Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible

Acts This book unites the Gospels to the Epistles. It contains many particulars concerning the apostles Peter and Paul, and of t ...

trials and services; that under the influence of the Holy Spirit they may, in one way or other, be witnesses for Christ on earth ...

Verses 1–4 We cannot forget how often, while their Master was with them there were strifes among the disciples which should be t ...

From this gift of the Holy Ghost, Peter preaches unto them Jesus: and here is the history of Christ. Here is an account of his d ...

possessions in Judea. The Lord, from day to day, inclined the hearts of more to embrace the gospel; not merely professors, but s ...

needful for the Holy Spirit to make known the times and seasons of these dispensations. These subjects are still left obscure. B ...

Verses 5–14 Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, would have all to understand, that the miracle had been wrought by the name, ...

Verses 32–37 The disciples loved one another. This was the blessed fruit of Christ's dying precept to his disciples, and his dyi ...

they might serve both God and mammon. They thought to deceive the apostles. The Spirit of God in Peter discerned the principle o ...

priests would have welcomed him. But repentance and remission of sins are blessings they neither valued nor saw their need of; t ...

When they could not answer Stephen's arguments as a disputant, they prosecuted him as a criminal, and brought false witnesses ag ...

beauty of holiness which is in God's sight of great price. He was wonderfully preserved in his infancy; for God will take specia ...

Verses 51–53 Stephen was going on, it seems, to show that the temple and the temple service must come to an end, and it would be ...

Though persecution must not drive us from our work, yet it may send us to work elsewhere. Wherever the established believer is d ...

And keep us from that subtle poison of spiritual pride, which seeks glory to itself even from humility. May we seek only the hon ...

despair of renewing grace for the conversion of the greatest sinners, nor let such despair of the pardoning mercy of God for the ...

The persecutions were stayed. The professors of the gospel walked uprightly, and enjoyed much comfort from the Holy Ghost, in th ...

The gifts of the Holy Spirit poured out. (44–48) Verses 1–8 Hitherto none had been baptized into the Christian church but Jews, ...

and whatever may be wanting in knowledge or faith, will in due time be given by Him who has begun it. They knew in general the w ...

The imperfect state of human nature strongly appears, when godly persons are displeased even to hear that the word of God has be ...