Acts 20:6-10

20:6 We ¹  sailed away from Philippi ²  after the days of Unleavened Bread, ³  and within five days ⁴  we came to the others ⁵  in Troas, ⁶  where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day ⁷  of the week, when we met ⁸  to break bread, Paul began to speak ⁹  to the people, and because he intended ¹⁰  to leave the next day, he extended ¹¹  his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps ¹²  in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) ¹³  20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, ¹⁴  was sinking ¹⁵  into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak ¹⁶  for a long time. Fast asleep, ¹⁷  he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down, ¹⁸  threw himself ¹⁹  on the young man, ²⁰  put his arms around him, ²¹  and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!” ²² 

[20:6]  ¹ sn 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]  ² map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6]  ³ sn 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]  ⁴ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6]  ⁵ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6]  ⁶ sn 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]  ⁷ sn On the first day. This is the first mention of a Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:2).

[20:7]  ⁸ tn Or “assembled.”

[20:7]  ⁹ tn 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]  ¹⁰ tn 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]  ¹¹ tn Or “prolonged.”

[20:8]  ¹³ tn 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]  ¹⁴ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9]  ¹⁹ tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9]  ²⁰ tn 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]  ²¹ tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9]  ²² tn 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]  ²⁵ tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10]  ²⁸ tn 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]  ²⁹ tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).