Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 9]
Literally, spread thy bed for thyself (dative case), what others
for eight years have done for thee.
9:35 {Sharon} (\Sar•na\). The Plain of Sharon, not a town. Thirty
miles long from Joppa to Caesarea.
9:36 {At Joppa} (\En Iopp•i\). The modern Jaffa, the port of
Jerusalem (2Ch 2:16). {Disciple} (\math•tria\). Feminine form
of \math•t•s\, a learner from \manthan•\, to learn, a late word
and only here in the N.T. {Tabitha} (\Tabeitha\). Aramaic form of
the Hebrew _Tsebi_ and, like the Greek word {Dorcas} (\Dorkas\),
means Gazelle, "the creature with the beautiful look" (or eyes),
from \derkomai\. The gazelle was a favourite type for beauty in
the orient (Song of Solomon 2:9,17; 4:5; 7:3). She may have had
both the Aramaic and the Greek name, Tabitha Dorcas like John
Mark. There is nothing said about a husband and so she was
probably unmarried. She is the second woman mentioned by name
after Pentecost (Sapphira the other). She did her beautiful deeds
by herself. She did not have a Dorcas society. {Did} (\epoiei\).
Imperfect active, her habit.
9:37 {In an upper chamber} (\en huper•i•i\). See on ¯1:13. Also
in verse 39. In that house. This service was rendered by the
women, though Luke has \lousantes\ (masculine plural aorist
active participle of \lou•\), a general way of saying "they
washed." The interment was not hurried as in Jerusalem (Ananias
and Sapphira) and the upper room is where the body was usually
placed.
9:38 {Delay not} (\m• okn•s•is\). Ingressive aorist active
subjunctive in prohibition. Direct discourse and not indirect as
late MSS. have (aorist active infinitive, \okn•sai\). Possibly
the two messengers started before Dorcas was quite dead, though
we do not know. Peter had recently healed Aeneas and the
disciples may have had faith enough to believe that he could
raise the dead by the power of Christ. W. M. Ramsay doubts if
Dorcas was really dead, but why see legends in these supernatural
events?
9:39 {Stood by him} (\parest•san aut•i\). Second aorist active
indicative, intransitive, of \parist•mi\). Vivid picture of this
group of widows as they stood around Peter, weeping (\klaiousai\)
and showing (\epideiknumenai\, present middle as belonging to
themselves, pointing with pride to) the very inner garments
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC9.RWP.html (15 of 17) [28/08/2004 09:06:38 a.m.]