Sopater may be Sosipater, who is mentioned in Romans 16.21, though this is rather questionable. Aristarchus is mentioned also in 19.29 and 27.2. Secundus is mentioned only here in the New Testament. Regarding Gaius from Derbe, see the comments on 19.29. Timothy (who came from Lystra, 16.1) is so well known to the readers that he receives no further qualification. Tychicus is mentioned also in Ephesians 6.21; Colossians 4.7; 2 Timothy 4.12; Titus 3.12. Trophimus appears again in 21.29 (see also 2 Timothy 4.20).

The grammatical structure of this fourth verse is typically Greek, but it must be rather significantly altered if this it is to be translated readily into some languages. Note that according to the grammatical structure it is only Sopater who went with Paul. Then we have the addition of other persons: Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus. In many languages one simply cannot use this type of structure. Rather, one must say “Several persons went with him. These included Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus, from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica….”

In a number of languages there are very convenient devices for identifying a person’s relationship to his home town. Sometimes this is even done by a kind of adjectival ending to the name of the town. However, in other languages one must simply say “who came from Berea” or “who came from Thessalonica.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .