Acts Chapter 15 verse 23 Holy Bible
and they wrote `thus' by them, The apostles and the elders, brethren, unto the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting:
read chapter 15 in ASV
And they sent a letter by them, saying, The Apostles and the older brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, may joy be with you:
read chapter 15 in BBE
having by their hand written [thus]: The apostles, and the elders, and the brethren, to the brethren who are from among [the] nations at Antioch, and [in] Syria and Cilicia, greeting:
read chapter 15 in DARBY
And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.
read chapter 15 in KJV
read chapter 15 in WBT
They wrote these things by their hand: "The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.
read chapter 15 in WEB
having written through their hand thus: `The apostles, and the elders, and the brethren, to those in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia, brethren, who `are' of the nations, greeting;
read chapter 15 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 23. - Wrote thus by them for wrote letters by them after this manner, A.V.; the elder brethren for elders and brethren, A.V.; unto... greeting for send greeting unto, etc., A.V., as Acts 23:26. The elder brethren, etc. The grammar of the sentence is irregular, as there is nothing for γράψαντες to agree with. But "the elder brethren" is a phrase unknown to the Scriptures, and it is much more in accordance with the feeling of the times that "the brethren," i.e. the whole Church, should be included in the salutation. Greeting. It is remarkable that the only other place in the New Testament where this Greek salutation occurs is James 1:1.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(23) And they wrote letters by them.--Literally, wrote letters by their hands. What follows, unless we assume a deliberate fraud, is clearly the transcript of a document--the first in the long list of decrees and canons and encyclical letters which mark the Church's history.The apostles and elders and brethren.--The MSS. present a singular variation of readings, some of the earliest omitting the conjunction and article before the last noun, and giving "the Apostles and elders, brethren." Such a mode of speech, however, is foreign to the usage of the New Testament, and it is probable that this reading originated in a desire to bring the text into harmony with the later practice of the Church, which excluded the laity from all participation in its synods. (See Note on Acts 15:22.)Send greeting.--Literally, wish joy. The formula was common in Greek epistles, but is not used in the New Testament, except here and in James 1:1. As it is reasonable to suppose that this letter was written or dictated by him, its occurrence is prima facie evidence of the authorship of the Epistle that bears his name, and which, on the view taken in these Notes, had been already written to the Church of the Circumcision.Unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles.--The letter was therefore addressed to them exclusively (see Note on Acts 15:20), as the Epistle of St. James had probably been previously addressed to the Jews of the "dispersion," and not to the Gentiles.In Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.--The mention of the latter country is important as showing the extent of St. Paul's work there prior to his joining Barnabas at Antioch (Acts 11:25). There also he had founded churches in which Gentile converts were admitted as such to full communion. . . .
