Acts 28:2

Acts 28:2

Paul’s Ministry on Malta

1 Now when they had escaped, they then found out that ^athe island was called Malta.

2 And the ^anatives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.

3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.”

5 But he shook off the creature into the fire and ^asuffered no harm.

6 However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and ^asaid that he was a god.

7 In that region there was an estate of the¹ leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days.

8 And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and ^aprayed, and ^bhe laid his hands on him and healed him.

9 So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.

10 They also honored us in many ^aways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were ^bnecessary.

Arrival at Rome

11 After three months we sailed in ^aan Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the¹ Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island.

12 And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days.

13 From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli,

14 where we found ^abrethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome.

15 And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

16 Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but ^aPaul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

Paul’s Ministry at Rome

17 And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: “Men and brethren, ^athough I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet ^bI was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,

18 who, ^awhen they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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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.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Acts 28:2:**

Acts 1:5
Acts 19:11
2 Corinthians 11:27
Titus 3:4
James 3:5

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Acts 28:3 >>

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