Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 14]
south-southwest from Iconium near the village Khatyn Serai and
Derbe probably near the village Losta or Zosta though its
location is really not known. Lystra had been made a colony in
B.C. 6 and Derbe was the frontier city of the Roman empire in the
southeast. These are the only cities mentioned, but they were of
importance and show that Paul kept to his plan of going to
centres of influence. The new imperial road from Antioch and
Iconium reached these cities. {The region round about} (\t•n
perich•ron\) was "a high table land, ill-watered, bleak, but
suited for sheep pasture" (Page).
14:7 {And there they preached the gospel} (\kakei euaggelizomenoi
•san\). Periphrastic imperfect middle. We are to think of
extensive evangelistic work perhaps with the assistance of
disciples from Antioch and Iconium since Paul and Barnabas could
not speak Lycaonian. \Kakei\ is crasis for \kai ekei\.
14:8 {At Lystra} (\en Lustrois\). Neuter plural as in 16:2; 2Ti
3:11 while feminine singular in 14:6,21; 16:1. There was
apparently no synagogue in Lystra and so not many Jews. Paul and
Barnabas had to do open-air preaching and probably had difficulty
in being understood by the natives though both Greek and Latin
inscriptions were discovered here by Professor Sterrett in 1885.
The incident narrated here (verses 8-18) shows how they got a
real hearing among these rude heathen. {There sat} (\ekath•to\).
Imperfect middle of \kath•mai\. Was sitting. This case is very
much like that in 3:1-11, healed by Peter. Possibly outside the
gate (verse 13) or some public place. {Impotent in his feet}
(\adunatos tois posin\). Old verbal, but only here in the N.T. in
this sense except figuratively in Ro 15:1. Elsewhere it means
"impossible" (Mt 19:26). Locative case. Common in medical
writers in the sense of "impotent." So Tobit 2:10; 5:9. {Had
walked} (\periepat•sen\). So best MSS., first aorist active
indicative "walked," not \periepepat•kei\, "had walked" (past
perfect active).
14:9 {The same} (\houtos\). Just "this one." {Heard} (\•kouen\).
Imperfect active, was listening to Paul speaking (\lalountos\).
Either at the gate or in the market place (17:17) Paul was
preaching to such as would listen or could understand his Greek
(_Koin•_). Ramsay (_St. Paul the Traveller_, pp. 114, 116) thinks
that the cripple was a proselyte. At any rate he may have heard
of the miracles wrought at Iconium (verse 3) and Paul may have
spoken of the work of healing wrought by Jesus. This man was "no
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