Acts 27:33

While the day was coming on (acri ou hmera hmellen ginesqai). More likely here acri ou (for acri toutou wi) with the imperfect hmellen, has its usual meaning, "until which time day was about to come on (ginesqai, present middle infinitive, linear action)." That is Paul kept on exhorting or beseeching (parekalei, imperfect active) them until dawn began to come on (cf. verse John 39 when day came). In Hebrews 3:13 acri ou with the present indicative has to mean "so long as" or while, but that is not true here (Robertson, Grammar, p. 975). See on "Ac 2:46" for the same phrase for partaking food (metalambanw troph, genitive case) as also in Hebrews 27:34 . Paul wanted them to be ready for action when day really came. "Fourteenth day" repeated (verse Hebrews 27 ), only here in the accusative of duration of time (hmeran). It is not clear whether the "waiting" (prosdokwnte, present active participle predicate nominative complementary participle after diateleite, Robertson, Grammar, p. 1121) means fourteen days of continuous fasting or only fourteen successive nights of eager watching without food. Galen and Dionysius of Halicarnassus employ the very idiom used here by Luke (asito diatelew). Having taken nothing (mhqen proslabomenoi). Second aorist middle participle of proslambanw with the accusative mhqen rather than the more usual mhden. Probably Paul means that they had taken no regular meals, only bits of food now and then.