Acts 20:28

Take heed unto yourselves (prosecete eautoi). The full phrase had ton noun, hold your mind on yourselves (or other object in the dative), as often in old writers and in Job 7:17 . But the ancients often used the idiom with noun understood, but not expressed as here and Acts 5:35 ; Luke 12:1 ; Luke 17:3 ; Luke 21:34 ; 1 Timothy 1:4 ; 1 Timothy 3:8 ; 1 Timothy 4:13 . Epece is so used in 1 Timothy 4:16 . To all the flock (panti twi poimniwi). Contracted form of poimenion = poimnh ( John 10:16 ) already in Luke 12:32 and also in Acts 20:29 ; 1 Peter 5:2 1 Peter 5:3 . Common in old Greek. Hath made (eqeto). Did make, second aorist middle indicative of tiqhmi, did appoint. Paul evidently believed that the Holy Spirit calls and appoints ministers. Bishops (episkopou). The same men termed elders in verse 1 Peter 17 which see. To shepherd (poimainein). Present active infinitive of purpose of poimainw, old verb to feed or tend the flock (poimnh, poimnion), to act as shepherd (poimhn). These ministers are thus in Paul's speech called elders (verse 1 Peter 17 ), bishops (verse 1 Peter 28 ), and shepherds (verse 1 Peter 28 ). Jesus had used this very word to Peter ( John 21:16 , twice boske, feed, Jo 21:15 Jo 21:17 ) and Peter will use it in addressing fellow-elders ( 1 Peter 5:2 ) with memories, no doubt of the words of Jesus to him. The "elders" were to watch over as "bishops" and "tend and feed as shepherds" the flock. Jesus is termed "the shepherd and bishop of your souls" in 1 Peter 2:25 and "the great Shepherd of the sheep" in Hebrews 13:20 . Jesus called himself "the good Shepherd" in John 10:11 . The church of God (thn ekklhsian tou qeou). The correct text, not "the church of the Lord" or "the church of the Lord and God" (Robertson, Introduction to Textual Criticism of the N.T., p. 189). He purchased (periepoihsato). First aorist middle of peripoiew, old verb to reserve, to preserve (for or by oneself, in the middle). In the N.T. only in Luke John 17:33 ; Acts 20:28 ; 1 Timothy 3:13 . The substantive peripoihsin (preservation, possession) occurs in 1 Peter 2:9 ("a peculiar people" = a people for a possession) and in Ephesians 1:14 . With his own blood (dia tou aimato tou idiou). Through the agency of (dia) his own blood. Whose blood? If tou qeou (Aleph B Vulg.) is correct, as it is, then Jesus is here called "God" who shed his own blood for the flock. It will not do to say that Paul did not call Jesus God, for we have Romans 9:5 ; Colossians 2:9 ; Titus 2:13 where he does that very thing, besides Colossians 1:15-20 ; Philippians 2:5-11 .