Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 21]
\epilabomenoi\ and \heilkusan\ occur in 16:19 about the arrest
of Paul and Silas in Philippi. {Straightway the doors were shut}
(\euthe•s ekleisth•san hai thurai\). With a bang and at once.
First aorist (effective) passive of \klei•\. The doors between
the inner court and the court of the Gentiles. But this was only
the beginning, the preparation for the real work of the mob. They
did not wish to defile the holy place with blood. The doors were
shut by the Levites.
21:31 {As they were seeking to kill him} (\z•tount•n aut•n\).
Genitive absolute of \z•te•\, to seek, without \aut•n\ (they).
This was their real purpose. {Tidings} (\phasis\). From \phain•\,
to show. Old word for the work of informers and then the exposure
of secret crime. In LXX. Here only in the N.T. {Came up}
(\aneb•\). Naturally in the wild uproar. The Roman guard during
festivals was kept stationed in the Tower of Antonia at the
northwest corner of the temple overlooking the temple and
connected by stairs (verse 35). {To the chief captain} (\t•i
chiliarch•i\). Commander of a thousand men or cohort (Mr
15:16). His name was Claudius Lysias. {Of the band} (\t•s
speir•s\). Each legion had six tribunes and so each tribune
(chiliarch) had a thousand if the cohort had its full quota. See
on ¯10:1; 27:1. The word is the Latin _spira_ (anything rolled
up). Note the genitive \speir•s\ instead of \speiras\ (Attic).
{Was in confusion} (\sunchunnetai\). Present passive indicative
of \sunchunn•\ (see verse 27, \sunecheon\). This is what the
conspirators had desired.
21:32 {Forthwith} (\exaut•s\). Common in the _Koin•_ (\ex aut•s\,
supply \h•ras\, hour). {He took} (\paralab•n\). See verses
24,26. {Centurions} (\hekatontarchas\). See on ¯Lu 7:2 for
discussion. Plural shows that Lysias the chiliarch took several
hundred soldiers along (a centurion with each hundred). {Ran
down} (\katedramen\). Effective second aorist active indicative
of \katatrech•\. From the tower of Antonia, vivid scene. {And
they} (\hoi de\). Demonstrative use of \hoi\. The Jewish mob who
had begun the work of killing Paul (verse 31). {Left off
beating Paul} (\epausanto tuptontes ton Paulon\). The participle
with \pauomai\ describes what they were already doing, the
supplementary participle (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 1121). They
stopped before the job was over because of the sudden onset of
the Roman soldiers. Some ten years before in a riot at the
passover the Roman guard marched down and in the panic several
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC21.RWP.html (18 of 22) [28/08/2004 09:07:25 a.m.]