{Aquila} (Akulan). Luke calls him a Jew from Pontus,
apparently not yet a disciple, though there were Jews from Pontus
at the great Pentecost who were converted ( 2:9 ). Aquila who
made the famous A.D. translation of the O.T. was also from
Pontus. Paul "found" (heur(936e), second aorist active participle
of heurisk(935c)) though we do not know how. Edersheim says that a
Jewish guild always kept together whether in street or synagogue
so that by this bond they probably met. {Lately come from Italy}
(prosphat(9373) el(886c)uthota apo t(8873) Italias). Second perfect
participle of erchomai. _Koin(825f) adverb, here only in the N.T.,
from adjective prosphatos (pro, spha(935c) or sphaz(935c), to kill),
lately slaughtered and so fresh or recent ( Heb 10:20 ). {With
his wife Priscilla} (kai Priskillan gunaika autou). Diminutive
of Priska ( Ro 16:3  1Co 16:19 ). Prisca is a name in the
Acilian family and the Prisci was the name of another noble clan.
Aquila may have been a freedman like many Jews in Rome. Her name
comes before his in verses  18,26  Ro 16:3  2Ti 4:9 . {Because
Claudius had commanded} (dia to diatetachenai Klaudion).
Perfect active articular infinitive of diatass(935c), old verb to
dispose, arrange, here with accusative of general reference.
Dia here is causal sense, "because of the having ordered as to
Claudius." This was about A.D. 49, done, Suetonius says
(_Claudius_ C. 25), because "the Jews were in a state of constant
tumult at the instigation of one Chrestus" (probably among the
Jews about Christ so pronounced). At any rate Jews were unpopular
in Rome for Tiberius had deported 4,000 to Sardinia. There were
20,000 Jews in Rome. Probably mainly those implicated in the
riots actually left.