And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.
The good men had no chance to speak for themselves, so their enemies crushed them easily. Magistrates are swept along by the mob's fury like dry leaves in a gale, especially when strangers are involved and no profit comes to them. They ignore reason, ignore justice, ignore the case itself. But God's mercy cut short this heat: the moment the magistrates said they would examine the matter further, the crowd quieted, sureties were taken, and it ended.
AI summary
Paul did not fail or grow discouraged after the shameful treatment at Philippi; opposition made him more resolute, and no force but the Spirit of power from on high could have sustained him through such trials. He passed through smaller cities but rested in Thessalonica, divinely directed where to sow and where to move on.
AI summary
Commenting on Acts 17:1-9
The crowd feared revolution, feared a new tyrant rising up. The rulers feared worse: that Rome would hold them accountable for letting such dangerous men and their tenets loose in the city. That fear possessed them when they heard the charges against Paul and his companions.
AI summary