SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:2
Y un hombre que era cojo desde el vientre de su madre, era traído; al cual ponían cada día a la puerta del Templo que se llama la Hermosa, para que pidiese limosna de los que entraban en el Templo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 3:2
Verse 2. A-man lame from his mother's womb] The case of this man must have been well known: 1. from the long standing of his infirmity: 2. from his being daily exposed in a place so public. It appears that he had no power to walk, and was what we term a cripple, for he was carried to the gate of the temple, and laid there in order to excite compassion. These circumstances are all marked by St. Luke, the more fully to show the greatness and incontestable nature of the miracle.
The gate-which is called Beautiful] There are different opinions concerning this gate. Josephus observes, Bell. Jud. lib. v. cap. 5, sect. 3, that the temple had nine gates, which were on every side covered with gold and silver; but there was one gate which was without the holy house, and was of Corinthian brass, and greatly excelled those which were only covered with gold and silver: polu th timh tav katargurouv kai pericrusouv uperagousa. The magnitudes of the other gates were equal one to another; but that of the Corinthian gate, which opened on the east, over against the gate of the holy house itself, was much larger: penthkonta gar phcwn ousa thn anastasin, tessarakonta phceiv tav qurav eice, kai ton kosmon polutelesteron, epi dayilev pacov argurou te kai crusou? for its height was fifty cubits, and its doors were forty cubits, and it was adorned after a most costly manner, as having much richer and thicker plates of silver and gold upon them than upon the other. This last was probably the gate which is here called Beautiful; because it was on the outside of the temple, to which there was an easy access, and because it was evidently the most costly, according to the account in Josephus; but it must be granted that the text of Josephus is by no means clear.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 2. And a certain man, lame from his mothers womb , etc.] He was born so; his lameness came not through any disease or fall, or any external hurt, but from a defect in nature, in one of his limbs, or more; which made the after miracle the more extraordinary: and he was so lame that he was carried ; he could not walk of himself, or go, being led, but they were obliged to carry him: whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple ; it had been a common usage, it may be, for years past, to bring him every day, at prayer time, and lay him at the gate of the temple where the people went in; hence he was well known by the people, and to have been of a long time lame, even ever since he was born; so that there could be no imposture in this case: and it was at the gate of the temple he lay, which is called beautiful ; which some think was the gate Shushan, which was the eastern gate of the mountain of the house, or the outmost wall, and was so called, because Shushan, the metropolis of Persia, was pourtrayed upon it f135 , which made it look very beautiful. The reason commonly given by the Jewish commentators why this was done, is this; when the Jews returned from captivity, the king of Persia commanded that they should make a figure of the palace of Shushan upon one of the gates of the temple, that they might fear the king, and not rebel against him; and accordingly they drew one upon the eastern gate: but some say f137 , that the children of the captivity did this (upon their return) that they might remember the wonder of Purim, (their deliverance from Haman,) which was done in Shushan; moreover, it might be so called from the word Shushan, which signifies joy and gladness: but this does not bid so fair to be the gate here meant, since it was lower than all the rest; for as the eastern wall was lower than the rest of the walls, that when the high priest burnt the red heifer on the top of Mount Olivet, he might see the gate of the temple at the time of the sprinkling of the blood; so the gate itself was four cubits lower than the others f138 , and therefore could not look so grand and beautiful as the rest. Indeed, concerning this eastern gate of the mountain of the house, it is said f139 , that in the time when the sanctuary stood, when they prayed on the mountain of the house, they went in by the way of the eastern gate.
And as this was now the hour of prayer, and the people were going to the temple to pray, whose entrance was at the east gate; here it might be thought, in all probability, was laid the lame man: though it seems rather to be the eastern gate of the court of the women, which was made of Corinthian brass, and looked brighter than gold itself; of which Josephus thus speaks: nine of the gates were covered all over with gold and silver, likewise the side posts and lintels; but there was one, without the temple, of Corinthian brass, which in dignity greatly exceeded the silver and golden ones.
And since at this gate was the greatest frequency of persons, both men and women entering here; it is most likely, that here lay the lame man a begging: this is thought, by some, to be the higher gate of the house of the Lord; said to be built by Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, ( Kings 15:35) upon which text, a Jewish commentator of great note has this remark, observe it is said of Jotham, that he built it, because he made a building on it, lwdgw dbkn more glorious and great than it had been: and this is also called the new gate of the house of the Lord, ( Jeremiah 26:10) and which both the Targum and Kimchi on the place say is the eastern gate. To ask alms of them that entered into the temple ; who going to religious exercises, might be thought to be more disposed to acts of liberality and charity: and besides, these were known to be Jews, of whom only alms were to be asked and taken; for so run their canons f142 , it is forbidden to take alms of Gentiles publicly, except a man cannot live by the alms of Israelites; and if a king, or a prince of the Gentiles, should send money to an Israelite for alms, he must not return it, because of the peace of the kingdom, but must take it of him, and give it to the poor of the Gentiles secretly, that the king may not hear.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-11 - The apostles and the first believers attended the temple worship at the hours of prayer. Peter and John seem to have been led by a Divin direction, to work a miracle on a man above forty years old, who ha been a cripple from his birth. Peter, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth bade him rise up and walk. Thus, if we would attempt to good purpos the healing of men's souls, we must go forth in the name and power of Jesus Christ, calling on helpless sinners to arise and walk in the way of holiness, by faith in Him. How sweet the thought to our souls, tha in respect to all the crippled faculties of our fallen nature, the nam of Jesus Christ of Nazareth can make us whole! With what holy joy an rapture shall we tread the holy courts, when God the Spirit causes u to enter therein by his strength!
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ τις 5100 X-NSM ανηρ 435 N-NSM χωλος 5560 A-NSM εκ 1537 PREP κοιλιας 2836 N-GSF μητρος 3384 N-GSF αυτου 846 P-GSM υπαρχων 5225 5723 V-PAP-NSM εβασταζετο 941 5712 V-IPI-3S ον 3739 R-ASM ετιθουν 5087 5707 V-IAI-3P καθ 2596 PREP ημεραν 2250 N-ASF προς 4314 PREP την 3588 T-ASF θυραν 2374 N-ASF του 3588 T-GSN ιερου 2411 N-GSN την 3588 T-ASF λεγομενην 3004 5746 V-PPP-ASF ωραιαν 5611 A-ASF του 3588 T-GSM αιτειν 154 5721 V-PAN ελεημοσυνην 1654 N-ASF παρα 3844 PREP των 3588 T-GPM εισπορευομενων 1531 5740 V-PNP-GPM εις 1519 PREP το 3588 T-ASN ιερον 2411 N-ASN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
2. That was (uparcwn). Lit., being. See on Jas. ii. 15.Was carried (ebastazeto). Imperfect: "was being carried as they were going up (ver. 1) They laid (etiqoun). Imperfect: "they were wont to lay."
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:2 {Was carried} (ebastazeto). Imperfect passive, picturing the process as in verse #1. {Laid daily} (etiqoun kaq' hemeran). Imperfect again describing their custom with this man. {Beautiful} (hwraian). this gate is not so called elsewhere. It may have been the Gate of Nicanor on the east side looking towards Kidron described by Josephus (_Ant_. XV. 11, 3; _War_ V. 5, 3) as composed chiefly of Corinthian brass and very magnificent.
