Acts 5:34
Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
Then stood there up one in the council,.... Or "in the sanhedrim", which the high priest had called together; this phrase is left out in the Syriac version: yet certain it is, that the great council was now assembled, and the disciples were now before them, and this man, who was one of the members of it, stood up in it; for it seems to have been the custom, that though they usually sat, yet when anyone had anything to say, or made a speech, he rose up from his seat.
a Pharisee named Gamaliel; he is described by his sect of religion, a Pharisee; of which, See Gill on "Matthew 3:7" and by his name Gamaliel: he was the son of Rabban Simeon, the son of Hillell the great; which Simeon is, by some, thought to be the same that took Christ into his arms, Luke 2:25 and this Gamaliel was also the master of the Apostle Paul, Acts 22:3. This was a very ancient name in Israel; the prince of the children of Manasseh, that offered at the dedication of the tabernacle, was of this name, Numbers 7:54 and perhaps this man might be of the same tribe. He is further described by his profession,
a doctor of law; he was one of the Misnic doctors, one of the fathers of tradition, that received the oral law from those before him, and handed it down to others; and was the five and thirtieth of this sort, as the Jews say {t}, from the giving of the law at Mount Sinai; or, as others {u}, the thirty first:
had in reputation among all the people; and therefore his advice was the more likely to take place, without giving offence, or exposing to danger, seeing he was highly esteemed, not only in the sanhedrim, but among the common people; and that not only because he was a Pharisee, and a very strict one, the glory of that sect, insomuch that it is said {w}, that
"when he died, the glory of the law ceased, and purity and pharisaism died;''
but because of his years, dignity, and place also; he is called commonly Gamaliel, Nqzh, "the elder", because he lived to a great age {x}. He died eighteen years before the destruction of Jerusalem {y}, and was had in veneration to the last. It is said of him {z}, that
"he ordered, before his death, that they should carry him to his grave in linen; for before this time they used to carry out the dead in silk; and this was more grievous to his relations than his death itself;''
because they thought he was not interred honourably enough. And it is also reported, that Onkelos, the proselyte, at his death, burnt as much for him in goods and spices, as came to seventy Tyrian pounds {a}. He was also commonly called by the name of Rabban, which was a more honourable title than that of Rabbi or Rab; and his father Simeon was the first that had it {b}; and he was now president of the sanhedrim: and hence he used that authority which is expressed in the next words,
and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; he ordered the apostles to be put out of the sanhedrim for a little while, that they might not hear what he had to say, and take encouragement from it; and that he might more freely speak his mind without giving them any countenance. The Alexandrian copy reads, "the men", instead of "the apostles"; and so the Vulgate Latin version.
{t} Ganz Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 25. 2.
{u} Juchasin, fol. 20. 1.
{w} Misn. Sota, c. 9. sect. 15.
{x} Juchasin, fol. 53. 1.
{y} Ganz. ut supra. (Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 25. 2.)
{z} Ib.
{a} T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 11. 1.
{b} Ganz. ib. col. 1.