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Texts -- Acts 20:1-17 (NET)

Context
Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece
20:1 After the disturbance had ended , Paul sent for the disciples , and after encouraging them and saying farewell , he left to go to Macedonia . 20:2 After he had gone through those regions and spoken many words of encouragement to the believers there, he came to Greece , 20:3 where he stayed for three months . Because the Jews had made a plot against him as he was intending to sail for Syria , he decided to return through Macedonia . 20:4 Paul was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea , Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica , Gaius from Derbe , and Timothy , as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia . 20:5 These had gone on ahead and were waiting for us in Troas . 20:6 We sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread , and within five days we came to the others in Troas , where we stayed for seven days . 20:7 On the first day of the week , when we met to break bread , Paul began to speak to the people , and because he intended to leave the next day , he extended his message until midnight . 20:8 (Now there were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting .) 20:9 A young man named Eutychus , who was sitting in the window , was sinking into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak for a long time . Fast asleep , he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead . 20:10 But Paul went down , threw himself on the young man , put his arms around him, and said , “Do not be distressed , for he is still alive !” 20:11 Then Paul went back upstairs , and after he had broken bread and eaten , he talked with them a long time , until dawn . Then he left . 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly comforted .
The Voyage to Miletus
20:13 We went on ahead to the ship and put out to sea for Assos , intending to take Paul aboard there , for he had arranged it this way . He himself was intending to go there by land . 20:14 When he met us in Assos , we took him aboard and went to Mitylene . 20:15 We set sail from there , and on the following day we arrived off Chios . The next day we approached Samos , and the day after that we arrived at Miletus . 20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time in the province of Asia , for he was hurrying to arrive in Jerusalem , if possible , by the day of Pentecost . 20:17 From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus , telling the elders of the church to come to him.

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Paul

    [ebd] =Saul (q.v.) was born about the same time as our Lord. His circumcision-name was Saul, and probably the name Paul was also given to him in infancy "for use in the Gentile world," as "Saul" would be his Hebrew home-name. He w...
    [smith] (small, little). Nearly all the original materials for the life St. Paul are contained in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Pauline epistles. Paul was born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia. (It is not improbable that he was bor...
    [nave] PAUL Called also Saul, Acts 8:1; 9:1; 13:9. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5. Personal appearance of, 2 Cor. 10:1, 10; 11:6. Born in Tarsus, Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3. Educated at Jerusalem in the school of Ga...

  • ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE

    [ebd] This epistle was probably written at Corinth. Phoebe (Rom. 16:1) of Cenchrea conveyed it to Rome, and Gaius of Corinth entertained the apostle at the time of his writing it (16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14), and Erastus was chamberlain o...
    [isbe] ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE - || 1. Its Genuineness 2. Its Integrity 3. The Approximate Date 4. The Place of Writing 5. The Destination 6. The Language 7. The Occasion 8. Some Characteristics 9. Main Teachings of the Epistle (1) ...

  • Macedonia

    [ebd] in New Testament times, was a Roman province lying north of Greece. It was governed by a propraetor with the title of proconsul. Paul was summoned by the vision of the "man of Macedonia" to preach the gospel there (Acts 16:9...
    [isbe] MACEDONIA - mas-e-do'-ni-a (Makedonia, ethnic Makedon,): I. THE MACEDONIAN PEOPLE AND LAND II. HISTORY OF MACEDONIA 1. Philip and Alexander 2. Roman Intervention 3. Roman Conquest 4. Macedonia a Roman Province 5. Later Histo...
    [nave] MACEDONIA A country in southeastern Europe. Paul has a vision concerning, Acts 16:9; preaches in, at Philippi, Acts 16:12; revisits, Acts 20:1-6; 2 Cor. 2:13; 7:5. Church at, sends contributions to the poor in Jerusalem, Ro...

  • ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 1-7

    [isbe] ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 1-7 - a-pos'-ls: I. TITLE II. TEXT III. UNITY OF THE BOOK IV. THE AUTHOR V. CANONICITY VI. DATE VII. SOURCES USED BY LUKE VIII. THE SPEECHES IN THE ACTS IX. RELATION OF ACTS TO THE EPISTLES X. CHRONOLOG...

  • ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 8-12

    [isbe] ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 8-12 - VIII. The Speeches in Acts. This matter is important enough to receive separate treatment. Are the numerous speeches reported in Acts free compositions of Luke made to order a la Thucydides? Are ...

  • Luke

    [ebd] the evangelist, was a Gentile. The date and circumstances of his conversion are unknown. According to his own statement (Luke 1:2), he was not an "eye-witness and minister of the word from the beginning." It is probable that...
    [smith] (light-giving), or Lu?cas, is an abbreviated form of Lucanus. It is not to be confounded with Lucius, (Acts 13:1; Romans 16:21) which belongs to a different person. The name Luke occurs three times in the New Testament-- (Col...
    [nave] LUKE A disciple. A physician, Col. 4:14. Wrote to Theophilus, Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1, 2. Accompanies Paul in his tour of Asia and Macedonia, Acts 16:10-13; 20:5, 6; to Jerusalem, Acts 21:1-18; to Rome, Acts 27; 28; 2 Tim. 4:...

  • LUKE, THE EVANGELIST

    [isbe] LUKE, THE EVANGELIST - look, luk. 1. Name: The name Luke (Loukas) is apparently an abbreviation for Loukanos. Old Latin manuscripts frequently have the words CATA LUCANUM as the title of the Third Gospel. (But the form Louki...

  • Eutychus

    [ebd] fortunate, (Acts 20:9-12), a young man of Troas who fell through drowsiness from the open window of the third floor of the house where Paul was preaching, and was "taken up dead." The lattice-work of the window being open to...
    [isbe] EUTYCHUS - u'-ti-kus (Eutuchos, "fortunate"): The story of Eutychus occurs in the "we" section of Acts, and is therefore related by an eyewitness of the incidents (Acts 20:7-12). On the first day of the week the Christians o...
    [smith] (fortunate), a youth at Troas, (Acts 20:9) who sitting in a window, and having fallen asleep while St. Paul was discoursing, fell from the third story, and being taken up dead, was miraculously restored to life by the apostle...
    [nave] EUTYCHUS, a young man of Troas, restored to life by Paul, Acts 20:9-11.

  • ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 13-OUTLINE

    [isbe] ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 13-OUTLINE - XIII. Analysis. 1. The connection between the work of the apostles and that of Jesus (Acts 1:1-11). 2. The equipment of the early disciples for their task (Acts 1:12 through 2:47). (a) The ...

  • Troas

    [isbe] TROAS - tro'-as (Troas): The chief city in the Northwest of Asia Minor, on the coast of Mysia in the Roman province of Asia. From here, according to Acts 16:8, Paul sailed. Here, also, according to Acts 20:5-12, Paul raised ...
    [smith] the city from which St. Paul first sailed, in consequence of a divine intimation, to carry the gospel from Asia to Europe. (Acts 16:8,11) It is mentioned on other occasions. (Acts 20:5,6; 2 Corinthians 2:12,13; 2 Timoth...
    [nave] TROAS, a seaport of Mysia, in Asia Minor. Paul visits, Acts 16:8, 11; 20:5, 6; 2 Cor. 2:12; 2 Tim. 4:13.

  • Philippi

    [isbe] PHILIPPI - fi-lip'-i (Philippoi, ethnic Philippesios, Phil 4:15): 1. Position and Name: A city of Macedonia, situated in 41ø 5' North latitude and 24ø 16' East longitude. It lay on the Egnatian Road, 33 Roman miles fro...
    [nave] PHILIPPI, a city of Macedonia. Paul preaches in, Acts 16:12-40; 20:1-6; 1 Thess. 2:1, 2. Contributes to the needs of Paul, Phil. 4:10-18. Paul sends Epaphroditus to, Phil. 2:25. Paul writes a letter to the Christians of, P...

  • Timothy

    [ebd] honouring God, a young disciple who was Paul's companion in many of his journeyings. His mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois, are mentioned as eminent for their piety (2 Tim. 1:5). We know nothing of his father but tha...
    [isbe] TIMOTHY - tim'-o-thi (Timotheos (Acts 17:14; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4; Rom 16:21; 1 Cor 4:17; 16:10; 2 Cor 1:1,19; Phil 1:1; 2:19; Col 1:1; 1 Thess 1:1; 3:2,6; 2 Thess 1:1; 1 Tim 1:2,18; 6:20; 2 Tim 1:2; Philem 1:1; Heb 13:23; the ...
    [smith] The disciple thus named was the son of one of those mixed marriages which, though condemned by stricter Jewish opinion were yet not uncommon in the later periods of Jewish history. The father?s name is unknown; he was a Greek...
    [nave] TIMOTHY, called also Timotheus, the companion of Paul. Parentage of, Acts 16:1. Reputation and Christian faith of, Acts 16:2; 1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10; 2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15. Circumcised; becomes Paul's companion, Acts 16:3; 1 Thess. ...

  • Miletus

    [ebd] (Miletum, 2 Tim. 4:20), a seaport town and the ancient capital of Ionia, about 36 miles south of Ephesus. On his voyage from Greece to Syria, Paul touched at this port, and delivered that noble and pathetic address to the el...
    [isbe] MILETUS - mi-le'-tus (Miletos): A famous early Ionian Greek city on the coast of Caria, near the mouth of the Meander River, which, according to Acts 20:15--21:1, and 2 Tim 4:20 (the King James Version "Miletum"), Paul twice...
    [smith] (Acts 20:15,17) less correctly called MILETUM in (2 Timothy 4:20) It lay on the coast, 36 miles to the south of Ephesus, a day?s sail from Trogyllium. (Acts 20:15) Moreover, to those who are sailing from the north it is in...
    [nave] MILETUS, called also Miletum. A seaport in Asia Minor. Paul visits, Acts 20:15; and sends to ephesus for the elders of the church, and addresses them at, Acts 20:17-38. Trophimus left sick at, 2 Tim. 4:20.

  • Sabbath

    [ebd] (Heb. verb shabbath, meaning "to rest from labour"), the day of rest. It is first mentioned as having been instituted in Paradise, when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:2). "The sabbath was made for man," as a day of rest and re...
    [isbe] SABBATH - sab'-ath (shabbath, shabbathon; sabbaton, ta sabbata; the root shabhath in Hebrew means "to desist," "cease," "rest"): I. ORIGIN OF THE SABBATH 1. The Biblical Account 2. Critical Theories II. HISTORY OF THE SABBAT...
    [nave] SABBATH Signifying a rest period, Gen. 2:2, 3; Lev. 23; 25; 26:34, 35. Preparations for, Ex. 16:22; Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31. Religious usages on, Gen. 2:3; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16, 31; 6:6; 13:10; Acts ...

  • Thessalonica

    [ebd] a large and populous city on the Thermaic bay. It was the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia, and was ruled by a praetor. It was named after Thessalonica, the wife of Cassander, who built the city. She w...
    [isbe] THESSALONICA - thes-a-lo-ni'-ka (Thessalonike, ethnic Thessalonikeus): 1. Position and Name: One of the chief towns of Macedonia from Hellenistic times down to the present day. It lies in 40 degrees 40 minutes North latitude...
    [nave] THESSALONICA, a city of Macedonia. Paul visits, Acts 17:1; Phil. 4:16. People of, persecute Paul, Acts 17:5-8, 11, 13. Men of, accompany Paul, Acts 20:4; 27:2. Paul writes to Christians in, 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1. Dem...

  • Mitylene

    [ebd] the chief city of the island of Lesbos, on its east coast, in the AEgean Sea. Paul, during his third missionary journey, touched at this place on his way from Corinth to Judea (Acts 20:14), and here tarried for a night. It l...
    [isbe] MITYLENE - mit-i-le'-ne, mit-i-lye'-nye (Mitulene, or Mutilene as usually on coins): 1. Importance and History: In antiquity the most important city of the Asiatic Aeolians and of the island of Lesbos. It had 2 harbors and s...
    [smith] (mutilated), the chief town of Lesbos, an island of the AEgean Sea, 7 1/2 miles from the opposite point of Asia Minor. The city is situated on the east coast of the island. Mitylene is the intermediate place where St. Paul st...
    [nave] MITYLENE Capital of Lesbos. Paul visits, Acts 20:14, 15.

  • PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 5

    [isbe] PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 5 - V. Work. 1. Adjustment: There was evidently a tumult in Paul's soul. He had undergone a revolution, both intellectual and spiritual. Before he proceeded farther it was wise to think through the most im...

  • Secundus

    [ebd] second, a Christian of Thessalonica who accompanied Paul into Asia (Acts 20:4).
    [isbe] SECUNDUS - se-kun'-dus (Westcott-Hort Greek text Se'koundos, Textus Receptus of the New Testament, Sekou'ndos): A Thessalonian who was among those who accompanied Paul from Greece to Asia (Acts 20:4). They had preceded Paul ...
    [smith] (fortunate), a Thessalonian Christian. (Acts 20:4) (A.D. 55.) Seer, [PROPHET]
    [nave] SECUNDUS, a Thessalonian Christian. Accompanies Paul from Corinth, Acts 20:4-6.

  • Asia

    [ebd] is used to denote Proconsular Asia, a Roman province which embraced the western parts of Asia Minor, and of which Ephesus was the capital, in Acts 2:9; 6:9; 16:6; 19:10,22; 20:4, 16, 18, etc., and probably Asia Minor in Acts...
    [smith] (orient). The passages in the New Testament where this word occurs are the following; (Acts 2:9; 6:9; 16:6; 19:10,22,26,27; 20:4,16,18; 21:27; 27:2; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:15...
    [nave] ASIA Inhabitants of, in Jerusalem, at Pentecost, Acts 2:9; 21:27; 24:18. Paul and Silas forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach in, Acts 16:6. Gospel preached in, by Paul, Acts 19; 20:4. Paul leaves, Acts 20:16. Churches ...

  • Sopater

    [ebd] the father who saves, probably the same as Sosipater, a kinsman of Paul (Rom. 16:21), a Christian of the city of Berea who accompanied Paul into Asia (Acts 20:4-6).
    [isbe] SOPATER - so'-pa-ter, sop'-a-ter (Sopatros): the Revised Version (British and American) the son of Pyrrhus; the King James Version omits. A man of Berea who is mentioned with some Thessalonians and others as accompanying Pau...
    [smith] (saviour of his father), son or Pyrrhus or Berea, was one of the companions of St. Paul on his return from Greece into Asia. (Acts 20:4) (A.D. 55.)
    [nave] SOPATER, a Christian of Berea, Acts 20:4.
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "2:1-3 echoes 1:1 by introducing the same phrases but in reverse order: he created,' God,' heavens and earth' reappear as heavens and earth' (2:1) God' (2:2), created' (2:3). This chiastic pattern brings the section to a neat...
  • This is the most positively stated of the Ten Commandments. Only one other commandment appears in the affirmative, namely, the fifth. The fourth commandment is a charge to refresh oneself physically and spiritually. The Hebre...
  • The combination of David's final song (ch. 22) followed by his last testament (23:1-7) recalls the similar combination of Moses' final song and his last testament (Deut. 32 and 33). This was David's final literary legacy to I...
  • God had a very unusual ministry for Elijah to perform in which he would stand alone against hundreds of opponents (18:16-40). This section reveals how the Lord prepared him for it.The site of Zarephath was between Tyre and Si...
  • Several factors indicate that the writer of this Gospel was the same person who wrote the Book of Acts. First, a man named Theophilus was the recipient of both books (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Second, Acts refers to a previous wor...
  • The first verse (9:51) sets the agenda for all that follows until Jesus' Triumphal Entry. It was now time for Jesus to begin moving toward Jerusalem and the Cross. As He did so, He immediately encountered opposition (cf. Acts...
  • Jesus began His farewell address (cf. Moses, Deut. 31-33; Joshua, Josh. 23-24; Paul, Acts 20) with an object lesson....
  • 20:26 John located this post-resurrection appearance eight days after Easter Sunday, namely the following Sunday. His "eight days"(Gr. hemeras okto) evidently included both Sundays. Perhaps he identified the day because, by t...
  • Two lines of argument lead to the conclusion that Luke, the friend, fellow missionary, and physician of Paul wrote this book under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. First, there is the internal evidence, the passages writte...
  • Longenecker identified five phenomena about the structure of Acts that the reader needs to recognize to appreciate what Luke sought to communicate."1. It begins, like the [Third] Gospel, with an introductory section of distin...
  • I. The witness in Jerusalem 1:1-6:7A. The founding of the church 1:1-2:461. The resumptive preface to the book 1:1-52. The command to witness 1:6-83. The ascension of Jesus 1:9-114. Jesus' appointment of a twelfth apostle 1:1...
  • The key to the apostles' successful fulfillment of Jesus' commission was their baptism with and consequent indwelling by the Holy Spirit. Without this divine enablement they would only have been able to follow Jesus' example,...
  • 1:15 In view of Peter's leadership gifts, so obvious in the Gospels, it is no surprise that he is the one who took the initiative on this occasion."Undoubtedly, the key disciple in Luke's writings is Peter. He was the represe...
  • 2:37 The Holy Spirit used Peter's sermon to bring conviction, as Jesus had predicted (John 16:8-11). He convicted Peter's hearers of the truth of what he said and of their guilt in rejecting Jesus. Their question arose from t...
  • Luke now moved from describing what took place on a particular day to a more general description of the life of the early Jerusalem church (cf. 4:32-5:11; 6:1-6). Interestingly he gave comparatively little attention to the in...
  • Stephen's speech caused a revolution in the Jews' attitude toward the disciples of Jesus, and his martyrdom began the first persecution of the Christians.Luke recorded the Sanhedrin's response to Stephen's message to document...
  • 9:10-12 Evidently Ananias was not a refugee from Jerusalem (22:12) but a resident of Damascus. He, too, received a vision of the Lord Jesus (v. 17) to whom he submitted willingly (cf. 1 Sam. 3:4, 10). Jesus gave Ananias speci...
  • Luke recorded the events of Paul's first missionary journey to document the extension of the church into new territory and to illustrate the principles and methods by which the church grew. He also did so to show God's supern...
  • Paul and Barnabas next moved about 60 miles farther to the southeast to Derbe (meaning juniper, modern Kerti Hüyük) on the eastern border of the Galatian province.595Many more people became believers and disciples t...
  • 14:21b-22 The missionaries confined their labors to the Galatian province on this trip. They did not move farther east into the kingdom of Antiochus or the province Cilicia that Paul may have evangelized previously during his...
  • Luke recorded Paul's vision of the Macedonian man to explain God's initiative in encouraging Paul and his companions to carry the gospel farther west into Europe.". . . this section [6:6-10] makes it overwhelmingly clear that...
  • 17:1 Paul, Silas, Timothy, and perhaps others left Philippi and headed southwest on the Egnatian Road. Luke evidently stayed in Philippi since he again described Paul's party as "they"instead of "we"(cf. 20:5-6). Paul and Sil...
  • 17:10 For a second time Paul fled a city under cover of night (cf. 9:25; Matt. 10:23). He and Silas left the Via Egnatia at Thessalonica and took the eastern coastal road toward Athens. They headed for Berea (modern Verria) a...
  • Most Greeks rejected the possibility of physical resurrection.721Many of them believed that the most desirable condition lay beyond the grave where the soul would finally be free of the body (e.g., Platonists). The response o...
  • 18:1 Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia and was a Roman colony. The Romans razed Corinth in 146 B.C., but it was rebuilt a century later in 46 B.C. Its site lay about 50 miles southwest of Athens at a ver...
  • 19:8 Paul followed his standard procedure of preaching to the Jews in the synagogue at Ephesus as long as possible. Here the Jews were more tolerant than they had been in some other towns that Paul had evangelized, and he was...
  • "The panel is introduced by the programmatic statement of 19:21-22 and concludes with the summary statement of 28:31. Three features immediately strike the reader in this sixth panel: (1) the disproportionate length of the pa...
  • This incident reveals more about the effects of the gospel on Ephesian society and religion (cf. vv. 13-20)."Luke's purpose in presenting this vignette is clearly apologetic, in line with his argument for the religio licitast...
  • "This report of Paul's return visit to Macedonia and Achaia is the briefest account of an extended ministry in all of Acts--even more so than the summary of the ministry at Ephesus (cf. 19:8-12). Nevertheless, it can be fille...
  • "From 20:5 through the end of Acts (28:31), Luke's narrative gives considerable attention to ports of call, stopovers, and time spent on Paul's travels and includes various anecdotes. It contains the kind of details found in ...
  • "In a few business-like words Luke takes his readers over some of the most storied coasts of ancient myth and history."82620:13-14 Ships had to round Cape Lectum to reach Assos (modern Bahram Koi) from Troas. This was a more ...
  • "Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders is the nearest approximation to the Pauline letters in Acts. Its general content recalls how in his letters Paul encouraged, warned, and exhorted his converts. Moreover, its the...
  • 21:7 Ptolemais (Acco of the Old Testament and modern Acre located on the north side of the bay of Haifa) lay 20 miles south of Tyre. It was the southernmost Phoenician port. There Paul also met with the local Christians as st...
  • 21:27-28 The Jews from Asia, possibly from Ephesus, were obviously unbelievers. They charged Paul with the same kind of crimes the unbelieving Jews had accused Stephen of committing (6:11, 13-14). The Jews permitted Gentiles ...
  • 23:12-15 Paul's adversaries (cf. 21:27-29) evidently agreed together not to taste food or drink again until Paul was dead. Their plan was to have the chief priests and elders of Israel ask the Roman commander to return Paul t...
  • 27:1 Luke appears to have remained with Paul from the time he left Philippi on his third missionary journey (20:5). He may have ministered to him during his entire two-year detention at Caesarea. We know he travelled with Pau...
  • Paul was a Roman citizen who had appealed to Caesar and had gained the respect (to say the least) of his centurion escort. Therefore he was able to reside in a private rented residence with a Roman guard (v. 30).This is the e...
  • Sequence of Paul's ActivitiesDateEventReferenceBirth in TarsusActs 22:3Early life and theological education in Jerusalem under GamalielActs 22:334Participation in Stephen's stoning outside JerusalemActs 7:57-8:134Leadership i...
  • 15:22 This verse captures the point of what Paul explained in the preceding pericope.15:23-24 The apostle felt that the Christians in the areas he had evangelized were in a good position to carry on the propagation of the gos...
  • The men whom Paul mentioned in verse 21 all seem to have been his fellow missionaries who were working with him in Corinth when he wrote this epistle. Lucius may have been Luke, the writer of Luke and Acts.414Jason (v. 21) ma...
  • Sequence of Paul's ActivitiesDateEventReferenceBirth in TarsusActs 22:3Early life and theological education in Jerusalem under GamalielActs 22:334Participation in Stephen's stoning outside JerusalemActs 7:57-8:134Leadership i...
  • This aspect of the problem involved showing disregard for the poorer members of the church.11:17 The Corinthians' behavior at the Lord's Supper was so bad that Paul could say they were worse off for observing it as they did r...
  • 16:1 It seems that the Corinthian Christians had heard about the collection (Gr. logeias, extra collection) Paul was getting together for the poor saints in Jerusalem (v. 3) and wanted to make a contribution. James, Peter, an...
  • As the preceding verse revealed, Paul's plans were tentative to some extent. He wanted the Corinthians to know that he anticipated a return to Corinth and hopefully a stay of several months. Timothy and Apollos might return t...
  • First Corinthians did not dispel the problems in the church at Corinth completely. While it resolved some of these, opposition to the Apostle Paul persisted and Paul's critics continued to speak out against him in the church....
  • The New Testament reveals that Paul was actively collecting money for "the poor among the saints in Jerusalem"(Rom. 15:26) for about five years (52-57 A.D.). He solicited funds from the Christians in Galatia (Acts 18:23; 1 Co...
  • Paul concluded his exhortation regarding the collection by reminding his readers of the benefits God inevitably bestows on those who give liberally. He did this so they would follow through with their purpose and believe that...
  • To answer his critics and prove the extent of his own service and sufferings for Christ, Paul related many of his painful experiences as an apostle.11:16 Paul apologized again for having to resort to mentioning these experien...
  • 13:1 There are at least four possibilities about what Paul meant by the two or three witnesses that would confirm his credibility and his critics' guilt. First, he may simply have been saying that the church would pass judgme...
  • This so-called "Trinitarian benediction"is one of the most widely quoted verses in the Pauline corpus. In each of the three phrases the genative is subjective (i.e., the grace that comes from Jesus Christ, etc.).Paul wished t...
  • Paul next reminded his readers of their former way of life, the transformation that their adoption into God's family had wrought, and his concern that they were in danger of trading their future for a mess of pottage.4:8-9 Be...
  • The apostle warned his readers not to think that they could satisfy the demands of the Mosaic Law by obeying only a few of its commands. Only complete compliance satisfies its demands.5:1 Paul's readers were in danger of retu...
  • Almost all Christians believed in the Pauline authorship of Ephesians until the nineteenth century when destructive biblical criticism gained influence (cf. 1:1; 3:1). The critics built a case against Pauline authorship from ...
  • Paul's anticipation of his defense before Nero brought him back to the present in his thinking. His exposition of the mystery of the church to his readers had ended. He had also explained their proper conduct in view of their...
  • Paul began this epistle by identifying himself and his companion and by wishing God's richest blessings on his readers."Almost all letters from the Greco-Roman period began with a threefold salutation: The Writer, to the Addr...
  • 4:7-8 Paul sent Tychicus with this letter for two primary purposes. He wanted to provide more information about himself and his present ministry than he felt led to record in this letter. He also wanted to encourage the Colos...
  • Paul mentioned six individuals five of whom he also named in Philemon.4:10 Aristarchus came from Thessalonica (Acts 20:4), had been with Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:29), and accompanied him to Rome (Acts 27:2). "Prisoner"(v. 10)...
  • Timothy apparently became a Christian as a result of Paul's missionary work in Lystra (Acts 14:6-23). He joined Paul on the second missionary journey when the apostle's evangelistic team passed through that area where Timothy...
  • The Ephesian church already had elders long before Paul wrote this letter (Acts 20:17-35)."If our identification of the false teachers as elders is correct, then Paul's reason for this set of instructions is that Timothy must...
  • 4:9-10 Paul urged Timothy to join him in Rome soon. He did not expect to live much longer (cf. v. 6)."The constitutional method of inflicting capital punishment on a Roman citizen was by the lictor's axe. The criminal was tie...
  • 4:19 Paul sent greetings to his old friends Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquila who then lived in Ephesus (cf. Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 16:19). He also greeted the loyal family of Onesiphorus of whom he had written earl...
  • The closing verses of Hebrews are an addendum to the body of the homily. The writer added them because he felt concern for his addressees and wanted to add a few personal remarks.13:22 The writer urged his readers again to ac...
  • John identified himself and greeted the recipient of this shortest New Testament epistle to set the tone for what follows.v. 1 As in 2 John, the Apostle identified himself as "the elder."We do not know exactly who Gaius was. ...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: 23. Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24. But none of t...
  • Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. I thank my God upo...
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