Acts

9:32-43

4. The gospel reaches the Gentiles, 9:32-12:25

i] Aeneas and Dorcas

Before the book of Acts begins to focus on the ministry of Paul, Luke outlines Peter's ministry among the Jews of Judea, and in particular, his part in the gospel's move toward the Gentiles in the conversion of Cornelius, 10:1-11:18. This passage records two significant healings by Peter, both authenticating his gospel ministry, and by implication, authenticating the baptism of Cornelius.

Luke's story swings back from Paul to Peter as he recounts Peter's travels from Samaria back to Jerusalem along the Judean plain. Peter is visiting existing Jewish Christian communities and has yet to confront the issue of Gentile conversions. For Luke, the stories serve to demonstrate the geographical expansion of the gospel, its movement from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Also, Paul's credentials are reinforced by Peter's parallel missionary work, and particularly Peter's part in the gospel's move toward the Gentiles in the conversion of Cornelius, chapter 10. The radical nature of Gentile inclusion is not down to Paul the interloper, but rather down to one of the most respected apostles.

Luke gives us a detailed description of the two healings, probably to maintain continuity between kingdom signs which are evident in the early church, the ministry of Jesus and the prophetic ministry of Elijah and Elisha. Note the parallels. Note also the resultant conversions, v35 and 42.

diercomenon (diercomai) pres. part. "as [Peter] traveled" - passing. The participle is probably temporal, "during his travels amongst them all", Barclay. Barrett suggests the word is used of a missionary journey.

egeneto Petron (oV) acc. "Peter" - it happened Peter [to come down]. "Peter" is the subject of the infinitive "to come down" in an accusative infinitive construction forming a infinitival clause, the subject of "happened", untranslated in the NIV. "It happened that Peter visited one place after another and eventually came to God's holy people living in Lydda", NJB.

dia + gen. "about" - through (in time or place).

pantwn adj. "the country" - all. The sense is obscure, but probably "through the whole region" rather than "amongst them all (ie. Peter passed through all the local Christian communities)", Barclay.

katelqein (katercomai) aor. inf. "he went to visit" - to come down. "Visited the believers in Lydda."

kai proV - [to come down] also to. The sense is a little confusing.

touV aJgiouV "the saints" - "Christians", but probably "Jewish Christians" in particular.

katoikountaV (katoikew) pres. part. "-" - dwelling [in Lydda]. The participle is adjectival, attributive, "who were dwelling."

euJren (euJriskw) "he found" - "Found" in the sense of "there he met", CEV.

onomati (a atoV) dat. "named" - [a certain man] by name [Aeneas]. Dative of reference / respect, "with regard to his name, Aeneas."

h\n paralelumenoV (paraluw) perf. pas. part. "a paralytic" - [who] had been paralyzed. The participle is possibly adjectival, predicative; "he was a paralytic", as NIV, or taken with the imperfect of the verb to-be forms a periphrastic pluperfect; "There he found a man, Aeneas by name, who, being paralyzed, had been lying helpless on his bed for eight years", Cassirer.

katakeimenon (katakeimai) pres. part. "who had been bedridden" - laying. The participle is adjectival, attributive, modifying/limiting man/Aeneas.

ex etwn oktw "for eight years" - of years eight. Possibly "from the age of eight", but more likely as NIV.

iatai (iaomai) pres. "[Jesus Christ] heals [you]" - An aorist (punctiliar) present tense, although a variant pointing is perfect, "has healed you."

anasthqi kai strwson seautw/ "get up and take care of your mat" - get up and spread/arrange/furnish for yourself. The object of the imperative verb "spread" is not supplied and so we have to guess. The NIV sentence is virtually meaningless. The words could mean either "get up and make your bed", REB., in the sense that he will no longer need it, or "lay a table for yourself (for something to eat)", Beggs.

euqewV adv. "immediately" - A typical feature of miracle stories; the healing was immediate.

oiJ katoikounteV (katoikew) pres. part. "[all] those who lived in" - the ones dwelling. The participle is substantival.

epestreyan (epistrefw) aor. "turned" - turned [toward]. A conversion word. Again, it is typical of miracle stories to note the response of the crowd.

Joppa is on the Judean coast, a Hellenistic town. Tabitha, Aramaic with the Greek translation, Dorcas, means "an animal of the deer family", eg. a Gazelle.

diermhneuomenh (diermhneuw) pres. part. "when translated" - [which] being translated [means]. The participle is adjectival, descriptive of Tabitha; "which may be translated Dorcas, or Gazelle", Moffatt.

plhrhV adj. "always [doing]" - full. "Abounding in kindness."

ergwn agaqwn gen. "[always doing] good" - [full] of good works .... [which she was doing]. Genitive of content. "Voluntary acts of love", Calvin.

Note 1 Kings 17:19.

egeneto "-" - it happened. Maintaining the movement of the story.

en taiV hJmeraiV ekeinaiV "about that time" - in those days. "During the time Peter was in the area", Peterson.

asqenhsasan (asqenew) aor. part. "[she] became sick" - having become sick. A participle of attendant circumstance, expressing action accompanying the action of the aorist infinitive "to die" which, with the accusative "her", forms an accusative infinitive construction, the "her (this one)" being the subject of a clause which itself functions as the subject of the verb "happened ("about that time")." "She became ill and died", CEV.

lousanteV (luw) aor. part. "her body was washed" - having washed. The participle probably forms a temporal clause, "after they washed here body", Moffatt. Anointing was usually also practiced, although this is not mentioned.

uJperw/w/ (on) "[in] an upstairs room" - an upper room. Possibly a Christian meeting place, or an appropriate place to store a dead body.

oushV (eimi) "was .... so" - Genitive absolute of the verb to-be, probably forming a causal clause, "since Lydda was near Joppa", Barclay.

egguV "near" - This is one of a small number of improper prepositions found in the New Testament. Usually followed by a genitive, here by a dative and functioning as an adverb, "near Joppa."

akousanteV (akouw) aor. part. "when [the disciples] heard" - having heard. The participle is probably temporal, as NIV.

oJti "that" - Introducing dependent statement of perception expressing what they heard, namely "Peter is in it (Lydda)."

parakalounteV (parakalew) pres. part. "urged" - calling, summoning, asking, requesting, exhorting. The participle is adverbial, probably expressing purpose, "in order to ask him." Possibly "urged", but this is reading a bit into it. Also, the "please come at once!" is a bit strong. The Greek reads "do not delay to come to us", but this is just a polite way of saying "please come to us."

mh oknhshV (oknew) aor. subj. "please [come] at once!" - do not hesitate [to come]. A negated hortatory subjunctive forming a negative command.

dielqein (diercomai) aor. inf. "come" - to come. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the main verb "hesitate".

anastaV (anisthmi) aor. part. "-" - having arisen. The participle is adverbial, probably superfluous, so NIV, or possibly expressing haste, "straight away, Peter went with them", CEV.

oJn paragenomenon (paraginomai) aor. part. "when he arrived" - whom having arrived. The participle probably forms a temporal clause, as NIV, although possibly adjectival, attributive, identifying who is taken to the upper room, "they brought to the upper room, him (namely Peter) who had arrived."

epideiknumenai (epideiknumi) mid. part. "showing" - The participle is modal, identifying the manner in which the action of the verb is accomplished. The middle voice possibly indicates that the widows are showing off the gifts by actually wearing them, or possibly the middle voice is expressing something like "showing with pride."

ousa (eimi) "while she was still [with them]" - being. The participle is probably temporal, as NIV.

Parallels continue with Jesus' healing of the daughter of Jairus, Mark 5:40, 41, (note how the parallels are closer to Mark's account than Luke's account!) and Elisha's healing of the dead boy.

ekbalwn (ekballw) aor. part. "sent them [all] out" - having cast out. The participle is probably temporal, "then Peter put them out of the room", Williams.

pantaV adj. "all" - Barrett suggests that the use of the masculine indicates that there were men in the room along with the women.

qeiV (tiqhmi) aor. part. "then he got down on" - having placed. The participle is probably temporal as NIV. "Then he knelt down in prayer", Moffatt.

epistreyaV (epistrefw) aor. part. "turning" - turning [to the body]. The participle is attendant circumstance accompanying the action of the verb "said", "turning ..... he said / he turned ...... and he said"

idousa (eidon) aor. part. "seeing" - seeing. The participle is probably temporal, "when she saw Peter she sat up", Williams.

douV (didwmi) aor. part. "he took [her by the hand]" - having given [to her a hand]. The participle is probably attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the verb "raised up (helped her to her feet)", as NIV.

fwnhsaV (fwnew) aor. part. "then he called" - having called. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, as NIV.

zwsan (zaw) pres. part. "alive" - [he presented her] living. The participle is the complement of a double accusative object complement construction, in which construction, both the object of the verb, and its complement is in the accusative case, "he presented (verb) her (object) living (complement)." See Wallace 182.

kaq (kata) + gen. "all over [Joppa]" - down from, throughout. Here with a special sense, "throughout".

epi "[believed] in [the Lord]" - upon. This preposition, followed by the accusative, takes the sense of movement onto something. "Believe in" is certainly commonly used in English, but the sense is "came to rely on."

meinai (menw) aor. inf. "he remained" - to remain, continue. The infinitive forms an infinitival clause which functions as the subject of the verb egeneto "it happened", "abiding in Joppa with a certain Simon a tanner happened". The subject of the infinitive, Peter, is assumed. "So it came about that Peter stayed ...", Williams.

Acts Introduction

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