Acts 22:3 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

At the feet; the apostle alludes unto the posture that the disciples of any rabbi, or teacher, in those times did use; the master sitting in some high or elevated place, did teach his scholars, who sat at his feet on the ground; and as they grew in knowledge, were advanced to sit nearer to their master: Deuteronomy 33:3. Abraham is thus said to be called to God's foot, Isaiah 41:2; and Mary sat at our Saviour's feet, Luke 10:39. Of Gamaliel; the same Gamaliel who made that moderating speech in the apostle's behalf, Acts 5:34. The perfect manner of the law; this perfect manner of the law is Pharisaism, in which the apostle was brought up, and before his conversion made a profession of, Philippians 3:5. Not that the apostle reckoned upon any perfection in this profession; but because, as Acts 26:5, it was the most strait sect of their religion, observing a great deal of punctuality and accurateness, making what they called a hedge about the law. Of the fathers; not observing only the law, which was given by God to their fathers by the hand of Moses; but the traditions of their fathers he was exceeding zealous in; as Galatians 1:14. Zealous toward God; or, as some copies read, zealous toward the law; both in the same sense. His zeal for the law was sincere, not out of by-ends, but out of his love to God, though it was not according to knowledge, Romans 10:2. It was truly according unto what he knew or believed, but it was not according to true knowledge.

Acts 22:3

3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.