Acts 5:40

“And to him they agreed, etc.] They were convinced and persuaded by his reasonings, approved of his advice, and agreed to follow it: and when they had called the apostles; into the council again, having sent their servants for them, or ordered them to be brought in: and beaten them; or scourged and whipped them with forty stripes save one, whereby was fulfilled what Christ had foretold, (<401017>Matthew 10:17) they commanded they should not speak in the name of Jesus; as they had strictly commanded them before, (<440418>Acts 4:18). Perhaps both in this, as well as in bearing the apostles, they did not closely attend to Gamaliel’s counsel, who advised them to keep their hands off of them, and…”

“beaten them--for disobeying their orders (compare Luk 23:16).”

“And to him they agreed - Greek: They were “persuaded” by him; or they trusted to him. They agreed only so far as their design of putting them to death was concerned. They abandoned that design. But they did “not” comply with his advice to let them entirely alone. And beaten them - The usual amount of “lashes” which were inflicted on offenders was 39, 2 Corinthians 11:24. “Beating,” or “whipping,” was a common mode of punishing minor offences among the Jews. It was expressly foretold by the Saviour that the apostles would be subjected to this, Matthew 10:17. The reason why they did not adopt the advice of Gamaliel altogether doubtless was, that if they did, they feared that their “authority”…”

“when: Act 4:18 beaten: Pro 12:10; Mat 10:17, Mat 23:34; Mar 13:9; Luk 20:10; Joh 19:1-4; Co2 11:24 they commanded: Act 5:28, Act 4:17-21; Isa 30:10; Amo 2:12; Mic 2:6 Acts 5:41”