And hearing that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more quiet; and he says,
Paul stands on the barracks stairs above a crowd that has just tried to kill him. Instead of shouting for order, he changes language — and the noise drops.
In Acts, "Hebrew" does not mean the ancient language of the Old Testament scrolls. It means the everyday speech of Jews in Palestine.
The Jews who returned from Babylon brought many words of the Aramaic language with them. It doubtless went through various changes. Still, this was the language commonly spoken in Palestine when our Lord was on earth, and the New Testament calls it Hebrew.
Paul could handle Greek — the officer had just found that out. He chose the other language for what it did to the ear of the crowd.
He could speak Greek with ease, as the chief captain learned to his evident surprise. But he began to address his countrymen in a language dearer to them. It was Aramaic, which Luke calls "Hebrew." Since the captivity in Babylon it had become the common tongue of Jews born in the land. There is a charm in one's own language, a melody to the native ear, however harsh and rough it may sound to a foreigner. The Jews were not indifferent to that. So when they heard him speak in Aramaic, they grew quieter.
Paul used one language for the Roman commander and another for his own people. Writers see in that switch a habit worth copying.
To the chief captain he had spoken in Greek; to the Jews he speaks in Hebrew. These little attentions and considerations are the beautiful blending of love and wisdom, and ought to serve as a lesson for us. He was always ready to win, by "becoming all things to all men, that he might gain the more." ... He calmed the tumultuous sea of human passion by the sound of their sacred language. It fell like oil on troubled waters.
The calm was not only Paul's skill with words. One writer traces the whole sequence back to God.
In everything that happened to Paul in Jerusalem, the hand of God is not hard to see. He was controlling it all behind the scenes. Though the city was in an uproar, no one struck a fatal blow until enough time had passed for the chief captain to step in. Then Paul addressed him in Greek. That made a favourable impression, and it led to permission to speak to the rioting crowds from the stairs. Then Paul's choice of Hebrew for his speech brought complete silence and attention for what he had to say.
Acts tells the story of Paul's conversion more than once. Readers have asked whether the accounts contradict each other. The choice of Hebrew is the key to this one.
Earlier in this book we had the history of the apostle's conversion in its historical order. That account bears deeply on the progress of the gospel and the revelation of Christian truth. Here we have the account of it as part of his defence before the people of Israel. So it has a specific aim, marked by the use of the Hebrew language. That aim accounts for its other unusual features. There is no real discrepancy here, any more than in other parts of Scripture. It only looks like one because the purpose is different.
The hush bought Paul a hearing, but only up to one word.
His countrymen listened with great attention while he spoke of his early life, his persecution of the church, and his mission to Damascus. He went on to his miraculous conversion, his vision in the temple, and his meeting with Ananias. But the moment he mentioned his mission to the Gentiles, a burst of fierce anger rose from the crowd below and silenced him. They could not bear the thought of God's grace to the Gentiles. That hated name stung them to fury.
Commentators differ on whether Paul should have been in Jerusalem at all. One writer points out that the Lord had already warned him they would not accept his testimony, and asks, "What then was he doing at Jerusalem?" (J. N. Darby).
- Language. "Hebrew" here means the Aramaic spoken in Palestine — the mother tongue of the crowd.
- Love. Greek for the Roman officer, Hebrew for the Jews: love and wisdom together, adapting to win a hearing.
- Hand. God controlled the scene. The timing of the rescue, the officer's permission, and the sudden quiet all trace back to Him.
- Design. The Hebrew address explains why this account of Paul's conversion differs from the others. Different audience, different purpose, no contradiction.
- Limit. The calm held through his whole story and broke on one word: Gentiles. Grace beyond Israel was what they would not hear.
*I* am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to [the] exactness of the law of [our] fathers, being zealous for God, as *ye* are all this day;
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.