Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt,.... Phrygia was a country in Asia, and had part of Galatia on the north, Lycaonia, Pisidia, and Mygdonia on the south, and on the east Cappadocia ; here the Apostle Paul afterwards travelled, and strengthened the Christians; see Ac 16:6.
Pamphylia, now called Setilia, is another country in Asia, formerly called Mopsopia ; which had on the west Lycia, and part of Asia, on the north Galatia, on the east Cilicia, and part of Cappadocia, and on the south the sea of Pamphylia , of which mention is made in Ac 27:5.
The chief city in it was Perga, where was a temple of Diana , and here the Apostle Paul also was; see Ac 13:13. Others of these sojourning Jews lived in Egypt, which was a large country in Africa; which had on the east the deserts of Arabia, on the west Libya, on the south Ethiopia, and on the north the Mediterranean sea; hither many Jews were carried captive by Ptolomy Lagus, and these spoke the Egyptian language:and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene; there were others at Jerusalem, which came from hence, The Arabic version reads this clause, "and in the parts of Africa, which is our country"; and Pliny says , the Greeks call Africa, Libya.
The Jews say , Libya in Egypt; and for proselytes from Libya, they wait three generations; that is, before they receive them: Cyrene, or Cyreniaca, which is no other than upper Libya, is called by Pliny , the Pentapolitan country, from the five cities in it; Berenice, Arsinoe, Ptolemais, Apollonia, and Cyrene: to these are added,and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes; that is, as the Syriac version renders it, "those that came from Rome"; to which the Arabic agrees: they were natives and inhabitants of the city of Rome, though now they were at Jerusalem; and some of these were Jews by birth, and lineal descent, though born at Rome; and others were such as were proselytes of righteousness, who were originally Gentiles, but were now circumcised, and had embraced the Jewish religion; concerning such, See Gill on "Mt 23:15".
These doubtless spoke in the Roman, or Latin tongue. Plin. l. 5. c. 32. Ib. c. 27. Ptolom. l. 5. c. 5. Plin. l. 5. c. 27. Ptolom, ib. &. Mela, l. 1. c. 14. Plin. l. 5. in principio. T. Hieros. Kilaim, fol.
31. 3. & Sabbat, fol. 7. 2. L. 5. c.