Acts 20

Translator Notes

1. The 'uproar' (thorybos) refers to the riot of the silversmiths in Ephesus described in chapter 19. Paul's departure is not flight but an orderly transition. The verb parakalesas covers both encouragement and exhortation.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek Hellas ('Greece') appears only here in the New Testament. Luke typically uses the Roman provincial name 'Achaia'; the use of 'Greece' may reflect the perspective of a traveling companion.

Translator Notes

1. The plot (epiboule) likely aimed to ambush Paul on a pilgrim ship crowded with Jewish travelers heading to Jerusalem for Passover. His decision to travel overland through Macedonia was a practical security measure.

Translator Notes

1. This delegation likely represents churches contributing to the collection for Jerusalem (cf. Romans 15:25-26, 1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Each person represents a different region, suggesting an organized multi-church effort. The SBLGNT includes 'son of Pyrrhus,' absent from some manuscripts.

Translator Notes

1. The first-person plural 'us' (hemas) marks the resumption of a 'we' section, indicating the author's presence as a traveling companion. The 'we' narrative was last active at 16:17 (Philippi). The author apparently remained in Philippi during the intervening period and now rejoins Paul.

Translator Notes

1. The 'we' narration continues, confirming the author's firsthand presence. The reference to the days of Unleavened Bread (the festival following Passover) provides a chronological anchor and shows that Paul continued to observe the Jewish liturgical calendar. The five-day crossing from Philippi to Troas contrasts with the two-day crossing in 16:11, suggesting unfavorable winds.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'the first day of the week' (te mia ton sabbaton, literally 'the first of the sabbaths') is one of the earliest references to Christian worship on Sunday. 'Breaking bread' (klasai arton) likely refers to the Lord's Supper combined with a communal meal. The gathering appears to be in the evening, following Jewish reckoning where the day begins at sunset.

Translator Notes

1. The detail about lamps (lampades) is characteristically vivid eyewitness reporting. The many lamps in a closed upper room would have produced heat and smoke, contributing to drowsiness. The 'upper room' (hyperoon) recalls the upper room of Acts 1:13.

Translator Notes

1. The name Eutychos means 'fortunate' or 'lucky' — an ironic detail given his fall, though the name proves apt by the end of the episode. The Greek erthe nekros ('was picked up dead') states plainly that he was dead, not merely unconscious. Luke, who as a physician would be attentive to such distinctions, uses unambiguous language here.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's action of throwing himself on Eutychus (epepesen auto) deliberately echoes Elijah's stretching himself over the widow's son (1 Kings 17:21) and Elisha's similar action (2 Kings 4:34). The phrase 'his life is in him' (he psyche autou en auto estin) may announce the restoration of life rather than deny that death occurred.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes 1 Kings 17:21 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes 2 Kings 4:34 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The breaking of bread here completes the meal that was the original purpose of the gathering (v. 7). Paul's continued conversation until dawn (achri auges) — even after the dramatic interruption — underscores the urgency of his message on this final visit.

Translator Notes

1. The litotes 'not a little' (ou metrios) is characteristically Lukan — an understatement meaning 'immensely.' The word paida ('boy, young man') may suggest Eutychus was younger than the neanias ('young man') of verse 9 implies, or it may be a stylistic variation.

Translator Notes

1. The 'we' narration continues. Paul's choice to walk the roughly 20-mile road from Troas to Assos while his companions sailed may reflect a desire for solitary reflection, or practical reasons. Assos was a coastal city in Mysia with a direct road from Troas.

Translator Notes

1. Mitylene was the chief city of the island of Lesbos, a natural stopping point on the coastal route south along Asia Minor.

Translator Notes

1. The SBLGNT does not include the reference to Trogyllium found in the KJV (from the Western text tradition). The itinerary shows island-hopping along the Aegean coast — Chios and Samos are major islands off the coast of Asia Minor.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's urgency to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost (pentekoste, 'fiftieth' — fifty days after Passover) reflects both practical scheduling and theological significance. Pentecost was one of the three pilgrimage festivals, and Acts 2 records the founding event of the church at Pentecost. Paul's return at this festival creates a narrative symmetry.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Miletus was about 30 miles south of Ephesus. Summoning the elders there avoided the delay of visiting Ephesus itself. The term presbyterous ('elders') denotes the recognized leaders of the local congregation — the same group called episkopous ('overseers') in verse 28.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's farewell speech begins with an appeal to the elders' personal knowledge of his conduct — a standard rhetorical move in Greco-Roman farewell discourses. The phrase 'the entire time' (ton panta chronon) covers roughly three years of ministry in Ephesus (cf. v. 31).

Translator Notes

1. The word tapeinophrosynes ('humility') was not a virtue in Greco-Roman culture, where it often connoted servility. Paul redefines it as a mark of authentic service to the Lord. The 'plots' (epiboulais) refer to opposition Paul faced during his Ephesian ministry, some of which is described in 19:23-41 and alluded to in 1 Corinthians 15:32.

Translator Notes

1. The verb hypesteilamen ('shrink back, hold back') implies courage in the face of opposition. Paul's teaching operated in two settings: public (demosia, in synagogues and lecture halls) and private (kat' oikous, in homes), reflecting the dual structure of early Christian community life.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Paul summarizes his message in two complementary terms: repentance (metanoia, a turning of the mind toward God) and faith (pistis, trust directed toward Jesus as Lord). This dual formulation encompasses both the Jewish and Greek audiences of his ministry.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase dedemenos to pneumati ('bound in/by the spirit') is ambiguous — it could mean Paul's own spirit (his inner resolve) or the Holy Spirit's compulsion. The rendering 'compelled by the Spirit' follows the interpretation that this is divine leading, consistent with the Spirit's role throughout Acts in directing Paul's movements.

Translator Notes

1. The Holy Spirit's warnings come 'city by city' (kata polin), suggesting prophetic utterances at multiple stops along the journey (cf. 21:4, 11). The word desma ('bonds, chains') specifically foreshadows Paul's imprisonment, while thlipseis ('afflictions, pressures') is broader.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The athletic metaphor 'finish my course' (teleiosai ton dromon mou) pictures life as a race to be completed (cf. 2 Timothy 4:7). The phrase 'the gospel of the grace of God' (to euangelion tes charitos tou theou) is unique in the New Testament and encapsulates Paul's message: divine favor freely given.

Translator Notes

1. This solemn declaration gives the speech its farewell character. The phrase 'proclaiming the kingdom' (kerisson ten basileian) — with 'of God' implied — connects Paul's message to Jesus' own proclamation in the Gospels. Whether Paul in fact never returned to Ephesus is debated; the Pastoral Epistles suggest he may have (cf. 1 Timothy 1:3).

Translator Notes

1. The declaration 'innocent of the blood' (katharos apo tou haimatos) echoes the watchman imagery of Ezekiel 33:1-9, where a watchman who faithfully warns bears no guilt for those who reject the warning. Paul claims to have fulfilled his prophetic responsibility as a watchman over the Ephesian community.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Ezekiel 33:1-9. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'the whole counsel of God' (pasan ten boulen tou theou) implies a comprehensive body of teaching — God's full plan and purpose, not merely select doctrines. The verb hypesteilamen ('shrink back') repeats from verse 20, framing this section.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. This verse is theologically dense. The same leaders called 'elders' (presbyteroi) in verse 17 are here called 'overseers' (episkopoi), demonstrating that these were interchangeable terms at this stage. The phrase 'through his own blood' (dia tou haimatos tou idiou) is textually and theologically complex — 'his own' (tou idiou) could refer to God's own blood (a startlingly high Christological claim) or to 'his own one' (a term of endearment for Christ). The SBLGNT reads 'church of God' (ekklesian tou theou).

Translator Notes

1. The wolf-and-flock metaphor continues from verse 28. 'Fierce wolves' (lykoi bareis) echoes Jesus' warning about false prophets in Matthew 7:15 and the threat to the shepherd's flock in John 10:12. The threat comes from outside the community ('come in among you').

Translator Notes

1. The second threat is internal — from within the leadership itself. The word diestrammena ('twisted, distorted, perverted') indicates not outright falsehood but distortion of truth. Paul's letters to Timothy, who later served in Ephesus, confirm that such internal threats materialized (cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 2 Timothy 2:17-18).

Translator Notes

1. The 'three years' (trietian) provides the length of Paul's Ephesian ministry. 'Night and day' indicates the relentlessness of his pastoral care. The tears (dakryon) are a recurring motif in this speech (cf. v. 19), presenting Paul as emotionally invested rather than merely professionally dutiful.

Translator Notes

1. The speech transitions from warning to commendation. Paul entrusts the elders not to a human successor but to God and 'the word of his grace.' The language of 'inheritance' (kleronimian) among 'those who are sanctified' (hegiasmenois) echoes the Old Testament promise of the land reinterpreted as the people of God's shared inheritance.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's denial of material greed echoes Samuel's farewell speech in 1 Samuel 12:3-5, where the departing leader calls on witnesses to confirm his financial integrity. The triad 'silver, gold, clothing' represents comprehensive material wealth.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References 1 Samuel 12:3-5 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. Paul gestures to his own hands — a vivid detail suggesting this speech is based on eyewitness memory. He worked as a tentmaker (cf. 18:3) to avoid burdening the community, a practice he also mentions in 1 Corinthians 4:12 and 1 Thessalonians 2:9.

Translator Notes

1. This saying of Jesus is not found in any of the four Gospels, making it an agraphon — an unwritten saying preserved in oral tradition. Its attribution to Jesus ('he himself said') by Paul demonstrates that early Christians transmitted sayings of Jesus outside the written Gospel tradition. The word makarion ('blessed, happy, fortunate') is the same term used in the Beatitudes.

Translator Notes

1. Kneeling for prayer (theis ta gonata) was not the standard Jewish posture (which was standing); it indicates special intensity or solemnity. The communal prayer following the speech seals the farewell.

Translator Notes

1. The emotional scene — weeping, embracing, kissing — is among the most personal in Acts. The verb katephiloun ('kissed repeatedly, kissed affectionately') is intensive, indicating deep affection rather than a formal greeting.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek odynomenoi ('grieving, being in anguish') is a strong word for emotional pain. The final image — the elders escorting Paul to the ship — mirrors ancient farewell scenes and closes the Ephesian chapter of Paul's ministry with profound pathos.