Acts 19:22 - Exposition

And having sent for so he sent, A.V.; Timothy for Timotheus, A.V.; he for but he, A.V.; while for season, A.V. Two of them , etc. Erastus is here mentioned for the first time. If he is the same person who is mentioned in Romans 16:23 ; £ , 2 Timothy 4:20 , it is probable that he was one of St. Paul's Corinthian converts who had gone with him from Corinth to Jerusalem and Antioch, and had accompanied him through Phrygia and Galatia to Ephesus. Silos, who had been Timothy's companion on the former visit to Macedonia, seems to have left St. Paul, possibly at Jerusalem, from whence he originally came ( Acts 15:22 , Acts 15:32 , Acts 15:34 ), and to have attached himself to Peter ( 1 Peter 5:12 ). Perhaps he was especially connected with the mission to Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, etc., as it appears from the passage just quoted that he was "a faithful brother unto them," A.V.; "or our faithful brother," R.V. He himself stayed , etc. This phrase is in singular harmony with 1 Corinthians 16:8 , which seems clearly to have been written after Timothy's departure for Macedonia and before his arrival at Corinth, since Timothy is not mentioned either in the superscription or among the salutations ( 1 Corinthians 1:1 ; 1 Corinthians 16:19 , 1 Corinthians 16:20 ), and his coming to Corinth is spoken of as doubtful, though probable, in 1 Corinthians 16:10 . Both passages imply a prolongation of Paul's stay at Ephesus beyond his original intention. The special reason for this prolongation of his sojourn at Ephesus, and which is alluded to in 1 Car 1 Corinthians 16:9 , is thought to be the Artemisian or Ephesian games, which were celebrated at Ephesus in May—and therefore just at this time—and which brought a vast concourse of Ionians to Ephesus. It was at this time, doubtless, that the principal sale of "silver shrines of Diana" took place, and therefore it was natural that Demetrius and his fellow-craftsmen should be very angry when they found their usual gains were cut short by the multitude of converts all over Proconsular Asia. We learn from 1 Corinthians 16:7 that Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus had arrived at Ephesus from Corinth. It is likely that their presence, together with that of Tychicus and Trophimus, two Asiatic converts, enabled St. Paul to dispense with the services of Time-thy and Erastus for a time. ἔπεσχεν , understand σεαυτόν , kept himself back, i.e. stayed; χρόνον , a while, an indefinite phrase, but indicating a short time. Herodotus has ἐπίσχοντες , ἐπισχὼν ὀλίγον χρόνον , and ἐπισχὼν χρόνον (9. 49).