Acts 19:22

 Acts 19:22

So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.

[Strong: 3588. [tēs] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tēs] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai.]

a. NLT: He sent his two assistants, Timothy and Erastus, ahead to Macedonia while he stayed awhile longer in the province of Asia. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: And having sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: And having sent to Macedonia two of those ministering to him -- Timotheus and Erastus -- he himself stayed a time in Asia.[The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.] 

d. Classic Amplified: And having sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, he himself stayed on in [the province of] Asia for a while. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Peshitta Eastern Text: So he sent to Macedonia two men of those who had ministered to him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia Minorfor a while.  [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT.Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1961 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1939 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1967  by A.J. Holmon Co.;  Copyright  Ⓒ 1940 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; Copyright  Ⓒ 1957 by A.J. Holmon Co. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

f. NIV: He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

1. “So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus…”

a. So [Strong: 1161. de deh a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. [he] sent [Strong: 649. apostello ap-os-tel'-lo from 575 and 4724; set apart, i.e. (by implication) to send out (properly, on a mission) literally or figuratively:--put in, send (away, forth, out), set (at liberty).]

c. into [Strong: 1519. eis ice a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases:--(abundant-)ly, against, among, as, at, (back-)ward, before, by, concerning, + continual, + far more exceeding, for (intent, purpose), fore, + forth, in (among, at, unto, -so much that, -to), to the intent that, + of one mind, + never, of, (up-)on, + perish, + set at one again, (so) that, therefore(-unto), throughout, til, to (be, the end, -ward), (here-)until(-to), ...ward, (where-)fore, with. Often used in composition with the same general import, but only with verbs (etc.) expressing motion (literally or figuratively).]

d. Macedonia [Strong: 3109. Makedonia mak-ed-on-ee'-ah from 3110; Macedonia, a region of Greece:--Macedonia.]

e. two [Strong: 1417. duo doo'-o a primary numeral; "two":--both, twain, two.]

f. [of] them [Strong: 3588. [tōn] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tōn] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai.]

g. [that] ministered 1247. diakoneo dee-ak-on-eh'-o from 1249; to be an attendant, i.e. wait upon (menially or as a host, friend, or (figuratively) teacher); technically, to act as a Christian deacon:--(ad-)minister (unto), serve, use the office of a deacon.]

h. [unto] him [Strong: 846. autos ow-tos' from the particle au (perhaps akin to the base of 109 through the idea of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative 1438) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which.]

i. Timotheus [Strong: 5095. Timotheos tee-moth'-eh-os from 5092 and 2316; dear to God; Timotheus, a Christian:--Timotheus, Timothy.]

j. and [Strong: 2532. kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.]

k. Erastus [Strong: 2037. Erastos er'-as-tos from erao (to love); beloved; Erastus, a Christian:--Erastus.]

1). Unger’s Bible Dictionary: Eras’tus (e-ras’tus; “beloved”). A Corinthian and one of Paul’s disciples whose salutations he sends from Corinth to the church at Rome as those of “the city treasurer” (Romans 16:23). The word is so rendered is oikonomos (Vulgate, arcarius and denotes an officer or steward of great dignity in ancient times (Josepheus Ant. 7.8.2); the conversion of such a man to the faith of the gospel was proof of the wonderful success of the apostle’s labors in that city. We find Erastuswith Paul at Ephesus as one of his attendants or deacons, and he was sent along with Timothy into Macedonia while the apostle himself remained in Asia (Acts 19:22). They were both with the apostle at Corinth when he wrote, as above, from that city to the Romans; at a subsequent period Erastus was still at Corinth (2 Timothy 4:20), which would seem to have been his usual place of abode.

2.  “...but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.”

a. [but he] himself [Strong: 846. autos ow-tos' from the particle au (perhaps akin to the base of 109 through the idea of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative 1438) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which.]

b. stayed [Strong: 1907. epecho ep-ekh'-o from 1909 and 2192; to hold upon, i.e. (by implication) to retain; (by extension) to detain; (with implication, of 3563) to pay attention to:--give (take) heed unto, hold forth, mark, stay.]

c. in [Strong: 1519. eis ice a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases:--(abundant-)ly, against, among, as, at, (back-)ward, before, by, concerning, + continual, + far more exceeding, for (intent, purpose), fore, + forth, in (among, at, unto, -so much that, -to), to the intent that, + of one mind, + never, of, (up-)on, + perish, + set at one again, (so) that, therefore(-unto), throughout, til, to (be, the end, -ward), (here-)until(-to), ...ward, (where-)fore, with. Often used in composition with the same general import, but only with verbs (etc.) expressing motion (literally or figuratively).]

d. Asia [Strong: 773. Asia as-ee'-ah of uncertain derivation; Asia, i.e. Asia Minor, or (usually) only its western shore:--Asia.]

e. [for a] season [Strong: 5550. chronos khron'-os of uncertain derivation; a space of time (in general, and thus properly distinguished from 2540, which designates a fixed or special occasion; and from 165, which denotes a particular period) or interval; by extension, an individual opportunity; by implication, delay:--+ years old, season, space, (X often-)time(-s), (a) while.]

1). No doubt this period takes up the rest of the 9 months of Paul’s stay in Ephesus for a total of three years (Acts 20:31). It is possible also that this period of time also includes an event in Paul’s ministry that he only hints at in other places in his writings. In 2 Corinthians he mentions an event that occurred in Asia where the group of them despaired of even losing their lives but that God delivered them.

a). 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

2). Paul mentions an event that occurred in Ephesus, quite possibly the same event he referred to in the above passage, where he was faced with fighting with beasts in Ephesus similar to an arena style of fighting.

a). 1 Corinthians 15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.