Acts 20:16-17

20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus ¹  so as not to spend time ²  in the province of Asia, ³  for he was hurrying ⁴  to arrive in Jerusalem, ⁵  if possible, ⁶  by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus ⁷  he sent a message ⁸  to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him. ⁹ 

Acts 20:25

20:25 “And now ¹⁰  I know that none ¹¹  of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom ¹²  will see me ¹³  again.

Acts 20:1

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ¹⁴  them and saying farewell, ¹⁵  he left to go to Macedonia. ¹⁶ 

Acts 1:3

1:3 To the same apostles ¹⁷  also, after his suffering, ¹⁸  he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period ¹⁹  and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.

[20:16]  ¹ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16]  ² tn Grk “so that he might not have to spend time.” L&N 67.79 has “ὅπως μὴ γένηται αὐτῷ χρονοτριβῆσαι ἐν τῇ ᾿Ασίᾳ ‘so as not to spend any time in the province of Asia’ Ac 20:16.”

[20:16]  ³ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[20:16]  ⁴ tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16]  ⁶ tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17]  ⁷ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17]  ⁸ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[20:17]  ⁹ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. L&N 33.311 has for the verb μετακαλέομαι (metakaleomai) “to summon someone, with considerable insistence and authority – ‘to summon, to tell to come.’”

[20:25]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25]  ¹¹ tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25]  ¹² sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.

[20:25]  ¹³ tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ¹⁶ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[1:3]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:3]  ¹⁸ sn After his suffering is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and the abuse which preceded it.

[1:3]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “during forty days.” The phrase “over a forty-day period” is used rather than “during forty days” because (as the other NT accounts of Jesus’ appearances make clear) Jesus was not continually visible to the apostles during the forty days, but appeared to them on various occasions.