| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the temporal conjunction hos {Ὡς | Hōs} introducing a circumstantial clause, eplērōthē taûta {ἐπληρώθη ταῦτα | e-plē-rō-thē taû-ta} ‘these things were fulfilled,’ which frames Paul’s decision as subsequent to prior events. The aorist middle verb é-the-to ho Paû-los {ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος | é-the-to ho Paû-los} highlights Paul’s deliberate resolve, while the dative phrase en tō pneû-ma-ti {ἐν τῷ πνεύματι | en tō pneû-ma-ti} indicates the sphere of the Spirit’s influence. The participle di-el-thōn precedes tēn Ma-ke-do-ní-an kaí A-kha-í-an {διελθὼν τὴν Μακεδονίαν καὶ Ἀχαΐαν | di-el-thōn tēn Ma-ke-do-ní-an kaí A-kha-í-an} to mark temporal sequencing, and the infinitive po-reú-es-thai with eis Hi-e-ro-só-ly-ma {εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα | eis Hi-e-ro-só-ly-ma} conveys the content of his purpose. A second participle ei-pōn introduces his speech, with hó-ti as a marker for reported discourse. Inside the quotation, the articular infinitive Me-tà to ge-nés-thai me e-keî {Μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι με ἐκεῖ | Me-tà to ge-nés-thai me e-keî} expresses “after I have been there,” and the impersonal verb deî governs the pronoun me and infinitive i-deîn, yielding “it is necessary for me to see Rome also,” reflecting a sense of compelled obligation in Luke’s narrative flow. |