Acts 28:10

28:10 Showing their gratefulness, the people supplied the ship’s company with what they needed.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Act 28:10. Τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν, such things as were necessary) after the shipwreck. [Paul afresh was of benefit to his companions.—V. g.]

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 28:10 . πολλαῖς τιμαῖς : “with many honours,” A. and R.V., used quite generally, so in Vulgate, “multis honoribus”; even in the expression “honos habendus medico,” Cic., Ad Div. , xvi., 9, we need not limit the word to the honorarium ; so in 1Ti 5:17 τιμῆς is used quite generally, and in Sir 38:1 it is very doubtful whether in the expression “honour a physician,” τίμα ἰατρόν , the verb refers to payment. There is therefore no need to take the word as referring to a physician’s fee in money, as Wordsworth, Humphry, Plumptre, although the word may have been so used by a physician; but it was scarcely likely that St. Paul would have received such a reward for his services, to say nothing of the fact that it was contrary to Christ’s commands, Mat 10:8 . καὶ ἀναγ . ἐπέθεντο : “and when we sailed they put on board,” R.V., so Ramsay, ἀναγ ., technical term, Act 27:2-3 . τὰ πρὸς τὴν χ ., see critical note, frequently in Luke and Paul, both in singular and plural, and often in LXX, cf. Act 20:34 , Rom 12:13 , used here quite generally; it may have included money, but no doubt things needful, post naufragium , Bengel.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God doeth well to strangers for his children’s sake.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

who also honoured us . . . and when we departed they laded us, &c.--This was not taking hire for the miracles wrought among them (Mat 10:8), but such grateful expressions of feeling, particularly in providing what would minister to their comfort during the voyage, as showed the value they set upon the presence and labors of the apostle among them, and such as it would have hurt their feelings to refuse. Whether any permanent effects of this three months' stay of the greatest of the apostles were left at Malta, we cannot certainly say. But though little dependence is to be placed upon the tradition that Publius became bishop of Malta and afterwards of Athens, we may well believe the accredited tradition that the beginnings of the Christian Church at Malta sprang out of this memorable visit.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 10. Honoured us with many honours] The word τιμη, as Bishop Pearce has remarked, is often used to signify a pecuniary recompense, or present. The Greek word seems to be thus used in 1Ti 5:17. Let the elders which rule well be accounted worthy of double HONOUR, τιμης, which St. Chrysostom, on the place, explains thus: την των αναγκαιων χορηγιαν· a supplying them with all necessary things. Diodorus Siculus, and Xenophon, used the word in the same way. In the sense of a pecuniary recompense, or price, paid for any thing, the word τιμη is met with in 1Co 6:20; and 1Co 7:23. And in the Septuagint, Nu 22:17; compared with Nu 22:18; Ps 8:5; and Ps 49:12; Pr 3:9. Bp. Pearce.

Such things as were necessary.] They had before given them many presents, and now they gave them a good sea stock; all that was necessary for their passage.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(10) Who also honoured us with many honours.—It lies in the nature of the case that the honours took the form of gifts. The very word was, indeed, specially applied, both in Greek and Latin, to the honorarium, or fee, paid to the physician, and its use here is accordingly characteristic of St. Luke’s calling. (Comp. Sir_38:1.) In addition to these gifts of courtesy, the things that were wanted for their voyage—clothing, provisions, and the like—were freely supplied at their departure.

When we departed.—Better, as we were setting sail.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who also honoured us with many honours,.... Not with divine honours, with religious adorations, as if they had been so many deities; for these they would not have received, nor have recorded them, to the commendation of the inhabitants; but civil honours, expressions of respect and gratitude; and particularly gifts and presents, large and valuable, in which sense the phrase is used by Jewish writers; so upon those words in Jdg 13:17. "What is thy name, that when the sayings come to pass, we may do thee honour?" they make this paraphrase (z),

"Manoah said to him (the angel), tell me thy name, that I may inquire where to find thee, when thy prophecy is fulfilled, and give thee "a gift", , "for there is no honour but a present", or "offering"; or wherever this phrase is used, it signifies nothing else but a gift, as it is said, Num 22:17. "For honouring I will honour thee":''

that is, with money and gifts, as Balaam's answer in the next verse shows, and so the Jewish commentators interpret it (a); See Gill on Ti1 5:17;

And when we departed; from the island, which was not till three months from their first coming ashore:

they laded us with such things as were necessary; that is, for the voyage: they provided a proper supply of food for them, which they put into the strip, for their use in their voyage; by which they expressed their gratitude for the favours they received from Paul; for whose sake not only his company, but the whole ship's company fared the better: and very likely many of them were converted under the apostle's ministry; for it can hardly be thought that the apostle should be on this island three months, as he was, and not preach the Gospel to the inhabitants of it, in which he always met with success, more or less; and the great respect shown him at his departure seems to confirm this; though we meet with no account of any church, or churches, or preachers of the word in this place, in ecclesiastical history, until the "sixth" century, when mention is made of a bishop of the island of Melita (b); indeed in the "fourth" century, Optatus Milevitanus is said by some, through mistake; to be bishop of Melita, when he was bishop of Milevis, a city in Africa upon the continent; and, through a like mistake, this island is said to be famous for a council held in it under Pope Innocent, against Pelagius, in the beginning of the "fifth" century; when the council was held at the above place Milevis, and not at Melita, from whence it was called the Milevitan council.

(z) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 10. fol. 199. 1. Vid. Laniado in Judg. xvii. 13. (a) Jarchi & Aben Ezra in loc. (b) Magdeburg. Eccl. Hist. cent. 6. c. 2. p. 5.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Ver. 10. Who also honoured us] Perraro grati reperiuntur, saith Cicero. A thankful man is worth his weight in gold, saith Mr Ward. The Italian hath a proverb, Seiapato il morbo, fraudato il santo; when the disease is departed, the saint is defrauded, viz. of the honour that was vowed to be done to him. Not so here.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who also honoured us - As people who were favored by heaven, and who had been the means of conferring important benefits on them in healing the sick, etc. Probably the word “honors” here means “gifts, or marks of favor.”

They laded us - They gave us, or conferred on us. They furnished us with such things as were necessary for us on our journey.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

They who were cured, rewarded or presented the apostle and his company very liberally. And this was the effect of that inward respect and real esteem they had for them; and was a fruit of their faith.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Sailed for departed, A.V.; put on board for laded us with, A.V.; we needed for were necessary, A.V.. Honored us with many honors. Kuinoel understands this in the sense of "gifts, presents," which of course their destitute condition, after losing all they had in the ship-wreck, would make very acceptable. But there is nothing in the words to suggest this meaning, and, had it been so, Luke would have simply stated it, as he does immediately afterwards, when he says that they put on board such things as we needed. When we sailed (ajnagomenoiv); see Act_13:13 Act_16:11 Act_18:21 Act_20:3, 13 21:1, 2, 4, 12, 21, and notes. It is touching to see the kindness of the Maltese, and we may hope that they had to thank God for light and grace and life through the ministry of St. Paul and his companions.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 8

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

10. πρὸς τὰς χρείας with אABI. Vulg. ‘quae necessaria erant.’

10. πολλαῖς τιμαῖς, with many honours. No doubt these included gifts of money and such things as would be needed by travellers who had lost everything in the shipwreck: but to restrict the word to the sense of ‘honorarium’ or fee, such as might be paid to a physician, is to narrow the meaning needlessly, and to put a construction on the proceeding which it cannot bear. The Apostle who prayed and laid his hands on the sick and healed them was not the sort of person to whom men would offer money as a fee.

ἐτίμησαν ἡμᾶς, they honoured us, i.e. not only St Paul, but for his sake the rest of the party were honoured by the people of the island.

καὶ ἀναγομένοις, and when we sailed. See above on Act 27:3.

ἐπέθεντο τὰ πρὸς τὰς χρείας, they put on board such things as we needed. The bounty must have been large if we consider the number of those for whom it was given. But Publius would set the example, and others would not be slow to follow it.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. τιμαῖς] The ordinary interpretation of this as rewards, gifts, may be right, but is not necessary. In all the passages quoted to support it, ref. Sir., Cicero, ad Diversos, xvi. 9 (‘Curio misi ut medico honos haberetur’), the expression τιμή is general, and the context renders an inference probable as to what sort of τιμή is meant. See especially 1Ti 5:3, 1Ti 5:17 and notes. Here there is no such unavoidable indication, whereas the other meaning is rendered probable by the form of the sentence, which opposes to these τιμαί, bestowed on them during their whole stay, τὰ πρὸς τ. χρείας, with which they were loaded at their departure. Render it therefore honoured us with many honours (or ‘distinctions,’ or ‘attentions’).

τὴν χρείαν has perhaps been an alteration after St. Paul’s ἅπαξ κ. δὶς εἰς τὴν χρείαν μοι ἐπέμψατε, Php 4:16.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Honors [τιμαις] . The word was applied to payments for professional services, and that fact may have influenced Luke in selecting it; but it is evidently not used in that sense here.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.