Acts 28:2
The barbarians (oi barbaroi). The Greeks called all men "barbarians" who did not speak Greek (Romans 1:14), not "barbarians" in our sense of rude and uncivilized, but simply "foreign folk." Diodorus Siculus (V. 12) says that it was a colony of the Phoenicians and so their language was Punic (Page). The word originally meant an uncouth repetition (barbar) not understood by others (I Corinthians 14:11). In Colossians 3:11 Paul couples it with Scythian as certainly not Christian. These are (with verse Acts 28:4 below) the only N.T. instances.
Showed us (pareixan). Imperfect active of parexw with -an instead of -on as eixan in Mark 8:7 (Robertson, Grammar, p. 339). It was their habit on this occasion, Luke means, they kept on showing.
No common kindness (ou thn tuxousan filanqrwpian). The old word filanqrwpia (filov, anqrwpov), love of mankind, occurs in the N.T. only here and Titus 3:4 (adverb in Acts 27:3). See on Acts 19:11 for this use of ou thn tuxousan, "not the kindness that happens every day." They were not "wreckers" to take advantage of the calamity.
They kindled a fire (ayantev puran). The only N.T. example and verse Acts 28:3 of the old word pura (from pur, fire), a pile of burning fuel (sticks). First aorist active participle of aptw, to set fire to, to kindle. Cf. anaptw in Luke 12:49.
Received us all (proselabonto pantav hmav). Second aorist middle (indirect indicative of proslambanw. They took us all to themselves (cf. Acts 18:26).
The present (ton efestwta). Second perfect active participle (intransitive) of efisthmi, "the rain that stood upon them" (the pouring rain). Only in Luke and Paul in N.T.
