Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 13]
appointed under the empire as magistrates, as presidents of the
games, and even the Jews elected a woman as Archisynagogos, at
least in one instance at Smyrna" (Knowling). In Damascus Josephus
(_War_ II. 20, 21) says that a majority of the married women were
proselytes. Strabo (VIII. 2) and Juvenal (VI. 542) speak of the
addiction of women to the Jewish religion. {The chief men of the
city} (\tous pr•tous t•s pole•s\). Probably city officials (the
Duumviri, the Praetors, the First Ten in the Greek Cities of the
east) or other "foremost" men, not officials. The rabbis were
shrewd enough to reach these men (not proselytes) through the
women who were proselytes of distinction. {Stirred up a
persecution} (\ep•geiran di•gmon\). First aorist active
indicative of \epegeir•\, old verb, but in the N.T. only here and
14:2. Paul seems to allude to this persecution in 2Ti 3:11
"persecutions, sufferings, what things befell me at Antioch, at
Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions I endured." Here Paul had
perils from his own countrymen and perils from the Gentiles after
the perils of rivers and perils of robbers on the way from Perga
(2Co 11:26). He was thrice beaten with rods (\tris
erhabdisth•n\, 2Co 11:25) by Roman lictors in some Roman
colony. If that was here, then Paul and Barnabas were publicly
scourged by the lictors before they left. Probably the Jews
succeeded in making the Roman officials look on Paul and Barnabas
as disturbers of the public peace. So "they cast them out of
their borders" (\exebalon autous apo t•n hori•n aut•n\). Second
aorist active indicative of \ekball•\, forcible expulsion plainly
as public nuisances. Just a few days before they were the heroes
of the city and now!
13:51 {But they shook off the dust of their feet against them}
(\Hoi de ektinaxamenoi ton koniorton t•n pod•n ep' autous\).
First aorist middle (indirect) participle of \ektinass•\, to
shake out or off. Homer uses it for knocking out teeth. In the
papyri. The middle aorist participle occurs again in 18:6 and
the active imperative with the dust of the feet in Mr 6:11 (Lu
10:11 has \apomassometha\). and Mt 10:14 (command of Jesus).
It is a dramatic gesture that forbids further intercourse. "As a
protest against the injustice which cast them out. The sandal was
taken off and the dust shaken out as a symbolic token that the
very soil of the country was defiling" (Furneaux). {Unto Iconium}
(\eis Ikonion\). About 45 miles southeast from Antioch in
Pisidia, at the foot of the Taurus mountains. At various times it
was reckoned also in Pisidia or Phrygia as well as Lycaonia,
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