John Gill Commentary Acts 13:4

"So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." — Acts 13:4 (ASV)

So they being sent forth of the Holy Ghost
This is said, lest it should be thought they were sent by men; it was the Holy Ghost that moved the prophets at Antioch to separate them from them, and to send them away; and who inclined their minds to go, and directed them what course to steer: and accordingly they

departed to Seleucia ;
which was a city of Syria, called by Pliny, Seleucia Pieria ^F4 ; it had its name from Seleucus Nicanor, king of Egypt, who was the builder of it: it was not far from Antioch, it is said to be twenty four miles from it; it is the first city of Syria from Cilicia, and was situated at the mouth of the river Orontes; wherefore Saul and Barnabas made no stay here; and it seems that their coming hither was only in order to take shipping for the island of Cyprus; for Seleucia was upon the sea coast, as appears from:

``King Ptolemee therefore, having gotten the dominion of the cities by the sea unto Seleucia upon the sea coast, imagined wicked counsels against Alexander.'' and was the proper place to set sail from to Cyprus. So we read of Apollonius Tyaneus and his companions <sup>F5</sup> , that ``they went down to the sea by Seleucia, where having got a ship, "they sailed to Cyprus:" and so it follows here,'' and from thence they sailed to Cyprus ;
an island in the Mediterranean sea, the native country of Barnabas, (Acts 4:36) (See Gill on Acts 4:36)

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FOOTNOTES:

• F4: L. 5. c. 12, 21.
• F5: Philostrat. Vita Apollon. l. 3. c. 16.