Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 28]
that he was a prisoner being taken to Rome on some grave charge,
and _inferred_ that the charge was murder" (Page). {Though he
hath escaped} (\dias•thenta\). First aorist passive participle of
\dias•z•\ (same verb used in 24:43,44; 28:1), so-called
concessive use of the participle (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 1129).
{Yet Justice} (\dik•\). An abstraction personified like the Latin
_Justitia_ (Page). The natives speak of \Dik•\ as a goddess, but
we know nothing of such actual worship in Malta, though the
Greeks worshipped abstractions as in Athens. {Hath not suffered}
(\ouk eiasen\). Did not suffer. They look on Paul as a doomed man
as good as dead. These people thought that calamity was proof of
guilt, poor philosophy and worse theology.
28:5 {Shook off} (\apotinaxas\). First aorist active participle
of \apotinass•\, to shake off. Rare word (Euripides, Galen, LXX).
In N.T. only here and Lu 9:5.
28:6 {But they expected} (\hoi de prosedok•n\). Imperfect active,
were expecting, continued to expect. {That he would have swollen}
(\auton mellein pimprasthai\). More exactly, "Expecting him to be
about (or that he was about) to swell up." \Pimprasthai\ is
present middle infinitive from \pimpr•mi\, to blow, to burn, to
inflame, to cause to swell. \Pr•th•\, to swell, seems connected
and both use the aorist \epr•sa\. Our word "inflammation"
likewise means a burning and a swelling. This verb is a common
medical term used as Luke has it. It occurs here only in N.T. {Or
fallen down dead suddenly} (\• katapiptein aphn• nekron\).
Rather, "or was about to fall down dead suddenly." The two common
results of a bite by a viper or other poisonous snake, both
medical terms used by Luke. {But when they were long in
expectation} (\epi polu de aut•n prosdok•nt•n\). Genitive
absolute. "But while they were expecting for much time." {Nothing
amiss come to him} (\m•den atopon eis auton ginomenon\). "Nothing
out of place coming to him" (present middle participle). \M•den\
the usual negative of the participle and the accusative case the
object of \the•rount•n\ (genitive absolute). {Changed their
minds} (\metabalomenoi\). Aorist middle (direct) participle of
\metaball•\, old verb to turn about or around, turning themselves
about, changing their minds. Plato uses this very verb in middle
voice for changing the mind. {That he was a god} (\auton einai
theon\). Accusative and infinitive in indirect discourse. At
Lystra Paul was first received as a god (Mercury) and then they
stoned him to kill him (Ac 14:11,19). So fickle is popular
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