And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
And a certain Jew named Apollos - a contraction from Apollonius (in which form the Cambridge manuscript writes it), as Silas from Silvanus, etc.
Born at Alexandria - the celebrated capital of lower Egypt, on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean; and called after its founder, Alexander the Great, who, three centuries before Christ, planned it out to be the metropolis of his western dominions. As a site for such a purpose it was magnificent; and such were its resources, that by degrees it rose to immense population and wealth. As might be expected, its population was a very mixed one. The Greek element predominated; but Jews were there in great numbers-Philo, who lived there near about this time, reckons them then at a million; native Egyptians also formed, of course, part of the population; and in addition to these there were representatives of almost every other nation. Nowhere was there such a fusion of Greek, Jewish, and Oriental peculiarities; and an intelligent Jew, educated in that city, could hardly fail to manifest all these elements in his mental character.
An eloquent man - turning his Alexandrian culture to high account as a speaker,
And mighty in the scriptures - his eloquence enabling him to express clearly, and enforce skillfully what, as a Jew, he had gathered from a diligent study of the Old Testament Scriptures. Lechler thinks it probable that, as an Alexandrian, he was indebted to the school of Philo both for his method of Scriptural interpretation and for his eloquence. But the Platonic character of Philo's school of Old Testament interpretation was so alien from anything which would have led to a humble reception of Christian truth, that we rather wonder at that excellent man and able critic making such a concession to the modern enemies of the truth; nor can we imagine Apollos to have had almost anything in common with that school, except its rooted faith in the supernatural foundation of the Jewish Religion and in the inspiration of the Scriptures, and a love of biblical interpretation.
Came to Ephesus - on what errand is not known; but probably to exercise his gifts in opening to his Jewish brethren the truths which he had received; perhaps, also, to inquire into the truth and character of those events which had gives so new a complexion to the doctrine of Christ since he received it, and of which he could hardly fail to have heard at least something.