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Acts 20:5--21:18

Context
20:5 These had gone on ahead¹ and were waiting for us in Troas.² 20:6 We³ sailed away from Philippi⁴ after the days of Unleavened Bread,⁵ and within five days⁶ we came to the others⁷ in Troas,⁸ where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day⁹ of the week, when we met¹⁰ to break bread, Paul began to speak¹¹ to the people, and because he intended¹² to leave the next day, he extended¹³ his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps¹⁴ in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)¹⁵ 20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window,¹⁶ was sinking¹⁷ into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak¹⁸ for a long time. Fast asleep,¹⁹ he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down,²⁰ threw himself²¹ on the young man,²² put his arms around him,²³ and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”²⁴ 20:11 Then Paul²⁵ went back upstairs,²⁶ and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them²⁷ a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly²⁸ comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 We went on ahead²⁹ to the ship and put out to sea³⁰ for Assos,³¹ intending³² to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way.³³ He³⁴ himself was intending³⁵ to go there by land.³⁶ 20:14 When he met us in Assos,³⁷ we took him aboard³⁸ and went to Mitylene.³⁹ 20:15 We set sail⁴⁰ from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios.⁴¹ The next day we approached⁴² Samos,⁴³ and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.⁴⁴ 20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus⁴⁵ so as not to spend time⁴⁶ in the province of Asia,⁴⁷ for he was hurrying⁴⁸ to arrive in Jerusalem,⁴⁹ if possible,⁵⁰ by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus⁵¹ he sent a message⁵² to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.⁵³

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived⁵⁴ the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot⁵⁵ in the province of Asia,⁵⁶ 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility⁵⁷ and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots⁵⁸ of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming⁵⁹ to you anything that would be helpful,⁶⁰ and from teaching you publicly⁶¹ and from house to house, 20:21 testifying⁶² to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.⁶³ 20:22 And now,⁶⁴ compelled⁶⁵ by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem⁶⁶ without knowing what will happen to me there,⁶⁷ 20:23 except⁶⁸ that the Holy Spirit warns⁶⁹ me in town after town⁷⁰ that⁷¹ imprisonment⁷² and persecutions⁷³ are waiting for me. 20:24 But I do not consider my life⁷⁴ worth anything⁷⁵ to myself, so that⁷⁶ I may finish my task⁷⁷ and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news⁷⁸ of God’s grace.

20:25 “And now⁷⁹ I know that none⁸⁰ of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom⁸¹ will see me⁸² again. 20:26 Therefore I declare⁸³ to you today that I am innocent⁸⁴ of the blood of you all.⁸⁵ 20:27 For I did not hold back from⁸⁶ announcing⁸⁷ to you the whole purpose⁸⁸ of God. 20:28 Watch out for⁸⁹ yourselves and for all the flock of which⁹⁰ the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,⁹¹ to shepherd the church of God⁹² that he obtained⁹³ with the blood of his own Son.⁹⁴ 20:29 I know that after I am gone⁹⁵ fierce wolves⁹⁶ will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from among your own group⁹⁷ men⁹⁸ will arise, teaching perversions of the truth⁹⁹ to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert,¹⁰⁰ remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning¹⁰¹ each one of you with tears. 20:32 And now I entrust¹⁰² you to God and to the message¹⁰³ of his grace. This message¹⁰⁴ is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 20:33 I have desired¹⁰⁵ no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine¹⁰⁶ provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 20:35 By all these things,¹⁰⁷ I have shown you that by working in this way we must help¹⁰⁸ the weak,¹⁰⁹ and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”¹¹⁰

20:36 When¹¹¹ he had said these things, he knelt down¹¹² with them all and prayed. 20:37 They all began to weep loudly,¹¹³ and hugged¹¹⁴ Paul and kissed him,¹¹⁵ 20:38 especially saddened¹¹⁶ by what¹¹⁷ he had said, that they were not going to see him¹¹⁸ again. Then they accompanied¹¹⁹ him to the ship.

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After¹²⁰ we¹²¹ tore ourselves away¹²² from them, we put out to sea,¹²³ and sailing a straight course,¹²⁴ we came to Cos,¹²⁵ on the next day to Rhodes,¹²⁶ and from there to Patara.¹²⁷ 21:2 We found¹²⁸ a ship crossing over to Phoenicia,¹²⁹ went aboard,¹³⁰ and put out to sea.¹³¹ 21:3 After we sighted Cyprus¹³² and left it behind on our port side,¹³³ we sailed on to Syria and put in¹³⁴ at Tyre,¹³⁵ because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we located¹³⁶ the disciples, we stayed there¹³⁷ seven days. They repeatedly told¹³⁸ Paul through the Spirit¹³⁹ not to set foot¹⁴⁰ in Jerusalem.¹⁴¹ 21:5 When¹⁴² our time was over,¹⁴³ we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied¹⁴⁴ us outside of the city. After¹⁴⁵ kneeling down on the beach and praying,¹⁴⁶ 21:6 we said farewell¹⁴⁷ to one another.¹⁴⁸ Then¹⁴⁹ we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes.¹⁵⁰ 21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre¹⁵¹ and arrived at Ptolemais,¹⁵² and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we left¹⁵³ and came to Caesarea,¹⁵⁴ and entered¹⁵⁵ the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven,¹⁵⁶ and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had four unmarried¹⁵⁷ daughters who prophesied.)¹⁵⁸

21:10 While we remained there for a number of days,¹⁵⁹ a prophet named Agabus¹⁶⁰ came down from Judea. 21:11 He came¹⁶¹ to us, took¹⁶² Paul’s belt,¹⁶³ tied¹⁶⁴ his own hands and feet with it,¹⁶⁵ 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 over¹⁶⁶ to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people¹⁶⁷ begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking¹⁶⁸ my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up,¹⁶⁹ but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded,¹⁷⁰ we said no more except,¹⁷¹ “The Lord’s will be done.”¹⁷²

21:15 After these days we got ready¹⁷³ and started up¹⁷⁴ to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea¹⁷⁵ came along with us too, and brought us to the house¹⁷⁶ of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times,¹⁷⁷ with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly.¹⁷⁸ 21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there.¹⁷⁹

[20:5] ¹tn 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] ²sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor.

[20:6] ³sn 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] ⁴map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6] ⁵sn 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] ⁶tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6] ⁷tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6] ⁸sn 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] ⁹sn On the first day. This is the first mention of a Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:2).

[20:7] ¹⁰tn Or “assembled.”

[20:7] ¹¹tn 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] ¹²tn 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] ¹³tn Or “prolonged.”

[20:8] ¹⁴tn 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] ¹⁵sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9] ¹⁶tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9] ¹⁷tn 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] ¹⁸tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9] ¹⁹tn 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] ²⁰tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10] ²¹tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10] ²²tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10] ²³tn 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] ²⁴tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

[20:11] ²⁵tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:11] ²⁶tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:11] ²⁷tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:12] ²⁸tn 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] ²⁹tn Grk “going on ahead.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:13] ³⁰tn 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] ³¹sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:13] 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.”

[20:13] ³³tn 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] ³⁴tn 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] ³⁵tn 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] ³⁶tn Or “there on foot.”

[20:14] ³⁷sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:14] ³⁸tn 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] ³⁹sn 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] ⁴⁰tn 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] ⁴¹tn Or “offshore from Chios.”

[20:15] ⁴²tn 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] ⁴³sn Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor.

[20:15] ⁴⁴sn 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] ⁴⁵map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16] ⁴⁶tn 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] ⁴⁷tn 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] ⁴⁸tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16] ⁴⁹map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16] ⁵⁰tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17] ⁵¹sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17] ⁵²tn 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] ⁵³tn 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] ⁵⁴tn 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] ⁵⁵tn 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] ⁵⁶tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19] ⁵⁷sn 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] ⁵⁸sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20] ⁵⁹tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20] ⁶⁰tn 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] ⁶¹tn Or “openly.”

[20:21] ⁶²tn 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] ⁶³tc 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] ⁶⁴tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:22] ⁶⁵tn Grk “bound.”

[20:22] ⁶⁶sn 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] ⁶⁷tn 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] ⁶⁸tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23] ⁶⁹tn 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] ⁷⁰tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23] ⁷¹tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23] ⁷²tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23] ⁷³tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[20:24] ⁷⁴tn Grk “soul.”

[20:24] ⁷⁵tn 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] ⁷⁶tn 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] ⁷⁷tn 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] ⁷⁸tn Or “to the gospel.”

[20:25] ⁷⁹tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25] ⁸⁰tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25] ⁸¹sn 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] ⁸²tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:26] ⁸³tn Or “testify.”

[20:26] ⁸⁴tn Grk “clean, pure,” thus “guiltless” (BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a).

[20:26] ⁸⁵tn 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] ⁸⁶tn 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] ⁸⁷tn Or “proclaiming,” “declaring.”

[20:27] ⁸⁸tn Or “plan.”

[20:28] ⁸⁹tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28] ⁹⁰tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28] ⁹¹tn 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] ⁹²tc 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] ⁹³tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28] ⁹⁴tn 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] ⁹⁵tn Grk “after my departure.”

[20:29] ⁹⁶tn 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] ⁹⁷tn Grk “from among yourselves.”

[20:30] ⁹⁸tn 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] ⁹⁹tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”

[20:31] ¹⁰⁰tn Or “be watchful.”

[20:31] ¹⁰¹tn Or “admonishing.”

[20:32] ¹⁰²tn 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] ¹⁰³tn Grk “word.”

[20:32] ¹⁰⁴tn 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] ¹⁰⁵tn 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] ¹⁰⁶tn The words “of mine” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify whose hands Paul is referring to.

[20:35] ¹⁰⁷sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”

[20:35] ¹⁰⁸tn Or “must assist.”

[20:35] ¹⁰⁹tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.

[20:35] ¹¹⁰sn 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] ¹¹¹tn 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] ¹¹²tn 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] ¹¹³tn Grk “weeping a great deal,” thus “loudly” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός and BDAG 546 s.v. κλαυθμός).

[20:37] ¹¹⁴tn Grk “fell on Paul’s neck” (an idiom, see BDAG 1014 s.v. τράχηλος).

[20:37] ¹¹⁵sn 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] ¹¹⁶tn Or “pained.”

[20:38] ¹¹⁷tn Grk “by the word that he had said.”

[20:38] ¹¹⁸tn Grk “to see his face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:38] ¹¹⁹tn BDAG 873 s.v. προπέμπω 1 has “they accompanied him to the ship Ac 20:38.”

[21:1] ¹²⁰tn 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] ¹²¹sn 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] ¹²²tn 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] ¹²³tn 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] ¹²⁴tn 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] ¹²⁵sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1] ¹²⁶sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1] ¹²⁷sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).

[21:2] ¹²⁸tn 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] ¹²⁹sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2] ¹³⁰tn 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] ¹³¹tn 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] ¹³²sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[21:3] ¹³³sn 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] ¹³⁴tn 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] ¹³⁵sn 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] ¹³⁶tn 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] ¹³⁷tn BDAG 154 s.v. αὐτοῦ states, “deictic adv. designating a position relatively near or far…there…Ac 21:4.”

[21:4] ¹³⁸tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγον (elegon) has been taken iteratively.

[21:4] ¹³⁹sn 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] ¹⁴⁰tn 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] ¹⁴¹map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:5] ¹⁴²tn 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] ¹⁴³tn 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] ¹⁴⁴tn 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] ¹⁴⁵tn 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] ¹⁴⁶sn 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] ¹⁴⁷tn 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] ¹⁴⁸sn These words are part of v. 5 in the standard critical Greek text.

[21:6] ¹⁴⁹tn 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] ¹⁵⁰tn Grk “to their own”; the word “homes” is implied.

[21:7] ¹⁵¹sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[21:7] ¹⁵²sn Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.

[21:8] ¹⁵³tn 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] ¹⁵⁴sn 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] ¹⁵⁵tn 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] ¹⁵⁶sn Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).

[21:9] ¹⁵⁷tn 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] ¹⁵⁸sn 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] ¹⁵⁹tn 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] ¹⁶⁰sn Agabus also appeared in Acts 11:28. He was from Jerusalem, so the two churches were still in contact with one another.

[21:11] ¹⁶¹tn 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] ¹⁶²tn 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] ¹⁶³sn 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] ¹⁶⁴tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11] ¹⁶⁵tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11] ¹⁶⁶tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[21:12] ¹⁶⁷tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13] ¹⁶⁸tn 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] ¹⁶⁹tn 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] ¹⁷⁰tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14] ¹⁷¹tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14] ¹⁷²sn “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] ¹⁷³tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15] ¹⁷⁴tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:16] ¹⁷⁵sn 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] ¹⁷⁶tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

[21:16] ¹⁷⁷tn 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] ¹⁷⁸tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18] ¹⁷⁹tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”