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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comRobertson Word Pictures - Acts 21:16 - 21:16
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Certain of the disciples (tōn mathētōn). The genitive here occurs with tines understood as often in the Greek idiom, the partitive genitive used as nominative (Robertson, Grammar, p. 502).
Bringing (agontes). Nominative plural participle agreeing with tines understood, not with case of mathētōn.
One Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge (par hōi xenisthōmen Mnasnōi tini Kupriōi archaiōi mathētēi). A thoroughly idiomatic Greek idiom, incorporation and attraction of the antecedent into the relative clause (Robertson, Grammar, p. 718). Mnasōni is really the object of agontes or the accusative with para or pros understood and should be accusative, but it is placed in the clause after the relative and in the same locative case with the relative hōi (due to par', beside, with). Then the rest agrees in case with Mnasōni. He was originally from Cyprus, but now in Caesarea. The Codex Bezae adds eis tina kōmēn (to a certain village) and makes it mean that they were to lodge with Mnason at his home there about halfway to Jerusalem. This may be true. The use of the subjunctive xenisthōmen (first aorist passive of xenizō, to entertain strangers as in Act 10:6, Act 10:23, Act 10:32 already) may be volitive of purpose with the relative (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 955, 989). The use of archaiōi for “early” may refer to the fact that he was one of the original disciples at Pentecost as Peter in Act 15:7 uses hēmerōn archaiōn (early days) to refer to his experience at Ceasarea in Acts 10. “As the number of the first disciples lessened, the next generation accorded a sort of honour to the survivors” (Furneaux).