“(And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)”
And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet. And he said — the crowd's increased silence signifies their acknowledgment that Paul is 'one of them,' linguistically and culturally. The vernacular language disarms hostility and opens space for hearing.
Church Fathers on Acts 22:2
And when they heard that he spoke in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence. Acts 22:2 Do you observe how the using the same tongue subdued them? In fact, they had a sort of awe for that language. Observe also how he prepares the way for his discourse, beginning thus:
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!