John Gill Commentary Acts 18:24

"Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the scriptures." — Acts 18:24 (ASV)

And a certain Jew named Apollos
Who by some is thought to be the same with Apelles, (Romans 16:10), his name is Greek, though he was a Jew, not only by religion, but by birth, being of a Jewish extract:

born at Alexandria ;
in Egypt, which was built by Alexander the great, from where it had its name; it was the metropolis of Egypt, and the seat of the kings of it; great numbers of Jews were in this place; here lived Philo the famous Jew:

an eloquent man ;
in speech, as well as learned, wise, and "prudent", as the Ethiopic version renders it:

and mighty in the Scriptures ;
of the Old Testament, particularly in the prophecies of them concerning the Messiah; he had thoroughly read them, and carefully examined them, and could readily cite them; as well as had great knowledge of them, and was capable of explaining them; he was "skilful in the Scriptures", as the Syriac version renders it; or he "knew" them, as the Ethiopic; he had large acquaintance with them, and was well versed in them: it is a Jewish way of speaking; so Ahithophel is said to be (hrwtb rwbg) , "mighty in the law" ^F4 ; the same is said of the sons of Reuben ^F5 :

this man came to Ephesus; after the departure of the Apostle Paul, and while Aquila and Priscilla were there; the reason of his coming here was to preach the word, as he did.

---

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: T. Hieros. Sanhedrin, fol. 29. 1.
• F5: Tzeror Hammor, fol. 60. 1.