SEV Biblia, Chapter 17:5
Entonces los judíos que eran incrdulos, teniendo celos, tomaron consigo a algunos ociosos, hombres malos, y juntando compaía, alborotaron la ciudad; y acometiendo a la casa de Jasn, procuraban sacarlos al pueblo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 17:5
Verse 5. The Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them] Instead of this sentence, the most correct MSS. and versions read simply, proslabomenoi de oi ioudaioi. But the Jews taking, &c., leaving out the words, zhlwsantev, apeiqountev, which believed not, moved with envy: these words do not appear to be genuine; there is the strongest evidence against them, and they should be omitted. Certain lewd fellows of the baser sort] This is not a very intelligible translation. The original is, twn agoraiwn tinav andoav ponhrouv. The word agoraioi, which we translate the baser sort, is by Hesychius explained, oi en agora anastrefomenoi, those who transact business in courts of justice. The same word is used by the Jews in Hebrew letters to signify judges; and ywg l twayrwga agorioth shel goyim, signifies judges of the Gentiles. These were probably a low kind of lawyers, what we would call pettifoggers, or attorneys without principle, who gave advice for a trifle, and fomented disputes and litigations among the people.
The Itala version of the Codex Bezae calls them quosdam forenses, certain lawyers. As the Jews, from their small number, could not easily raise up a mob, they cunningly employed those unprincipled men, who probably had a certain degree of juridical credit and authority, to denounce the apostles as seditious men; and this was, very likely, the reason why they employed those in preference to any others. They were such as always attended forensic litigations, waiting for a job, and willing to defend any side of a question for money. They were wicked men of the forensic tribe.
Gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar] And, after having made this sedition and disturbance, charged the whole on the peaceable and innocent apostles! This is precisely the same way that persecution against the truth and followers of Christ is still carried on.
Some wicked man in the parish gets a wicked attorney and a constable to head a mob, which they themselves have raised; and, having committed a number of outrages, abusing men and women, haul the minister of Christ to some magistrate who knows as little of his office as he cares for the Gospel; they there charge the outrages which themselves have committed on the preacher and his peaceable hearers; and the peacemaker, appointed by a good king, according to the wise and excellent regulations of a sound constitution, forgetting whose minister he is, neither administers justice nor maintains truth; but, espousing the part of the mob, assumes, ex officio, the character of a persecutor. The preacher is imprisoned, his hearers fined for listening to that Gospel which has not only made them wise unto salvation, but also peaceable and orderly citizens, and which would have had the same effect on the unprincipled magistrate, the parish squire, and the mob, had they heard it with the same reverence and respect.
Had I not witnessed such scenes, and such prostitution of justice, I could not have described them.
Assaulted the house of Jason] This was the place where the apostles lodged; and therefore his goods were clear spoil, and his person fair game.
This is a case which frequently occurs where the Gospel is preached in its spirit and power. And, even in this moat favoured kingdom, the most scandalous excesses of this kind have been committed, and a justice of the peace has been found to sanction the proceedings; and, when an appeal has been made to the laws, a grand jury has been found capable of throwing out the true bill!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. But the Jews which believed not , etc.] The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions leave out the words, which believed not; but whether this character is expressed or not, it is certain that the unbelieving Jews are here intended: moved with envy ; at the success of the apostles, many of their own people and of their proselytes, and some of the better sort being converted by them: or with zeal; for what they called the glory of God, but it was not according to knowledge; it was a blind and ignorant zeal, a zeal for the rites and ceremonies of the law of Moses, and for the traditions of the elders: took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort ; or of the market folks, who sat and sold things in the market, and were generally of the meaner and vulgar sort, as the word may signify; or who stood idle in the market place, squandering away their time in an idle manner, not caring to work, and so were fit persons, and who could easily be gathered together, for such service as the unbelieving Jews employed them in; or they were a sort of officers and servants, that attended courts of judicature, and cited persons thither, and assisted in the business done there, and who were commonly men of profligate and abandoned lives: and gathered a company, and set all the city in an uproar ; they raised a mob, and made a clamour, which brought people out of their houses to inquire what was the matter, and so gave great disturbance and uneasiness to the inhabitants: and assaulted the house of Jason : who by what follows appears to have been a disciple of Christ, a believer in him, and the host of the apostle and his companions, who being an inhabitant of Thessalonica, at least having a dwelling house there, received them into it. This Jason is said to be one of the seventy disciples, and afterwards bishop of Tarsus, but this is not certain; nor whether he was a Jew or a Greek, very probably the former: we read of Jason the brother of Onias the high priest, a Jew, ``But after the death of Seleucus, when Antiochus, called Epiphanes, took the kingdom, Jason the brother of Onias laboured underhand to be high priest, (2 Maccabees 4:7) whose name was Jesus, the same with Joshua, but as Josephus says, he called himself Jason; and so this mans Hebrew name might be Jesus or Joshua, and his Greek name Jason; and very likely he was a believer in Christ before the apostle came to Thessalonica, and it may be is the same who is spoken of in ( Romans 16:21). (See Gill on Romans 16:21). Some of the ancients make mention of a disputation between Jason, a Christian Hebrew, and Papiscus, an Alexandrian Jew, but there is no reason to believe that he is the Jason here spoken of: and sought to bring them out to the people ; they expected to have found Paul and Silas in Jasons house, where they lodged, and their intention was to have dragged them out and exposed them to popular fury, to be beaten or stoned by the people; and so the Arabic version reads, requiring those two apostles, that they might set them before the people; or put them into the hands of the mob, which they had gathered, to do as they would with them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - The drift and scope of Paul's preaching and arguing, was to prove tha Jesus is the Christ. He must needs suffer for us, because he could no otherwise purchase our redemption for us; and he must needs have rise again, because he could not otherwise apply the redemption to us. We are to preach concerning Jesus that he is Christ; therefore we may hop to be saved by him, and are bound to be ruled by him. The unbelievin Jews were angry, because the apostles preached to the Gentiles, tha they might be saved. How strange it is, that men should grudge other the privileges they will not themselves accept! Neither rulers no people need be troubled at the increase of real Christians, even thoug turbulent spirits should make religion the pretext for evil designs. O such let us beware, from such let us withdraw, that we may show desire to act aright in society, while we claim our right to worshi God according to our consciences.
Greek Textus Receptus
ζηλωσαντες 2206 5660 V-AAP-NPM δε 1161 CONJ οι 3588 T-NPM απειθουντες 544 5723 V-PAP-NPM ιουδαιοι 2453 A-NPM και 2532 CONJ προσλαβομενοι 4355 5642 V-2AMP-NPM των 3588 T-GPM αγοραιων 60 A-GPM τινας 5100 X-APM ανδρας 435 N-APM πονηρους 4190 A-APM και 2532 CONJ οχλοποιησαντες 3792 5660 V-AAP-NPM εθορυβουν 2350 5707 V-IAI-3P την 3588 T-ASF πολιν 4172 N-ASF επισταντες 2186 5631 V-2AAP-NPM τε 5037 PRT τη 3588 T-DSF οικια 3614 N-DSF ιασονος 2394 N-GSM εζητουν 2212 5707 V-IAI-3P αυτους 846 P-APM αγαγειν 71 5629 V-2AAN εις 1519 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM δημον 1218 N-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
5. Of the baser sort (agoraiwn). From ajgora, the market-place; hence loungers in the market-place; the rabble. Cicero calls them subrastrani, those who hung round the rostra, or platform for speakers in the forum; and Plautus, subbasilicani, the loungers round the court-house or exchange. The word occurs only here and ch. xix. 38, on which see note. Gathered a company (oclopoihsantev). Rev., better, a crowd.. Only here in New Testament.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
17:5 {Moved with jealousy} (zelwsantes). Both our English words, {zeal} and {jealousy}, are from the Greek zelos. In #13:45 the Jews (rabbis) "were filled with jealousy" (eplesqesan zelou). That is another way of saying the same thing as here. The success of Paul was entirely too great in both places to please the rabbis. So here is jealousy of Jewish preachers towards Christian preachers. It is always between men or women of the same profession or group. In #1Th 2:3-10 Paul hints at some of the slanders spread against him by these rabbis (deceivers, using words of flattery as men-pleasers, after vain-glory, greed of gain, etc.). {Took unto them} (proslabomenoi). Second aorist middle (indirect, to themselves) participle of proslambanw, old and common verb. {Certain vile fellows of the rabble} (twn agoraiwn andras tinas ponerous). The agora or market-place was the natural resort for those with nothing to do (#Mt 20:4) like the court-house square today or various parks in our cities where bench-warmers flock. Plato (_Protagoras_ 347 C) calls these agoraioi (common word, but in N.T. only here and #19:38) idlers or good-for-nothing fellows. They are in every city and such "bums" are ready for any job. The church in Thessalonica caught some of these peripatetic idlers (#2Th 3:10f.) "doing nothing but doing about." So the Jewish preachers gather to themselves a choice collection of these market-loungers or loafers or wharf-rats. The Romans called them _subrostrani_ (hangers round the rostrum or _subbasilicari_). {Gathering a crowd} (oclopoiesantes). Literally, making or getting (poiew) a crowd (oclos), a word not found elsewhere. Probably right in the agora itself where the rabbis could tell men their duties and pay them in advance. Instance Hyde Park in London with all the curious gatherings every day, Sunday afternoons in particular. {Set the city on an uproar} (eqoruboun). Imperfect active of qorubew, from qorubos (tumult), old verb, but in the N.T. only here and #20:10; Mt 9:23; Mr 4:39. They kept up the din, this combination of rabbis and rabble. {Assaulting the house of Jason} (epistantes tei oikiai iasonos). Second aorist (ingressive) active of efistemi, taking a stand against, rushing at, because he was Paul's host. He may have been a Gentile (Jason the name of an ancient king of Thessaly), but the Jews often used it for Joshua or Jesus (II Macc. 1:7). {They sought} (ezetoun). Imperfect active. They burst into the house and searched up and down. {Them} (autous). Paul and Silas. They were getting ready to have a lynching party.
