Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 13]
\kataggell•\, inchoative, began to proclaim. This was Paul's rule
of procedure, "to the Jew first" (Ro 1:16; Ac 13:46; 17:2;
18:4,19; 19:8). {They had also} (\eichon de kai\). Imperfect
active, descriptive. {As their attendant} (\hup•ret•n\).
Literally, "under-rower" (\hupo, •ret•s\) in the trireme.
Probably here minister (\chazzan\) or assistant in the synagogue
as in Lu 4:20. Cf. Mt 5:25. It is not clear what John Mark
did, though he was evidently selected by Barnabas as his cousin.
He may have helped in the baptizing. There were probably others
also in the company (verse 13). The "also" may mean that Mark
did some preaching. Barnabas was probably the leader in the work
in these Jewish synagogues.
13:6 {Unto Paphos} (\achri Paphou\). The new Paphos at the other
end of the island, reached by a fine Roman road, some eight miles
north of the old Paphos famous for the worship of Venus. {A
certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew} (\andra tina magon
pseudoproph•t•n Ioudaion\). Literally, "a certain man" (\andra
tina\) with various descriptive epithets. The word \magon\ does
not necessarily mean "sorcerer," but only a \magus\ (Mt
2:1,7,10 which see). The bad sense occurs in Ac 8:9,11 (Simon
Magus) and is made plain here by "false prophet." In verse 8
here Barjesus (Son of Jesus) is called "Elymas the sorcerer (or
Magian)," probably his professional title, as Luke interprets the
Arabic or Aramaic word Elymas. These Jewish mountebanks were
numerous and had great influence with the uneducated. In Ac
19:13 the seven sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists, tried to
imitate Paul. If one is surprised that a man like Sergius Paulus
should fall under the influence of this fraud, he should recall
what Juvenal says of the Emperor Tiberius "sitting on the rock of
Capri with his flock of Chaldaeans around him."
13:7 {With the proconsul Sergius Paulus} (\sun t•i anthupat•i
Sergi•i Paul•i\). Luke used to be sharply criticized for applying
this term to Sergius Paulus on the ground that Cyprus was a
province under the appointment of the emperor with the title of
propraetor and not under the control of the senate with the title
of proconsul. That was true B.C. 30, but five years later it was
changed to proconsul by Augustus and put under the control of the
Senate. Two inscriptions have been found with the date A.D. 51
and 52 with the names of proconsuls of Cyprus and one is in the
Cesnola Collection, an inscription found at Soli with the name of
Paulus as Proconsul, undoubtedly this very man, though no date
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC13.RWP.html (3 of 22) [28/08/2004 09:06:50 a.m.]