Vincent's NT Word Studies
7. First (th mia). Lit., "the one day." The cardinal numeral here used for the ordinal.Week (sabbatwn). The plural used for the singular, in imitation of the Hebrew form. The noun Sabbath is often used after numerals in the signification of a week. See Matt. xxviii. 1; Mark xvi. 1; John xx. 19. To break bread. The celebration of the eucharist, coupled with the Agape, or love-feast.
Preached (dielegeto). Better, as Rev., discoursed with them. It was a mingling of preaching and conference. Our word dialogue is derived from the verb.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
20:7 {Upon the first day of the week} (en de miai twn sabbatwn). The cardinal miai used here for the ordinal prwtei (#Mr 16:9) like the Hebrew _ehadh_ as in #Mr 16:2; Mt 28:1; Lu 24:1; Joh 20:1 and in harmony with the _Koin_ idiom (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 671). Either the singular (#Mr 16:9) sabbatou or the plural sabbaton as here was used for the week (sabbath to sabbath). For the first time here we have services mentioned on the first day of the week though in #1Co 16:2 it is implied by the collections stored on that day. In #Re 1:10 the Lord's day seems to be the day of the week on which Jesus rose from the grave. Worship on the first day of the week instead of the seventh naturally arose in Gentile churches, though #Joh 20:26 seems to mean that from the very start the disciples began to meet on the first (or eighth) day. But liberty was allowed as Paul makes plain in #Ro 14:5f. {When we were gathered together} (sunegmenwn hemwn). Genitive absolute, perfect passive participle of sunagw, to gather together, a formal meeting of the disciples. See this verb used for gatherings of disciples in #Ac 4:31; 11:26; 14:27; 15:6,30; 19:7,8; 1Co 5:4. In #Heb 10:25 the substantive episunagwgen is used for the regular gatherings which some were already neglecting. It is impossible for a church to flourish without regular meetings even if they have to meet in the catacombs as became necessary in Rome. In Russia today the Soviets are trying to break up conventicles of Baptists. They probably met on our Saturday evening, the beginning of the first day at sunset. So these Christians began the day (Sunday) with worship. But, since this is a Gentile community, it is quite possible that Luke means our Sunday evening as the time when this meeting occurs, and the language in #Joh 20:19 "it being evening on that day the first day of the week" naturally means the evening following the day, not the evening preceding the day. {To break bread} (klasai arton). First aorist active infinitive of purpose of klaw. The language naturally bears the same meaning as in #2:42, the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper which usually followed the agape. See #1Co 10:16. The time came, when the agape was no longer observed, perhaps because of the abuses noted in #1Co 11:20ff. Rackham argues that the absence of the article with bread here and its presence (ton arton) in verse #11 shows that the agape is ] referred to in verse #7 and the Eucharist in verse #11, but not necessarily so because ton arton may merely refer to arton in verse #7. At any rate it should be noted that Paul, who conducted this service, was not a member of the church in Troas, but only a visitor. {Discoursed} (dielegeto). Imperfect middle because he kept on at length. {Intending} (mellw). Being about to, on the point of. {On the morrow} (tei epaurion). Locative case with hemerai understood after the adverb epaurion. If Paul spoke on our Saturday evening, he made the journey on the first day of the week (our Sunday) after sunrise. If he spoke on our Sunday evening, qen he left on our Monday morning. {Prolonged his speech} (pareteinen ton logon). Imperfect active (same form as aorist) of parateinw, old verb to stretch beside or lengthwise, to prolong. Vivid picture of Paul's long sermon which went on and on till midnight (mecri mesonuktiou). Paul's purpose to leave early next morning seemed to justify the long discourse. Preachers usually have some excuse for the long sermon which is not always clear to the exhausted audience.
