Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 5:13 - 5:13

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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 5:13 - 5:13


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13. τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν, but of the rest, &c., i.e. of those not yet interested in the movement. The sense is that the assemblies of Christians made the porch of Solomon their special rendezvous when they went up to the Temple, seeing that it was there that the first addresses in the Temple-precincts had been given by St Peter. And while they were so assembled none of the other people who had not yet joined the new community ventured to attach themselves intrusively to the Christian body. The verb κολλᾶσθαι is used of Philip (Act 8:29) when he is commanded ‘Go near and join thyself to this chariot,’ where the action meant by it is one that was to press some notice of Philip upon the eunuch. From such intrusion all who were not Christians held back, and left the worshippers in Solomon’s porch alone.

ἀλλ' ἐμεγάλυνεν κ.τ.λ., howbeit the people magnified them. The fear inspired by what had happened, though it deterred those who might have tried to join the community from other than sincere motives, did not produce an unfavourable feeling among the people, but quite the contrary.

For the English ‘magnify’ in the sense of praise cf. the opening of the Magnificat, ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord.’