a fellow-artificer · adjective — accusative singular masculine
abode
ἔμενενemenen
G3306
to stay (in a given place · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular
with
παρ᾽par᾽
G3844
properly · preposition
them
αὐτοῖςautois
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative plural masculine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
wrought
ἠργάζετο·ērgazeto
G2038
to toil (as a task · verb — imperfect middle or passive deponent indicative, 3rd person singular
for
γὰρgar
G1063
properly · conjunction
occupation
τέχνῃ·technē
G5078
art (as productive) · noun — dative singular feminine
tentmakers
σκηνοποιοὶskēnopoioi
G4635
a manufacturer of tents · noun — nominative plural masculine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Corinthians 4:12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
1 Thessalonians 2:9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preac…
2 Corinthians 11:7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
2 Corinthians 11:9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Maced…
2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of…
2 Corinthians 12:13 For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
Acts 20:34-35 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
1 Corinthians 9:6-12 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Acts 18:1-6
We do not find that Paul was much persecuted at Athens, nor that he was driven thence by any ill usage, as he was from those places where the Jews had or could make any interest; but this reception at Athens being cold, and little prospect of doing good there, he departed from Athens, leaving the care of those there who believed with Dionysius; and thence he came to Corinth, where he was now instrumental in planting a church that became on many accounts considerable. Corinth was the chief city of Achaia, now a province of the empire, a rich and splendid city. Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum - It is not permitted every man to see Corinth. The country thereabouts at this day is cal…
tentmakers--manufacturers, probably, of those hair-cloth tents supplied by the goats of the apostle's native province, and hence, as sold in the markets of the Levant, called cilicium. Every Jewish youth, whatever the pecuniary circumstances of his parents, was taught some trade (see on Luk 2:42), and Paul made it a point of conscience to work at that which he had probably been bred to, partly that he might not be burdensome to the churches, and partly that his motives as a minister of Christ might not be liable to misconstruction. To both these he makes frequent reference in his Epistles.
Adam Clarke on Acts 18:3
He abode with them, and wrought - Bp. Pearce observes that it was a custom among the Jews, even of such as had a better education than ordinary, which was Paul's case, Act 22:3, to learn a trade, that, wherever they were, they might provide for themselves in case of necessity. And though Paul, in some cases, lived on the bounty of his converts, yet he chose not to do so at Ephesus, Act 20:34; nor at Corinth or other places, Co1 4:12; Co2 9:8, Co2 9:9; Th1 3:8; and this Paul did for a reason which he gives in Co2 11:9-12. While he was at Corinth he was supplied, when his own labor did not procure him enough, "by the brethren which came to him there from Macedonia." It appears that the apostle…
They were of the tent-making trade. As exiles in the land and strangers, they build tents for themselves to use on the way; σκῆναι in Greek are called tabernacles, deriving the etymology from shading, among which shade is called σκία; σκῆναι or σκηνώματα mean something like little shades, which the ancients formed from woolen, wooden, or Cilician cloths, or from the leaves or branches of trees. Mystically, just as Peter by fishing draws us from the waves of the world through the nets of faith, so Paul by setting up the tents of protection defends us from the rain of sins, the heat of temptations, and the winds of treacheries, both by word and by deed. At this point, there are two verses in Greek that are not found in some of our manuscripts. He discussed in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks. Then follows what both manuscripts have, added:
Lo, what a justification he found for dwelling in the same house with them! For because here, of all places, it was necessary that he should not receive, as he himself says, "That wherein they glory, they may be found, even as we," it is providentially ordered that he there abides. Observe how, not in Jerusalem, nor near it the crisis was hasting to come, but at a greater distance. And with him he abides, and is not ashamed to abide, nay, for this very reason he does abide, as having a suitable lodging-place, for to him it was much more suitable than any king's palace. And smile not thou, beloved, to hear of his occupation. For it was good for him even as to the athlete the palaestra is more useful than delicate carpets; so to the warrior the iron sword is useful, not that of gold. "And wrought," though he preached. Let us be ashamed, who though we have no preaching to occupy us, live in idleness.
Let no one who is a craftsman be ashamed, but rather those who are reared for no purpose and do nothing, the ones who employ many servants and enjoy an immense court. For being raised as an unceasing worker is the nature of philosophy. The minds of such people are purer, more vigorous. The one who does nothing is really one who does much in vain and, full of indolence, in an entire day accomplishes nothing. The one engaged in work will take on nothing superfluous in haste, neither in deeds nor words nor thoughts. For such a person's entire soul, throughout the day, has been set on a painful means of existence. We, therefore, ought not to scorn those who support themselves by the work of their hands, but we should really count them blessed because of this.… Paul, after countless journeys, despite such great wonders, stayed with a tentmaker and sewed skins. Angels honored him and demons trembled at him, and still he was not ashamed to say, "These same hands served my needs and those who were with me."
Dictionary and topics
Handicraft — (Acts 18:3; 19:25; Revelation 18:22) A trade was taught to ail the Jewish boys as a necessary part of their education. Even the greatest rabbis maintained themselves by trades (Delitzsch). Says Rabbi…
Paul — =Saul (q.v.) was born about the same time as our Lord. His circumcision-name was Saul, and probably the name Paul was also given to him in infancy “for use in the Gentile world,” as “Saul” would be…
Tent — (1.) Heb. ‘ohel (Gen. 9:21, 27). This word is used also of a dwelling or habitation (1 Kings 8:66; Isa. 16:5; Jer. 4:20), and of the temple (Ezek. 41:1). When used of the tabernacle, as in 1 Kings…
Thessalonians, Epistles to the — The first epistle to the Thessalonians was the first of all Paul’s epistles. It was in all probability written from Corinth, where he abode a “long time” (Acts 18:11, 18), early in the period of his…
Aquila And Priscilla · Christians at Corinth — Christians at Corinth
Art · .Of the tentmaker — .Of the tentmaker
Arts Of The · Tent-maker — Tent-maker
Industry · .Paul — .Paul
Priscilla · A disciple at Corinth — A disciple at Corinth
Tent · The ma — The ma
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Acts 18:3
And because he was of the same craft, Art, occupation, or trade:
he abode with them; in the same house in which they were:
and wrought; with his own hands, to support himself, for he was a stranger in this place; and as yet here was no church to minister to him; and when there was, he would take nothing of them, that the false teachers, who rose up among them, might not make any handle of it against him, and to the prejudice of the Gospel; though otherwise he thought it his just due to receive a maintenance from the churches; and insisted upon it as an ordination of Christ. He learned a trade whilst among the Jews, with whom it was common for their greatest doctors to be brought up to some…
Acts 18:1-5
1. After this Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinthus. 2. And having gotten a certain Jew called Aquila, born in Pontus, who came [had come] lately from Italy, and Priscilla, his wife, (because Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome,) he came unto them. 3. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought; and they were tent-makers. 4. And he disputed in the synagogue every Sabbath day, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks,: 5. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was forced in the spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
1. This history is worthy to be remembered even for this one cause, because it co…
The edict of Claudius Caesar that had deported all Jews from Rome around AD 49 is mentioned by the Roman historian Suetonius (Life of Claudius 25). • Aquila and Priscilla became an outstanding husband-and-wife team in the early church. They earned their living as tentmakers, as did Paul, who probably lived and worked with them during his year and a half in Corinth (18:11; see Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19). • just as he was: Paul would have been trained as a tentmaker as a young man. It was Jewish custom to provide sons with a manual trade, including young men who intended to become rabbis or other professionals.