Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 9:15
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
15. he is a chosen vessel unto me ] Literally, “a vessel of election.” This is a Hebrew form of expression, cp. Jer 22:28, where King Coniah is called “a vessel wherein is no pleasure.” So Jer 51:34, “He hath made me [to be] an empty vessel,” literally, “vessel of emptiness.”
to bear my name ] i.e. this shall be the load or duty which I will lay upon this my chosen instrument.
before the Gentiles ] This was doubtless a revelation to Ananias, who as a devout Jew would not yet have contemplated the inclusion of the whole world in the Church of Christ. The Gentiles are placed first in the enumeration, because among them specially was Saul’s field of labour to be. For the wide spirit in which the Apostle embraced his commission, see Rom 1:13-14, &c.
and kings ] As before Agrippa (Act 26:1; Act 26:32) and at Rome, in consequence of the appeal to be heard before Csar.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Go thy way – This is often the only answer that we obtain to the suggestion of our doubts and hesitations about duty. God tells us still to do what he requires, with an assurance only that his commands are just, and that there are good reasons for them.
A chosen vessel – The usual meaning of the word vessel is well known. It commonly denotes a cup or basin, such as is used in a house. It then denotes any instrument which may be used to accomplish a purpose, perhaps particularly with the notion of conveying or communicating. In the Scriptures it is used to denote the instrument or agent which God employs to convey his favors to mankind, and is thus employed to represent the ministers of the gospel, 2Co 4:7; 1Th 4:4. Compare Isa 10:5-7. Paul is called chosen because Christ had selected him, as he did his other apostles, for this service. See the notes on Joh 15:16.
To bear my name – To communicate the knowledge of me.
Before the Gentiles – The nations; all who were not Jews. This was the principal employment of Paul. He spent his life in this, and regarded himself as especially called to be the apostle of the Gentiles, Rom 11:13; Rom 15:16; Gal 2:8.
And kings – This was fulfilled, Act 25:23, etc.; Act 26:32; Act 27:24.
And the children of Israel – The Jews. This was done. He immediately began to preach to them, Act 9:20-22. Wherever he went, he preached the gospel first to them, and then to the Gentiles, Act 13:46; Act 28:17.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Act 9:15
He is a chosen vessel unto Me.
A chosen vessel
I. Its material. All the vessels in your house–the strong bowls, the fine vases, and the china tea cups–are made of earth, though some soils suit the potter better than others. And so the whole world is the Great Potters field, and Christs chosen vessels were all at first of the earth, earthy. The apostle tells us that he was the chief of sinners, and that he owes all to the grace of God. What hope for all! Splendid vessels are now made from mere rubbish, broken glass, and old bones, and so the Divine Potters art can triumph over the rudeness of the most unpromising materials.
II. Its maker.
1. That beautiful cup is not self-made. The potter took the clay, tempered, moulded, baked, painted, and fired it, and then put his mark upon it. And Christians are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. I have known a boy saying to his minister, Please will you convert me too. I am one of your converts, a man smelling of whisky once said to Rowland Hill. I can believe it, replied Mr. Hill, you look very like my bungling work.
2. In making chosen vessels, the potter attends to the chief parts of the work himself; for all depends on the skill of the workman. With his own hand he mixes the materials, and trims the fire.
3. The potter must also have complete power over the clay, and travellers in the East notice how thoroughly it is in his hands. Many vessels are made partly of flint or granite, but these rocks have first been ground into the softest powder. And Christs chosen vessels are all fashioned in contrite hearts. Contrite means rubbed together and made soft, exactly as stones are ground into the softest clay in our potteries. And youth is the yielding and moulding time in life. The world has a strange power of hardening the soul into an unbending frame.
III. Its use.
1. None of Christs vessels are for ornament only, they are all meet for the Masters use. A great house has some choice vessels, preferred for their size, strength, or beauty. Such a vessel was the apostle. Christs name was the water for the thirsty and balm for the wounded, and Paul was the vessel in which that heavenly treasure was carried round and offered to all. But the humblest vessel has its use. A poor broken cup may hold the water that saves the life of a dying man, and the humblest Christian may carry Christs name to a perishing sinner.
2. The vessel of the heart is already full, and must be emptied ere it can be filled with this heavenly treasure. The Rev. Narayan Sheshadri tells us that as a young Brahmin he was full of pride and self-righteousness. But as he began to think for himself he was emptied of one thing after another, till he was left with nothing in which he could trust. Then the name of Christ filled his soul, and he longed to bear it to the heathen around him (comp. Php 3:4-9).
3. Again, an emptied vessel cannot be filled unless it be rightly set and open a-top. It is a Chinese saying that the light of heaven cannot shine into an inverted bowl. Let your soul be opened heavenwards widely and hopefully, and then the abundance of grace will fill and warm your whole being.
IV. Its beauty.
1. Our makers of vessels strive to unite the useful and the beautiful. Our text may mean that Christs name was to be carried on as well as in the vessel, just as the costly vases in palaces bear the name and fame of the maker before kings. Bernard Palissy once saw a white enamelled cup, and resolved to discover the secret of so beautifying vessels. He spent all his money and sixteen years of his life in making the discovery. He was often at deaths door, had burnt all his furniture for fuel, and his body was lean and dried up from hard work. At last he made some of the chosen vessels, and these have borne his name among nations and kings even to this day. Thus Paul bore his Creators name far and wide, and multitudes glorified God in him.
2. Christs vessels are not all made in one mould. Every Christian should have a beauty of his own, and the charm of that beauty lies in its individuality. Some of the most beautiful of Christs vessels are found among day labourers and cottagers. Many a face deformed by lifelong hardship and disease has been brightened outwardly from inward joy and goodness. The coarsest features have often been adorned by the beauty of the soul within. Such was the case of Joan of Arc, who, the historian says, grew beautiful when the great idea entered her.
3. You can hardly believe what efforts great potters have made to add beauty to their vessels. A Duke of Florence spent ten years in discovering the way to make porcelain. Louis XIV was so interested in this work that, greatest monarch in Europe as he was, he seriously proposed becoming a potter himself. Many have reached perfection in this field, and have ennobled clay as if by miracle. Their masterpieces have an incorruptible beauty; no liquid can stain them, no fire can blacken them, no knife can scratch them. Yet they are as smooth to the touch as an infants flesh. Place a candle behind them and they resemble a fine face lighted up with the best emotions. If potters have done so much for clay, shall they not condemn us if we do not earnestly seek to have the beauty of the Lord our God upon us? If a heathen philosopher reproached a rich man with having silver plate and earthenware principles, should we not reproach ourselves that we are so eager to possess every sort of beauty, except the beauty of the soul? When shall the beauty of holiness find as passionate admirers as the beauty of art has in all our cities? Piety is the finest art under heaven. Many there be who say, A thing of beauty is a joy forever, yes, this chosen vessel is a joy forever to its possessor and to all beholders who know its worth.
4. The secret of making some choice vessels has been lost because it died with the man who had it; but the secret of spiritual beauty is open to all. God is the Great Beautifier, and He will perfect what He begins. He will give the finishing touch to His chosen vessel–perhaps in the sacred fires of affliction–and, having thus perfected its comeliness, He will place it in His mansions above. (J. Wells, M. A.)
Vessels chosen, charged, and used
I. A vessel.
1. The world is full of the instruments which God employs. Every flower, leaf, tendril is designed and fitted for carrying on some process in the vegetable economy.
2. In animals every member of the body is a tool with which Creator and creature alike work. The eye, ear, tongue, foot hang at hand in the workshop ready for the workers use.
3. Each separate part of creation, again, is an instrument of God. The internal fires of the globe are His instruments for heaving up the mountains and making the valleys. The clouds are vessels carrying water from the ocean to every portion of the thirsty land. The rivers are waste pipes for carrying back the soiled water that it may be purified for subsequent use. The sun is an instrument for lighting and warming a troop of revolving worlds, and the earths huge bulk a curtain for screening off the sunlight at stated intervals, and so affording to weary workers a grateful night of rest.
4. Chief of all implements is man–made last, made best for his Authors service; broken, disfigured, and defiled by sin, but, capable of working wondrously yet, when redeemed. God has not cast away the best of all His instruments because it was marred and polluted. A soul won is the best instrument for winning souls.
II. A chosen vessel. God can employ the evil as His unconscious instruments, or make them willing in the day of His power. When He had chastised Israel by the King of Babylon, he broke the rod and threw it away. In other cases He turns the kings heart as a river of water, and then accepts the willing homage of a converted man. It was a polished and capacious vessel that the Great King wrenched from the grasp of the arch-enemy near the gate of Damascus. He was Christs chief enemy in the world. God looks down from heaven on this man, not as an adversary whose assaults are formidable, but as an instrument which may be turned to another use. Arrested at the crisis of its course by a hand unseen, it is turned upside down, emptied, and then filled from heavens pure treasures, and used to water the world with the Word of life. Saul of Tarsus, called to be an apostle, is a conspicuous example of Divine sovereignty. He did not first choose Christ, but Christ chose him.
III. A vessel unto me. Two things lie in every conversion; the man gets an Almighty Saviour, and God gets a willing servant. The true instinct of the new creature burst forth from Pauls breast–Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? The answer, sent through Ananias, indicated what he should be, rather than what he should do: He is a chosen vessel unto Me. We get a glimpse here of the two tendencies, the human and the Divine. I shall do, says the disciple in the ardour of a first love; thou shalt be, answers that wise and kind Master, who knows that the spirit is willing, but the flesh weak. I shall bear the vessels of the Lord, volunteers the ransomed sinner; the reply is, Thou shalt be the vessel of the Lord. It is a great thing that I should take up instruments and do a work for Christ in the world, but it is a greater that Christ should work out His purposes with me. This is our security alike for safety and usefulness. The star that is in His right hand is held up so that it cannot fall, and held out so that it shines afar.
IV. A vessel to bear My name. Paul was a vessel firmly put together, and filled to overflowing, before Jesus met him. At that meeting he was emptied of his miscellaneous vanities, and filled with the name of Christ. See an account of the whole process by his own pen (Php 3:4-8). Nature abhors a vacuum; and in nature, whether its material or spiritual department, a vacuum is never found. Each man is full either of his own things, or of Christs. The name of Christ is the precious thing wherewith the vessel is charged. So full was Paul of this treasure that he determined to know none other.
V. To bear My name before Gentiles, and kings, and the people of Israel. This bread of life, like the manna which fell in the wilderness, is given to be used, not to be hoarded. To be ever getting, ever giving, is the only way of keeping both the vessel and its treasure sweet.
1. The form of the expression indicates that in this ministry self-denying courage is required. Perhaps the series, in this respect, constitutes a climax. It is easier to speak of Christ to the Gentiles than to kings, and to kings than to His own chosen people. In our day, too, there are various classes who need the testimony of Jesus. Those who possess it should be prepared to bear it about in every place, and hold it forth in any company. If we quail where the majority profess to be on our side, what would have become of us if our lot had been cast when its disciples were obliged to comfort an adverse world? But perhaps we should not speak of more courage being required to maintain a good confession in one place, and less in another: for with God it is as easy to keep the ocean within its bed, as to balance a dewdrop on a blade of grass; and the same principle rules in the distribution of grace to disciples of Christ. Without it the strongest is not sufficient for anything, with it the feeblest is sufficient for all. Our martyr forefathers who were enabled to make good confession at the stake would, if left to themselves, have denied their Lord under the blandishments of a godless drawing room. Not before Gentiles and kings, etc., are we summoned to bear witness for Christ; but in a place and presence where the temptation to deny Him is equally strong. A Christian young man in a great workshop, a Christian young lady in a gay and fashionable family, is either carried away like chaff before the wind, or stands fast by a modern miracle of grace.
2. We are so many vessels labelled on the outside with the name of Christ, what we are really charged with may not be seen at a distance, or discovered in a day. Those, however, who stand near these vessels will by degrees find out what they contain. By its occasional overflowings, especially when violently shaken, the secret will be revealed. Some are looking on who do not believe that the Spirit which fills us is the Spirit of Christ; and they lie in wait for evidence to prove their opinion true. For their own sakes let them find it false.
3. But an indolent, earthly selfishness, under pretence of humility, cunningly suggests the distinction between a common ungifted man and the great apostle of the Gentiles. He was a worthy witness, but what could we do, although we did our best? If you are a sinner forgiven through the blood of Christ, in the greatest things Paul and you are equal, unequal only in the least. In the economy of grace a shallower vessel serves nearly every purpose as well as a deeper, if both are full of Christ. In nature the shallowest lake, provided it be full, sends up as many clouds as the deepest, for the same sunlight beams equally on both their bosoms. Nay, more; as a lake within the tropics, though shallow, gives more incense to the sky than a polar ocean of unfathomable depth, so a Christian of few gifts, whose heart lies open fair and long to the Sun of Righteousness, is a more effectual witness than a man of greater capacity who lies not so near, and looks not so constantly to Jesus. Conclusion: In the coarser work of breaking up His own way at first, God freely uses the powers of nature and the passions of wicked men; but for the nicer touches near the finishing, He employs more sensitive instruments. A work of righteousness is about to be done upon a jailer at Philippi. Mark the method of the omniscient Worker. The earthquake rent the outer searing of the jailers conscience, and made an open path into his soul. But what an earthquake could not do, God did by a renewed human heart and loving human lips. From the same chosen vessel that Ananias had visited at Damascus, the ointment was poured forth which healed the jailers wound. Thus God works today both in individual conversions and in widespread revivals. Bankruptcies, storms, diseases, wars, are charged to batter down the defences, and then living disciples go in by the breach to convert a kingdom or win a soul. (W. Arnot, D. D.)
Saul and Luther chosen vessels
I. How he prepared them.
1. He selected the right materials–a Pharisee for the destruction of Pharisaism, a monk for the overthrow of Popery, yet in both cases the right man.
2. He laid hold of them at the right time–
(1) When the enemies of the faith were at their strongest.
(2) When the need of the Church was deepest.
3. He forged them in the right fire. The fire was the flame of repentance kindled by the Holy Ghost, the hammer was Gods Word. By these means was Paul, as the noblest Damascus blade, forged at Damascus, and Luther in the cloister cell at Erfurt.
II. How he used them.
1. To the confusion of His enemies; Paul and Luther both warriors of the Lord, cutting swords, different from a John and Melancthon.
2. To the protection of His friends: the faithful pastorate of Paul, the loving zeal of Luther.
3. To the use of all: not by attaching ourselves to human means and swearing to human words, but by being directed to Him, whose servants and instruments Paul and Luther were. (K. Gerok.)
The character of St. Paul
I. He is a vessel. The word means either an instrument in the hands of the Divine Agent to carry out His purposes, or a vessel into which the Lord Jesus poured abundantly of His mind and His love. We are not fountains which give forth. All our springs are in Thee. God is an infinite Spring giving inexhaustibly forth; men are empty vessels receiving everlastingly of His fulness. The difference between men is not in their power to originate, but in their power to take in.
II. A vessel unto me, i.e., Paul was now the actual possession of Christ. Heretofore he was in the service of the great enemy, and was the ablest and the most dangerous opponent the young Church had yet encountered. But the vessel was wrested from the enemy, and henceforth is a vessel separated unto and honoured in the service of Christ.
III. A chosen vessel.
1. A choice vessel; earthen, it is true; but there is a great difference in the quality of even earthen vessels. Chemical analysis, it is said, discovers considerable difference in the quality of human brains. The brain of the rustic is coarse and gritty, whereas that of the man of genius is fine, smooth, silky, and sensitive. Be that as it may, Paul was a vessel manufactured with the greatest care out of the finest materials. He was separated unto God from his mothers womb. God even then thought of the purpose to Which he was to be devoted, and proceeded to fashion him accordingly. The same law runs through grace as through nature–the perfect adaptation of means to ends. If God has any special design to accomplish, He always seeks to bring it about by the most suitable means. Saul would have been a public man if he had never been an apostle. He would have been an orator if he had never been a preacher. The raw material of an apostle was wrought into his original make.
2. He was chosen or ordained of God unto the work of the apostleship. He is a vessel of election unto Me. The doctrine of election has been wrongly taught and falsely apprehended. The Scriptural doctrine is that God chooses man before man chooses God, and the latter is only the faint echo of the former. The Divine election should be viewed in much the same light as the Divine love. We love Him because He first loved us. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you. The fundamental principle of all false religions is that man chooses his God.
IV. To bear my name. Paul bore the name of Jesus–
1. In his intellect. His capacious mind had no room for anything else. I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge, etc. The glorified Form appearing unto him on the way to Damascus photographed itself so deeply upon his mind that it could never afterwards be effaced. To me to live is Christ. Sir David Brewster says that Sir Isaac Newton once gazed so steadfastly on the sun that for days after, turn which way he would, he constantly beheld the image of the sun. And Jesus impressed Himself so deeply in the great light on the mind of Paul that ever afterwards, whichever way the apostle looked, he always perceived the reflection of Christ.
2. In his heart. Paul may be compared to an alabaster box of precious ointment–the box is valuable, but the ointment is more precious. The name of Christ is like ointment poured forth. Paul was possessed of much genius. But only when he received the unction from the Holy One did he fill the world with his perfume. You can quote other ancient authors of surpassing beauty, but I defy you to quote any where the fragrance is so sweet and so abundant. Carry the rose about you and you will scatter scent wherever you go. And Pauls writings are sweetly scented with leaves from the Rose of Sharon. Christ is an offering of sweet smelling savour to men as well as to God. A lump of clay has been made fragrant by being thrown into the midst of a bed of flowers. And although Christians in their original state are not a whir better than other men, yet by holding fellowship with Him whose garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia, they catch the fragrance.
3. In his ministry. He shall bear My name before Gentiles, etc. And in verse 28 we see him beginning to fulfil the prediction. What then prompted him so powerfully to bear the name of Christ to perishing millions? To return an adequate answer, two factors must be taken into consideration. The first was a vivid, heartfelt conviction of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Where the sense of sin is weak the sense of ministerial responsibility is shallow. But the second and more powerful element was his intense love to the Saviour (2Co 5:11; 2Co 5:14). The terror moved, the love constrained. The mill wheel may be turned either by a current of water flowing underneath or else by a stream falling upon it from above. But of the two the latter is the more efficient. In Paul the two currents worked together–the terror from beneath and the love from above; and as a consequence imparted unusual impetuosity and rapidity to his revolutions.
V. Before Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. The wide scope of his ministry required–
1. Certain social qualifications which the other apostles did not possess. Paul enjoyed all the privileges and exemptions of a Roman citizen. Born at Tarsus, he became master of the Greek tongue and sensible to all that was refined in classic life. A pupil of Gamaliel, he was deeply versed in Scriptural and rabbinical lore. Thus in him all that was best in the three dominant types of civilisation met–the freedom of the Roman, the language of the Greek, and the theology of the Jew.
2. Great intellectual culture. The sphere of his labour embraced all classes and ranks of men. Moses, the founder of Judaism, was learned in all the learning of Egypt. Paul, too, the foremost apostle of Gentile Christianity, was learned in all the learning of his own and other nations. We are here introduced to a grand evangelistic principle–the Saviour ordained the most accomplished of the apostles to be His missionary among the heathen. The greatest knowledge is always the best instructor of ignorance.
3. Much moral courage. Before, literally in the face of, Gentiles and kings. Paul would have to encounter innumerable obstacles which only the greatest courage could surmount. And perhaps true courage never towered more sublimely than in his life. Conscience was keen and strong in him, and scrupulous fidelity to its voice marks his whole career. Indomitable strength of his will is nowhere seen to better advantage than in the presence of difficulties. The eagle never soars so high as he does on the day of tempest–the wilder the gale the loftier his flight. Lord Chatham, it is said, made his crutches add to the grandeur of his oratory; and Paul, dangling his chains in the face of his judge, made the most impressive peroration in the literature of eloquence. (J. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. Go thy way] He was thus prevented from going farther in his reasoning on this subject.
He is a chosen vessel unto me] The word in Greek, and keley in Hebrew, though they literally signify a vessel, yet they are both used to signify any kind of instrument, or the means by which an act is done. In the Tract. Sohar Exod. fol. 87, on these words of Boaz to Ruth, Ru 2:9, When thou art athirst, go unto the vessels and drink, c., there are these remarkable words .” keley, vessels that is, the righteous, who are called the vessels or instruments of Jehovah; for it is decreed that the whole world shall bring gifts to the King Messiah; and these are the vessels of the Lord: vessels, I say, which the holy and blessed God uses, although they be brittle; but they are brittle only in this world, that they may establish the law and the worship with which the holy and blessed God is worshipped in this world; neither can this ministry be exercised but by vessels or instruments.”
This mode of speech was common also among the Greek and Roman writers. So POLYBIUS, speaking of Damocles, Excerpta, vol. iii. lib. 13, [Edit. Ernesti,] says, , . “He was a useful instrument, and fit for the management of affairs.” We find Paul, in 1Th 4:4, using the same word, , for the body, agreeable to the expression of Lucretius, iii. 441, Corpus, quod VAS quasi constitit ejus. “The BODY, which is the VESSEL or instrument of the soul.” See Bp. Pearce on this passage.
Chosen vessel. – is properly a Hebraism, for an excellent or well-adapted instrument. Every reader of the Bible must have noticed how often the word chosen is used there to signify excelling or eminent: so we use the word choice, “choice men,” eminent persons; “choice things,” excellent articles. So in Jer 22:7: They shall cut down the choice cedars, vecaretu MIBCHAR arazeyca; , SEPT. They shall cut the most EXCELLENT of thy cedars; or thy cedar trees, which are the most excellent of their kind, they will cut down. Whoever considers the character of St. Paul, his education, attainments in natural knowledge, the distinguished part he took-first against Christianity, and afterwards, on the fullest conviction, the part he took in its favour-will at once perceive how well he was every way qualified for the great work to which God had called him.
To bear my name before the Gentiles] To carry the ensign of the cross among the Greeks and Romans; and, by the demonstration of the Spirit, to confound their wisdom and learning, and prove that neither salvation nor happiness could be found in any other. Hence he was emphatically called, the apostle of the Gentiles, 1Ti 2:7; 2Ti 1:11. See also Ga 2:7-8, and Eph 3:8.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He is a chosen vessel: the whole world is Gods fabric, and the church especially is his house: not only in the whole world, but in the visible church, there are all sorts of utensils, some for higher, others for meaner uses; Saul was to be a vessel unto honour, Rom 9:21, into which the treasures of Gods word were to be put, 2Co 4:7, though he was but an earthen vessel: Such was indeed chosen by God to preach the gospel, Gal 1:15,16, to suffer for Christs names sake, 1Th 3:3.
To bear my name before the Gentiles: this mystery of the calling of the Gentiles began now to spread abroad, and to be made more known, which was hid in those promises, Isa 49:6; Jer 1:10.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Go thy wayDo as thou artbidden, without gainsaying.
he is a chosen vesselaword often used by Paul in illustrating God’s sovereignty in election(Rom 9:21-23; 2Co 4:7;2Ti 2:20; 2Ti 2:21[ALFORD]. Compare Zec3:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But the Lord said unto him, go thy way,…. The Syriac version reads, “arise, go thy way”; make no delay, nor any excuse, there is no reason for it; nothing is to be feared from him:
for he is a chosen vessel unto me; a choice and excellent one, full of the heavenly treasure of the Gospel, full of the gifts and graces of the Spirit, and so very fit and richly qualified for the use and service of Christ; and was , “a vessel of desire”, or a desirable one, as the Jews speak n: or he was, to render the words literally, “a vessel of election”; both an instrument gathering in the election, or the elect of God, through the preaching of the Gospel; and was himself chosen of God, both to grace and glory, a vessel of mercy, and of honour prepared for glory; and was separated, predestinated, and appointed to the Gospel of God, to preach it among the Gentiles; which sense is confirmed by what follows:
to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; by “the name” of Christ is meant his Gospel, which is a declaration of his person, perfections, glories, and excellencies, of his offices, grace, righteousness, and salvation; and to “bear” it, is to preach it, to carry it about, spread abroad, and propagate it; in allusion either to the prophets of old, whose prophecies are often called a “burden”, which they bore and carried to the several nations to whom they were sent; or to the Levites bearing the tabernacle of the Lord, and its vessels, “be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord”, Isa 52:11. Upon which Aben Ezra has this note,
“they are the Israelites, , “that bear the law”;”
but Saul was a chosen vessel to bear the Gospel; or to the sower of seed, Ps 126:6 “before the Gentiles”, or nations of the world; and he was an apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity; the Gospel of the uncircumcision was particularly committed to him: and before “kings”, as he did before Agrippa, king of the Jews, and before Nero, emperor of Rome; and his bonds for the Gospel, and so the Gospel through his bonds became manifest in all the palace, or court of Caesar. And before
the children of Israel; the Jews, to whom he first preached it; but when they put it away he turned to the Gentiles, and afterwards, before the Jews, he bore a testimony for it.
n T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 6. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
A chosen vessel ( ). A vessel of choice or selection. The genitive of quality is common in the Hebrew, as in the vernacular Koine. Jesus chose Saul before Saul chose Jesus. He felt of himself that he was an earthen vessel (2Co 4:7) unworthy of so great a treasure. It was a great message that Ananias had to bear to Saul. He told it in his own way (Acts 9:17; Acts 22:14) and in 26:16f. Paul blends the message of Jesus to Ananias with that to him as one.
Before the Gentiles ( ). This was the chief element in the call of Saul. He was to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Eph 3:6-12).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Chosen vessel [ ] . Lit., an instrument of choice. On vessel, see on Mt 12:29; and on the figure, compare 2Co 4:7.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way. (eipen de pros auton ho kurios, poreou) “Then the Lord said to him (to Ananias) go thou,” go to him. The Lord of the limited commission vision was specific in telling Ananias where to go, as He did Philip, (Act 8:26; Act 8:29)and Paul, Act 17:9-10.
2) “For he is a chosen vessel unto me,” (hoti skeous ekloges estin moi houtos tou) “Because this man (Saul) is (exists as) a chosen vessel to me,” a chosen instrument to serve men, to follow, and to go forth for me, as later related by Paul before the multitude in Jerusalem, Act 22:14.
3) “To bear my name,” (bastasai to onoma mou) “To bear (uphold or support) my name; to carry as an instrument or vessel and make known my name, my authority, Act 22:15; Act 26:16.
4) “Before the Gentiles,” (enopion ton ethnon) “in the (face presence of) or before the nations, heathen, Gentiles, or races,” Act 13:2; Act 13:47; Act 26:17-23; Rom 1:5; Rom 11:13; Eph 3:7-8. To them Paul was the apostle.
5) “And kings, and the children of Israel: (te kai basileon huion te Israel) “As well as before kings of nations and the heirs of Israel,” Act 21:40; Act 26:1-2; Rom 1:16; Rom 9:1-5. These he did not overlook, though he was chiefly called to go to the Gentiles, 1Co 9:22-23.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
15. Go; because he is an elect instrument. The commandment repeated the second time, and also the promise of success added, taketh away all doubtfulness. Therefore sloth shall want an excuse, if it be never redressed after that many pricks be used; like as we see that very many, who howsoever the Lord cry unto them continually, do not only loiter during their whole life, but do also cherish their slothfulness by all means possible. (594) If any man object that the Lord speaketh not at this day in a vision, I answer, that forasmuch as the Scripture is abundantly confirmed to us, we must hear God thence. (595)
A vessel of election, or, as Erasmus translateth it, an elect instrument, is taken for an excellent minister. The word instrument doth show that men can do nothing, save inasmuch as God useth their industry at his pleasure. For if we be instruments, he alone is the author; the force and power to do is in his power alone. And that which Christ speaketh in this place of Paul appertaineth to all men, both one and other. Therefore how stoutly soever every man labor, and how carefully soever he behave himself in his duty, yet there is no cause why he should challenge to himself any part of praise. Those which dispute subtilely about the word vessel, dote through ignorance of the Hebrew tongue. Luke putteth the genitive ease for the dative and that according to the common custom of the Hebrew tongue. And he meant to express a certain excellency, as if he should have said, that this man shall be no common minister of Christ, but shall be indued with singular excellency above others. Nevertheless, we must note that if any thing be excellent, it dependeth upon the favor of God, as Paul himself teacheth elsewhere. Who is he that separateth thee? to wit, that thou shouldst excel others, (1Co 4:7.) To conclude, Christ pronounceth that Paul was chosen unto great and excellent things.
To bear my name amongst the Gentiles. To him who went about before to suppress the name of Christ is the same now committed to be borne. If we please to take שנם ( schenos) for a vessel, this should be a continual metaphor, because a minister of the gospel serveth instead of a vessel to publish the name of Christ; but because it signifieth rather amongst the Hebrews any instrument generally, I take these words to carry my name, for to extol the same unto due honor. For Christ is placed after a sort in his princely throne when as the world is brought under his power by the preaching of the gospel.
(594) “ Quibus possunt blanditiis,” by all sorts of blandishment.
(595) “ Quo magis notandum est Anniae exemplum, qui ad secundum mandatum moras omnes abrumpit.” Wherefore it is the more necessary to give heed to the example of Ananias, who, on the second command, breaks off all delay, omitted.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(15) He if a chosen vessel unto me.Literally, a vessel of election. The term has nothing directly analogous to it in the Old Testament, but it is Hebrew in its form; the second noun being used as a genitive of the characteristic attribute, and so equivalent to an intensified adjective. So in Isa. 22:7, we have in the LXX. valleys of election for the choicest valleys of the English version. The term vessel is used in the Old Testament of arms (Gen. 27:3), of garments (Deu. 22:5), of household goods (Gen. 31:36-37). In the New Testament its range of meaning is yet wider, as in Mat. 12:29; Luk. 8:16; Joh. 19:29; Rom. 9:22; 2Co. 4:7. Here our word instrument or implement comes, perhaps, nearest to its meaning. The persecutor had been chosen by the Lord as the tool with which He would work out His gracious will for him and for the Gentiles. In this sense it was used by classical writers of useful and trusty slaves, just as we speak of one man being the tool of another. Possibly, however, the words may be interpreted as containing the germ of the parable of the potters vessel on which St. Paul dwells in Rom. 9:21-23, and implied that the convert was not only chosen, but moulded, for his future work. The word election, which occurs here for the first time in the New Testament, and is afterwards so prominent in the teaching of St. Paul (Rom. 9:11; Rom. 11:5; Rom. 11:7-8; 1Th. 1:4), affords yet another instance of the influence exercised on the Apostle by the thoughts and language of the instructor through whom alone he could have learnt what is here recorded.
To bear my name before the Gentiles.The mission of the Apostle was thus revealed to Ananias in the first instance. He is one who welcomes that expansion of the kingdom on which even the chief of the Apostles would have entered, but for the voice from heaven, with doubt and hesitation (Act. 10:13; Act. 10:28). He is taught to see in the man of whom he had only heard as the persecutor, one who had been trained and chosen as fitter than all others for the work of that expansion.
And kings.The words find their fulfilment in the speech before Agrippa (Act. 26:12); possibly in one before Nero (2Ti. 1:16).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. A chosen vessel Literally, a vessel of choice. Not merely, however, a choice vessel, but one whom, in view of his fitness as a man, Jesus hath chosen for a great mission. This, however, implies neither any impossibility that he would disobey his call, nor any eternal predestination to salvation.
The word here rendered vessel often signifies instrument or organ; an instrument for carrying something.
Kings See Act 25:23; Act 26:1-32; Act 27:24.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” ’
The Lord patiently makes it clear that He is aware of all the circumstances, but that nevertheless He has chosen Saul as one who in His Name will go to the Gentiles and before kings as well as to the children of Israel where he will suffer for His name’s sake. Lying behind this description are God’s words to the Servant in Isaiah in Isa 49:6-7 also partly cited in Act 13:47. There also Gentiles, kings and Israel are mentioned. Like the church he is to become one with God’s chosen Servant in fulfilling this responsibility. But it is also a summary of Paul’s future. Note that unusually the witness to the Gentiles comes before that to Israel. The burden of his life is being represented. He is primarily to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, even though he will also go to the children of Israel. The witness before kings will come out later in Acts. And then, both included in this and following this, he must suffer greatly for Christ’s sake.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 9:15. He is a chosen vessel, &c. Beza observes, that an instrument of building, agriculture, &c. is often expressed in Greek by the word ; and the word may very probably have that signification here. For he is my chosen instrument to bear my name, &c. Polybius uses this same word personally, in order to denote one extremely proper for a particular design. Ananias could not infer from these words of our Lord, that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles while they continued uncircumcised,a mystery which St. Peter did not yet know; for Christ might have used theseexpressions, had St. Paul been brought before Heathen kings for preaching him as a Messiah to the Jews and proselytes.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
Ver. 15. A chosen vessel to bear ] In matters of holiness we are rather patients than agents, that we may ascribe all to God’s grace; therefore he compares us not to active instruments, as tools in the hand of a workman, but to passive instruments, such as dishes or vessels (as here) that bear and carry treasure, meat, or such-like, 2Co 4:7 ; Act 13:15 ; “Ye men and brethren, if there be in you” (as in so many vessels of honour) “any word of exhortation, say on.” But what a mouth of blasphemy opened. Quintinus the libertine, who scoffing at every apostle, Paulum vocabat vas fractum (as Calvin testifieth), a called Paul a broken vessel: so in the year 1519, Scioli quidam Tiguris iactabant haec tria, scilicet, &c. Quis tandem Paulus? nonne homo est? Apostolus est sed suburbanus tantum, &c. Ego tam cuivis Thomae vel Scoto credo quam Paulo. Some, no wiser than they should be, cast out slighting speeches to this purpose: What was Paul more than another man? an apostle, indeed, but of an inferior order; none of the twelve that conversed with Christ; neither made he any one of the articles of the Creed. I would as soon believe Thomas or Scotus, as Paul, &c. I tremble to relate how basely some Jesuits have spoken of St Paul, as savouring of heresy in some places; and better perhaps he had never written.
Before the Gentiles and kings, &c. ] , saith a Greek father. Paul was God’s chief herald, the gospel’s loudest trumpet.
a Instruct. adv. Libert., ix.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
15. . ] A genit. of quality: as we say, ‘the man of his choice.’ See Winer, edn. 6, 34. 3, b.
Paul often uses this word in a similar meaning, see reff., especially Rom 9 , &c., where it is in illustrating God’s sovereign power in election.
, perhaps in reference to the metaphor in .
] This would hardly be understood at the time: it was afterwards on a remarkable occasion repeated to Paul by the Lord in a vision (see ch. Act 22:21 ), and was regarded by him as the specific command which gave the direction to his ministry, see Gal 2:7-8 .
.] Agrippa, and probably Nero.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 9:15 . , cf. St. Paul’s own language in Gal 1:15 , genitive of quality; common Hebraistic mode of expression ( cf. Act 8:23 ) = , see Blass, Gram. , p. 96; cf. Luk 16:8 ; Luk 18:6 , etc. For similarly used see Jer 22:28 , Hos 8:8 , and Schttgen, Hor Hebraic, in loco; and in N.T. Rom 9:22-23 , 1Th 4:4 . Grimm and Blass both compare . de homine in Polyb., xiii., 5, 7; xv., 25, 1. Vas electionis: the words are written over what is said to be St. Paul’s tomb in the church dedicated to him near the city of Rome. , genitive of purpose; verb as used here continues the metaphor of ; may mean simply to bear, to carry, or it may denote to bear as a burden; cf. 2Ki 18:14 , Sir 6:25 ; cf. Luk 14:27 , Act 15:10 , Rom 15:1 , etc. ., placed first because Saul’s special mission is thus indicated. ., cf. Act 26:12 , 2Ti 1:16 ; also before the governors of Cyprus, Achaia, Juda. ., see critical notes above, again the closely connecting , all three nouns being comprehended under the one article the Apostle’s work was to include, not to exclude, his brethren according to the flesh, whilst mission to the Gentiles is always emphasised; cf. Act 22:15 ; Act 22:21 , Act 26:17 ; cf. Rom 1:13-14 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
a chosen vessel = a vessel of choice, or election (Greek. ekloge). Occurs here, Rom 9:11; Rom 11:5, Rom 11:7, Rom 11:28; 1Th 1:4. 2Pe 1:10.
unto = for.
Before = in the presence of.
Gentiles = nations. Greek. ethnos.
children = sons. Greek. huios. App-108. Note the order.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
15. . ] A genit. of quality: as we say, the man of his choice. See Winer, edn. 6, 34. 3, b.
Paul often uses this word in a similar meaning, see reff., especially Romans 9, &c., where it is in illustrating Gods sovereign power in election.
, perhaps in reference to the metaphor in .
] This would hardly be understood at the time: it was afterwards on a remarkable occasion repeated to Paul by the Lord in a vision (see ch. Act 22:21), and was regarded by him as the specific command which gave the direction to his ministry, see Gal 2:7-8.
.] Agrippa, and probably Nero.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 9:15. -, a vessel of election [a chosen vessel]-suffer) These words are connected. The mention of election dispels every doubt of Ananias. The , fore-ordination or predestination (Rom 8:29, Whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate; with which comp. Act 9:28), converts things unfavourable unto things favourable.- , that he may bear) An arduous, splendid, and blessed office.- , My name) To this refer, for My names sake, Act 9:16.-, before) in public.-, Gentiles) The Gentiles are put first; for Paul was an apostle of the Gentiles. Paul bore the name of Christ before the people in narrating his own conversion, ch. 22, and before the Gentiles and kings, ch. 26.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Go: Exo 4:12-14, Jer 1:7, Jon 3:1, Jon 3:2
a chosen: Act 13:2, Jer 1:5, Joh 15:16, Rom 1:1, Rom 9:21-24, Gal 1:1, Gal 1:15, Gal 1:16, 2Ti 1:11, 2Ti 2:4, 2Ti 2:20, 2Ti 2:21, Rev 17:14
to bear: Act 21:19, Act 22:21, Act 26:17-20, Rom 1:5, Rom 1:13-15, Rom 11:13, Rom 15:15-21, 1Co 15:10, Gal 2:7, Gal 2:8, Eph 3:7, Eph 3:8, Col 1:25-29, 1Ti 2:7
and kings: Act 25:22-27, Act 26:1-11, Act 27:24, Mat 10:18, 2Ti 4:16, 2Ti 4:17
the children: Act 28:17-31
Reciprocal: Exo 25:28 – the table Exo 37:4 – staves Exo 38:7 – to bear it withal 1Sa 21:5 – the vessels 2Ch 4:4 – three Psa 106:5 – may see Isa 42:1 – he shall Isa 60:9 – unto Isa 62:2 – the Gentiles Mic 5:7 – as a dew Luk 14:23 – Go Act 2:21 – whosoever Act 9:6 – Arise Act 9:17 – the Lord Act 10:20 – and get Act 13:47 – so Act 15:7 – God Act 20:24 – and the Act 22:14 – hath Act 25:23 – at Act 26:16 – to make Rom 1:14 – debtor Rom 3:29 – General Rom 10:15 – And how Rom 15:16 – I should 1Co 9:1 – I not an 1Co 9:16 – for Eph 3:2 – the dispensation Phi 3:12 – apprehended 1Th 4:4 – his 1Ti 1:1 – by 1Ti 1:12 – putting
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Act 9:15. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way. The Lord here repeats His command, and calms the troubled mind of Ananias, by telling him that the well-known persecutor had been chosen in the counsels of Eternity to advance in a strange way His great cause.
He is a chosen vessel. The idea, though not the word (here used for vessel), is an Old Testament one: the clay in the potters hand to mould or to mar, as it seemed good to the potter; the clay to be fashioned, as it pleased the potter, into vessels of honour or dishonour, as in Jer 18:4; Isa 45:9; Isa 45:11.
The words here used by the Lord to Ananias, speaking of Saul as a chosen vessel, were no doubt repeated by Ananias to Saul, who, in after days, often uses the same imagery (see Rom 9:21-23; 2Co 4:7; 2Ti 2:20-21).
To bear my name before the Gentiles. This especially was to be the chief work of the God-appointed missionary. How clearly Paul subsequently saw that this was his great and special duty, his whole life-work shows us; his words too, as in Gal 1:15-16. To this mighty end, viz. the giving light to the Gen- the world hitherto shrouded in clouds and thick darkness, Paul and the martyred Stephen were the first to recognise that the whole Jewish scheme was subservient, was but the preparation for it.
Kings. Saul fulfilled this when he appeared before King Agrippa II. and Queen Bernice at Csarea, when he stood before the Emperor Nero at Rome, when he pleaded before the tribunals of the Roman governors Sergius Paulus, Gallio, Felix, and Festus.
The children of Israel. It was Pauls custom first, we know, ever to tell the story of the redemption to the children of Israel in every city where there was a synagogue or congregation of the chosen people.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Act 9:15-16. But the Lord said, Go thy way Do not tell me how bad he has been; I know it well; but go with all speed, and execute that message of mercy with which I have charged thee; for How great and aggravated soever his former transgressions may have been, I assure thee he is a chosen vessel Or instrument; unto me, to bear my name That is, to testify of me, and bear witness of my truth; before the Gentiles , before nations, namely, heathen nations; and kings King Agrippa and Cesar himself; and the children of Israel To thousands of whom, as well in the Gentile countries as in Judea, he shall testify the gospel of my grace. Beza justly observes, that an instrument of building, agriculture, &c., is often, in Greek, called , here rendered vessel, because in him the gospel treasure was to be lodged, in order to the conveyance of it to many; and a chosen vessel, because he was destined for eminent services, for which, doubtless, some persons are chosen and set apart from their mothers womb, as Paul says he was, Gal 1:15. For I will show him how great things he must suffer He that hath been a persecutor, shall be himself persecuted. Christs saying he would show him this, was intended to signify his giving him notice of these sufferings beforehand, that they might be no surprise to him. Observe, reader, those that bear Christs name must expect to bear the cross for his name; and those that do most for Christ are often called to suffer most for him. Saul, that was designed for eminent services, was also designed for eminent sufferings.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
See notes on verse 13
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
15. The Lord said to him, Go, for he is a vessel of election unto me. Election, eklogee, is from ek, out, and legoo, choose. Hence it means out from the chosen, i. e., chosen from the chosen. You are chosen out of this wicked world in regeneration. In sanctification, you are chosen from the regenerated. Christ does not take a bride from the devils people, which would follow if there was but one work in salvation. But He takes a wife from Gods people. While Saul was leading Satans host, he was elect in the mind of God. Hence He sends Ananias to call him. In Sauls conversion, we see the double miracle often repeated in our day, i. e., bodily healing and salvation. His sight was miraculously restored and his soul converted, i. e., filled with the Holy Ghost to the full capacity of spiritual infancy, not his sanctification, as some think. I have seen many converted after the Sauline manner, i. e., filled with the Holy Ghost so they shouted all over the community like Saul throughout Damascus.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a {g} chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
(g) To bear my name in.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God revealed His purpose for Saul to bolster Ananias’ courage. The inquisitor was to become Jesus’ chosen instrument, the proud Pharisee His apostle to Gentiles and kings, and the poster boy of Judaism a persecuted Christian. "To bear my name" means to bear witness of Jesus. In the Greek text of Act 9:16 "I" is emphatic. Jesus meant that Ananias need not fear going to Saul because Jesus Himself would show Saul how much he would suffer; Ananias would not need to do that. This assurance would have encouraged Ananias further to go to Judas’ house in search of Saul.
"In highlighting these features of being a ’chosen instrument,’ sent to ’the Gentiles,’ and to ’suffer for my [Jesus’] name,’ Luke has, in effect, given a theological précis of all he will portray historically in chapters 13-28-a précis that also summarizes the self-consciousness of Paul himself as reflected in his own letters." [Note: Longenecker, p. 373.]