Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and | 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Egypt, and in the parts of Libya and west of the Persian gulf. || Mesopotamia; the country lying between the river Tigris on the east, and the Euphrates on the west. Mention is made in the Old Testament of these eastern countries, excepting Parthia. See, for Elam and Media, Is. 21: 2. 22: 6. Ezra 4: 9. Jer. 25 25. Dan. 8:2. 5:28; for Mesopotamia, Gen. 24: 10. Deut. 23: 4. Judges 3:8. The Jews who were born and had lived in these eastern regions, Parthia, Media, Elam, and Mesopotamia, were, doubtless, in many instances, descendants of those who had been carried into captivity by Shalmanezer, king of Assyria. 2 Kings 17:6. 18:11, and by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. 2 Kings 24: 14-16. 25: 11. On the return of the great body of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, there were not a few who remained in the land of their conquerors. || Judea; the country of the Jews. This would next occur in an enumeration, the reign of which was, not to mention every region, but rather to give an impressive general view, so as to show that several diverse languages were spoken on the occasion here mentioned. As, however, the Galileans (v. 7) were Jews of Palestine, it is not surprising that "dwellers in Judea should understand them when speaking in the language of Judea. Some commentators have hence conjectured that the sacred writer employed here a different word, somewhat similar in its letters to Judea, such as the word Idumea, which word might, by some accident happening to two or three letters in a manuscript of the original Greek, be mis taken by a transcriber for Judea. They suppose that the word which Luke really wrote became thus undesignedly altered to Judea. There is, however, not the smallest critical authority for such a conjecture; all the manuscripts of the original Greek having the word Judea. Nor is there any need of perplexity in regard to this word; for it would be by no means unnatural for the sacred writer, or for the persons speaking on the occasion, in mentioning the names of different people, to say, The inhabitants of Judea, as well as of other countries, hear them speak in their tongue also.' It has also been remarked, that it was the foreign Jews whom it was the writer's, or the speaker's, purpose to mention; and therefore to speak of "dwellers in Judea" would seem to be aside from the design. We have only to consider, however, that, while it was the chief purpose to speak of the foreign Jews, this would not be inconsistent with including in the multitude Jews who were resident in Judea; and doubtless the multitude which came together contained in it such persons as well as foreigners. Cappadocia - Pontus; provinces of Asia Minor. Pontus bordered on the south of the Euxine, or Black sea; Cappadocia was south of Pontus. || Asia. This word is here used in its most restricted geographical sense. Besides being the name of one of the quarters of the globe, it was also employed to designate the country lying between the Euxine sea on the north, the Egean sea on the west, and the Mediterranean on the south, thus including the more generally known provinces of the Roman empire. In this second sense, it was called Asia Minor, or Asia the Less. It was also used, in a still more contracted sense, for the region of Ionia, of which the city Ephesus was the capital. This smallest region to which the name Asia was applied, was also called, by way of distinction, Proconsular Asia, as being under the gov ernment of a Roman officer, who bore the title of proconsul. It included the four provinces of Phrygia, Mysia, Lydia, and Caria. Asia, in this narrowest sense, contained a large Jewish population. 10. Phrygia and Pamphylia; provinces of Asia Minor, the latter lying about Cyrene, and strangers of | hear them speak in our tongues Rome, Jews and proselytes, the wonderful works of God. 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do south of the former, and on the Mediterranean coast. Egypt. The writer now glances to Africa, of which Egypt was a distinguished part. In Egypt, and particularly in its chief city, Alexandria, many Jews 12 And they were all amazed, the countries and provinces here named. But the sacred writer did not intend to convey the idea that the number of distinct languages spoken on this occasion corresponded exactly to these names. He presents were resident. Two fifths of the in- to his readers a collection of men habitants of Alexandria are said to from all these regions, who had been have been Jews. So numerous was accustomed to a variety of languages, the Jewish population in Egypt, that or dialects; and these men heard, so they erected for themselves, and as to understand, the disciples speakmaintained till the year 73 of the ing in the various languages to which Christian era, a temple similar to they had been accustomed in the that in Jerusalem, and observed in it places of their nativity. In point of their national worship, though they fact, the Parthians, Medes, and Elamstill kept up a connection with the ites, had been accustomed to the Jews in Judea. || The parts of Libya Persian, in some, at least, of its diaabout Cyrene; that is, the regions of lects; in Mesopotamia and Judea, Libya towards Cyrene; the regions the Aramean, or Syro-Chaldaic, was from Libya to Cyrene. Libya was a used; in the provinces of Asia Minor, large province in Africa, west of in Egypt, Cyrene, and Crete, the Egypt; in a part of which, called Greek; and in Rome, the Greek as Pentapolis (as containing five dis- well as the Latin was spoken. || The tinguished cities), was Cyrene, a wonderful works of God. The word city on the Mediterranean coast. here rendered wonderful works is the This city was a Greek colony, a same as, in Luke 1: 49, is translated quarter of whose inhabitants were great things. Reference is made, in Jews. Strangers of Rome; that is, this word, to the signal benefits which Roman Jews, who were strangers God had bestowed on men and on the (comparatively so) at Jerusalem, hav-individuals here spoken of, through ing come from Rome, and now sojourning, or having settled themselves for permanent residence, in Jerusalem. A more literal rendering of the words would be, Romans who are [here] residing. || Jews and proselytes; Jews by birth, and Gentiles who had become proselytes to the Jewish religion; that is, who had renounced heathenism and adopted the Jewish religion; converts to the Jewish faith, though not Jews by birth. All alike, whether Jews by birth or converts from heathenism, were struck with amazement at what was then passing. 11. Cretes; inhabitants of the island of Crete, in the Mediterranean sea. Arabians. Arabia was the extensive country south and east of Palestine. There were present Jews who had come to Jerusalem from all Jesus Christ. It seems to have been the language of praise for these wonderful blessings, and of prayer for their continuance and diffusion, that the multitude heard. It The gift of tongues appears, from the very few and brief notices which the New Testament gives of its employment, to have been specially used in giving utterance to the devout and elevated feelings of the early Christians, when impressed with an unwonted sense of the mercy of God in the salvation of mer.. is reasonable to suppose, also, that it was designed for communicating instruction to people of foreign tongues. But if we may judge from notices in the New Testament, it was in Christian assemblies, and for the purpose of praise and prayer, and for mutual encouragement and exhortation, even and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. scoffing. By these, it is commonly supposed, are meant the people of Jerusalem and of Palestine who were present. They would be more ready when unconverted persons do not appear to have been present, that this gift found its chief exercise. Like some other gifts of God, it was also liable to abuse, and in the Co-to cast suspicion and contempt on the rinthian church was actually used in a vainglorious manner. See Acts 10: 46. 19: 6. 1 Cor. 14: 2, 4, 19-23, 26-28. It is plain from these last verses that the gift of tongues was sometimes used among the Corinthians, when there were not present persons who could understand the foreign tongue, and when an interpreter would be needed to explain what had been uttered. We are authorized to believe, on this whole subject, that to the clear, full, and heart-affecting view of the divine goodness in bestowing salvation through Jesus Christ, - a view which naturally and almost irresistibly prompts a newly-converted soul to ardent praise and prayer, and to the inciting of others to honor and serve the Redeemer, there was superadded, in the case of the primitive Christians, the ability, through special divine influence, to utter forth their devout affections and lofty emotions in languages which they had not before used. This miraculous ability ceased, with other miraculous gifts, when the purpose of God to give the gospel a permanent footing was accomplished, and when it pleased him to commit the maintaining and the further extension of the gospel to the followers of Christ, in the use of more regular and of ordinary means. We can hardly fail to NOTICE, at this point, the indisputable evidence which God furnished to the gospel at this period of its history, that it was really from himself. 12. They were all amazed. Compare v. 7. It is the foreign Jews, probably, who are here meant. Were in doubt; were utterly at a loss, as we sometimes say, what to make of the remarkable event. What meaneth this? or, What will this come to ? 13. Others mocking; deriding, Christian company, and on the unusual event which was then passing. They affected to regard the whole matter as a scene of disorder. In the same spirit which might prompt some persons to make the inquiry, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46), or which led to the sneering remark about the Saviour, "He hath a devil, and is mad " (John 10: 20; compare 8:48), they professed to despise the Christians as a company of drunken men. Perhaps by their not understanding some of the languages which were spoken, they were willing to insinuate that these followers of Jesus were expressing themselves in a senseless jargon. These men are full of new wine. It is not newlymade wine, that is here meant. The season of the year would forbid this; for the feast of Pentecost occurred in June, and the first vintage in Palestine occurred in August. The original term corresponds to the expression sweet wine. In Palestine, grapes were sometimes dried in the sun, and preserved in masses; these were afterwards soaked in wine and pressed, and the juice was called by the word here used in the original, or sweet wine. The ancients had, also, various ways of preserving wine sweet. Such wine was very intoxicating. Wine would, of course, be used by the Jews at the festival which they were then attending; and, in derision, the insinuation was thrown out, that these Galileans had quite soon made a free use of the cup. 14. But Peter, &c. In reply to the expression of wonder at what was passing, and to the charge of being intoxicated, the apostle Peter addressed the multitude, and vindicated both the apostles and the whole Christian company. He affirmed 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but on v. 5. The apostle's address was directed to both these classes; it refuted the calumny of the one, and sought to clear up the doubts and perplexity of the other, and to convince both that Jesus was the true Messiah. || Be this known to you; let this surprising matter be explained to you. that the present uncommon event did not result from drunkenness, but from the extraordinary influence of the Holy Spirit; and that it was in fulfilment of a prophecy found in the Old Testament, in reference to the Messiah's times. He proceeded to affirm that Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified, had also been 15. Seeing it is but the third hour of raised up from the dead, in accord- the day. The third hour of the day, ance with Old Testament prophecies; among the Jews, corresponded to our and that Jesus, having been received nine o'clock in the morning, and was into heaven, had now sent forth the the stated hour of morning prayer. Holy Spirit. Jesus, being thus ele- The apostle argued that, as it was only vated to the right hand of God, ac- nine o'clock in the morning, it could cording to prediction in the Old Tes- not with any reason be supposed that tament, they ought now to acknowl- he and his associates were under the edge as the very Messiah, whose influence of wine. Modern readers coming the prophets had foretold. may not, at once, see the entire conStanding up with the eleven; with clusiveness of the argument. But the other apostles. Peter arose as the people to whom it was addressed, their spokesman. They also arose must instantly have seen how appliin testimony of their assent to his cable and convincing it was; for redeclarations. They also thus showed ligious Jews abstained from eating themselves as leaders of the com- and drinking till after the hour of pany which professed to receive Je- morning prayer. And particularly is sus as the promised Messiah. - What it said, that on the solemn festival a change had taken place in Peter days, such as the day of Pentecost, since the night when, afar off (Matt. they were in the habit of neither eat26:58), he had followed his Master ing nor drinking till noon. This practo the high priest's palace! What a tice was carefully observed by all who striking contrast between the bold- made any pretensions to a reverent ness and earnestness with which he regard for religion; and there were now stood forth as the advocate of few indeed among the Jews, who did his Master's cause, and the timidity not make such pretensions. The fact, which led him even with an oath to then, in these circumstances, that the deny his Lord! See Matt. 26: 69- apostles and their associates had, to 75. He was evidently now endued say the least, a reputation for respecwith power from on high. Acts tability and piety, was enough to rebut 1:8. || Ye men of Judea, and all the calumny. Even among the Genye that dwell at Jerusalem; that is, tiles, it was disgraceful to be seen Ye Jews, and all ye that have taken abroad during day in a state of intoxiup your abode in Jerusalem. The cation. Compare 1 Thess. 5: 7. The multitude, though all Jews, were yet charge was evidently an inconsiderate of two sorts; namely, those who had calumny. But, as Dr. Lightfoot well permanently lived in the country of remarks, "malice is often senseless the Jews, and those who had come and reasonless in her accusations, from foreign lands to dwell in Jeru- especially when it is bent against resalem. Those " dwelling at Jerusa-ligion." Let us not be surprised, if the lem " were the Jews who had re- more common operations of the Spirit moved from foreign countries. See on the souls of men, at the present the third hour of the day. the last days, (saith God,) I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and and previously to the appearing of the Messiah, the times were called these times, times now passing; but the Messiah's days, which were still in expectation, were the times to come, or, as we read in Heb. 2: 5, the world to come. By a comparison of the apostle Peter's language in this address with that of Joel in the original prediction (Joel 2: 28), it will be seen that the prophet uses the word afterward; referring to a time after the calamities, which he had been predicting, should be removed. The word used by the prophet is of the same general and extensive signification as the expression of the apostle. 17—21. These five verses contain the passage of the prophet Joel, which was on that day beginning, at least, to be fulfilled. The purport of this prophecy appears to be, that in the days of the Messiah there should be a general and signal outpouring of the Saith God. These words are not Spirit, which would impart a remark- quoted from the prophet. They were able knowledge of religion, and sense inserted, either by the apostle or by of its power; that the Spirit's special the sacred historian, to indicate more influences should not be confined to impressively the divine authority of any class, or age, or sex; and that, in the prediction. || I will pour out of connection with the coming of the my Spirit. Joel says, "I will pour Messiah's times, there would be dread-out my Spirit." The idea is, I will ful judgments, the only way of escape from which would be, to become devoted followers of the Messiah. 17. In the last days. This is one of the expressions which were employed by the Jews to signify the times of the Messiah. The period of the Messiah's reign on the earth, or his dispensation, was to be the last in a series of dispensations. Other times, as, for instance, the times of Abraham and the patriarchs, and the times of the Mosaic dispensation, were introductory to this; and this was to be the last. Accordingly, we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews (1 : 2) that “God — hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son; " and in 1 Pet. 1: 20, that "Christ- was manifested in these last times." Of the same purport is the expression in Heb. 9:26,"Now once in the end of the world hath Christ appeared to put away sin." The expression was used comparatively. While the prophets were actually employed in their office, impart a copious supply of my Spirit's influences. || Upon all flesh. The influences of the Spirit in the Messiah's times were not to be restricted to a particular people, nor to a particular class of men, so that only a favored few would enjoy them. But so generally and abundantly would these influences be poured forth, that in every class of men, and in all nations, would be found those who should be acting under a divine impulse, being taught of God, and communicating to others a knowledge of his will. The prophecy to which the apostle appealed, was only beginning to be fulfilled. This beginning of its accomplishment was manifested, as was to be expected, among the Jews, imparting to a company of ordinary persons a knowledge and enjoyment of religion, and an ability to speak forth the praises of God, and to exhibit religious truth, far superior to what might commonly be expected in the chief men of the nation. The full im |