And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

And they stirred up the people, and the ancients, and the scribes; and running together, they took him, and brought him to the council.

And they roused the people, and the elders, and the scribes. And coming upon him they seized him and brought him to the council.

They did stir up also the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and having come upon him, they caught him, and brought him to the sanhedrim;

In this way they excited the people, the Elders, and the Scribes. At length they came upon him, seized him with violence, and took him before the Sanhedrin.

And the people, with the rulers and the scribes, were moved against him, and they came and took him before the Sanhedrin,

And thus did they stir up the people and the elders and the scribes. And hurrying together, they seized him and brought him to the council.

and they stirred up the people, as well as the elders and the teachers of the Law, and set on Stephen, and arrested him, and brought him before the High Council.

Being overcome with the power of the Spirit, they give over disputing, but they prepare false witnesses, that with false and slanderous reports, they may oppress him; whereby it appeareth that they did strive with an evil conscience. For what can be more unmeet than in their cause to lean unto lies? [1] Admit he were a wicked man, and guilty, yet he must not have false witness borne against him. [2] But hypocrites, which shroud themselves under zeal, do carelessly grant themselves leave to do that. We see how the Papists at this day corrupt manifest places of Scripture, and that wittingly, whilst that they will falsely wrest testimonies against us. I confess, indeed, that they offend for the most part through ignorance; yet can we find none of them which doth not grant himself liberty to corrupt both the sense and also the words of the Scripture, that they may bring our doctrine into contempt; [3] yea, they slander us monstrously even in the pulpit. If you ask these Rabbins, whether it be lawful to slander a man or no, they will deny that it is lawful generally; but when they come unto us, good zeal doth excuse them, because they think that nothing is unlawful which may burden us or our cause; therefore they flatter themselves in lying, falsehood, and dogged impudence. Such hypocrisy did also blind them of whom Luke speaketh in this place, which used false witness to put Stephen to death; for when Satan reigneth, he doth not only prick forward the reprobate unto cruelty, but also blind their eyes, so that they think that they may do whatsoever they will. We are specially taught by this example, how dangerous the color of good zeal is, unless it be governed by the Spirit of God; for it breaketh out always into furious madness, and, in the mean season, it is a marvelous visor to cover all manner of wickedness.

Footnotes

1 - "Quam in mendaciis causae suae praesidium constituere," than to place the defense of their cause in lies.

2 - "Non tamen falsis testimoniis est oppremendus," he ought not to be borne down with false testimony.

3 - "Ut doctrinam nostram reddant odiosam," that they may bring odium on our doctrine.

And they stirred up the people - They "excited" the people, or alarmed their fears, as had been done before when they sought to put the Lord Jesus to death, Matthew 27:20.
The elders - The members of the Sanhedrin, or Great Council.
Scribes - See the notes on Matthew 2:4.
To the council - To the Sanhedrin, or the Great Council of the nation, which claimed jurisdiction in the matters of religion. See the notes on Matthew 2:4.

And they - The Libertines, etc., mentioned before, stirred up the people - raised a mob against him, and, to assist and countenance the mob, got the elders and scribes to conduct it, who thus made themselves one with the basest of the people, whom they collected; and then, altogether, without law or form of justice, rushed on the good man, seized him, and brought him to a council who, though they sat in the seat of judgment, were ready for every evil work.

(9) And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon [him], and caught him, and brought [him] to the council,
(9) The first bloody persecution of the Church of Christ, began and sprang from a council of priests, by the suggestion of the university teachers.

And they stirred up the people,.... The common people, who were easily wrought upon, and soon incensed and provoked, when at any time it was suggested to them that the rituals and ceremonies of the law of Moses were treated with any neglect or contempt; see Acts 21:27.
And the elders and the Scribes; who belonged to the sanhedrim, to whom they reported these things, as persons, under whose cognizance they properly came:
and came upon him; at an unawares, and in an hostile way:
and caught him; seized him with violence:
and brought him to the council; the great sanhedrim, then sitting at Jerusalem, to whom it belonged to judge of blasphemy.

They stirred up the people. By their misrepresentations. Thus far the gospel seemed to enjoy great popular favor. It was needful to arouse their hostility. This could be done by perversion of what was preached. The Pharisees, apparently neutral since Pentecost until now, were aroused by Stephen's attack on legalism.
The elders, and the scribes. See notes on Acts 4:5.
Brought him to the council. The Sanhedrim.