21:16a

Some of the disciples from Caesarea: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disciples refers to learners who are in a special relationship with a teacher. The learners commit themselves to the teacher in order to learn and live according to his teaching and example.

This is Luke’s usual term in Acts to describe Christians. See how you translated this word in 6:1 or 21:4.

21:16b–c

and they took us to stay at the home of Mnason the Cypriot, an early disciple: The Greek words are literally “bringing to whom we might stay, Mnason, a certain/particular Cyprian, a long-time disciple.” Various English versions organize this information in different ways. For example:

bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
took us to the house of the man we were going to stay with—Mnason, from Cyprus, who had been a believer since the early days (Good News Translation)
-or-
to direct us to a Cypriot named Mnason, a Christian from the early days, with whom we were to spend the night (Revised English Bible)

21:16b

stay at: This clause in Greek is literally “to/with whom we might stay.” It tells the reader more about Mnason. Some languages must put this information in another sentence. For example:

We were to stay there.

Mnason: The Berean Standard Bible and other English versions spell this man’s name similarly to the Greek spelling. The “m” and the “n” are probably pronounced with no vowel between. Many languages (including English) do not normally pronounce “mn” together at the beginning of a word. You may want to:

• Spell the name as the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible do.

• Spell the name as the people of your language would say it. For example:

Menason

the Cypriot: The Greek word is literally “Cyprian.” It indicates that the island of “Cyprus” was the place where he was born. Other ways to translate this Greek phrase are:

of Cyprus (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
from Cyprus (Good News Translation)

See how you spelled the name “Cyprus” in 15:39.

21:16c

an early disciple: This phrase probably indicates that Mnason became a believer a long time ago. He may have become a believer in the first days of the church in Jerusalem, or even when Jesus was still on earth. These events described in this chapter occurred more than twenty years after Jesus died and rose from death. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

a believer since the early days (Good News Translation)
-or-
he had been a disciple for a long time
-or-
a long-time disciple

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