The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 26

EXPOSITION. flentrem. And it contd be done without OHAPTEil. XVI. prejudice to the rights of Gentile converts Ver. l.-And he came also for then came as establi.,hcd in the decrees of which St. he, A.V. ancl 'f.R.; to Lystra for Ly~tra, Paul was bearer. Because ofthe Jews; not A.V.; Timothy for Timotheus, A.V.; of a the Christian Jews, who ou2ht to know Jeu:esa for of a certain woman which was a b~tter than trust in circumcision, but the Jewess, A.V. 1md T.R.; which for and, A.V. unbelieving Jews, who w,,uld be scandalized ForDerbe and Lystrci, see eh. xiv. and notes. if St. Paul hacl an uncixcumcised man for 'fi1is time St. Paul visited D,•rbe fu-st, his fellow-labourer (see 1 Car. x. 20). whereas before he came from Lystra to Ver. 4.-Went on their ioa?J for went, A.V.; Derbe (eh. xiv. 6, 8, 21). Wa9 there; viz. ut which had been for that were, A.V.; that for Lystra (see 2 Tim. iii. 11). A cartai.n di;i- which, A.V. ciplo; i.e. a Christian ( eh. xi. 26). From St. Ver. 5.-So for and so, A.V.; the Churches Paul's speaking of 'l'imothy as "my own were strengthened for were the CJ, urches estab- son in the faitli" (1 Tim. i. 2; 2 Tim. i. 2), lished, A.V. In n11.I.1.ber; i.e. in the number and from his special mention of Timothy's of their members ( comp. eh. ii. i7; v. H; mother Eunice (2 'rim. i. 5), it is probable vi. 7; xi. 21). For the phrase, '£,,repeovv-co that both mother nncl son were converted by -rfi 71'i<T-re,, " 'fhey were made firm in the St. Paul ut his first visit to Lystra., some faith," comp. Col. ii. 5, T~ <T-replw,:.ur. .,.~, years before (eh. xiv. 7). Timothy. It is a Els Xpta'i"Ov r.[O"-rews VµWv, u TLe stcncl:\.1.stnc!3s Greek name, meaning "one who honours God" of your faith." The word is used in it3 (formed, like Tinwleon, Timolaus, Timocrates, physical sense in eh. iii. 7, 'E<TTepCC:,a 11 <Ta.Y etc.). It was n not uncommon name, and a.U-roii a.t /3&.ue,r, ,c.-r.;\., "His feet e.url ankle- occurs repeatedly in the Books of the l\facca- bones received strengt!1," became fa.st and beca (I l\lucc. v. 6; 2 l\Iacc. viii. 30, etc.). firm instead of being loose and vacillating. Another form is Timesitheos. Timothy is Ver. 6.-.And they went for no,a 10he11 they uniformly spoken of by St. Paul in terms of had gone, A. V. o.nd T.R. ; through the region eulogy and warm affection (see, besides the of Phrygia and Galatia for thron:Jhout passages above quoted, Ilom. xvi. 2 l ; 1 Car. Phrygia and the region of Galatia, A.V. ancl iv. 17; xvi. 10; Phil. ii. 19-22: and tha 'l'.R.; having been for and were, A. V.: genernl tone of the Epistles to Timothy). speak for preach, A.V. Tb r~gi.o:J. cf A J'ewess; viz. Eunice (2 Tim. i. 5), also Phrygia and Galatia. But Phryf_jia is e. Greek name (equivalent to Victoria), always e. noun substantive, and cannot be though borne by n Jewess. A Greek; i.e. a here taken as e.n adjective belonging to Gentile (see Mark vii. 26; eh. xiv. 1; xvii. xwpa: e.nd we have in eh, xviii. 23 exactly 4; xix.10; Rom. i. 16; ii. 9; l Car. x. 32, the same colbtiou as that of the lL V. here, etc.; Col. iii. 11). Had !,is father been a only in an inverted order: Ti;v ra,\a.Turhv proselyte, it would probably have been said xC:,pav real 4'pu')'la.,·. Even if the -r¾v is pro- that he was (Dengel). perly omitted, as in the R.T., before f,o\:i- Ver. 2.-The same for which, A.V. This .,.,rc·hv, the passage must equally b, constnwcl i9 an improvement, AS ma1.in"' it plain that e.s in the A.V. The Gtt!ati.l.ns were Cclts, it wns 'l'imothy, not his fnther, who WllS the descendants of those Gttuls who im-,uled ucll reported of. For tho phrase, ~s Jµ.apTl,- Asio. in the thi.rd century B.c. 'Ibis pas,a 6 ~ .i,ho, see eh. vi. 3; x. 22; Luke iv. 22. At seems to show conclusively that Verb() and Lystrn. and Iconimn; coliplccl lo.,.cthrr, ns in Lystro. and lconium were not coru!Jreucu,!cd 2 Tim. iii. 11. It appears, too, frnm eh. xiv. by St. P,n1l under Gahtia, nnd were not the ID, that there was close communication be- Churches to wl,om the Epistle to the Gala- tween Icouium a.ncl Lystm. 'fhe b1·L·thrcn tians w11s ncldres,ed; Bllll forcibiy su:c;g-est nt lcouium wouhl, thorefore, nntumlly know that the Gnlalfau Churol.Jes wero foundc,l by n_l_l about young 'l'imothy (comp. l Tim. St. Paul in the course of the \'isit here so lll,7). briefly mentioned by St. Luke. Ash is Ver, 3.-He tool, for toolc, A.V.; that for here used in its restricted sense of that dis- tohich. A.V.; parts for quarters, A.V.; all trict on tho ,vestern coast of AsLt l\Iinor, of knew for_ lcnew all, A.V. Cirownoised him, which Ephesus was the capitnl. It is in this 1:he Jewish origin of Timothy on his mother's se11Se that it is used e.lw in eh. ii. 0; ,·i. D; a1_de wna o. snfliciont nmson for cil'cnmoisiug xix. 10, eto.; Rev. i. 11. St. P,1ul appa- h 1111 , 11ccorcling to lho rn1u:im, I'arlus sequilur rently wished to go to I~phesuo. But the 28 TlIE ACTS OF TlIE APOSTLES.