John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. God also bearing them witness , etc..] The apostles of Christ; God testifying to their mission and commission, and the truth of the doctrine they preached: both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles ; such as taking up serpents without hurt, healing the sick, causing the lame to walk, and raising the dead, and casting out devils, and the like; all which were for the confirmation of the Gospel preached by them: a sign, wonder, or miracle, for these signify the same thing, is a marvellous work done before men, by the power of God, to confirm a divine truth; God is the sole author of miracles; and they were done in the first ages of Christianity, when they were necessary, to give evidence of the truth of it, and to establish men in it; and these were various, as before observed: and gifts of the Holy Ghost; such as besides gifts of healing and working miracles, gifts of foretelling things to come, discerning of spirits, speaking with divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues, ( 1 Corinthians 12:8,9,10) according to his own will; either according to the will of God, who bore testimony by these miracles and gifts; or according to the will of the Holy Spirit, who distributed them to men severally as he pleased, ( 1 Corinthians 12:11).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - Christ being proved to be superior to the angels, this doctrine i applied. Our minds and memories are like a leaky vessel, they do not without much care, retain what is poured into them. This proceeds from the corruption of our nature, temptations, worldly cares, an pleasures. Sinning against the gospel is neglect of this grea salvation; it is a contempt of the saving grace of God in Christ making light of it, not caring for it, not regarding either the worth of gospel grace, or the want of it, and our undone state without it The Lord's judgments under the gospel dispensation are chiefl spiritual, but are on that account the more to be dreaded. Here is a appeal to the consciences of sinners. Even partial neglects will no escape rebukes; they often bring darkness on the souls they do no finally ruin. The setting forth the gospel was continued and confirme by those who heard Christ, by the evangelists and apostles, who wer witnesses of what Jesus Christ began both to do and to teach; and by the gifts of the Holy Ghost, qualified for the work to which they wer called. And all this according to God's own will. It was the will of God that we should have sure ground for our faith, and a stron foundation for our hope in receiving the gospel. Let us mind this on thing needful, and attend to the Holy Scriptures, written by those wh heard the words of our gracious Lord, and were inspired by his Spirit then we shall be blessed with the good part that cannot be taken away.
Greek Textus Receptus
συνεπιμαρτυρουντος 4901 5723 V-PAP-GSM του 3588 T-GSM θεου 2316 N-GSM σημειοις 4592 N-DPN τε 5037 PRT και 2532 CONJ τερασιν 5059 N-DPN και 2532 CONJ ποικιλαις 4164 A-DPF δυναμεσιν 1411 N-DPF και 2532 CONJ πνευματος 4151 N-GSN αγιου 40 A-GSN μερισμοις 3311 N-DPM κατα 2596 PREP την 3588 T-ASF αυτου 846 P-GSM θελησιν 2308 N-ASF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
4. God also bearing them witness (sunepimarturountov tou qeou). The verb N.T.o : sun along with other witnesses: ejpi giving additional testimony: marturein to bear witness.With signs and wonders (shmeioiv te kai terasin). A very common combination in N.T. See Matt. xxiv. 24; Mark xiii. 22; John iv. 48; Acts ii. 43; 2 Cor. xii. 11, etc. See on Matt. xxiv. 24. Divers miracles (poikilaiv dunamesin). Rend. powers. No doubt these include miracles, see Acts ii. 22; 2 Cor. xii. 12; but powers signifies, not the miraculous manifestations, as signs and wonders, but the miraculous energies of God as displayed in his various forms of witness. Gifts (merismoiv). Rend. distributions or impartations.
Of the Holy Ghost. The genitive is objective: distributions of the one gift of the Holy Spirit in different measure and in different ways. Comp. 1 Corinthians xii. 4-11.
According to his will (kata thn autou qelhsin). Qelhsiv willing: his act of will. N.T.o . Const. with distributions. The Spirit was imparted and distributed as God willed. The hortatory digression ends here. The subject of the Son's superiority to the angels is resumed.
