For I am with you, and no man shall set on you to hurt you: for I have much people in this city.
I am.
Exodus 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
Joshua 1:5,9 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee…
Judges 2:18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
and no.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 15:20,21 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD…
Matthew 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
for.
Acts 15:14,18 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name…
John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
John 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
and no one will lay a hand on you
This promise of protection is significant given the opposition Paul faced in his ministry. In Corinth, Paul encountered resistance from both Jews and Gentiles. The phrase suggests divine intervention to prevent harm, similar to God's protection of His prophets in the Old Testament, such as Elijah and Jeremiah. It reassures Paul that his mission will not be thwarted by human opposition, aligning with the biblical theme that God's purposes cannot be hindered by man (Isaiah 54:17).
because I have many people in this city.
This statement reveals God's sovereign knowledge and plan, indicating that there are individuals in Corinth who are destined to become believers. It highlights the concept of God's elect, as seen in passages like John 10:16 and Romans 8:29-30. The phrase also underscores the importance of evangelism and the spread of the Gospel, as Paul is encouraged to continue his work knowing that God has prepared hearts to receive the message. Corinth, a major trade city, was strategically significant for the spread of Christianity, and this assurance would have motivated Paul to persevere in his mission.
- The Lord speaks directly to Paul during a difficult season in Corinth, echoing His enduring promise of personal presence (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).
- God’s nearness is more than sentimental; it is an active partnership. Just as the Lord stood by Paul later in prison (2 Timothy 4:17), He assures a continual, empowering companionship right now.
- The statement reminds every believer that ministry never rests on human strength alone; God Himself stands alongside those who proclaim His gospel (Isaiah 41:10).
- This is a concrete pledge of physical protection for Paul’s specific assignment in Corinth. Similar safeguards appear when the Lord told Jeremiah, “They will fight against you but will not overcome you” (Jeremiah 1:19).
- Protection doesn’t mean absence of opposition; it means limits on what the enemy can do (Job 1:12). In Paul’s case, accusations would rise (Acts 18:12-17), yet the Lord’s word proved true: the riot could not harm him.
- The promise encourages believers that God sets boundaries around adversaries, allowing nothing outside His sovereign plan (Psalm 91:9-11).
- “Many people” refers to those whom God has chosen and will call to salvation (John 10:16; 2 Timothy 2:10). Though unseen, they are already His.
- Paul can preach boldly knowing a harvest is guaranteed. The same confidence drove his continued witness in Corinth for eighteen months (Acts 18:11).
- This reveals God’s heart for urban centers and reassures us that even hostile environments contain ready listeners (Jonah 4:11; Acts 8:6-8).
Acts 18:10 folds three promises into one sentence: God’s presence, God’s protection, and God’s prepared people. With these assurances, Paul—and every believer—can serve courageously, knowing the Lord is near, the enemy is restrained, and the gospel will bear fruit.
(10) For I am with thee.--The command was followed by a promise which met the special trial of the time. Men might be against him, but Christ was with him. The general promise given to the Church at large, "Lo! I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20), received a personal application, "I am with thee;" and though called to a life of suffering, there was for the time an assurance that the wrath of men should be restrained, and that his work should not be hindered.I have much people in this city.--The words remind us once more of those which Elijah had heard at a moment of like weakness, "Yet have I left me seven thousand men in Israel" (1Kings 19:18). Even in the sinful streets of Corinth, among those plunged deepest into its sin (1Corinthians 5:10-11), there were souls yearning for deliverance, in whom conscience was not dead, and was waiting only for the call to repentance.
Verse 10. - Harm for hurt, A.V. I have much people, etc. We may infer from this intimation from him who "knoweth them that are his," which led to St. Paul staying on at Corinth upwards of a year and six months (ver. 11), that the shortness of his stay at Athens was because the Lord had not much people there. For the encouraging promise of protection in the midst of danger given to St. Paul by Christ in this vision, comp. Jeremiah 1:17-19.