ! Now it is also to be noted around this time that the Apostle Paul also wrote his first epistle to the Thessalonians.
Vs. 6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
However, the Jews once again started to oppose him, and when they blasphemed, (and thus rejected God’s offer of salvation for them), the Apostle Paul shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Here then the Apostle Paul cites the Biblical example of Ezekiel where a prophet or watchman is no longer responsible for the well being of those who reject the Word of God spoken to them (Ezekiel 3:16-21).
Vs. 7 “And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.”
Having then left the unbelieving Jews to their own fate, the Apostle Paul now enters the house of a man named Justus, a Gentile who himself worshipped God, and whose house was next door to the synagogue. This man’s house then would become the place where those who were seeking God could come and find Him, through the Apostle Paul’s preaching the Gospel to them.
Vs. 8 “Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.”
Surprisingly then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, (where they Jews opposed Paul), believed on the Lord with all his household. For though unbelieving mankind may close one door, God always opens another! Now along with Crispus and his household, there were also many Corinthians who hearing the Gospel likewise believed, and they were all baptized!
Vs. 9-10 9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
Given Paul’s previous experiences when he made disciples in Macedonia, and how the cities where he did so only turned violently on him, it seems most appropriate at this time that God would speak to his servant in a night vision and encourage him, by saying to him, … “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” Vs. 9-10 How encouraged and reassured that would’ve been for Paul to hear that from God, that not only was he in the right place, sharing the Gospel with the right people, but God Himself was going to watch over him and make his work fruitful and abound there.
Vs. 11 “And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”
Therefore, with God’s reassurance given that He would be with him, the Apostle Paul for a year and six months continued at Corinth teaching the Word of God to them. And not since his time at Antioch with Barnabas had the Apostle Paul dedicated so much time and energies to discipling brethren in just one city. Corinth then likely would’ve had the largest number of disciples in it up until that time.
Vs. 12-17 12 When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, 13 saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. 15 But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” 16 And he drove them from the judgment seat. 17 Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
And so, it was for about a year and half that the Apostle Paul taught the word of God unhindered until the Jews of that region rose up against Paul and so bringing him to the judgment seat before Gallio the Roman proconsul of Achaia (the province where Corinth was), they made charges against him saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” (vs. 12-13). However, before Paul could even offer a defense, Gallio hearing that it was a matter concerning their “religion”, and not one involving crimes nor wrongdoing, refused to sit as an adjudicator of such things, and he told them to judge the matter themselves (vs. 14-15). Having done so he drove (or better he had them driven) from the judgment seat (vs. 16). Now when the Greeks saw that Gallio would not try the case, they took Sosthenes the ruler of the synagogue and beat him before the judgment seat, However Gallio took no notice of these things (vs. 17). Now this Sosthenes maybe the same person as the one mentioned by Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians (see 1 Cor. 1:1).
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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