John Gill Commentary Acts 1:13

"And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were abiding; both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James [the son] of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas [the son] of James." — Acts 1:13 (ASV)

Ver. 13 And when they were come in

"Into it", as the Arabic version reads; that is, into the city of Jerusalem, and into some house in that city; but what house it was is needless to inquire, since it cannot be known. Some think it was the house of John the Evangelist, where he had taken Mary the mother of our Lord, (John 19:27) which is not improbable: others, that it was the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where the disciples met for prayer when Peter was imprisoned, (Acts 12:12) others, that it was the house of Simon the leper; but his house was not at Jerusalem, but in Bethany, (Matthew 26:6) .

Some have thought it was the house of Nicodemus, or of Joseph of Arimathea; but after all it seems most likely, that it was not any private house, but the temple into which the disciples immediately went, and where they continued; see (Luke 24:52Luke 24:53) and (Acts 2:46) .

they went up into an upper room

which, if in a private house, they might choose for retirement and secrecy; and might be the same in which they had eaten the passover; and so a Syriac scholiast, in manuscript, on the place, says it was the same. It was usual to meet in upper rooms for devotion and religious conversation; (See Gill on Mark 2:4) though this upper room might be one of the chambers in the temple; for not only from the scriptural account of the temple, there were chambers round about it, and upper chambers; see (1 Kings 6:5) (1 Chronicles 28:11) (2 Chronicles 3:9) and one of these is called the chamber of Gemariah, in which Baruch read the prophecies of Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 36:10) .

but also from the Jewish writings, in which frequent mention is made of the chamber Palhedrin, where the high priest was brought seven days before the day of atonement ^F3 ; and the chamber of the counsellors ^F4 ; and the chamber Gazith, where the sanhedrim sat; and the chamber of the house of Abtines ^F5 ; and the chamber of wood; and the chamber of the lepers; and the chamber of the house of oil {f}; and the chamber of salt; and the chamber of Parvah; and the chamber of those who wash, besides others ^F7 .

And into a chamber, or upper room in the temple they might be admitted by Joses Barnabas, a Levite, one of their own company, (Acts 4:36) who might have the care of it, as they are said to be continually in the temple, (Luke 24:53) .

Where abode both Peter, and James, and John

The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read, "Peter, and John, and James"; and so the Alexandrian copy. These were the three favourite disciples of Christ, and are often mentioned together, as here first.

and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew

The Syriac and Ethiopic versions put Matthew before Bartholomew.

James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas, the brother
of James

all the Oriental versions read, "Judas the son of James". Of the names of the apostles, (See Gill on Matthew 10:2), (See Gill on Matthew 10:3), (See Gill on Matthew 10:4). They are all here mentioned but Judas the betrayer, who was dead, to show, that though one had disbelieved the resurrection of Christ, another had denied him, and all of them had forsaken him, and fled, yet they were gathered together again, and were firm and steadfast in the faith of Christ, waiting for the pouring forth of the Spirit.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F3: Misn. Yoma, c. 1. sect. 1.
• F4: T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 8. 2.
• F5: Ib. fol. 19. 1.
• F7: Ib. c. 5. sect. 2, 3.