Strong’s Greek 3673 (homótechnos) identifies individuals who share the same manual occupation. Its single New Testament appearance highlights the vocational commonality between Paul and the married couple Aquila and Priscilla.

Biblical Context

Acts 18 portrays Paul arriving in Corinth on his second missionary journey. Luke records, “And because he was of the same trade, he stayed and worked with them, for they were tentmakers by trade” (Acts 18:3). The term unites three believers around a shared craft, forming the bridge that brings them into close partnership for gospel labor in a major commercial center.

Historical Background

Tentmaking was a respected yet physically demanding profession in the Greco-Roman world, requiring skill in working leather or heavy woven goat hair (cilicium). Jews commonly taught their sons a trade (compare Mishnah Kiddushin 4:14), so Paul, trained under Gamaliel as a rabbi (Acts 22:3), also mastered this practical craft. Corinth’s strategic position on the Isthmus and its influx of travelers ensured continuing demand for durable shelters, giving tentmakers ample employment.

Ministry Implications

1. Bivocational Example: Paul’s choice to labor with his hands demonstrated financial integrity and protected the fledgling church from accusations of profiteering (1 Corinthians 9:12-18; 1 Thessalonians 2:9).
2. Discipleship Environment: Daily work alongside Aquila and Priscilla created a setting for mutual encouragement and theological conversation, equipping them to instruct Apollos later in Ephesus (Acts 18:26).
3. Gospel Mobility: A portable trade enabled Paul to support himself as he carried the message across provincial frontiers (2 Corinthians 11:7-9).

Theological Reflections

• Dignity of Labor: Scripture consistently presents honest work as compatible with devoted ministry (Genesis 2:15; Ephesians 4:28). Homótechnos in Acts 18:3 underscores that manual skill and spiritual calling are not adversaries but allies.
• Providence in Vocations: God orchestrates ordinary employment to advance extraordinary kingdom purposes. The meeting of three tentmakers in Corinth launches a ministry team that influences churches in Rome (Romans 16:3-5) and Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19).
• Fellowship in Shared Work: The bond forged through common labor parallels the spiritual unity believers share in Christ (Philippians 1:5). Homótechnos becomes a metaphor for co-laboring in the gospel (compare 3 John 8).

Practical Applications

• Encourage modern disciples to value and steward their professions as platforms for witness.
• Affirm bivocational pastors and missionaries who exemplify self-supporting ministry.
• Cultivate workplace fellowship groups where believers of the “same craft” pray, study Scripture, and strategize outreach.

Homótechnos may surface only once in the New Testament text, yet its single appearance richly testifies to God’s sovereign use of everyday skills for the spread of the gospel and the strengthening of the church.