Atos 19

Atos 19

Stedman says "There was nothing magic about the rod itself; it was the symbol of something about Moses which God honored. So these sweatbands and trade aprons were symbols of the honest, dignified labor of the apostle, his labor of love and humility of heart, his servant-character which manifested and released the power of God. God means to teach by this that it is through a man whose heart is so utterly committed that he is ready to invest hard, diligent labor in making the gospel available, willing to stoop to a lowly trade, that the power of God is released." Extraordinary (5177)(tugchano/tynchano) is a verb (used in this passage as an adjective) which means to hit as a target, especially with an arrow and so to reach a mark or object (to attain). In the present passage tugchano means to happen anywhere and at any time and thus "common." In our passage it is modified by the Greek negative (ou) and means uncommon, special. The full phrase is "dunameis te ou tas tuchousas" literally miracles not the common, thus "extraordinary miracles." One wonders what "ordinary" miracles were? Vincent (ou tas tuchousas) - A peculiar expression. Lit., not usual or common, such as one might fall in with frequently. Miracles (1411)(dunamis from dunamai = to be able, to have power) describes power to achieve. It refers to intrinsic power or inherent ability, the power or ability to carry out some function, the potential for functioning in some way (power, might, strength, ability, capability), the power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature. is translated miracle/miraculous in about 22 of the over 116 uses.