Acts 20:6

20:6 We ¹  sailed away from Philippi ²  after the days of Unleavened Bread, ³  and within five days ⁴  we came to the others ⁵  in Troas, ⁶  where we stayed for seven days.

Genesis 7:4

7:4 For in seven days ⁷  I will cause it to rain ⁸  on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”

Genesis 8:10-12

8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When ⁹  the dove returned to him in the evening, there was ¹⁰  a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, ¹¹  but it did not return to him this time. ¹² 

¹ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

² map For location see JP1-C1; JP2-C1; JP3-C1; JP4-C1.

³ sn The days of Unleavened Bread refer to the week following Passover. Originally an agricultural festival commemorating the beginning of harvest, it was celebrated for seven days beginning on the fifteenth day of the month Nisan (March-April). It was later combined with Passover (Exod 12:1-20; Ezek 45:21-24; Matt 26:17; Luke 22:1).

⁴ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

⁵ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. From Philippi to Troas was about 125 mi (200 km).

⁷ tn Heb “for seven days yet,” meaning “after [or “in”] seven days.”

⁸ tn The Hiphil participle מַמְטִיר (mamtir, “cause to rain”) here expresses the certainty of the act in the imminent future.

⁹ tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.

¹⁰ tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.

¹¹ tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹² tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.