these districts

καταδῠναστ-εύω,

A oppress, τινα LXXEx.1.13,al.; τοὺς πτωχοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ib.Am.8.4: metaph.,

δέδοικα μὴ πλοῦτός με -εύσῃ X.Smp.5.8

; τινος D.S.13.73, Ep.Jac.2.6: abs., Str.16.1.26, Ph.1.421, Plu.2.367d:—[voice] Pass., to be oppressed, PPetr.3p.74 (iii B.C.), LXXNe.5.5, D.S.37.8;

ὑπό τινος Str.6.2.4

;

ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου Act.Ap.10.38

; ταῦτα -εύετο ἕκαστα these districts were under their several rulers, Str.7.7.8.

2 get control, abs., of mutineers, Ps.-Ptol. Centil.56.

μερίς, ίδος, ἡ (s. μερίζω and three next entries; Antiphon, Thu.+; ins, pap, LXX, TestSol; TestJob 38:2; 41:5; Test12Patr; Philo; Jos., Ant. 11, 292, Vi. 36; Just.).

① a portion of a whole that has been divided, part (Pla., Soph. p. 266a; Demetr.: 722 Fgm. 1, 14 Jac.; Diod S 15, 31, 2; 15, 64, 1 [where comparison with 15, 63, 4 τέτταρα μέρη … ἡ πρώτη μερίς shows that it is not necessary to assume that there is a difference in the meanings of these word-forms]. In ins and pap oft.=district: OGI 177, 9; 179, 8; PPetr III, 32 recto, 3 τῆς Θεμίστου μερίδος; BGU 975, 6 [45 A.D.]; PTebt 302, 4; 315, 13; Diod S 1, 54, 3; Josh 18:6). The wording of Ac 16:12 v.l in describing Philippi ἥτις ἐστὶν πρώτη τῆς μερίδος Μακεδονίας πόλις (vv.ll., among others, πρ. τῆς μερ. τῆς Μακ.; πρ. τῆς Μακ.) is difficult because of τῆς μερίδος.The transl. leading city of the district of Macedonia (e.g. Beyer, Steinmann, Bauernfeind, NRSV) is tolerable only through lack of a better one. As far as the form is concerned, the article is lacking w. πρώτη, and as far as subject matter goes, Philippi was not the capital city (which πρώτη means in such a context: Ps.-Scylax, Peripl. 35 [BFabricius 1878]; schol. on Pind., O. 8, 1h; cp. 6, 144g; Eunap. 7; 96; Procop., Aedif. 5, 4, 18 μητρόπολις … οὕτω πόλιν τ. πρώτην τοῦ ἔθνους καλοῦσι Ῥωμαῖοι) either of the province of Macedonia or of any of its districts. The Nestle text follows Blass, who favored the conjecture of Johannes Clericus (LeClerc), and reads πρώτη[ς] μερίδος τῆς Μακεδονίας of the first district of Macedonia, w. ref. to the fact that the Romans (Livy 45, 29) divided Macedonia into four μερίδες=districts in 167 B.C. (so also Hoennicke, Preuschen, Wlh., Zahn; Field, Notes 124; EHaupt, Gefangenschaftsbriefe⁷ 1902, 83f; Belser; Zürcher Bibel ’31; Haenchen ad loc; RBorger, TRu 52, ’87, 37f. On the textual variants, s. Metzger, Textual Commentary ad loc. S. also AClark and JLarsen s.v. κεφαλή 2b, end.—If the restoration of the apparently damaged text should result in a wording that would make it possible for πρώτη to refer to the progress of a journey, we might compare Arrian, Anab. 4, 23, 3 ἡ πρώτη καθʼ ὁδὸν πόλις; Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 35 §137 Ariminum ἐστὶν Ἰταλίας πρώτη [i.e., πόλις] μετὰ τὴν Γαλατίαν=the first city in Italy after [leaving] Gaul; Ps.-Scylax §67: from Thessaly the πρώτη πόλις Μακεδονίας is Ἡράκλειον.—Linguistically πρ. πόλ. can, of course, be understood of time as well, and can mean the first city in connection with which someth. happens [Diod S 12, 67, 2 Acanthus was the first city, πρ. πόλ., to revolt from Athens]).

② share, portion (Demosth. 43, 82; Plut., Ages. 17, 5; Lucian, De Merc. Cond. 26; Vett. Val. 345, 16; SIG 1013, 4; BGU 996 III, 1; PLond III, 880, 18ff p. 9 [113 B.C.]; POxy 1482, 21; LXX) τὴν ἀγαθὴν μ. ἐκλέγεσθαι choose the better portion Lk 10:42 (fig., of food? Cp. Mft., transl., ‘Mary has chosen the best dish’, and s. Gen 43:34; 1 Km 9:23, but against him TGillieson, ET 59, ’47/48, 111f. For other reff. Field, Notes 63f; HAlmqvist, Plutarch u. d. NT ’46, 65). μ. κυρίου the Lord’s portion 1 Cl 29:2 (Dt 32:9); cp. 30:1. τίς μερὶς πιστῷ μετὰ ἀπίστου; what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? (i.e., with ref. to the same thing; on μετά s. below) 2 Cor 6:15. Sim. μετὰ μοιχῶν τὴν μερίδα σου ἐτίθεις you cast your lot w. adulterers 1 Cl 35:8 (Ps 49:18). οὐκ ἔστιν σοι μ. οὐδὲ κλῆρος ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ you have neither share nor lot in this matter Ac 8:21 (cp. Dt 12:12 οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ μ. οὐδὲ κλῆρος μεθʼ ὑμῶν.—μ. καὶ κλῆρος also TestSol 14:5 and Philo, Plant. 60.—μ. ἐν as 2 Km 20:1; TestJob 38:2 ἐν γῇ καὶ σποδῷ). ἡ μερὶς τοῦ κλήρου τῶν ἁγίων a share in the inheritance of the saints / holy ones (cp. 1QS 11:7f) Col 1:12.—DELG s.v. μείρομαι II p. 679. M-M. TW.