Acts 16:11

Acts 16:11-12 . Therefore, loosing from Troas, we came to Samothracia — An island in these seas, famous for being the seat of certain religious mysteries, in equal estimation with those called Eleusinian. But it does not appear that they went ashore there, for they landed the next day at Neapolis — A seaport town of Macedonia. Nor did they make any stay even there, but went straight to Philippi; because it was the chief city of that part of Macedonia — And a Roman colony. Thus Paul, having preached first at Damascus, next at Jerusalem, after that throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles in Syria, Cilicia, and most of the countries of the Lesser Asia, went at length, by the particular commandment of Christ, among the Greek nations, to whom it was proper that the glad tidings of salvation should now be given. For, seeing the gospel was a revelation from the true God, and was supported by great and undeniable miracles, it was fit that it should, in due course, be proposed to those nations who were best qualified to judge of its nature and evidences; because if, upon an accurate examination, great numbers of men embraced the gospel, whose minds were improved by science, and every kind of culture, their conversion would render it indubitable, in after times, that the gospel was supported by those great and undeniable miracles, which the Christian records affirm were performed in every country, by the preachers of the gospel.

Besides, God, in his infinite wisdom, was determined that the reigning idolatry should be utterly overthrown in those countries of Europe where it had the greatest support, from the ability and learning of its abetters; that no person might suspect, or affirm, in after times, that idolatry was destroyed, and Christianity established, merely through the ignorance and simplicity of the people among whom it was first preached.

11, 12. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came—literally, "ran." with a straight course—that is, "ran before the wind." to Samothracia—a lofty island on the Thracian coast, north from Troas, with an inclination westward. The wind must have set in strong from the south or south-southeast to bring them there so soon, as the current is strong in the opposite direction, and they afterwards took five days to what they now did in two (Ac 20:6) [Howson]. next day to Neapolis—on the Macedonian, or rather Thracian, coast, about sixty-five miles from Samothracia, and ten from Philippi, of which it is the harbor.

Verse 11. - Setting sail therefore for therefore loosing , A.V.; made for came with , A.V. ( εὐθυδρόμεω , elsewhere only in Acts 21:1 ); Samothrace for Samothracia , A.V.; day following for next day , A.V. In the New Testament this latter phrase only occurs in the Acts. Acts 16:11

11 . Samothracia ] This island lies in the north of the Aegean Sea, opposite to that part of the Thracian coast at which the river Hebrus empties itself. Neapolis ] The port of Philippi. This place is generally identified with the modern Kavalla . On the discussion about its identity, see Dictionary of the Bible (s. v.)

Acts 16:11 . Εὐθυδρομ .] having sailed from Troas, we ran by a straight course ( Acts 21:1 ). The word is not preserved in Greek writers, who have, however, εὐθυδρόμος , and as a verb, εὐθυπλοέω . Samothrace , a well-known island off the coast of Thrace, in the Aegean Sea. τῇ ἐπιούσῃ ] die postero , used by Greek writers both with ( Acts 7:26 ) and without ἡμέρᾳ . See Lobeck, ad Phryn . p. 464 In the N.T. it occurs only in Acts. Neapolis , at an earlier period Datos (Strabo, vii. p. 330), a seaport on the Strymonian Gulf, opposite the island of Thasos, at that time belonging to Thrace, but after Vespasian to Macedonia (Sueton. Vesp . 8; Dio Cass. xlvii. 35; Ptol. iii. 13. 9). On Philippi , formerly Krenides , named from the Macedonian Philip, who enlarged and fortified it, see the Introd. to Philipp . § 1. πρώτη τῆς μερίδος Μακεδ . κολωνία πόλις ] As in that district of Macedonia, divided by Aemilius Paulus into four parts (Liv. xlv. 29), Amphipolis was the capital, and πρώτη πόλις cannot therefore in a strict sense mean capital; [50] all difficulty is removed simply by connecting, and not, as is usually done,[51] separating, πόλις κολωνία : which is the first (in rank) colony-town of the part (concerned) of Macedonia . Comp. also Baumgarten.[52] Thus it is unnecessary, with Kuinoel, Hug, and others (see also Credner, Einl . II. p. 418 f.; Mynster, kl. theol.

Schr . p. 170), who separate πόλις from κολωνία , to take πρώτη πόλις in the sense of a city endowed with privileges (Bertholdt compares the French use of bonne ville ), inscriptions on coins being appealed to, in which the formal epithet πρώτη is given to Greek cities which were not capitals. See Eckhel, doctr. vet. num . I. 4. 282; Boeckh, Corpus inscript . I. 2, No. 335. In the case of Philippi itself no special privileges are known, except the general colonial rights of the jus Italicum; nor is the title πρώτη found on the coins of Philippi, it is met with only in the case of cities in Asia Minor (see Rettig, Quaest. Philipp . p. 5 f.). Others take πρώτη of local situation , so that they too separate πόλις from κολωνία : “Philippi was the first city of Macedonia at which Paul touched in his line of travel.” So Olshausen and Wieseler, following Erasmus (who, however, appears to join πόλις κολ .), Cornelius a Lapide, Calovius, Raphel, Wolf, Bengel, Eckermann, Heinrichs. In this case we have not to consider Neapolis as the mere port of Philippi (Olshausen), but with Rettig, van Hengel, ad Phil . p. 4 ff., and De Wette, to lay stress on the fact that Neapolis at that time belonged to Thrace , and to take ἐστί (Luke did not write ἦν ) as an expression of the admitted state of things, that Philippi from that side is the first city (consequently the most easterly , see Wieseler, p. 37 f.).