{Stopped their ears} (suneschon ta (9374)a aut(936e)). Second
aorist active of sunech(935c), to hold together. They held their
ears together with their hands and affected to believe Stephen
guilty of blasphemy (cf.  Mt 26:65 ). {Rushed upon him with one
accord} (h(9372)m(8873)an homothumadon ep' auton). Ingressive aorist
active indicative of horma(935c), to rush impetuously as the hogs
did down the cliff when the demons entered them ( Lu 8:33 ). No
vote was taken by the Sanhedrin. No scruple was raised about not
having the right to put him to death ( Joh 8:31 ). It may have
taken place after Pilate's recall and before his successor came
or Pilate, if there, just connived at such an incident that did
not concern Rome. At any rate it was mob violence like modern
lynching that took the law into the hands of the Sanhedrin
without further formalities. {Out of the city} (ek t(8873) pole(9373)).
To keep from defiling the place with blood. But they sought to
kill Paul as soon as they got him out of the temple area ( Ac
21:30f. ). {Stoned} (elithoboloun). Imperfect active indicative
of lithobole(935c), began to stone, from lithobolos (lithos,
stone, all(935c), to throw), late Greek verb, several times in the
N.T. as  Lu 13:34 . Stoning was the Jewish punishment for
blasphemy ( Le 24:14-16 ). {The witnesses} (hoi martures). The
false testifiers against Stephen suborned by the Pharisees ( Ac
6:11,13 ). These witnesses had the privilege of casting the first
stones ( De 13:10  17:7 ) against the first witness for Christ
with death (_martyr_ in our modern sense of the word). {At the
feet of a young man named Saul} (para tous podas neaniou
kaloumenou Saulou). Beside (para) the feet. Our first
introduction to the man who became the greatest of all followers
of Jesus Christ. Evidently he was not one of the "witnesses"
against Stephen, for he was throwing no stones at him. But
evidently he was already a leader in the group of Pharisees. We
know from later hints from Saul (Paul) himself that he had been a
pupil of Gamaliel ( Ac 22:3 ). Gamaliel, as the Pharisaic leader
in the Sanhedrin, was probably on hand to hear the accusations
against Stephen by the Pharisees. But, if so, he does not raise
his voice against this mob violence. Saul does not seem to be
aware that he is going contrary to the views of his master,
though pupils often go further than their teachers.