"which" Lewin comments "indicates a private residence; and accordingly after this

mention is made of the xenia (verse 23), and again of idion misthoma, which express only

what had before been less precisely expressed". Further there is no "house" mentioned,

but merely a suite of apartments; see Wetstein on Acts 28: 30.

It will be seen that the attempt to "prove" from the words "in his own hired house"

that Paul was no longer a prisoner is invalid, dwelling by himself (Acts 28: 16, 23) as

The second ground of objection is the word translated "no man forbidding him", the

Greek akolutos. It is amazing that a writer, who in the examination of the Greek terms

used, shows such acumen and industry, should have passed over in silence, the way in

which this term "unhindered" is used. We do not imply by this remark that this silence

was willful. Alas we are only too conscious that we all have our "blind spots".

The following extract from The Alphabetical Analysis page 35/36 will show that

"unhindered" has no bearing upon whether Paul was or was not a prisoner at the time, but

that it indicates that with the dismissal of Israel, the hindrance offered by the people to

the preaching to the Gentiles had ceased.

During Paul's early ministry, the Jew had consistently opposed the preaching of the

gospel to the Gentiles, and this, said the Apostle, was their climax sin.

They "killed the Lord Jesus" but forgiveness was given and a new opportunity to

believe and repent was granted. They had earlier "killed their own prophets" and had

more recently "persecuted" the Apostle and his helpers "forbidding us to speak to the

Gentiles that they might be saved", reaching however a climax "TO FILL UP their sins

alway; for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost" (I Thess. 2: 15, 16).

"To the bitter end", reads Moffatt. "In its severest form", reads Weymouth. The same

word "forbidding" found in I Thess. 2: 16 is the word used of Paul, "no man forbidding

him"--Israel the opposer had gone. They had filled up their measure of sin to the brim,

and the very Gentiles that they had "forbidden" now entered into blessings hitherto

unrevealed (See THREE SPHERES OF BLESSING).

Peter's ministry in the Acts concluded with the words "forbidding" and "withstand",

both translations of the Greek word koluo. Paul's ministry concludes with the words "no

man forbidding" (Acts 28: 31) where the Greek word is akolutos. Peter maintained

this attitude up to the tenth chapter of the Acts, he would have "forbidden" both

Cornelius and God, for the word "withstand" in Acts 11: 17 is koluo.

The upshot of this work at Caesarea was that even Peter was called upon to give an

account of himself.