Acts 1:13

An upper room (τὸ ὑπερῷον) With the article, denoting some well-known place of resort. It was the name given to the room directly under the flat roof. Such rooms were often set apart as halls for meetings. In such an apartment Paul delivered his farewell address at Troas (Acts 20:8), and the body of Dorcas was laid (Acts 9:37). Used by Luke only. Abode (ἦσαν καταμένοντες) The participle and finite verb, denoting continuance or habitual residence. Hence more correctly, as Rev., "where they were abiding."

Acts 1:13-14 . When they were come, they went up into an upper room — Where they usually held their meetings. The upper rooms, so frequently mentioned in Scripture, were chambers in the highest part of the houses, set apart by the Jews for private prayer. These, on account of their being so retired and convenient, the apostles now used for all the offices of religion. Here all the eleven were assembled, who all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication — And that with great intenseness and ardour of soul; with the women — Who were formerly mentioned as attending the cross of their Lord, and being early at the sepulchre on the day in which he arose; and Mary the mother of Jesus — Mentioned here the last time in the Scriptures; and with his brethren — His near kinsmen, who for some time did not believe; probably not till near, or even after, the time of his death.

And when they were come in , to the city, and to the house, they went up into an upper room; the same probably where they had kept the passover, and partook of the Lord’s supper; howsoever, for its largeness capable to receive so many. Peter, as elder, and first called to the apostleship, is generally first named; and here especially his name is put first, and their names are repeated, to show, that though they fell in forsaking of Christ, they did rise again in professing of him; and that, notwithstanding their apostasy, they were continued after their recovery in their former office and dignity.

Acts 1:13 . Ὑπερῷον ) So the LXX. render עליה ; Gregory says, “ ὑπερῶα in the Scriptures were places in that part of the house which was farthest removed from the ground, set apart by the Jews for private prayer, looking towards the temple of Solomon or its site; which, on account of their consecration and suitable privacy, were used by the apostles for Christian purposes.”—Obs. ch. 3, where he describes at large ὑπερῷα .— Πέτρος , Peter) Construe this, etc., with ἀνέβησαν .[3] As to the order of the apostles, see on Matthew 10:2 .[4] The article is added to Peter, rather than to the rest, as he was the foremost, ch. Acts 3:11 , Acts 4:13 ; Acts 4:19 , Acts 8:14 ; although not always so, ch. Acts 3:4 . By means of these few and despised men, without any other human helps, Christ brought the world to the obedience of the faith. [3] Not with ἦσαν καταμένοντες , as Engl. Vers. The commas should be after εἰσῆλθον , and after καταμένοντες , “when they were come in, Peter, etc., went up into an upper room, where they were abiding, or staying.”—E. and T. [4] Thomas is in this list put above Bartholomew, below whom he is placed in Matthew, Mark, and Luke; also above Matthew, below whom he is placed in Mark and Luke. In Matthew, owing to the modesty of the Evangelist, Thomas is put before Matthew.

{5} And when they were {i} come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. (5) Ecclesiastical assemblies to hear the word, and to make common prayer, were first instituted and kept in private houses by the Apostles. (i) They went into the house which the Church had chosen at that time to be a gathering place for the whole assembly.

Verse 13. - The upper chamber for an upper room , A.V.; where they were abiding for where abode , A.V.; son of James for brother of James , A.V. The upper chamber ; perhaps the same room where they had eaten the Passover with Christ ( Luke 22:12 ); but this is very uncertain, though affirmed by Epiphanius, and by Nicephorus, who further relates that the very house in which the upper chamber was built into the back part of the temple which the Empress Helena erected on Mount Sion. The word here is ὑπερῷον , there it is ἀνώγεον . The ὑπερῷον (Hebrew עֲליּהָ , 2 Kings 4:10, 11 ) was the room immediately under the roof; the ἀνώγεον was synonymous. Where they were abiding. A slight change in the order of the words, as adopted in the text of the R.V., makes Peter and the other apostles the nominative case to the verb "went up," instead of, as in the A.V., to "abode." In regard to the list of the apostles which follows, it may be noticed first, that it is identical with that of Luke 6:14-16 , except in the omission of Judas Iscariot and the order in which the apostles are named. The order in Luke seems to have followed that of natural birth and association. The brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John, are classed together; Philip and Bartholomew, or Nathanael, go together, and so on.

But in this list John follows Peter, his close companion in missionary work ( Acts 3:1 , etc.; Acts 4:12; 8:14); James follows instead of preceding John; and others are classed somewhat differently, for reasons probably analogous, but which we know not. Of the other lists that in Mark 3:16-19 agrees most nearly with that before us. In all, Simon Peter stands first. The Jude of Luke 6:16 (comp. Jude 1:1 ) and Acts 1:13 is called Thaddaeus in Matthew 10:3 (" Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddaeus," A.V.) and in Mark 3:18 ; but no doubt the persons are the same. In all the lists Philip stands fifth. In three Bartholomew is sixth, while in the list in Acts his being named after Thomas makes him seventh. In all the lists James the son of Alphaeus is ninth, and Judas Iscariot the last, except in the Acts, where he is not named, being already dead. The underwritten columns give the four lists in one view: - Matthew 10:2-5 1. Simon Peter 2. Andrew 3. James 4. John 5. Phillip 6. Bartholomew 7. Thomas 8. Matthew 9. James son of Alphaeus 10. Thaddaeus 11. Simon the Cananaean 12. Judas Iscariot Mark 3:16-19 1. Simon Peter 2. James 3. John 4. Andrew 5. Philip 6. Bartholomew 7. Matthew 8. Thomas 9. James son of Alphaeus 10. Thaddaeus 11. Simon the Cananaean 12. Judas Iscariot Luke 6:14-16 1. Simon Peter 2. Andrew 3. James 4. John 5. Philip 6. Bartholomew 7. Matthew 8. Thomas 9. James son of Alphaeus 10. Simon the Zealot 11. Judas, the son, or brother, of James 12. Judas Iscariot Acts 1:13 1

13 . And when they were come in ] i.e. into the city, from the open country where the Ascension had taken place. they went up into an [ the ] upper room ] Probably the upper room which has been mentioned before ( Mark 14:15 ; Luke 22:12 ) as used by our Lord and His disciples for the passover feast. The Greek word in the Gospels is not the same as here, but in both cases it is evident that it was some room which could be spared by the occupiers and which was let or lent to the Galilæan band and their followers. The next words indicate die temporary occupancy, and would be better rendered where they were abiding, namely Peter , &c. The eleven were the tenants of the upper room, to which the other disciples resorted for conference and communion. Peter , &c.] The names of the Apostles are again given, though they had been recorded for Theophilus in “the former treatise” ( Luke 6:14-16 ), perhaps because it seemed fitting that the names of those who are now to be the leaders of the new teaching should be recited at the outset, that each one may be known to have taken his share in the labour, though it will not fall within the plan of the writer to give a notice of their several works; and secondly, as all the twelve had fled before the Crucifixion, this enumeration of them as again at their post, may shew that there had been in all of them, except Judas, only weakness of the flesh, and not unwillingness of the spirit.

It may be noticed that, whereas in the list of Apostles given in St Luke’s Gospel the name of Andrew stands second in the first group of four and next after Peter, in this repeated list Andrew is placed fourth. The history gives no reason for this change, but we see in the Gospels, when important events occurred in Christ’s ministry, such as the raising of the daughter of Jaïrus, the Transfiguration, and the Agony in Gethsemane, that the three disciples chosen to be present with Jesus are Peter, James and John, but not Andrew. Whatever may have been the reason for such an omission, the fact may in some degree explain the altered position of Andrew’s name in the list of the twelve. It appears no more in Holy Writ. The order of the next group of four differs from their arrangement in the Gospel, but as none of them are mentioned after this verse there is nothing to explain the variation in order. In the next group the A. V. is inconsistent in rendering James the son of Alphæus, and afterwards a like construction by Judas the brother of James. It is more common to find this dependent genitive in descriptions of a son, though the relationship of brother to brother is found so indicated. Judas is called the brother of James here because it is assumed that he is the same person as the author of the Epistle of St Jude, who (Judges 1) calls himself brother of James.