{Urged on} (par(9374)runan). First aorist (effective) active
of par-otrun(935c), old verb, but here alone in the N.T., to incite,
to stir up. The Jews were apparently not numerous in this city as
they had only one synagogue, but they had influence with people
of prominence, like "the devout women of honourable estate" (	as
sebomenas gunaikas tas eusch(886d)onas), the female proselytes of
high station, a late use of an old word used about Joseph of
Arimathea ( Mr 15:43 ). The rabbis went after these Gentile women
who had embraced Judaism (cf.  Ac 17:4  in Thessalonica) as Paul
had made an appeal to them. The prominence of women in public
life here at Antioch is quite in accord with what we know of
conditions in the cities of Asia Minor. "Thus women were
appointed under the empire as magistrates, as presidents of the
games, and even the Jews elected a woman as Archisynagogos, at
least in one instance at Smyrna" (Knowling). In Damascus Josephus
(_War_ II. 20, 21) says that a majority of the married women were
proselytes. Strabo (VIII. 2) and Juvenal (VI. 542) speak of the
addiction of women to the Jewish religion. {The chief men of the
city} (	ous pr(9374)ous t(8873) pole(9373)). Probably city officials (the
Duumviri, the Praetors, the First Ten in the Greek Cities of the
east) or other "foremost" men, not officials. The rabbis were
shrewd enough to reach these men (not proselytes) through the
women who were proselytes of distinction. {Stirred up a
persecution} (ep(8867)eiran di(9367)mon). First aorist active
indicative of epegeir(935c), old verb, but in the N.T. only here and
 14:2 . Paul seems to allude to this persecution in  2Ti 3:11 
"persecutions, sufferings, what things befell me at Antioch, at
Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured." Here Paul had
perils from his own countrymen and perils from the Gentiles after
the perils of rivers and perils of robbers on the way from Perga
( 2Co 11:26 ). He was thrice beaten with rods (	ris
erhabdisth(886e),  2Co 11:25 ) by Roman lictors in some Roman
colony. If that was here, then Paul and Barnabas were publicly
scourged by the lictors before they left. Probably the Jews
succeeded in making the Roman officials look on Paul and Barnabas
as disturbers of the public peace. So "they cast them out of
their borders" (exebalon autous apo t(936e) hori(936e) aut(936e)). Second
aorist active indicative of ekball(935c), forcible expulsion plainly
as public nuisances. Just a few days before they were the heroes
of the city and now!