Acts 11:19

“Now they which were scattered abroad, etc.] These were not the apostles, but the other ministers of the word; (see <440801>Acts 8:1) who were dispersed upon the persecution that arose about Stephen; his preaching and miracles, his oration in defence of himself, and his death: these travelled as far as Phenice; a country near to Syria and Galilee; its chief towns and cities were Tripolis, Botrys, Biblus, Berytus, Tyre, Sidon, Ecdippa, Ptolemais, and Dora. It was famous, as Pliny says f550, for the invention of letters, and of the constellations, and of naval and warlike arts. It was a maritime country, reaching from Orthosia (now called Tortosa) to Pelusium, or from Sidon to the borders of…”

“THE GOSPEL BEING PREACHED TO GENTILES AT ANTIOCH ALSO BARNABAS IS SENT THITHER FROM JERUSALEM, WHO HAILS THEIR ACCESSION AND LABORS AMONG THEM. (Act 11:19-24) they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen--and who "went everywhere preaching the word" (Act 8:4). travelled as far as Phenice--that part of the Mediterranean coast which, commencing a little north of CÃ&brvbrsarea, stretches northwards for upwards of one hundred miles, halfway to Antioch. and Cyprus--(See on Act 4:36). An active commercial intercourse subsisted between Phenice and Cyprus. and Antioch--near the head of the northeast coast of the Mediterranean, on the river Orontes, and containing a…”

“Now they ... - This verse introduces a new train of historical remark; and from this point the course of the history of the Acts of the Apostles takes a new direction. Thus far, the history had recorded chiefly the preaching of the gospel to the Jews. From this point the history records the efforts made to convert the Gentiles. It begins with the labors put forth in the important city of Antioch (Acts 11:19-20); and as, during the work of grace that occurred in that city, the labors of the apostle Paul were especially sought (Acts 11:25-26), the sacred writer thenceforth confines the history mainly to his travels and labors. Which were scattered abroad - See Acts 8:1. As far as Phenice -…”

“They who had been dispersed - St. Luke here resumes the thread of his narration, in the very words wherewith he broke it off, Act 8:6. As far as Phenicia to the north, Cyprus to the west, and Antioch to the east. Acts 11:20”

“11:19-26 The persecution that followed Stephen’s death forced believers into other areas (8:1-3), and they traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. • Antioch of Syria was a thriving cosmopolitan city, the third-largest in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. Antioch was of central importance in the spread of the Christian message to the Gentile world.”

“they: Act 8:1-4 Phenice: Act 15:3, Act 21:2 Cyprus: Act 4:36, Act 13:4, Act 15:39, Act 21:16 Antioch: Act 11:26, Act 15:22, Act 15:35 to none: Act 3:26, Act 13:46; Mat 10:6; Joh 7:35 Acts 11:20”