Acts 9:43

And it came to pass ,.... Or so it was;

that he tarried many days in Joppa ; conversing with the saints, confirming the disciples, and preaching the Gospel, to the conversion of sinners; and his abode

was with one Simon a tanner ; it seems as if persons of this trade used to dwell in towns near the sea, as fit for their business; so we read of some at Sidon, a city on the sea coast, as Joppa was;

"it happened at Sidon that a certain בורסי , "tanner", (the same word here used, adopted into the Hebrew language,) died, and he had a brother a tanner, &c.; F18 Misn. Cetubot, c. 7. sect. 10. '

where the Gemara F19 T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 77. 1. distinguishes between a great tanner and a little tanner; the latter, the gloss says, is one that is poor and has but few skins: which of these Simon was, cannot be said. This business was very contemptible with the Jews; they say F20 T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 82. 2. & Bava Bathra, fol. 16. 2. ,

"woe to him whose trade is a tanner:'

and further observe F21 Kiddush, fol. 82. 1. that they never make one a king, nor a high priest: but their doctors many of them were of as mean trades, as shoemakers, skinners, &c.; See Gill on Mark 6:3 and Simon the Athenian philosopher was σκυτοτομος "a leather cutter" F23 Laert. in Vit. Simon. ; and according to the Ethiopic version, this our Simon was a shoemaker; with him Peter chose to abide, and not with Dorcas.