Acts 16:3

Him would Paul have to go forth with him (touton hqelhsen o Paulov sun autw ecelqein). This one (note emphatic position) Paul wanted (first aorist active indicative of qelw with temporal augment as if from eqelw the old form). Here was a gifted young man who was both Jew and Greek.

He took and circumcised him (labwn perietemen auton). Any one could perform this rite. Paul had stoutly resisted circumcision in the case of Titus, a pure Greek (Galatians 2:3, Galatians 2:5), because the whole principle of Gentile liberty was at stake. But Timothy was both Jew and Greek and would continually give offence to the Jews with no advantage to the cause of Gentile freedom. So here for the sake of expediency, "because of the Jews" (dia touv Ioudaiouv), Paul voluntarily removed this stumbling-block to the ministry of Timothy. Otherwise Timothy could not have been allowed to preach ln the synagogues. Idem non est semper idem. But Timothy's case was not the case of Titus. Here it was a question of efficient service, not an essential of salvation. Hovey notes that Timothy was circumcised because of Jewish unbelievers, not because of Jewish believers.

Was a Greek (ellhn uphrxen). Imperfect active in indirect assertion where ordinarily the present uparxei would be retained, possibly indicating that his father was no longer living.