Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 20:12
And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
12. And they brought the young man alive ] Here is a different noun, and the Rev. Ver. rightly gives “the lad.” It would seem as though those who had had the care of him brought him, before the congregation broke up, perhaps even before the Apostle’s departure, back again into the upper room.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Not a little comforted – By the fact that he was alive; perhaps also strengthened by the evidence that a miracle had been performed.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Act 20:12
And they brought the young man alive and were not a little comforted.
Young men and the Church
I. Young men need to be brought to life.
1. Ye must be born again applies to them as to all.
2. Yet, of all men, the young are most apt to overlook this necessity. For what is more suggestive of vigorous life than a young man? He is alive all over–thoughts, affections, physical energies.
3. All this, however, may be dead to God and righteousness, and be dead to his true interests, his high duties, and his immortal destiny.
4. There is but one method by which young or old can be brought to life–union with Christ through faith. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, etc.
II. Young men when brought to life should be all alive. Spiritual life should quicken and animate all their powers for God. This effect is not invariably seen. Many of our young people are not fully consecrated. We miss in the Church the go which is so palpable in the world. This may arise from the discouraging way in which they are received by the Church. It is strange but true that in too many communities the young are looked upon with suspicion, and their new enthusiasm thus receives an early chill. Hence–
III. The Church should bring its young men alive. They are Gods gift to the Church which should–
1. Take them under its protection.
2. Give them the benefit of its experience.
3. Encourage the full exercise of all their powers.
4. Give them a share in its work or government.
Young life is of the greatest value to the Church, and if repressed what will become of the Church a few years hence? Let the elders, then, train the young for those offices which must soon become vacant. A sure test of a Churchs strength or weakness is the way it treats its young men.
IV. Young men alive should minister to the comfort of the Church. Often suspicion arises from the restlessness and impulsiveness which irritate older men. Respect the aged; remember their services; do not rush reforms; bide your time, it is surely coming and you can afford to wait. And in the meantime go as far with the elders as you can, and endeavour to allay prejudices by thoughtful consideration for others, and by humility before God. (J. W. Burn.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
They rejoiced not only that the young man was restored to life, but that by this means the gospel was attested to, and many confirmed in the belief of it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10-12. Paul . . . fell on himlikeElisha (2Ki 4:34).
his life is in himnowrestored; compare Mr 5:39.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And they brought the young man alive,…. Up into the upper room, and presented him alive to the disciples:
and were not a little comforted; that is, the disciples, at the sight of the young man, who was taken up dead, not only for his sake, but chiefly because by this miracle the Gospel, which the apostle preached, and who was about to depart from them, was greatly confirmed to them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
They brought the lad alive ( ). Second aorist active indicative of . Evidently the special friends of the lad who now either brought him back to the room or (Rendall) took him home to his family. Knowling holds that (living) here is pointless unless he had been dead. He had been taken up dead and now they brought him living.
Not a little ( ). Not moderately, that is a great deal. Luke is fond of this use of the figure litotes (use of the negative) instead of the strong positive (1:5, etc.). D (Codex Bezae) has here instead of these words: (while they were saying farewell he brought the young man alive). This reading pictures the joyful scene over the lad’s restoration as Paul was leaving.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “And they brought the young man alive “(egagondeton paida zonta) “Then they led the lad living,” alive from the dead, perhaps meaning that those who had cared for him, after his fall, carried or accompanied him to his home, after the assembly was over and daylight had come. Like the former paralyzed man at the Gate Beautiful became a living testimony to God’s miraculous power, so did this Eutychus experience at Troas, Act 3:1-11.
2) “And were not a little comforted.” (kai pareldethesan ou metrios) “Were not comforted just moderately,” meaning they were much comforted, grateful for Paul’s bringing him back miraculously from a state of the dead; The God who comforted them with Paul’s presence, and miraculous power, prepared them to comfort others thru that experience, 2Co 1:3-4.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
12. They brought They presented the young man truly living before Paul and his companions, comforted alike by the restored life and by the miracle.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And they brought the lad alive, and were not a little comforted.’
And they brought the young man up with them, a living witness to God’s power to raise the dead, and received great comfort from what had happened. With a God like this working through Paul what was there for them or him to fear? They had all had further evidence of the power of life that was at work in the world.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
Ver. 12. And were not a little comforted ] Not so much for the young man’s recovery, as for the love of God sealed up unto them therein: this was the kernel, the other but the shell.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
12. ] As in the raising of Jairus’s daughter, our Lord commanded that something should be given her to eat, that nature might be recruited, so doubtless here rest and treatment were necessary, in order that the restored life might be confirmed, and the shock recovered. The time indicated by must have been before or about 5 A.M.: which would allow about four hours since the miracle. We have here a minute but interesting touch of truth in the narrative. Paul, we learn afterwards, Act 20:13 , intended to go afoot. And accordingly here we have it simply related that he started away from Troas before his companions, not remaining for the reintroduction of the now recovered Eutychus in Act 20:12 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 20:12 . : the subject must be supplied; probably those who had attended to the boy, and who, now that he was sufficiently recovered, brought him back to the room. Rendall thinks that the expression means that they took the lad home after the assembly was over. The comfort is derived from the recovery of the boy, as is indicated by , and it is forced to refer it to the consolation which they received from the boy’s presence, as a proof which the Apostle had left behind him of divine and miraculous help (so Wendt, Weiss); see also , critical note, and Ramsay, St. Paul , p. 291. : the word is pointless unless on the supposition that the accident had been fatal. It is in fact impossible to deny that a miracle is intended to be narrated; otherwise the introduction of the whole story is meaningless, as Overbeck insists against Baur and Renan. The word , the action of Paul, the word all point to an actual death, whilst the vivid details in the narrative also indicate the presence of an eye-witness as an informant. Schneckenburger has shown exhaustively, as Zeller admits, that an actual raising of the dead is intended; but we are asked to see in the narrative only an attempt to set off the raising of Eutychus against the raising of Tabitha at Joppa, a parallel between Paul and Peter; so Baur, and recently Overbeck and Weizscker. But the conclusion of Overbeck is disappointing in face of the fact that he dwells (p. 333) most pointedly upon the difference between the narrative here and in Act 9:36 how in this latter case we have the expectation of the miracle emphasised, whilst here it is entirely wanting; how too the laudatory description of Tabitha may be contrasted with the simple mention of the name, Eutychus here. : often in Plutarch, cf. 2Ma 15:38 . On Luke’s use of with an adjective, to express the opposite, see Lekebusch, Apostelgeschichte , p. 62; Klostermann, Vindici Lucan , p. 52; and four times in “We” sections (twelve times in rest of Acts, rare in rest of N.T.), Act 20:12 , Act 27:14 ; Act 27:20 , Act 28:2 ; Hawkins, Hor Synoptic , p. 153.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
young man. Greek. pais. App-108. Not the same as Act 20:9.
a little = moderately. Greek. metrios. Only here. Figure of speech Tapeinosis. App-6.
comforted. Greek. parakaleo. App-134. See Act 20:2. They were cheered by the miracle and Paul’s words.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
12.] As in the raising of Jairuss daughter, our Lord commanded that something should be given her to eat, that nature might be recruited, so doubtless here rest and treatment were necessary, in order that the restored life might be confirmed, and the shock recovered. The time indicated by must have been before or about 5 A.M.: which would allow about four hours since the miracle. We have here a minute but interesting touch of truth in the narrative. Paul, we learn afterwards, Act 20:13, intended to go afoot. And accordingly here we have it simply related that he started away from Troas before his companions, not remaining for the reintroduction of the now recovered Eutychus in Act 20:12.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 20:12. ) they brought, or led, not carried: he was not at all enfeebled by his fall.-, alive) Not even by the accident did they receive any damage from Paul: 2Co 7:9.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
they: Act 20:10
were: Isa 40:1, 2Co 1:4, Eph 6:22, 1Th 3:2, 1Th 4:18, 1Th 5:11, 1Th 5:14, 2Th 2:16
Reciprocal: 1Ki 17:22 – and he revived Act 9:41 – widows
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2
Act 20:12. This verse is an afterthought upon the event of the miracle of verse 10, showing the joyful effect of the apostle’s performance for the young man and friends.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 20:12. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. As in the case of the little daughter of Jairus, when the Lord commanded that something should be given to her to eat at once, so here evidently some special care and attention was given to the young man that nature might be recruited, and that the awful shock which the system had suffered might be recovered from. Stress should be laid on the word alive, as standing with the word dead in Act 20:9. His friends and fellow-worshippers were not a little comforted by the restoration to life again of one whom they were already mourning for as dead; but their joy was doubtless greatly increased by the powerful witness to the truth of their belief which such a notable miracle afforded. They felt, then, these Christians of Troas, in a way possibly they had never felt before, that, when two or three were gathered together, there the Lord was indeed in the midst.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
12. Recurring again to the incident concerning Eutychus, in order to state more particularly the gratification which the brethren felt at his recovery, Luke here remarks: (12) “And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.” The close connection of this remark with the departure of Paul and his company, and its disconnection from the statement concerning the resumption of the meeting, indicate that it refers to their bringing him away from the meeting.
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Luke closed his account of this incident by assuring the reader that Eutychus was indeed all right and that the believers found great comfort in Paul’s ministry of restoration as well as in his teaching.
"These early believers sat up all night listening to Paul. I know someone is going to say, ’If I could listen to Paul, I’d listen all night, too.’ Probably Paul was nothing more than a humble preacher of the gospel. We do know that Apollos was an eloquent man, but that is not said of Paul. These believers simply wanted to hear the Word of God. How wonderful that is!" [Note: McGee, 4:603.]