Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 26]
\katapipt•\. In the Hebrew language (\t•i Ebraidi dialekt•i\).
Natural addition here, for Paul is speaking in Greek, not Aramaic
as in 22:2. {It is hard for thee to kick against the goad}
(\skl•ron soi pros kentra laktizein\). Genuine here, but not in
chapters 9,22. A common proverb as Aeschylus _Ag_. 1624: \Pros
kentra m• laktize\. "It is taken from an ox that being pricked
with a goad kicks and receives a severer wound" (Page). Cf. the
parables of Jesus (Mt 13:35). Blass observes that Paul's
mention of this Greek and Latin proverb is an indication of his
culture. Besides he mentions (not invents) it here rather than in
chapter 22 because of the culture of this audience. \Kentron\
means either sting as of bees (II Macc. 14:19) and so of death
(1Co 15:55) or an iron goad in the ploughman's hand as here
(the only two N.T. examples). Note plural here (goads) and
\laktizein\ is present active infinitive so that the idea is "to
keep on kicking against goads." This old verb means to kick with
the heel (adverb \lax\, with the heel), but only here in the N.T.
There is a papyrus example of kicking (\laktiz•\) with the feet
against the door.
26:16 {Arise and stand} (\anast•thi kai st•thi\). "Emphatic
assonance" (Page). Second aorist active imperative of compound
verb (\anist•mi\) and simplex (\hist•mi\). "Stand up and take a
stand." {Have I appeared unto thee} (\•phth•n soi\). First aorist
passive indicative of \hora•\. See on ¯Lu 22:43. {To appoint
thee} (\procheirisasthai se\). See 3:30; 22:14 for this verb.
{Both of the things wherein thou hast seen me} (\h•n te eides
me\). The reading \me\ (not in all MSS.) makes it the object of
\eides\ (didst see) and \h•n\ is genitive of \ha\ (accusative of
general reference) attracted to the case of the unexpressed
antecedent \tout•n\. Paul is thus a personal eyewitness of the
Risen Christ (Lu 1:1; 1Co 4:1; 9:1). {And of the things wherein
I will appear unto thee} (\h•n te ophth•somai soi\). Here again
\h•n\ is genitive of the accusative (general reference) relative
\ha\ attracted to the case of the antecedent \tout•n\ or
\ekein•n\ as before. But \ophth•somai\ is first future passive of
\hora•\ and cannot be treated as active or middle. Page takes it
to mean "the visions in which I shall be seen by you," the
passive form bringing out the agency of God. See those in Ac
18:9; 23:11; 2Co 12:2. The passive voice, however, like
\apekrith•n\ and \ephob•th•n\, did become sometimes transitive in
the _Koin•_ (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 819).
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