And Joses
The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, read "Joseph",
and so do Beza's most ancient copy, and two of his manuscripts,
and the Alexandrian copy, and others; for "Jose", or "Joses", is
only an abbreviation or contraction of "Joseph"; though according
to others it is the same with "Josiah": there is one of this
name, who was the sort of Alphaeus, and brother to two of the
apostles, James and Jude, ( Matthew
13:55 ) and another called "Joses Barsabas"; and it may be to
distinguish the one from the other this is called "Joses
Barnabas"; for so it follows,
who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas:
his name before his conversion was "Joses", or "Joseph", or
"Josiah"; and afterwards, or at least after he came to be
acquainted with the apostles, and to be in their company, they
called him "Barnabas", The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read,
"who was of the apostles"; and so Barnabas is spoken of as if he
was an apostle, ( 1
Corinthians 9:5 1
Corinthians 9:6 )
which is, being interpreted, the son of
consolation;
or "of exhortation"; from the excellent gift and talent he had at
exhorting; see ( Acts 11:23 ) ( 14:22 ) and from the use
he was of for the comforting of distressed minds; for
(abn) , "Naba, to
prophesy", includes both exhortation and comfort; and he having
the gift of prophecy or preaching the Gospel, was called
(abnrb) , "Barnabas", a
son of comfort, or a comforter, or an exhorter: and so Jerom
F18 interprets it, "the son of a
prophet". Drusius conjectures that his right name was
(amxn rb) , "Bar Nachama",
and by contraction "Barnama", and with a Greek termination
"Barnamas"; which properly signifies, in the Chaldee and Syriac
languages, "the son of consolation", as it is here interpreted;
and he observes, that the letters "M" and "B" are sometimes used
one for an other: thus one and the same man is called "Berodach"
and "Merodach", ( 2 Kings
20:12 ) ( Isaiah 39:1 ) and the
same river is called "Abana", ( 2 Kings 5:12
) and in the margent "Amana"; but others think he had his name
from the same word that Noah had his, and which signifies rest
and comfort, as appears from the reason of his name. "This same
shall comfort us" And so the name of this man in the Chaldee or
Syriac language was (aba xn
rb) , which may be literally rendered "the son of the
fathers' rest", or "comfort". And this man is said to be
a Levite;
of the tribe of Levi, and of the priestly race:
and of the country of Cyprus;
or "by birth", or "nation, a Cyprian"; for though he was a Jew,
as is clear from his being of the tribe of Levi, and was born of
Jewish parents, yet in Cyprus, and so was a native of that place.
The Ethiopic version renders it, "of the city of Cyprus"; but
Cyprus was not a city, but a country; wherefore the Syriac
version renders it, "of the place, or country of Cyprus", as we
do: it was an island in the further part of the Mediterranean
sea; it had its name from the plant Cyprus, and is now by the
Turks called "Kibris". According to Pliny F19, it
lay to the east and west of Cilicia, and was opposite Syria, and
was formerly the seat of nine kingdoms; its circumference was
three hundred and seventy miles, and had been called by various
names; as Acamantis, Cerastis, Aspella, Amathusia, Macaria,
Crypton, and Colinia; in it were fifteen towns or cities, which
wcre Paphos, Palsepaphos, Curias, Citium, Corineum, Salamis,
Amethus, Lapethos, Solce, Tamaseus, Epidarum, Chytri, Arsinoe,
Carpasium, and Golgi. According to the same writer F20, it
was by an earthquake divided from Syria; and that part of it
which lay to the east from Syria, is said to be less than a
hundred miles distant from it. And according to Mela F21, its
chief cities were Salamis and Paphos, mentioned in ( Acts 13:5 Acts 13:6 ) . And
according to Ptolomy F23, it had on the west Pamphylia, on
the south the Egyptian and Syrian seas, and on the east the
Syrian sea, and on the north the straits of Cilicia: it was
inhabited by people of various nations, and, among the rest, by
Jews; and R. Benjamin makes mention of Jewish Rubbans in Cyprus,
in his time F24.