SEV Biblia, Chapter 22:2
(Y como oyeron que les hablaba en lengua hebrea, guardaron ms silencio.) Y dijo:
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 22:2
Verse 2. When they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue] He had probably been traduced by the Jews of Asia as a mere Gentile, distinguished only by his virulence against the Jewish religion; which virulence proceeded from his malice and ignorance.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 2. And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them , etc.] (see Gill on Acts 21:40). they kept the more silence ; it being their mother tongue, and which they best understood; and which the captain and the Roman soldiers might not so well under stand; and chiefly because the Hellenistic language was not so agreeable to them, nor the Hellenistic Jews, who spoke the Greek language, and used the Greek version of the Bible; and such an one they took Paul to be, besides his being a Christian; wherefore when they heard him speak in the Hebrew tongue, it conciliated their minds more to him, at least engaged their attention the more to what he was about to say: and he saith ; the Syriac and Ethiopic versions add, to them, as follows.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-11 - The apostle addressed the enraged multitude, in the customary style of respect and good-will. Paul relates the history of his early life very particularly; he notices that his conversion was wholly the act of God Condemned sinners are struck blind by the power of darkness, and it is a lasting blindness, like that of the unbelieving Jews. Convince sinners are struck blind as Paul was, not by darkness, but by light They are for a time brought to be at a loss within themselves, but it is in order to their being enlightened. A simple relation of the Lord' dealings with us, in bringing us, from opposing, to profess and promot his gospel, when delivered in a right spirit and manner, will sometime make more impression that laboured speeches, even though it amounts no to the full proof of the truth, such as was shown in the change wrough in the apostle.
Greek Textus Receptus
ακουσαντες 191 5660 V-AAP-NPM δε 1161 CONJ οτι 3754 CONJ τη 3588 T-DSF εβραιδι 1446 N-DSF διαλεκτω 1258 N-DSF προσεφωνει 4377 5707 V-IAI-3S αυτοις 846 P-DPM μαλλον 3123 ADV παρεσχον 3930 5627 V-2AAI-3P ησυχιαν 2271 N-ASF και 2532 CONJ φησιν 5346 5748 V-PXI-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
2. Kept-silence (parescon hsucian). Lit., gave quiet.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
22:2 {He spake} (prosefwnei). Imperfect active, was speaking. See aorist active prosefwnesen in #21:40. {They were the more quiet} (mallon parescon hesucian). Literally, The more (mallon) they furnished or supplied (second aorist active indicative of parecw) quietness (hesucian, old word, in the N.T. only here and #2Th 3:12; 1Ti 2:11ff.). Precisely this idiom occurs in Plutarch (_Cor_. 18) and the LXX (#Job 34:29). Knowling notes the fondness of Luke for words of silence (sige, sigaw, hesucazw) as in #Lu 14:4; 15:26; Ac 11:18; 12:17; 15:12; 21:14,40. It is a vivid picture of the sudden hush that swept over the vast mob under the spell of the Aramaic. They would have understood Paul's _Koin_ Greek, but they much preferred the Aramaic. It was a masterstroke.
