| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with the relative pronoun hos {ὃς | hós} ‘who’, linking back to Timothy in the preceding context and forming a relative clause that characterizes him. The verb emartyreito {ἐμαρτυρεῖτο | emartyreîto} is an imperfect middle/passive indicative conveying ongoing testimony about him, which supports the idiomatic translations “spoke well of him” and “gave him a good report.” The preposition hypo {ὑπὸ | hypó} ‘by’ marks the agent in the genitive articular phrase ton adelphōn {τῶν ἀδελφῶν | tôn adelphôn} ‘of the brothers’, signifying that the Christian community is the source of commendation. The prepositional phrase en Lýstrois kaí Ikoníō {ἐν Λύστροις καὶ Ἰκονίῳ | en Lýstrois kaí Ikoníō} ‘in Lystra and in Iconium’ situates the scope of this testimony geographically. English prefers a finite clause with an explicit subject, so the relative clause is rendered as a main clause with “The brothers” or “The believers,” and the passive is smoothed into idiomatic expressions of commendation. |