Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
In prayer to God - Or, in the prayer of God: or, in the oratory of God, ͅ ͅ . So this passage is translated by many critics; for which Dr. Whitby gives the following reasons: As the mountain of God, Exodus 3:1; Exodus 4:27; the bread of God, Leviticus 21:17; the lamp of God, I Samuel 3:3; the vessels of God, I Chronicles 22:19; the altar of God, Psalms 43:4; the sacrifices of God, Psalms 51:17; the gifts of God, Luke 21:4; the ministers of God, II Corinthians 6:4; the tabernacle of God, II Chronicles 1:3; the temple of God, Matthew 21:12; the synagogues of God, Psalms 74:8; are all things consecrated or appropriated to God' s service; so must, in all reason, be a house of prayer to God; whence it is called , a place of prayer, 1 Maccabees 3:46; and so the word is certainly used Acts 16:13; and by Philo, in his oration against Flaccus, where he complains that ̔ , their houses for prayer were pulled down, and there was no place left in which they might worship God, or pray for Caesar; and by Josephus, who says the multitude was gathered , into the house of prayer: and so Juvenal, Sat. iii. v. 296, speaks to the mendicant Jew: -
\ri720 Ede ubi consistas; in qua te quaero proseucha ?
In what house of prayer may I find thee begging?
See on Acts 16:13 (note). But on this it may be observed, that as the mountains of God, the wind of God, the hail of God, the trees of God, etc., mean very high mountains, a very strong wind, great and terrible hail, very tall trees, etc., so , here, may be very properly translated the prayer of God; i.e. very fervent and earnest prayer; and though may signify, to lodge in a place for a night, yet there are various places in the best Greek writers in which it is used, not to signify a place, but to pass the night in a particular state. So Appian, Bell. Pun. ̔ Ϛ ' ̔ - He passed the night under arms with them all. Idem, Bell. Civ. lib. v. - They passed the night without food, without any regard to the body, and in the want of all things. See more examples in Kypke, who concludes by translating the passage thus: He passed the night without sleep in prayers to God. Some of the Jews imagine that God himself prays; and this is one of his petitions: Let it be my good pleasure, that my mercy overcome my wrath. See more in Lightfoot.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Acts 16:13
Acts 16:16
DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.
E-mail this page
