Acts 20:2

20:2 After he had gone through those regions ¹  and spoken many words of encouragement ²  to the believers there, ³  he came to Greece, ⁴ 

Acts 19:21

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ⁵  Paul resolved ⁶  to go to Jerusalem, ⁷  passing through Macedonia ⁸  and Achaia. ⁹  He said, ¹⁰  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ¹¹ 

[20:2]  ¹ tn 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]  ² tn 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]  ³ tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ⁴ tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).

[19:21]  ⁵ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ⁶ tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

[19:21]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ⁹ sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[19:21]  ¹¹ sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.