Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 8:31

γὰρ; “elegans particula hoc sensu quid quaeris? ” implies, Why do you ask? for how should I be able? (cf. Matthew 27:23; Mark 15:14; Luke 23:22); see Simcox, Language of N. T. Greek, p. 172; Grimm-Thayer, sub v., I. ἂν δυναίμην : optative with ἂν; occurs only in Luke, both in his Gospel and Acts, expressing what would happen on the fulfilment of some supposed condition: see, for a full list of passages, Burton, N. T. Moods and Tenses, p. 80; Simcox, u. s., p. 112: twice in direct questions, here and in Acts 17:18, but only in this passage is the condition expressed, cf. also Viteau, Le Grec du N. T., pp. 33 and 66 (1893). ὁδηγήσῃ, see critical notes, and Blass, Grammatik, p. 210; if we read future indicative it will be an instance of a future supposition thus expressed with more probability, Burton, u. s., pp. 104, 105, 109, and see also Simcox, note on the passage, u. s., p. 112. Burton compares Luke 19:40 (W.H [219]), see also Viteau, u. s., pp. 4, 111, 226, whilst Blass maintains that there is no one certain example of this usage of εάν with future indicative. The word used here (“insignis modestia eunuchi,” Calvin) is used also by our Lord Himself for the Holy Spirit's leading and guidance, John 16:13, and also in the LXX, as in the Psalms, of divine guidance. παρεκάλεσέν : “he besought,” R.V. (“desired” A.V.), the word is rightly taken to denote both the humility and the earnestness of the eunuch (Bengel): a verb frequent both in St. Luke and St. Paul, six or seven times in Gospel, twenty-two or twenty-three times in Acts. τε : note the closing connecting particle, showing the necessary result of the question (Weiss).

[219] Westcott and Hort's The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 8:31

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