4 These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
And there accompanied him - It was usual for some of the disciples to attend the apostles in their journeys.
Into Asia - It is not meant that they attended him from Greece through Macedonia, but that they went with him to Asia, having gone before him, and joined him at Troas.
Sopater of Berea - Perhaps the same person who, in Romans 16:21, is called Sosipater, and who is there said to have been a kinsman of Paul.
Aristarchus - Acts 19:29.
Gaius of Derbe - See the notes on Acts 19:29.
Tychicus - This man was high in the confidence and affection of Paul. In Ephesians 6:21-22 he styles him "a beloved brother, and faithful minister in the Lord."
And Trophimus - Trophimus was from Ephesus, Acts 20:29. When Paul wrote his Second Epistle to Timothy he was at Miletum, sick, 2-Timothy 4:20.
And there accompanied him - Rather, says Bishop Pearce, there followed him as far as to Asia; for they were not in his company till he set sail from Philippi, and came to them at Troas, in Asia, whither they had gone before, and where they tarried for him, Acts 20:5.
Into Asia - Αχρι της Ασιας; These words are wanting in two MSS., Erpen, the Ethiopic, Coptic, and Vulgate. Some think that they embarrass this place; for how these could accompany him into Asia, and go before him, and tarry for him at Troas, Acts 20:6, is not so very clear; unless we suppose, what I have glanced at in the table of contents, that they came with him to Asia, but, he tarrying a short time, they proceeded on their journey, and stopped for him at Troas, where he shortly after rejoined them. Mr. Wakefield gets rid of the difficulty by reading the verse thus: Now Sopater of Berea accompanied him; but Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, Timothy of Lystra, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia, went before, and tarried for us at Troas.
Sopater of Berea - Sopater seems to be the same as Sosipater, whom St. Paul mentions as his kinsman, Romans 16:21. ADE, more than twenty others, with the Coptic, Armenian, later Syriac in the margin, Vulgate, Itala, Theophylact, Origen, and Bede, add Πυρῥου, Sopater the Son of Pyrrhus. Griesbach has received this into his text.
Aristarchus of Thessalonica - This person occurs in Acts 19:29, and is mentioned there as a Macedonian. He attended Paul in his journey to Rome, Acts 27:2, and was his fellow laborer, Plm 1:24, and his fellow prisoner, Colossians 4:10, Colossians 4:11. Secundus is mentioned nowhere but in this place.
Gaius of Derbe - This is supposed to be the same who is mentioned Acts 19:26, and who is there called a man of Macedonia, of which some suppose he was a native, but descended from a family that came from Derbe; but as Gaius, or Caius, was a very common name, these might have been two distinct persons. One of this name was baptized by St. Paul at Corinth, 1-Corinthians 1:14, and entertained him as his host while he abode there, Romans 16:23, and was probably the same to whom St. John directs his third epistle.
And Timotheus - Of Lystra, is added by the Syriac. This was the same person of whom mention is made, Acts 16:1, and to whom St. Paul wrote the two epistles which are still extant; and who was a native of Lystra, as we learn from the above place. It was on this evidence, probably that the ancient Syriac translator added, of Lystra, to the text. This reading is not supported by any MSS.
Tychicus - of Asia - This person was high in the confidence of St. Paul. He styles him a beloved brother, and faithful minister in the Lord, whom he sent to the Ephesians, that he might know their affairs, and comfort their hearts, Ephesians 6:21, Ephesians 6:22. He sent him for the same purpose, and with the same commendations, to the Colossians, Colossians 4:7, Colossians 4:8. Paul seems also to have designed him to superintend the Church at Crete in the absence of Titus; see Titus 3:12. He seems to have been the most intimate and confidential friend that Paul had.
Trophimus - Was an Ephesian; and both he and Tychicus are called Εφεσιοι, Ephesians, instead of Ασιανοι, Asiatics, in the Codex Bezae, both Greek and Latin, and in the Sahidic. He accompanied Paul from Ephesus into Greece, as we see here; and from thence to Jerusalem, Acts 21:29. He had, no doubt, traveled with him on other journeys, for we find, by 2-Timothy 4:20, that he was obliged to leave him sick at Miletus, being then, as it is likely, on his return to his own kindred at Ephesus.
And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea,.... This Sopater is thought to be the same with Sosipater in Romans 16:21 and in three of Beza's copies, and in as many of Stephens's, he is so called here; the Ethiopic version calls him Peter, a citizen of Berea; and the Arabic version Sopater of Aleppo. The Alexandrian copy, Beza's most ancient copy, and others, the Complutensian edition, and the Vulgate Latin version, read, Sopater of Pyrrhus, the Berean; that is, the son of Pyrrhus. He is reckoned among the seventy disciples, and is said to be bishop of Iconium; See Gill on Luke 10:1. This name was common among the Greeks; there was one of this name a native of Paphus, in the times of Alexander the great, a comical poet, and who also is sometimes called Sosipater, as this man was; there was another Sopater the sophist, who wrote the affairs of Alexander; and there was another of this name, who, among other things, collected much concerning painters and statuaries. The name signifies "a father saved". Pyrrhus is a Grecian name well known, being the name of a famous king of Greece who engaged in war with the Romans. This man went along with the apostle into Asia; and it seems, that of the persons here mentioned, he only accompanied him; for the verb is in the singular number, and the other six persons following did not go along with him, as Sopater did, but went before him to Troas, which was in Asia, and there waited for him; though the Syriac version reads in the plural number; but then it renders the words, "they went forth with him", as they might do from Greece, and yet not accompany him into Asia: the phrase into Asia is left out in the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions.
And of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; the former of these is before said to be a Macedonian, Acts 19:29 and here he appears to be of Thessalonica, and his name is a Greek one; but Secundus is a Roman name, though he might be born at Thessalonica, or at least have lived there, and so be said to be of it. His name signifies "Second"; very likely was his father's second son, and therefore so called; though the name was used among the Grecians. We read of Secundus an Athenian, the master of Herod the sophist, who flourished under the emperor Adrian, there are sentences under his name still extant; and another called Secundus the grammarian, a friend of Poleman, a philosopher at Athens, who corrected his writings; so that this man might be a Grecian, and a native of Thessalonica; mention is made of him nowhere else.
And Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; the former of these is so called to distinguish him from Gaius the Macedonian in Acts 19:29 and the latter by being joined with him should be of the same place, as he might be; see Acts 16:1 though the Syriac version reads, "and Timotheus of Lystra"; and so does the Arabic version used by De Dieu; and this is mentioned with Derbe in the above cited place.
And of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus: of the former see Ephesians 6:21 and of the latter see 2-Timothy 4:20 Acts 21:29 where he is called an Ephesian, as they both are here in Beza's most ancient copy; Ephesus being the metropolis of Asia, strictly so called. These are both of them said to be among the seventy disciples: Trophimus, we are told, taught at Arles in France, and suffered martyrdom with the Apostle Paul; and that Tychicus was bishop of Chalcedon in Bithynia; and that another of the same name was bishop of Colophon; See Gill on Luke 10:1. Trophimus signifies "nourished", and is a name to be found in a funeral inscription of the Romans (h), though Greek, and in the fragments of the poet Menander: and Tychicus signifies "fortunate"; whether the same with Fortunatus in 1-Corinthians 16:17 may be inquired.
(h) Kirchman. de Funer. Roman. l. 3. c. 26. p. 525.
there accompanied him into Asia--the province of Asia.
Sopater of Berea--The true reading, beyond doubt, is, "Sopater [the son] of Pyrrhus of Berea." Some think this mention of his father was to distinguish him from Sosipater (the same name in fuller form), mentioned in Romans 16:21. But that they were the same person seems more probable.
of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus--(See on Acts 19:29).
and Secundus--of whom nothing else is known.
Gaius of Derbe--Though the Gaius of Acts 19:29 is said to be of "Macedonia," and this one "of Derbe," there is no sufficient reason for supposing them different persons; on the contrary, Romans 16:23 (compare with 3-John 1:1, where there is hardly any reason to doubt that the same Gaius is addressed) seems to show that though he spent an important part of his Christian life away from his native Derbe, he had latterly retired to some place not very far from it.
and Timotheus--not probably of Derbe, as one might suppose from this verse, but of Lystra (see on Acts 16:1); both being so associated in his early connection with the apostle that the mention of the one in the previous clause would recall the other on the mention of his name.
and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus--The latter was an Ephesian, and probably the former also. They seem to have put themselves, from this time forward, at the apostle's disposal, and to the very last been a great comfort to him (Ephesians 6:21-22; Colossians 4:7-8; Acts 21:29; 2-Timothy 4:12, 2-Timothy 4:20). From the mention of the places to which each of these companions belonged, and still more the order in which they occur, we are left to conclude that they were deputies from their respective churches, charged with taking up and bringing on the collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem, first at Berea, next at Thessalonica, then at Philippi [HOWSON], where we gather that our historian himself rejoined the party (from the resumption at Acts 20:5 of the "us," dropped at Acts 16:17), by whom the Philippian collection would naturally be brought on.
To Asia - There some of them left him. But Trophimus went with him to Jerusalem, Acts 21:29. Aristarchus, even to Rome, Acts 27:2.
*More commentary available at chapter level.