Acts 4:36

His given Jewish name was Joseph, but people called him by his Jewish nickname (cognomen), Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement" (Gr. huios parakleseos). The Jews often called a person "son of ___" to denote his or her characteristics (e.g., "son of Beliel"). They probably did so because Barnabas was a constant positive influence on those around him, as further references to him in Acts will demonstrate (cf. Acts 9:27; Acts 11:22-30; Acts 13:1 to Acts 14:28; Acts 15:2-4; Acts 15:12; Acts 15:22; Acts 15:36-41; 1 Corinthians 9:6). [Note: See Michael Pocock, "The Role of Encouragement in Leadership," in Integrity of Heart, Skillfulness of Hands, pp. 301-7.] Luke probably mentioned that he was a Levite just to identify him more specifically, not to throw a cloud of suspicion over him. The Mosaic Law forbade Levites from owning property in the Promised Land (Numbers 18:24).

". . . the rule was no longer rigidly adhered to, and would not have applied to those living overseas." [Note: Neil, p. 94. Cf. Jeremiah 1:1; 32:6-15.]

Levites had connections to the temple, but not everyone with temple connections opposed the apostles (cf. Acts 4:1). Barnabas had lived on the island of Cyprus at some time, though he had relatives in Jerusalem, namely, John Mark, Mark’s mother, and perhaps others (cf. Acts 12:12; Colossians 4:10).