Acts 6:9

“Then there arose certain of the synagogue, etc.] Being filled with indignation at the doctrine of Stephen, and with envy at his miracles, they rose up in great wrath, and warmly opposed him: and they be longed to that synagogue which is called the synagogue of the libertines; or free men: it is a Roman name, and signifies the sons of free men; and these were either the sons of such Jews, who of servants, or slaves, had been made µyrrjwçm, “free men”; or rather such Jews whose parents were born free, or had obtained their freedom at Rome, or in some free city under the Roman government, as Paul at Tarsus; since it is not so easy to account for it, that there should be a peculiar synagogue for…”

“synagogue of the Libertines--Jewish freedmen; manumitted Roman captives, or the children of such, expelled from Rome (as appears from JOSEPHUS and TACITUS), and now residing at Jerusalem. Cyrenians--Jews of Cyrene, in Libya, on the coast of Africa. them of Cilicia--amongst whom may have been Saul of Tarsus (Act 7:58; Act 21:39). and of Asia--(See on Act 16:6).”

“Then there arose - That is, they stood up against him, or they opposed him. Of the synagogue - See the notes on Matthew 4:23. The Jews were scattered in all parts of the world. In every place they would have synagogues. But it is also probable that there would be enough foreign Jews residing at Jerusalem from each of those places to maintain the worship of the synagogue; and at the great feasts, those synagogues adapted to Jewish people of different nations would be attended by those who came up to attend the great feasts. It is certain that there was a large number of synagogues in Jerusalem. The common estimate is, that there were four hundred and eighty in the city (Lightfoot; Vitringa).…”

“There arose certain of the synagogue which is called - It was one and the same synagogue which consisted of these several nations. Saul of Cilicia was doubtless a member of it; whence it is not at all improbable, that Gamaliel presided over it. Libertines - So they were styled, whose fathers were once slaves, and afterward made free. This was the ease of many Jews who had been taken captive by the Romans. Acts 6:14”

“there: Act 13:45, Act 17:17, Act 17:18 the synagogue: Act 22:19, Act 26:11; Mat 10:17, Mat 23:34; Mar 13:9; Luk 21:12 Cyrenians: Act 2:10, Act 11:20, Act 13:1; Mat 27:32 Alexandrians: Act 18:24, Act 27:6 Cilicia: Act 15:23, Act 15:41, Act 21:39, Act 22:3, Act 23:34, Act 27:5; Gal 1:21 Asia: Act 2:9, Act 16:6, Act 19:10, Act 19:26, Act 21:27 disputing: Co1 1:20 Acts 6:10”