Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 20]
through Christ Jesus (Page).
20:28 {Take heed unto yourselves} (\prosechete heautois\). The
full phrase had \ton noun\, hold your mind on yourselves (or
other object in the dative), as often in old writers and in Job
7:17. But the ancients often used the idiom with \noun\
understood, but not expressed as here and Ac 5:35; Lu 12:1;
17:3; 21:34; 1Ti 1:4; 3:8; 4:13. \Epeche\ is so used in 1Ti
4:16. {To all the flock} (\panti t•i poimni•i\). Contracted form
of \poimenion = poimn•\ (Joh 10:16) already in Lu 12:32 and
also in Ac 20:29; 1Pe 5:2,3. Common in old Greek. {Hath made}
(\etheto\). Did make, second aorist middle indicative of
\tith•mi\, did appoint. Paul evidently believed that the Holy
Spirit calls and appoints ministers. {Bishops} (\episkopous\).
The same men termed elders in verse 17 which see. {To shepherd}
(\poimainein\). Present active infinitive of purpose of
\poimain•\, old verb to feed or tend the flock (\poimn•,
poimnion\), to act as shepherd (\poim•n\). These ministers are
thus in Paul's speech called elders (verse 17), bishops (verse
28), and shepherds (verse 28). Jesus had used this very word
to Peter (Joh 21:16, twice \boske\, feed, 21:15,17) and Peter
will use it in addressing fellow-elders (1Pe 5:2) with
memories, no doubt of the words of Jesus to him. The "elders"
were to watch over as "bishops" and "tend and feed as shepherds"
the flock. Jesus is termed "the shepherd and bishop of your
souls" in 1Pe 2:25 and "the great Shepherd of the sheep" in
Heb 13:20. Jesus called himself "the good Shepherd" in Joh
10:11. {The church of God} (\t•n ekkl•sian tou theou\). The
correct text, not "the church of the Lord" or "the church of the
Lord and God" (Robertson, _Introduction to Textual Criticism of
the N.T._, p. 189). {He purchased} (\periepoi•sato\). First
aorist middle of \peripoie•\, old verb to reserve, to preserve
(for or by oneself, in the middle). In the N.T. only in Luke
17:33; Ac 20:28; 1Ti 3:13. The substantive \peripoi•sin\
(preservation, possession) occurs in 1Pe 2:9 ("a peculiar
people" = a people for a possession) and in Eph 1:14. {With his
own blood} (\dia tou haimatos tou idiou\). Through the agency of
(\dia\) his own blood. Whose blood? If \tou theou\ (Aleph B
Vulg.) is correct, as it is, then Jesus is here called "God" who
shed his own blood for the flock. It will not do to say that Paul
did not call Jesus God, for we have Ro 9:5; Col 2:9; Tit 2:13
where he does that very thing, besides Col 1:15-20; Php 2:5-11.
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