Acts 9:30

Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(30) They brought him down to Cæsarea.—The fact that the brethren at Jerusalem took these measures for the Apostle’s safety may be noted as a proof of their friendship. At Cæsarea he would probably, as afterwards in Acts 21:8, find Philip, and the friend and the accuser of the proto-martyr met face to face as brethren. In returning to his home at Tarsus, from which he had been absent at the least for four years, and possibly for a much longer period, it would be natural for him to resume his old employment as a tent-maker. (See Note on Acts 18:3.) Thence, as from a centre, he did his work as an Evangelist in the regions of Cilicia (Galatians 1:21), where, in Acts 15:41, we find churches already organised, which had not been founded in what we call the first mission journey of Paul and Barnabas, and must therefore have been planted by the former at an earlier period. Here, for the present, we lose sight of him. It need hardly be said that the Cæsarea here spoken of is that on the sea-coast. Cæsarea Philippi is always distinguished by its special epithet.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:23-31 When we enter into the way of God, we must look for trials; but the Lord knows how to deliver the godly, and will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape. Though Saul's conversion was and is a proof of the truth of Christianity, yet it could not, of itself, convert one soul at enmity with the truth; for nothing can produce true faith, but that power which new-creates the heart. Believers are apt to be too suspicious of those against whom they have prejudices. The world is full of deceit, and it is necessary to be cautious, but we must exercise charity, 1Co 13:5. The Lord will clear up the characters of true believers; and he will bring them to his people, and often gives them opportunities of bearing testimony to his truth, before those who once witnessed their hatred to it. Christ now appeared to Saul, and ordered him to go quickly out of Jerusalem, for he must be sent to the Gentiles: see ch. 22:21. Christ's witnesses cannot be slain till they have finished their testimony. The persecutions were stayed. The professors of the gospel walked uprightly, and enjoyed much comfort from the Holy Ghost, in the hope and peace of the gospel, and others were won over to them. They lived upon the comfort of the Holy Ghost, not only in the days of trouble and affliction, but in days of rest and prosperity. Those are most likely to walk cheerfully, who walk circumspectly.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

To Cesarea - See the notes on Acts 8:40.

And sent him forth to Tarsus - This was his native city. See the notes on Acts 9:11. It was in Cilicia, where Paul doubtless preached the gospel, Galatians 1:21, "Afterward I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

30. they brought him down to Cæsarea—on the coast (see on [1976]Ac 8:40); accompanying him thus far. But Paul had another reason than his own apprehension for quitting Jerusalem so soon. "While he was praying in the temple, he was in a trance," and received express injunctions to this effect. (See on [1977]Ac 22:17-21).

and sent him forth to Tarsus—In Ga 1:21 he himself says of this journey, that he "came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia"; from which it is natural to infer that instead of sailing direct for Tarsus, he landed at Seleucia, travelled thence to Antioch, and penetrated from this northward into Cilicia, ending his journey at Tarsus. As this was his first visit to his native city since his conversion, so it is not certain that he ever was there again. (See on [1978]Ac 11:25). It probably was now that he became the instrument of gathering into the fold of Christ those "kinsmen," that "sister," and perhaps her "son," of whom mention is made in Ac 23:16, &c.; Ro 16:7, 11, 21 [Howson].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Caesarea; there were two towns of this name, one a coast town, spoken of, Acts 8:40; the other was called Caesarea Philippi, nigh Mount Lebanon.

Tarsus, St. Paul’s birth place, where amongst his relations and acquaintance they might hope he would be safe.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Which when the brethren knew,.... When the members of the church heard of it, by some means or another:

they brought him down to Caesarea; not that which was before called Strato's tower, the same as in Acts 8:40 but Caesarea Philippi, mentioned in Matthew 16:13 the Syriac version adds, "by night", and some copies, "and sent him forth to Tarsus"; a city of Cilicia, his own native place, where he might be more safe, and also useful among his friends and acquaintance; Galatians 1:21.

Geneva Study Bible

{8} Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

(8) The ministers of the word may change their place with the advice and counsel of the congregation and church.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 9:30. ἐπιγνόντες: the preposition may signify here as elsewhere accurate and certain knowledge or information—a favourite word with St. Luke, in the Gospel seven times, in Acts thirteen times; it was also a favourite word with St. Paul, cf., e.g., 1 Corinthians 13:12, 2 Corinthians 6:9; frequent in LXX, or it may simply mean to find out, to ascertain (Grimm); see Blass in loco on its force in LXX. 5.—οἱ ἀδελφοὶ: the expression seems expressly used to imply that the disciples at Jerusalem recognised Saul as a brother. Wendt (1899) rejects all the narrative in Acts as unhistorical, and compares with the statement here Galatians 1:22; but there mention is only made of the “Churches of Judæa,” whilst the inference that Paul could scarcely fail to have been known to the members of the Church in Jerusalem seems quite justifiable, Lightfoot, Galatians, p. 86.—κατήγαγον, i.e., brought him down to the sea coast, ad mare deduxerunt, word used only by Luke and Paul; but by St. Luke only as a nautical expression, cf. Acts 27:3, Acts 28:12 (Acts 21:3), and Luke 5:11; so in classical writers.—εἰς Κ. as in Acts 8:40 (not Cæsarea Philippi which is always so called); if he found Philip there (Acts 21:8), the friend and the accuser of the proto-martyr would meet face to face as brethren (Plumptre).—ἐξαπέστειλαν: the word might mean by sea or by land, but the former is supported amongst recent commentators by Blass, so too Page (cf. Lightfoot on Galatians 1:21, p. 85), Knabenbauer, p. 174. But if so, there is no contradiction with Galatians 1:21, where Paul speaks of coming into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, as if hwent to the latter through the former. The expressions in Galatians have sometimes been explained on the supposition that the two countries, Syria and Cilicia, are named there as elsewhere in that order, Acts 15:23; Acts 15:41, as a kind of general geographical expression (Felten), the most important country being mentioned first, so Lightfoot, Nösgen, Conybeare and Howson; or that as Paul would remain at Syrian ports on the way to Cilicia, he might fairly speak as he does, or that he went first to Tarsus, and thence made missionary excursions into Syria. If neither of these or similar explanations are satisfactory, we can scarcely conclude with Blass that Galatians 1:21 is accounted for “inverso per incuriam ordine”. Ramsay has lately argued with much force that here as elsewhere Paul thinks and speaks of the Roman divisions of the empire (cf. Zahn, Einleitung in das N. T., i., p. 124 (1897)), and that here the two great divisions, Syria and Cilicia, of the Roman province are spoken of; and he accordingly reads, with the original text of [232], τὰ κλίματα τῆς Σ. καὶ Κ., the article used once, and thus embracing the two parts of the one province (sometimes three parts are enumerated, Phœnicia being distinguished from Syria). There is apparently no example of the expression Prov. Syria et Cilicia, but Ramsay points to the analogy of Bithynia-Pontus; see Expositor, p. 29 ff., 1898, and “Cilicia” and “Bithynia” (Ramsay) in Hastings’ B.D. Ramsay therefore concludes that Galatians 1:21 simply implies that Paul spent the following period of his life in various parts of the province Syria-Cilicia.—Ταρσόν, see above, Acts 9:11; on the years of quiet work at Tarsus and in its neighbourhood, see Ramsay, St. Paul, pp. 46, 47, and below on Acts 11:25.

[232] Codex Sinaiticus (sæc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

30. Which when the brethren knew] Lit. “And when the brethren knew it.” The disciples were informed as those of Damascus had been of the plot in that city.

they brought him down to Cesarea] i.e. to the seaport so called, not to Cæsarea Philippi, for the latter place was only touched by the road which led from Tyre to Damascus. The former was a place from which Tarsus could be reached either by sea or by the road which ran northward along the coast of Syria.

and sent him forth to Tarsus] where he was born, and which perhaps, next to Jerusalem, would appear to be the best centre from which his work could be carried on. For an account of Tarsus and its fame as a seat of heathen learning, see Dict. of the Bible.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 30. - And when the brethren knew it for which when the brethren knew, A.V. St. Paul gives another reason for his hasty departure from Jerusalem in his speech from the castle stairs (Acts 22:17-21). Caesarea, when standing alone, means Caesarea Stratonis, or Παράλιος, or Sebaste, the seaport and Roman garrison of that name, as distinguished from Caesarea Philippi (see Alford's note on Acts 8:30), and is always so used by St. Luke (Luke 8:40; Luke 10:1, 24; Luke 18:22; Luke 21:8, 16; Luke 23:23, 33; 25:1, 4, 6; 27:1, 2, showing it was a seaport). There is no reasonable doubt that it means the same place here. A seaport, near to Jerusalem, and with Roman protection, affording access to Tarsus either by sea or land as should seem best, was the natural place for Paul's friends to take him to. If further proof were wanting, it could be found in the phrase, "brought him down," as compared with the converse, "gone up" (Acts 18:22), "ascended "(Acts 25:1), when the journey was from Caesarea to Jerusalem. To Tarsus. A glance at the map will show that, starting from Caesarea, a person might either go by land along the sea-coast of Phoenicia, through Acre, Tyre, Sidon, Beyrout, Tripolis, Antioch, Issus, to Tarsus; or by sea to any of the intermediate ports between Caesarea and Tarsus; or rather the artificial harbor at the mouth of the Cydnus which formed the seaport of Tarsus. It is not improbable that Paul landed at Selcucia, since he says (Galatians 1:21) that he came at this time "into the regions of Syria and Cilicia," which is exactly what he would have done if he had landed at Seleucia, the seaport of Antioch. Acts 9:30