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Acts 20:1-33

Context

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging¹ them and saying farewell,² he left to go to Macedonia.³ 20:2 After he had gone through those regions⁴ and spoken many words of encouragement⁵ to the believers there,⁶ he came to Greece,⁷ 20:3 where he stayed⁸ for three months. Because the Jews had made⁹ a plot¹⁰ against him as he was intending¹¹ to sail¹² for Syria, he decided¹³ to return through Macedonia.¹⁴ 20:4 Paul¹⁵ was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea,¹⁶ Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica,¹⁷ Gaius¹⁸ from Derbe,¹⁹ and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.²⁰ 20:5 These had gone on ahead²¹ and were waiting for us in Troas.²² 20:6 We²³ sailed away from Philippi²⁴ after the days of Unleavened Bread,²⁵ and within five days²⁶ we came to the others²⁷ in Troas,²⁸ where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day²⁹ of the week, when we met³⁰ to break bread, Paul began to speak³¹ to the people, and because he intended³² to leave the next day, he extended³³ his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps³⁴ in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)³⁵ 20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window,³⁶ was sinking³⁷ into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak³⁸ for a long time. Fast asleep,³⁹ he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down,⁴⁰ threw himself⁴¹ on the young man,⁴² put his arms around him,⁴³ and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”⁴⁴ 20:11 Then Paul⁴⁵ went back upstairs,⁴⁶ and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them⁴⁷ a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly⁴⁸ comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 We went on ahead⁴⁹ to the ship and put out to sea⁵⁰ for Assos,⁵¹ intending⁵² to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way.⁵³ He⁵⁴ himself was intending⁵⁵ to go there by land.⁵⁶ 20:14 When he met us in Assos,⁵⁷ we took him aboard⁵⁸ and went to Mitylene.⁵⁹ 20:15 We set sail⁶⁰ from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios.⁶¹ The next day we approached⁶² Samos,⁶³ and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.⁶⁴ 20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus⁶⁵ so as not to spend time⁶⁶ in the province of Asia,⁶⁷ for he was hurrying⁶⁸ to arrive in Jerusalem,⁶⁹ if possible,⁷⁰ by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus⁷¹ he sent a message⁷² to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.⁷³

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived⁷⁴ the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot⁷⁵ in the province of Asia,⁷⁶ 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility⁷⁷ and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots⁷⁸ of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming⁷⁹ to you anything that would be helpful,⁸⁰ and from teaching you publicly⁸¹ and from house to house, 20:21 testifying⁸² to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.⁸³ 20:22 And now,⁸⁴ compelled⁸⁵ by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem⁸⁶ without knowing what will happen to me there,⁸⁷ 20:23 except⁸⁸ that the Holy Spirit warns⁸⁹ me in town after town⁹⁰ that⁹¹ imprisonment⁹² and persecutions⁹³ are waiting for me. 20:24 But I do not consider my life⁹⁴ worth anything⁹⁵ to myself, so that⁹⁶ I may finish my task⁹⁷ and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news⁹⁸ of God’s grace.

20:25 “And now⁹⁹ I know that none¹⁰⁰ of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom¹⁰¹ will see me¹⁰² again. 20:26 Therefore I declare¹⁰³ to you today that I am innocent¹⁰⁴ of the blood of you all.¹⁰⁵ 20:27 For I did not hold back from¹⁰⁶ announcing¹⁰⁷ to you the whole purpose¹⁰⁸ of God. 20:28 Watch out for¹⁰⁹ yourselves and for all the flock of which¹¹⁰ the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,¹¹¹ to shepherd the church of God¹¹² that he obtained¹¹³ with the blood of his own Son.¹¹⁴ 20:29 I know that after I am gone¹¹⁵ fierce wolves¹¹⁶ will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from among your own group¹¹⁷ men¹¹⁸ will arise, teaching perversions of the truth¹¹⁹ to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert,¹²⁰ remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning¹²¹ each one of you with tears. 20:32 And now I entrust¹²² you to God and to the message¹²³ of his grace. This message¹²⁴ is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 20:33 I have desired¹²⁵ no one’s silver or gold or clothing.

[20:1] ¹tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1] ²tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1] ³sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:2] ⁴tn BDAG 633 s.v. μέρος 1.b.γ gives the meanings “the parts (of a geographical area), region, district,” but the use of “district” in this context probably implies too much specificity.

[20:2] ⁵tn Grk “and encouraging them with many words.” The participle παρακαλέσας (parakalesa", “encouraging”) has been translated by the phrase “spoken…words of encouragement” because the formal equivalent is awkward in contemporary English.

[20:2] ⁶tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2] ⁷tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).

[20:3] ⁸tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”

[20:3] ⁹tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”

[20:3] ¹⁰sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).

[20:3] ¹¹tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:3] ¹²tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.

[20:3] ¹³tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”

[20:3] ¹⁴sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:4] ¹⁵tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:4] ¹⁶sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.

[20:4] ¹⁷tn Grk “of the Thessalonians.”

[20:4] ¹⁸tn Grk “and Gaius,” but this καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[20:4] ¹⁹sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 30 mi (50 km) southeast of Lystra.

[20:4] ²⁰tn Grk “the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.” In the NT “Asia” 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.

[20:5] ²¹tn Grk “These, having gone on ahead, were waiting.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:5] ²²sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor.

[20:6] ²³sn 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.

[20:6] ²⁴map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6] ²⁵sn 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).

[20:6] ²⁶tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6] ²⁷tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6] ²⁸sn 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).

[20:7] ²⁹sn On the first day. This is the first mention of a Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:2).

[20:7] ³⁰tn Or “assembled.”

[20:7] ³¹tn The verb διαλέγομαι (dialegomai) is frequently used of Paul addressing Jews in the synagogue. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21. In the context of a Christian gathering, it is preferable to translate διελέγετο (dielegeto) simply as “speak” here. The imperfect verb διελέγετο has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[20:7] ³²tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:7] ³³tn Or “prolonged.”

[20:8] ³⁴tn More commonly λαμπάς (lampa") means “torch,” but here according to BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπάς 2, “lamp…w. a wick and space for oil.”

[20:8] ³⁵sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9] ³⁶tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9] ³⁷tn Grk “sinking into a deep sleep.” BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “ὕπνῳ βαθεῖ sink into a deep sleep…Ac 20:9a.” The participle καταφερόμενος (kataferomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:9] ³⁸tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9] ³⁹tn BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “κατενεχθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὔπνου overwhelmed by sleep vs. 9b,” but this expression is less common in contemporary English than phrases like “fast asleep” or “sound asleep.”

[20:10] ⁴⁰tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10] ⁴¹tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10] ⁴²tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10] ⁴³tn BDAG 959 s.v. συμπεριλαμβάνω has “to throw one’s arms around, embrace w. acc. to be supplied Ac 20:10.” However, “embraced the young man” might be taken (out of context) to have erotic implications, while “threw his arms around him” would be somewhat redundant since “threw” has been used in the previous phrase.

[20:10] ⁴⁴tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

[20:11] ⁴⁵tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:11] ⁴⁶tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:11] ⁴⁷tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:12] ⁴⁸tn Grk “were not to a moderate degree” (an idiom). L&N 78.11 states: “μετρίως: a moderate degree of some activity or state – ‘moderately, to a moderate extent.’ ἤγαγον δὲ τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα, καὶ παρεκλήθησαν οὐ μετρίωθς ‘they took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted’ Ac 20:12. In Ac 20:12 the phrase οὐ μετρίως, literally ‘not to a moderate degree,’ is equivalent to a strong positive statement, namely, ‘greatly’ or ‘to a great extent.’”

[20:13] ⁴⁹tn Grk “going on ahead.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:13] ⁵⁰tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[20:13] ⁵¹sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:13] ⁵²tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13] ⁵³tn Or “for he told us to do this.” Grk “for having arranged it this way, he.” The participle διατεταγμένος (diatetagmeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 237 s.v. διατάσσω 1 has “οὕτως διατεταγμένος ἦν he had arranged it so Ac 20:13.” L&N 15.224 has “‘he told us to do this.”

[20:13] ⁵⁴tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence; in Greek this is part of the preceding sentence beginning “We went on ahead.”

[20:13] ⁵⁵tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13] ⁵⁶tn Or “there on foot.”

[20:14] ⁵⁷sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:14] ⁵⁸tn Grk “taking him aboard, we.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:14] ⁵⁹sn Mitylene was the most important city on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. It was about 44 mi (70 km) from Assos.

[20:15] ⁶⁰tn Grk “setting sail from there.” The participle ἀποπλεύσαντες (apopleusante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:15] ⁶¹tn Or “offshore from Chios.”

[20:15] ⁶²tn Or “crossed over to,” “arrived at.” L&N 54.12 has “παραβάλλω: (a technical, nautical term) to sail up to or near – ‘to approach, to arrive at, to sail to.’ παρεβάλομεν εἰς Σάμον ‘we approached Samos’ or ‘we arrived at Samos’ Ac 20:15.”

[20:15] ⁶³sn Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor.

[20:15] ⁶⁴sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 40 mi (70 km) south of Ephesus. From Mitylene to Miletus was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:16] ⁶⁵map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16] ⁶⁶tn 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] ⁶⁷tn 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] ⁶⁸tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16] ⁶⁹map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16] ⁷⁰tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17] ⁷¹sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17] ⁷²tn 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] ⁷³tn 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.’”

[20:18] ⁷⁴tn Grk “You yourselves know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time.” This could be understood to mean “how I stayed with you the whole time,” but the following verses make it clear that Paul’s lifestyle while with the Ephesians is in view here. Thus the translation “how I lived the whole time I was with you” makes this clear.

[20:18] ⁷⁵tn Or “I arrived.” BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω 2, “set foot in…εἰς τ. ᾿Ασίαν set foot in Asia Ac 20:18.” However, L&N 15.83 removes the idiom: “you know that since the first day that I came to Asia.”

[20:18] ⁷⁶tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19] ⁷⁷sn On humility see 2 Cor 10:1; 11:7; 1 Thess 2:6; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3-11.

[20:19] ⁷⁸sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20] ⁷⁹tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20] ⁸⁰tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20,” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.

[20:20] ⁸¹tn Or “openly.”

[20:21] ⁸²tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”

[20:21] ⁸³tc Several mss, including some of the more important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.

[20:22] ⁸⁴tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:22] ⁸⁵tn Grk “bound.”

[20:22] ⁸⁶sn This journey to Jerusalem suggests a parallel between Paul and Jesus, since the “Jerusalem journey” motif figures so prominently in Luke’s Gospel (9:51-19:44).

[20:22] ⁸⁷tn BDAG 965 s.v. συναντάω 2 has τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ συναντήσοντα ἐμοὶ μὴ εἰδώς without knowing what will happen to me there Ac 20:22.”

[20:23] ⁸⁸tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23] ⁸⁹tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).

[20:23] ⁹⁰tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23] ⁹¹tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23] ⁹²tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23] ⁹³tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[20:24] ⁹⁴tn Grk “soul.”

[20:24] ⁹⁵tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”

[20:24] ⁹⁶tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”

[20:24] ⁹⁷tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation – ‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.

[20:24] ⁹⁸tn Or “to the gospel.”

[20:25] ⁹⁹tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25] ¹⁰⁰tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25] ¹⁰¹sn 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] ¹⁰²tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:26] ¹⁰³tn Or “testify.”

[20:26] ¹⁰⁴tn Grk “clean, pure,” thus “guiltless” (BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a).

[20:26] ¹⁰⁵tn That is, “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible” (an idiom). According to L&N 33.223, the meaning of the phrase “that I am innocent of the blood of all of you” is “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.” However, due to the length of this phrase and its familiarity to many modern English readers, the translation was kept closer to formal equivalence in this case. The word “you” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; Paul is addressing the Ephesian congregation (in the person of its elders) in both v. 25 and 27.

[20:27] ¹⁰⁶tn Or “did not avoid.” BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 2.b has “shrink from, avoid implying fear…οὐ γὰρ ὑπεστειλάμην τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι I did not shrink from proclaiming Ac 20:27”; L&N 13.160 has “to hold oneself back from doing something, with the implication of some fearful concern – ‘to hold back from, to shrink from, to avoid’…‘for I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God’ Ac 20:27.”

[20:27] ¹⁰⁷tn Or “proclaiming,” “declaring.”

[20:27] ¹⁰⁸tn Or “plan.”

[20:28] ¹⁰⁹tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28] ¹¹⁰tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28] ¹¹¹tn Or “guardians.” BDAG 379-80 s.v. ἐπίσκοπος 2 states, “The term was taken over in Christian communities in ref. to one who served as overseer or supervisor, with special interest in guarding the apostolic tradition…Ac 20:28.” This functional term describes the role of the elders (see v. 17). They were to guard and shepherd the congregation.

[20:28] ¹¹²tc The reading “of God” (τοῦ θεοῦ, tou qeou) is found in א B 614 1175 1505 al vg sy; other witnesses have “of the Lord” (τοῦ κυρίου, tou kuriou) here (so Ì⁷⁴ A C* D E Ψ 33 1739 al co), while the majority of the later minuscule mss conflate these two into “of the Lord and God” (τοῦ κυρίου καὶ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, tou kuriou kai [tou] qeou). Although the evidence is evenly balanced between the first two readings, τοῦ θεοῦ is decidedly superior on internal grounds. The final prepositional phrase of this verse, διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου (dia tou {aimato" tou idiou), could be rendered “through his own blood” or “through the blood of his own.” In the latter translation, the object that “own” modifies must be supplied (see tn below for discussion). But this would not be entirely clear to scribes; those who supposed that ἰδίου modified αἵματος would be prone to alter “God” to “Lord” to avoid the inference that God had blood. In a similar way, later scribes would be prone to conflate the two titles, thereby affirming the deity (with the construction τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ following the Granville Sharp rule and referring to a single person [see ExSyn 272, 276-77, 290]) and substitutionary atonement of Christ. For these reasons, τοῦ θεοῦ best explains the rise of the other readings and should be considered authentic.

[20:28] ¹¹³tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28] ¹¹⁴tn Or “with his own blood”; Grk “with the blood of his own.” The genitive construction could be taken in two ways: (1) as an attributive genitive (second attributive position) meaning “his own blood”; or (2) as a possessive genitive, “with the blood of his own.” In this case the referent is the Son, and the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. See further C. F. DeVine, “The Blood of God,” CBQ 9 (1947): 381-408.

[20:29] ¹¹⁵tn Grk “after my departure.”

[20:29] ¹¹⁶tn That is, people like fierce wolves. See BDAG 167-68 s.v. βαρύς 4 on the term translated “fierce.” The battle that will follow would be a savage one.

[20:30] ¹¹⁷tn Grk “from among yourselves.”

[20:30] ¹¹⁸tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only rarely is used in a generic sense to refer to both males and females. Since Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders at this point and there is nothing in the context to suggest women were included in that group (“from among your own group”), it is most likely Paul was not predicting that these false teachers would include women.

[20:30] ¹¹⁹tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”

[20:31] ¹²⁰tn Or “be watchful.”

[20:31] ¹²¹tn Or “admonishing.”

[20:32] ¹²²tn Or “commend.” BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 3.b has “τινά τινι entrust someone to the care or protection of someone…Of divine protection παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 14:23; cp. 20:32.”

[20:32] ¹²³tn Grk “word.”

[20:32] ¹²⁴tn Grk “the message of his grace, which.” The phrase τῷ δυναμένῳ οἰκοδομῆσαι… (tw dunamenw oikodomhsai…) refers to τῷ λόγω (tw logw), not τῆς χάριτος (ths caritos); in English it could refer to either “the message” or “grace,” but in Greek, because of agreement in gender, the referent can only be “the message.” To make this clear, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the referent “the message” was repeated at the beginning of this new sentence.

[20:33] ¹²⁵tn Traditionally, “coveted.” BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιθυμέω 1 has “to have a strong desire to do or secure someth., desire, long for w. gen. of the thing desired…silver, gold, clothing Ac 20:33.” The traditional term “covet” is not in common usage and difficult for many modern English readers to understand. The statement affirms Paul’s integrity. He was not doing this for personal financial gain.