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Discovery Box

Acts 20:3--21:19

Context
20:3 where he stayed¹ for three months. Because the Jews had made² a plot³ against him as he was intending⁴ to sail⁵ for Syria, he decided⁶ to return through Macedonia.⁷ 20:4 Paul⁸ was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea,⁹ Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica,¹⁰ Gaius¹¹ from Derbe,¹² and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.¹³ 20:5 These had gone on ahead¹⁴ and were waiting for us in Troas.¹⁵ 20:6 We¹⁶ sailed away from Philippi¹⁷ after the days of Unleavened Bread,¹⁸ and within five days¹⁹ we came to the others²⁰ in Troas,²¹ where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day²² of the week, when we met²³ to break bread, Paul began to speak²⁴ to the people, and because he intended²⁵ to leave the next day, he extended²⁶ his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps²⁷ in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)²⁸ 20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window,²⁹ was sinking³⁰ into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak³¹ for a long time. Fast asleep,³² he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down,³³ threw himself³⁴ on the young man,³⁵ put his arms around him,³⁶ and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”³⁷ 20:11 Then Paul³⁸ went back upstairs,³⁹ and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them⁴⁰ a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly⁴¹ comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 We went on ahead⁴² to the ship and put out to sea⁴³ for Assos,⁴⁴ intending⁴⁵ to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way.⁴⁶ He⁴⁷ himself was intending⁴⁸ to go there by land.⁴⁹ 20:14 When he met us in Assos,⁵⁰ we took him aboard⁵¹ and went to Mitylene.⁵² 20:15 We set sail⁵³ from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios.⁵⁴ The next day we approached⁵⁵ Samos,⁵⁶ and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.⁵⁷ 20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus⁵⁸ so as not to spend time⁵⁹ in the province of Asia,⁶⁰ for he was hurrying⁶¹ to arrive in Jerusalem,⁶² if possible,⁶³ by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus⁶⁴ he sent a message⁶⁵ to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.⁶⁶

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived⁶⁷ the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot⁶⁸ in the province of Asia,⁶⁹ 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility⁷⁰ and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots⁷¹ of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming⁷² to you anything that would be helpful,⁷³ and from teaching you publicly⁷⁴ and from house to house, 20:21 testifying⁷⁵ to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.⁷⁶ 20:22 And now,⁷⁷ compelled⁷⁸ by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem⁷⁹ without knowing what will happen to me there,⁸⁰ 20:23 except⁸¹ that the Holy Spirit warns⁸² me in town after town⁸³ that⁸⁴ imprisonment⁸⁵ and persecutions⁸⁶ are waiting for me. 20:24 But I do not consider my life⁸⁷ worth anything⁸⁸ to myself, so that⁸⁹ I may finish my task⁹⁰ and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news⁹¹ of God’s grace.

20:25 “And now⁹² I know that none⁹³ of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom⁹⁴ will see me⁹⁵ again. 20:26 Therefore I declare⁹⁶ to you today that I am innocent⁹⁷ of the blood of you all.⁹⁸ 20:27 For I did not hold back from⁹⁹ announcing¹⁰⁰ to you the whole purpose¹⁰¹ of God. 20:28 Watch out for¹⁰² yourselves and for all the flock of which¹⁰³ the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,¹⁰⁴ to shepherd the church of God¹⁰⁵ that he obtained¹⁰⁶ with the blood of his own Son.¹⁰⁷ 20:29 I know that after I am gone¹⁰⁸ fierce wolves¹⁰⁹ will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from among your own group¹¹⁰ men¹¹¹ will arise, teaching perversions of the truth¹¹² to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert,¹¹³ remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning¹¹⁴ each one of you with tears. 20:32 And now I entrust¹¹⁵ you to God and to the message¹¹⁶ of his grace. This message¹¹⁷ is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 20:33 I have desired¹¹⁸ no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine¹¹⁹ provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 20:35 By all these things,¹²⁰ I have shown you that by working in this way we must help¹²¹ the weak,¹²² and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”¹²³

20:36 When¹²⁴ he had said these things, he knelt down¹²⁵ with them all and prayed. 20:37 They all began to weep loudly,¹²⁶ and hugged¹²⁷ Paul and kissed him,¹²⁸ 20:38 especially saddened¹²⁹ by what¹³⁰ he had said, that they were not going to see him¹³¹ again. Then they accompanied¹³² him to the ship.

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After¹³³ we¹³⁴ tore ourselves away¹³⁵ from them, we put out to sea,¹³⁶ and sailing a straight course,¹³⁷ we came to Cos,¹³⁸ on the next day to Rhodes,¹³⁹ and from there to Patara.¹⁴⁰ 21:2 We found¹⁴¹ a ship crossing over to Phoenicia,¹⁴² went aboard,¹⁴³ and put out to sea.¹⁴⁴ 21:3 After we sighted Cyprus¹⁴⁵ and left it behind on our port side,¹⁴⁶ we sailed on to Syria and put in¹⁴⁷ at Tyre,¹⁴⁸ because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we located¹⁴⁹ the disciples, we stayed there¹⁵⁰ seven days. They repeatedly told¹⁵¹ Paul through the Spirit¹⁵² not to set foot¹⁵³ in Jerusalem.¹⁵⁴ 21:5 When¹⁵⁵ our time was over,¹⁵⁶ we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied¹⁵⁷ us outside of the city. After¹⁵⁸ kneeling down on the beach and praying,¹⁵⁹ 21:6 we said farewell¹⁶⁰ to one another.¹⁶¹ Then¹⁶² we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes.¹⁶³ 21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre¹⁶⁴ and arrived at Ptolemais,¹⁶⁵ and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we left¹⁶⁶ and came to Caesarea,¹⁶⁷ and entered¹⁶⁸ the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven,¹⁶⁹ and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had four unmarried¹⁷⁰ daughters who prophesied.)¹⁷¹

21:10 While we remained there for a number of days,¹⁷² a prophet named Agabus¹⁷³ came down from Judea. 21:11 He came¹⁷⁴ to us, took¹⁷⁵ Paul’s belt,¹⁷⁶ tied¹⁷⁷ his own hands and feet with it,¹⁷⁸ and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over¹⁷⁹ to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people¹⁸⁰ begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking¹⁸¹ my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up,¹⁸² but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded,¹⁸³ we said no more except,¹⁸⁴ “The Lord’s will be done.”¹⁸⁵

21:15 After these days we got ready¹⁸⁶ and started up¹⁸⁷ to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea¹⁸⁸ came along with us too, and brought us to the house¹⁸⁹ of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times,¹⁹⁰ with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly.¹⁹¹ 21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there.¹⁹² 21:19 When Paul¹⁹³ had greeted them, he began to explain¹⁹⁴ in detail¹⁹⁵ what God¹⁹⁶ had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

[20:3] ¹tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”

[20:3] ²tn 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] ³sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).

[20:3] ⁴tn 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] ⁵tn 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] ⁶tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”

[20:3] ⁷sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:4] ⁸tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:4] ⁹sn 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] ¹⁰tn Grk “of the Thessalonians.”

[20:4] ¹¹tn 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] ¹²sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 30 mi (50 km) southeast of Lystra.

[20:4] ¹³tn 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] ¹⁵tn 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] ¹⁶sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor.

[20:6] ²²sn 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] ²³map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6] ²⁴sn 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] ²⁵tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6] ²⁶tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6] ²⁷sn 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] ³⁶tn 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] ³⁷sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9] ⁴³tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9] ⁴⁴tn 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] ⁴⁵tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9] ⁴⁶tn 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] ⁵⁰tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10] ⁵¹tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10] ⁵²tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10] ⁵³tn 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] ⁵⁴tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

[20:11] ⁵⁷tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:11] ⁵⁸tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:11] ⁵⁹tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:12] ⁶⁴tn 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] ⁷¹tn Grk “going on ahead.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:13] ⁷²tn 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] ⁷³sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:13] ⁷⁴tn 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] ⁷⁵tn 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] ⁷⁶tn 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] ⁷⁷tn 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] ⁷⁸tn Or “there on foot.”

[20:14] ⁷⁸sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:14] ⁷⁹tn 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] ⁸⁰sn 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] ⁸⁵tn 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] ⁸⁶tn Or “offshore from Chios.”

[20:15] ⁸⁷tn 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] ⁸⁸sn Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor.

[20:15] ⁸⁹sn 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] ⁹²map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16] ⁹³tn 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] ⁹⁴tn 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] ⁹⁵tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16] ⁹⁶map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16] ⁹⁷tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17] ⁹⁹sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17] ¹⁰⁰tn 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] ¹⁰¹tn 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] ¹⁰⁶tn 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] ¹⁰⁷tn 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] ¹⁰⁸tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19] ¹¹³sn 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] ¹¹⁴sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20] ¹²⁰tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20] ¹²¹tn 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] ¹²²tn Or “openly.”

[20:21] ¹²⁷tn 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] ¹²⁸tc 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] ¹³⁴tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:22] ¹³⁵tn Grk “bound.”

[20:22] ¹³⁶sn 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] ¹³⁷tn 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] ¹⁴¹tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23] ¹⁴²tn 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] ¹⁴³tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23] ¹⁴⁴tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23] ¹⁴⁵tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23] ¹⁴⁶tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[20:24] ¹⁴⁸tn Grk “soul.”

[20:24] ¹⁴⁹tn 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] ¹⁵⁰tn 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] ¹⁵¹tn 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] ¹⁵²tn Or “to the gospel.”

[20:25] ¹⁵⁵tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25] ¹⁵⁶tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25] ¹⁵⁷sn 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] ¹⁵⁸tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:26] ¹⁶²tn Or “testify.”

[20:26] ¹⁶³tn Grk “clean, pure,” thus “guiltless” (BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a).

[20:26] ¹⁶⁴tn 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] ¹⁶⁹tn 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] ¹⁷⁰tn Or “proclaiming,” “declaring.”

[20:27] ¹⁷¹tn Or “plan.”

[20:28] ¹⁷⁶tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28] ¹⁷⁷tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28] ¹⁷⁸tn 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] ¹⁷⁹tc 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] ¹⁸⁰tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28] ¹⁸¹tn 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] ¹⁸³tn Grk “after my departure.”

[20:29] ¹⁸⁴tn 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] ¹⁹⁰tn Grk “from among yourselves.”

[20:30] ¹⁹¹tn 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] ¹⁹²tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”

[20:31] ¹⁹⁷tn Or “be watchful.”

[20:31] ¹⁹⁸tn Or “admonishing.”

[20:32] ²⁰⁴tn 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] ²⁰⁵tn Grk “word.”

[20:32] ²⁰⁶tn 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] ²¹¹tn 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.

[20:34] ²¹⁸tn The words “of mine” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify whose hands Paul is referring to.

[20:35] ²²⁵sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”

[20:35] ²²⁶tn Or “must assist.”

[20:35] ²²⁷tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.

[20:35] ²²⁸sn The saying is similar to Matt 10:8. Service and generosity should be abundant. Interestingly, these exact words are not found in the gospels. Paul must have known of this saying from some other source.

[20:36] ²³²tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[20:36] ²³³tn Grk “kneeling down…he prayed.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:37] ²³⁹tn Grk “weeping a great deal,” thus “loudly” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός and BDAG 546 s.v. κλαυθμός).

[20:37] ²⁴⁰tn Grk “fell on Paul’s neck” (an idiom, see BDAG 1014 s.v. τράχηλος).

[20:37] ²⁴¹sn The Ephesians elders kissed Paul as a sign of both affection and farewell. The entire scene shows how much interrelationship Paul had in his ministry and how much he and the Ephesians meant to each other.

[20:38] ²⁴⁶tn Or “pained.”

[20:38] ²⁴⁷tn Grk “by the word that he had said.”

[20:38] ²⁴⁸tn Grk “to see his face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:38] ²⁴⁹tn BDAG 873 s.v. προπέμπω 1 has “they accompanied him to the ship Ac 20:38.”

[21:1] ²⁵³tn Grk “It happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Since the action described by the participle ἀποσπασθέντας (apospasqenta", “tearing ourselves away”) is prior to the departure of the ship, it has been translated as antecedent action (“after”).

[21:1] ²⁵⁴sn 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.

[21:1] ²⁵⁵tn BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποσπάω 2.b has “pass. in mid. sense ἀ. ἀπό τινος tear oneself away Ac 21:1”; LSJ 218 gives several illustrations of this verb meaning “to tear or drag away from.”

[21:1] ²⁵⁶tn 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.”

[21:1] ²⁵⁷tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course”; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[21:1] ²⁵⁸sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1] ²⁵⁹sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1] ²⁶⁰sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).

[21:2] ²⁶⁰tn Grk “and finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.

[21:2] ²⁶¹sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2] ²⁶²tn Grk “going aboard, we put out to sea.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:2] ²⁶³tn 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.”

[21:3] ²⁶⁷sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[21:3] ²⁶⁸sn The expression left it behind on our port side here means “sailed past to the south of it” since the ship was sailing east.

[21:3] ²⁶⁹tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[21:3] ²⁷⁰sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia. From Patara to Tyre was about 400 mi (640 km). It required a large cargo ship over 100 ft (30 m) long, and was a four to five day voyage.

[21:4] ²⁷⁴tn BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνευρίσκω has “look/search for (w. finding presupposed) τινά…τοὺς μαθητάς Ac 21:4.” The English verb “locate,” when used in reference to persons, has the implication of both looking for and finding someone. The participle ἀνευρόντες (aneuronte") has been taken temporally.

[21:4] ²⁷⁵tn BDAG 154 s.v. αὐτοῦ states, “deictic adv. designating a position relatively near or far…there…Ac 21:4.”

[21:4] ²⁷⁶tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγον (elegon) has been taken iteratively.

[21:4] ²⁷⁷sn Although they told this to Paul through the Spirit, it appears Paul had a choice here (see v. 14). Therefore this amounted to a warning: There was risk in going to Jerusalem, so he was urged not to go.

[21:4] ²⁷⁸tn BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω places Ac 21:4 under 1, “go up/upon, mount, board…πλοίῳ…Ac 27:2…Abs. go on board, embark…21:1 D, 2. – So perh. also ἐ. εἰς ᾿Ιεροσόλυμα embark for Jerusalem (i.e. to the seaport of Caesarea) vs. 4.” BDAG notes, however, “But this pass. may also belong to 2. to move to an area and be there, set foot in.” Because the message from the disciples to Paul through the Holy Spirit has the character of a warning, the latter meaning has been adopted for this translation.

[21:4] ²⁷⁹map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:5] ²⁸¹tn Grk “It happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[21:5] ²⁸²tn Grk “When our days were over.” L&N 67.71 has “ὅτε δὲ ἐγένετο ἡμᾶς ἐξαρτίσαι τὰς ἡμέρας ‘when we brought that time to an end’ or ‘when our time with them was over’ Ac 21:5.”

[21:5] ²⁸³tn Grk “accompanying.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the participle προπεμπόντων (propempontwn) translated as a finite verb.

[21:5] ²⁸⁴tn Grk “city, and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[21:5] ²⁸⁵sn On praying in Acts, see 1:14, 24; 2:47; 4:23; 6:6; 10:2; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 16:25.

[21:6] ²⁸⁸tn BDAG 98 s.v. ἀπασπάζομαι has “take leave of, say farewell to τινά someone…ἀπησπασάμεθα ἀλλήλους we said farewell to one another Ac 21:6.”

[21:6] ²⁸⁹sn These words are part of v. 5 in the standard critical Greek text.

[21:6] ²⁹⁰tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:6] ²⁹¹tn Grk “to their own”; the word “homes” is implied.

[21:7] ²⁹⁵sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[21:7] ²⁹⁶sn Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.

[21:8] ³⁰²tn Grk “On the next day leaving, we came.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8] ³⁰³sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was another 40 mi (65 km).

[21:8] ³⁰⁴tn Grk “and entering…we stayed.” The participle εἰσελθόντες (eiselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8] ³⁰⁵sn Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).

[21:9] ³⁰⁹tn Grk “virgin.” While the term παρθένος (parqeno") can refer to a woman who has never had sexual relations, the emphasis in this context seems to be on the fact that Philip’s daughters were not married (L&N 9.39).

[21:9] ³¹⁰sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Luke again noted women who were gifted in the early church (see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.31; 3.39).

[21:10] ³¹⁶tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.α has “ἐπὶ ἡμέρας πλείους for a (large) number of days, for many days…Ac 13:31. – 21:10…24:17; 25:14; 27:20.”

[21:10] ³¹⁷sn Agabus also appeared in Acts 11:28. He was from Jerusalem, so the two churches were still in contact with one another.

[21:11] ³²³tn Grk “And coming.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11] ³²⁴tn Grk “and taking.” 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. The participle ἄρας (aras) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11] ³²⁵sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).

[21:11] ³²⁶tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11] ³²⁷tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11] ³²⁸tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[21:12] ³³⁰tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13] ³³⁷tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).

[21:13] ³³⁸tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.

[21:14] ³⁴⁴tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14] ³⁴⁵tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14] ³⁴⁶sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.

[21:15] ³⁵¹tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15] ³⁵²tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:16] ³⁵⁸sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[21:16] ³⁵⁹tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

[21:16] ³⁶⁰tn Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “ἀ. μαθητής a disciple of long standing (perh. original disc.) Ac 21:16.”

[21:17] ³⁶⁵tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18] ³⁷²tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:19] ³⁷⁹tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19] ³⁸⁰tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19] ³⁸¹tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”

[21:19] ³⁸²sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.