Acts 2:10 - Exposition

In Phrygia for Phrygia, A.V.; the parts for in the parts, A.V. ; sojourners from for strangers of, A.V. ; both Jews for Jews, A.V. Asia; i.e. " the western coast region of Asia Minor, including Caria, Lydia, and Mysia" (Meyer). "Ionia and Lydia, of which Ephesus was the capital, called Proconsular Asia" (Wordsworth and 'Speaker's Commentary.' See Acts 20:16 , Acts 20:18 ; Revelation 1:4 , etc.). Egypt , etc. These represent the third great dispersion, that effected by Ptolemy Lagus. Some of this part of the dispersion are mentioned as very hostile to Stephen ( Acts 6:9 ). "Two-fifths of the population of Alexandria were Jews." "Jews formed one quarter of the population of Cyrene" ('Speaker's Commentary.') See Matthew 27:32 and Acts 13:1 ). And sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. The copula and couples the οἱ ἐπιδημοῦντες ῥωμαῖοι with the οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν ΄εσοποταμίαν , etc., of Acts 13:9 . It is literally, those of us who are Roman sojourners at Jerusalem, whether Jews by race or proselytes. They were equally Roman sojourners, whether they were Jews whose home was at Rome or whether they were proselytes; and it is an interesting fact that there were such proselytes in the great capital of the heathen world. Sojourners, as in Acts 17:21 , the strangers sojourning at Athens. Many good commentators—Alford, Meyer, Lechler (in Lange, 'Bibel Works'), etc.—take the words "Jews and proselytes" as applying to the whole preceding list, not to the Roman sojourners only; but in that case one would not expect Cretans and Arabians to follow.