King James Version
Acts 20
38 verses with commentary
Paul in Macedonia and Greece
And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.
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KJV Study Commentary
After Ephesus riot 'Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them' before departing. Affectionate farewell characterized Paul's pastoral relationships. 'Departed for to go into Macedonia' continued the planned journey despite opposition.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XX.**
(1) **Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them . . .**—The latter verb implies a farewell salutation.
**Departed for to go into Macedonia.**—We are able from the Epistles to the Corinthians to fill up the gap left in the narrative of the Acts. Having sent Timotheus and Erastus to see after the discipline of the Church of Corinth (Acts 19:17), the Apostle was cheered by the com...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31-34. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved--**The brevity, simplicity, and directness of this reply are, in the circumstances, singularly beautiful. Enough at that moment to have his faith directed simply to the Saviour, with the assurance that this would bring to his soul the needed and sought salvation--the how being a matter for after teaching.
**thou shalt be saved, a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
The sepulchre found to be empty.(1-10)
Christ appears to Mary.(11-18)
He appears to the disciples.(19-25)
The unbelief of Thomas.(26-29)
Conclusion.(30-31)
**Verses 1-10**
If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, tha...
Read full commentary →And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation , he came into Greece,
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KJV Study Commentary
'When he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece.' The 'much exhortation' indicates intensive teaching during this revisitation. Three months in Greece allowed extended ministry in Corinth.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And when he had gone over those parts.**—Here also we can fill up the outline of the narrative from the Epistles. We may take for granted that St. Paul would revisit the churches which he had himself founded at Thessalonica and Beræa, as well as at Philippi. The names in Acts 20:4 indicate that delegates were chosen, probably by his direction, for the great journey to Jerusalem, which he now...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31-34. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved--**The brevity, simplicity, and directness of this reply are, in the circumstances, singularly beautiful. Enough at that moment to have his faith directed simply to the Saviour, with the assurance that this would bring to his soul the needed and sought salvation--the how being a matter for after teaching.
**thou shalt be saved, a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
The sepulchre found to be empty.(1-10)
Christ appears to Mary.(11-18)
He appears to the disciples.(19-25)
The unbelief of Thomas.(26-29)
Conclusion.(30-31)
**Verses 1-10**
If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, tha...
Read full commentary →And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.
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KJV Study Commentary
'When the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.' Jewish plot forced route change. Paul adapted plans to avoid danger while continuing mission. Flexibility in method preserved life and ministry.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **When the Jews laid wait for him . . .**—In sailing for Syria, Cenchreæ would naturally be the port of embarkation, and St. Paul’s presence there may reasonably be connected with the mention of Phœbe, the deaconess of that church, in Romans 16:1. His intention was, however, frustrated. The malignant Jews of Corinth watched their opportunity. At Cenchreæ, amid the stir and bustle of a port, th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31-34. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved--**The brevity, simplicity, and directness of this reply are, in the circumstances, singularly beautiful. Enough at that moment to have his faith directed simply to the Saviour, with the assurance that this would bring to his soul the needed and sought salvation--the how being a matter for after teaching.
**thou shalt be saved, a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
The sepulchre found to be empty.(1-10)
Christ appears to Mary.(11-18)
He appears to the disciples.(19-25)
The unbelief of Thomas.(26-29)
Conclusion.(30-31)
**Verses 1-10**
If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, tha...
Read full commentary →And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.
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KJV Study Commentary
The list of companions - 'Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timotheus, Tychicus, and Trophimus' - shows Paul's team ministry model. Representatives from different churches accompanied the collection. Shared ministry and accountability characterized apostolic work.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **And there accompanied him into Asia . . .**—The occurrence of the two names, Timotheus and Sosipater (another form of Sopater) in Romans 16:21 makes it probable that all of those here named were with St. Paul at Corinth. As they were to go with him to Jerusalem, it was indeed natural they should have gone to the city from which he intended to embark. It is not difficult to discover the reaso...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-36. when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go--**The cause of this change can only be conjectured. When the commotion ceased, reflection would soon convince them of the injustice they had done, even supposing the prisoners had been entitled to no special privileges; and if rumor reached them that the prisoners were somehow under supernatural protection, the...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
The sepulchre found to be empty.(1-10)
Christ appears to Mary.(11-18)
He appears to the disciples.(19-25)
The unbelief of Thomas.(26-29)
Conclusion.(30-31)
**Verses 1-10**
If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, tha...
Read full commentary →These going before tarried for us at Troas.
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KJV Study Commentary
'These going before tarried for us at Troas' - the 'us' indicates Luke's presence. Division of the group shows organizational planning. Troas became the rendezvous point for the traveling party.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **These going before tarried for us at Troas.**—Two motives may be assigned for this arrangement—(1) It enabled St. Paul to keep the Passover with the church at Philippi, starting “after the days of unleavened bread,” and that feast was already assuming a new character as the festival of the Resurrection, bringing with it also the commemoration that “Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us” ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35-36. when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go--**The cause of this change can only be conjectured. When the commotion ceased, reflection would soon convince them of the injustice they had done, even supposing the prisoners had been entitled to no special privileges; and if rumor reached them that the prisoners were somehow under supernatural protection, the...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
The sepulchre found to be empty.(1-10)
Christ appears to Mary.(11-18)
He appears to the disciples.(19-25)
The unbelief of Thomas.(26-29)
Conclusion.(30-31)
**Verses 1-10**
If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, tha...
Read full commentary →And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
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KJV Study Commentary
'We sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread' - Paul observed Passover timing. 'Came unto them to Troas in five days' - weather affected travel. 'We abode seven days' allowed sabbath gathering.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **And came unto them to Troas in five days.**—The voyage from Troas to Philippi (see Notes on Acts 16:11-12) had taken only three days, but the ship had now to contend against the south-west current that set in from the Dardanelles, and probably also against the Etesian winds blowing from the north-east that prevail in the Archipelago in the spring.
**Where we abode seven days.**—It lies on th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**37. Paul said unto them--**to the sergeants who had entered the prison along with the jailer, that they might be able to report that the men had departed.
**They have beaten us openly--**The publicity of the injury done them, exposing their naked and bleeding bodies to the rude populace, was evidently the most stinging feature of it to the apostle's delicate feeling, and to this accordingly he...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
The sepulchre found to be empty.(1-10)
Christ appears to Mary.(11-18)
He appears to the disciples.(19-25)
The unbelief of Thomas.(26-29)
Conclusion.(30-31)
**Verses 1-10**
If Christ gave his life a ransom, and had not taken it again, it would not have appeared that his giving it was accepted as satisfaction. It was a great trial to Mary, tha...
Read full commentary →Eutychus Raised from the Dead
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.' Sunday gathering for communion and teaching shows early Christian practice. 'Ready to depart on the morrow' created urgency for extended teaching.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Upon the first day of the week . . .**—This and the counsel given in 1Corinthians 16:2, are distinct proofs that the Church had already begun to observe the weekly festival of the Resurrection in place of, or, where the disciples were Jews, in addition to, the weekly Sabbath. It lies in the nature of the case that those who were slaves, or freed-men still in service, under heathen masters co...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**38. they feared when they heard they were Romans--**their authority being thus imperilled; for they were liable to an action for what they had done.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung apart, and thereby kept up communion with God, yet they came together to worship God, and so kept up their communion with one another. They came together on the first day of the week, the Lord's day. It is to be religiously observed by all disciples of Christ. In the breaking of the bread, not only the breaking of C...
Read full commentary →And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
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KJV Study Commentary
'There were many lights in the upper chamber' - detailed observation suggests Luke's presence. The lamps created heat and reduced oxygen, contributing to Eutychus's drowsiness. Luke's careful details establish historical reliability.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **And there were many lights in the upper chamber.**—We learn from Acts 20:9 that it was on the third floor of the house. In the high narrow streets of Eastern towns the upper storey is often chosen for social or devotional purposes, partly as more removed from the noise of the street, partly as giving access to the roof of the house. Such a room in a good sized house might well hold two or th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**39-40. And they came--**in person.
**and besought them--**not to complain of them. What a contrast this suppliant attitude of the preachers of Philippi to the tyrannical air with which they had the day before treated the preachers! (See Is 60:14; Re 3:9).
**brought them out--**conducted them forth from the prison into the street, as insisted on.
**and desired--**"requested."
**them to de...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung apart, and thereby kept up communion with God, yet they came together to worship God, and so kept up their communion with one another. They came together on the first day of the week, the Lord's day. It is to be religiously observed by all disciples of Christ. In the breaking of the bread, not only the breaking of C...
Read full commentary →And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
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KJV Study Commentary
Eutychus 'fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead' - Luke's medical assessment confirmed death. 'Being fallen into a deep sleep as Paul was long preaching' combined exhaustion with extended sermon. Human frailty and divine power intersect in this narrative.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **There sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus . . .**—The name, like those of kindred meaning, such as Felix, Felicia, Felicissimus, Syntyche, Epaphroditus, Fortunatus, Faustus, Felicitas, was sufficiently common, especially among the freed-man class. In one instance, in an inscription in the *Collegio Romano, *the two names of Eutychus and Felicia appear as belonging to husband a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**39-40. And they came--**in person.
**and besought them--**not to complain of them. What a contrast this suppliant attitude of the preachers of Philippi to the tyrannical air with which they had the day before treated the preachers! (See Is 60:14; Re 3:9).
**brought them out--**conducted them forth from the prison into the street, as insisted on.
**and desired--**"requested."
**them to de...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung apart, and thereby kept up communion with God, yet they came together to worship God, and so kept up their communion with one another. They came together on the first day of the week, the Lord's day. It is to be religiously observed by all disciples of Christ. In the breaking of the bread, not only the breaking of C...
Read full commentary →And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Paul's action - 'fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him' - echoes Elijah (1 Kings 17:21) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:34). The embrace transferred life. 'His life is in him' announced restoration.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him . . .**—The act reminds us of those of Elijah (1Kings 17:21), and Elisha (2Kings 4:34). The close contact, the clasp of warm affection, gave a new intensity to the prayer of faith, and, as a current of vitality passed, as it were, from the one body to the other, enabled the Apostle to feel that the heart had not ceased to beat, and to give ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung apart, and thereby kept up communion with God, yet they came together to worship God, and so kept up their communion with one another. They came together on the first day of the week, the Lord's day. It is to be religiously observed by all disciples of Christ. In the breaking of the bread, not only the breaking of C...
Read full commentary →When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
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KJV Study Commentary
'When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day' - uninterrupted ministry continued after the miracle. The resurrection didn't end the gathering but enabled its continuation.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **And had broken bread, and eaten.**—Better, *broken the bread and tasted.* In the early usage of the Lord’s Supper the bread was not made, as in the Latin Church, in the form of circular wafers, nor cut up into small cubes, as in most Reformed Churches. The loaf, probably a long roll, was placed before the celebrant, and each piece was broken off as it was given to the communicant. Stress is...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 17 Ac 17:1-15. At Thessalonica the Success of Paul's Preaching Endangering His Life, He Is Despatched by Night to Berea, Where His Message Meets with Enlightened Acceptance--A Hostile Movement from Thessalonica Occasions His Sudden Departure from Berea--He Arrives at Athens.
**1. when they had passed through Amphipolis--**thirty-three miles southwest of Philippi, on the river Strymon, and...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung apart, and thereby kept up communion with God, yet they came together to worship God, and so kept up their communion with one another. They came together on the first day of the week, the Lord's day. It is to be religiously observed by all disciples of Christ. In the breaking of the bread, not only the breaking of C...
Read full commentary →And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.</strong> This brief verse concludes the remarkable account of Eutychus's restoration. The Greek phrase <em>ēgagon ton paida zōnta</em> (ἤγαγον τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα) literally means "they brought the boy living." The word <em>paida</em> (παῖδα) can mean child, youth, or servant, while <em>zōnta</em> (ζῶντα) emphasizes he was ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2-4. Paul, as his manner was--**always to begin with the Jews.
**went in unto them--**In writing to the converts but a few months after this, he reminds them of the courage and superiority to indignity, for the Gospel's sake, which this required after the shameful treatment he had so lately experienced at Philippi (1Th 2:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-12**
Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung apart, and thereby kept up communion with God, yet they came together to worship God, and so kept up their communion with one another. They came together on the first day of the week, the Lord's day. It is to be religiously observed by all disciples of Christ. In the breaking of the bread, not only the breaking of C...
Read full commentary →And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot.
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KJV Study Commentary
'We went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot.' Paul's choice to walk while others sailed allowed time for reflection or ministry. Different transport suited different purposes.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **And sailed unto Assos.**—The port of Assos. lay about twenty-four miles to the south of Troas. We can only conjecture St. Paul’s motives for going thither himself by land while his companions went by sea. In Acts 16:8 we find that he had avoided Mysia to press on to Troas; but he may well have extended his labours thither during his two years’ sojourn in Asia, and have wished, before he sta...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2-4. Paul, as his manner was--**always to begin with the Jews.
**went in unto them--**In writing to the converts but a few months after this, he reminds them of the courage and superiority to indignity, for the Gospel's sake, which this required after the shameful treatment he had so lately experienced at Philippi (1Th 2:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Paul hastened to Jerusalem, but tried to do good by the way, when going from place to place, as every good man should do. In doing God's work, our own wills and those of our friends must often be crossed; we must not spend time with them when duty calls us another way.
And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when he met with us at Assos</strong>—Paul rejoined Luke and the traveling party at Assos after walking alone approximately 20 miles from Troas while his companions sailed. The Greek verb συμβάλλω (<em>symballō</em>, "met with") suggests a planned rendezvous, indicating Paul's deliberate choice to travel by land while the ship made its coastal voyage.<br><br><strong>We took him in</str...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **We took him in, and came to Mitylene.**—This was the capital of Lesbos, and furnished the island with its modern name of *Mitilini.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2-4. Paul, as his manner was--**always to begin with the Jews.
**went in unto them--**In writing to the converts but a few months after this, he reminds them of the courage and superiority to indignity, for the Gospel's sake, which this required after the shameful treatment he had so lately experienced at Philippi (1Th 2:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Paul hastened to Jerusalem, but tried to do good by the way, when going from place to place, as every good man should do. In doing God's work, our own wills and those of our friends must often be crossed; we must not spend time with them when duty calls us another way.
And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And we sailed thence</strong>—Luke's precise travelogue continues with characteristic nautical detail. The itinerary from Assos traces Paul's third missionary journey's final leg toward Jerusalem: <strong>Chios</strong> (Greek island opposite Smyrna), <strong>Samos</strong> (birthplace of Pythagoras), <strong>Trogyllium</strong> (promontory between Samos and Miletus), and <strong>Miletus</...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **We sailed thence . . .**—After the usual manner of the Mediterranean navigation of the time, the ship put into harbour, where it was possible, every evening. Each of the stations named—Lesbos, Chios, Samos—has legendary and historical associations of its own, full of interest for the classical student; but these, we may well believe—the revolt of Mitylene in the Peloponnesian War (Thuc. Boo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-9. the Jews ... moved with envy--**seeing their influence undermined by this stranger.
**lewd fellows of the baser sort--**better, perhaps, "worthless market people," that is, idle loungers about the market-place, of indifferent character.
**gathered a company--**rather, "having raised a mob."
**assaulted the house of Jason--**with whom Paul and Silas abode (Ac 17:7), one of Paul's kinsm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Paul hastened to Jerusalem, but tried to do good by the way, when going from place to place, as every good man should do. In doing God's work, our own wills and those of our friends must often be crossed; we must not spend time with them when duty calls us another way.
For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus</strong> (παρέπλευσεν, <em>parepleusen</em>—to sail past)—a deliberate strategic decision showing apostolic priorities. Paul intentionally avoided stopping at Ephesus despite his deep love for this church (Acts 19:8-10; 20:31). The verb 'determined' (κρίνω, <em>krinō</em>) indicates a firm, reasoned decision.<br><br><strong>He hasted...to be at Jerusa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus.**—The English phrase is unfortunately ambiguous. What is meant is that he had decided to continue his voyage without going to Ephesus—to pass it by.
**To be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.**—The motives for this wish lie on the surface. (1) It was, as has been said in the Note on Acts 2:1, the Feast that attracted most pilgrims from all parts o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-9. the Jews ... moved with envy--**seeing their influence undermined by this stranger.
**lewd fellows of the baser sort--**better, perhaps, "worthless market people," that is, idle loungers about the market-place, of indifferent character.
**gathered a company--**rather, "having raised a mob."
**assaulted the house of Jason--**with whom Paul and Silas abode (Ac 17:7), one of Paul's kinsm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-16**
Paul hastened to Jerusalem, but tried to do good by the way, when going from place to place, as every good man should do. In doing God's work, our own wills and those of our friends must often be crossed; we must not spend time with them when duty calls us another way.
Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
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KJV Study Commentary
'From Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.' The 30-mile summons brought Ephesian leaders for a final meeting. Paul's determination to reach Jerusalem for Pentecost (v.16) prevented Ephesian visit, but pastoral concern demanded this gathering.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.**—We find, from Acts 20:28, that they were known also as *episcopi* (“bishops,” or “overseers”), the two names being interchangeable at this period, and the Apostle standing in relation to those who bore them as the later Bishop did to the elders under him. (See Notes on Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:5-6; 1Peter 5:1-2.) Th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-9. the Jews ... moved with envy--**seeing their influence undermined by this stranger.
**lewd fellows of the baser sort--**better, perhaps, "worthless market people," that is, idle loungers about the market-place, of indifferent character.
**gathered a company--**rather, "having raised a mob."
**assaulted the house of Jason--**with whom Paul and Silas abode (Ac 17:7), one of Paul's kinsm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
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KJV Study Commentary
'Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons.' Paul appeals to their knowledge of his consistent character. 'At all seasons' indicates unchanging commitment regardless of circumstances.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia . . .**—No discourse recorded in the Acts is so full of living personal interest. St. Luke would naturally be present at the meeting, and able to take notes of the address, and reproduce it almost, if not altogether, word for word. It bears upon the face of it internal marks of genuineness. No writer of a history adorned with fictitious spee...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-9. the Jews ... moved with envy--**seeing their influence undermined by this stranger.
**lewd fellows of the baser sort--**better, perhaps, "worthless market people," that is, idle loungers about the market-place, of indifferent character.
**gathered a company--**rather, "having raised a mob."
**assaulted the house of Jason--**with whom Paul and Silas abode (Ac 17:7), one of Paul's kinsm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
'Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations.' Three characteristics mark Paul's ministry: humility, compassion (tears), and perseverance through trials. 'The lying in wait of the Jews' added constant danger.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Serving the Lord with all humility of mind . . .**—The participle exactly answers to the epithet of the “servant” or “slave” of Christ which St. Paul so often uses of himself (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1). The “tears,” too, are characteristic of the Apostle, whose intense sensitiveness and sympathy had not been hardened into a Stoic apathy, and therefore found ven...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-9. the Jews ... moved with envy--**seeing their influence undermined by this stranger.
**lewd fellows of the baser sort--**better, perhaps, "worthless market people," that is, idle loungers about the market-place, of indifferent character.
**gathered a company--**rather, "having raised a mob."
**assaulted the house of Jason--**with whom Paul and Silas abode (Ac 17:7), one of Paul's kinsm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
'I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you' - complete teaching without avoiding difficult subjects. 'Publickly, and from house to house' indicates both corporate and individual instruction. Full-orbed ministry addresses crowds and individuals.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **How I kept back nothing that was profitable.**—The verb is one which belongs to the vocabulary of sailors, and was used for taking in or reefing sails. He, St. Paul seems to say of himself, had used no such reticence or reserve, but had gone on his course, as it were, before the wind, with all his canvas spread. It must be noted, however, that even here, as in the more limited range of teac...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night--**for it would have been as useless as rash to attempt any further preaching at that time, and the conviction of this probably made his friends the more willing to pledge themselves against any present continuance of missionary effort.
**unto Berea--**fifty or sixty miles southwest of Thessalonica; a town even still of consider...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
'Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' The dual message - repentance and faith - summarizes gospel proclamation. Both Jews and Greeks needed identical response despite different backgrounds.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.**—These, under all varieties of form, whether speaking to Jews or Gentiles, to philosophers at Athens (Acts 17:30) or peasants of Lystra (Acts 14:15), formed the substance of his teaching. It is obvious, however, that out of these might be developed a whole system of theology—why repentance was needed, and what it was, and how i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night--**for it would have been as useless as rash to attempt any further preaching at that time, and the conviction of this probably made his friends the more willing to pledge themselves against any present continuance of missionary effort.
**unto Berea--**fifty or sixty miles southwest of Thessalonica; a town even still of consider...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there :
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
'I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem' - divine compulsion directed Paul's journey. 'Not knowing the things that shall befall me there' combined certainty of calling with uncertainty of details. Obedience doesn't require complete knowledge.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit.**—The question meets us as before (see Note on Acts 19:21), whether the words refer to the direct action of the Holy Spirit or to the higher element of St. Paul’s own nature, as in 1Corinthians 5:3; 2Corinthians 2:13. On the whole, the latter seems the more probable, subject, as before, to the reservation that the word is used because it points to ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-12. the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night--**for it would have been as useless as rash to attempt any further preaching at that time, and the conviction of this probably made his friends the more willing to pledge themselves against any present continuance of missionary effort.
**unto Berea--**fifty or sixty miles southwest of Thessalonica; a town even still of consider...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. abide me: or, wait for me
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
'Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.' The Spirit's consistent message prepared Paul for suffering. 'Bonds and afflictions' - specific warnings of imprisonment and persecution.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city.**—This can hardly refer to mere internal previsions of the future, but implies, like the analogous phraseology of 1Timothy 4:1, predictions uttered by the mouth of prophets, such as that which was afterwards spoken by Agabus (Acts 21:11). In every city, Corinth, Berœa, Thessalonica, Philippi, Troas, there had been like utterances, of which, though th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. the Jews of Thessalonica ... came thither also--**"like hunters upon their prey, as they had done before from Iconium to Lystra" [Howson].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Paul's declaration - 'neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy' - expresses ultimate commitment to Christ's mission above self-preservation. His purpose was completing his ministry and 'testifying the gospel of the grace of God,' showing that life's value lies in fulfilling divine calling rather than mere survival. This sacrificial devotion exemplifies Je...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **But none of these things move me . . .**—Literally, *But I take account of nothing, nor do I hold my life* . . . We note the parallelism with Luther’s famous declaration, when warned by his friends not to go to Worms, “I will go thither, though there should be devils on every house-top.”
**So that I might finish my course with joy.**—The two last words are wanting in many of the best MSS., ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. immediately the brethren--**the converts gathered at Berea.
**sent away Paul--**as before from Jerusalem (Ac 9:30), and from Thessalonica (Ac 17:10). How long he stayed at Berea we know not; but as we know that he longed and expected soon to return to the Thessalonians (1Th 2:17), it is probable he remained some weeks at least, and only abandoned his intention of revisiting Thessalonica at...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
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KJV Study Commentary
'I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.' This sobering prediction intensified the farewell. Paul's focus on 'the kingdom of God' summarizes his message - Christ's reign proclaimed and established.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **I know that ye all . . . shall see my face no more.**—It is clear from these words, as well as from Romans 15:23-24, that at this time St. Paul did not contemplate any further work in the Roman province of Asia, or in Greece. It is as clear, if we accept the Pastoral Epistles as genuine, that he did revisit Asia (2Timothy 1:15), and that that visit included Troas (2Timothy 4:13), Miletus (2...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. Silas and Timotheus to come to him with all speed--**He probably wished their company and aid in addressing himself to so new and great a sphere as Athens. Accordingly it is added that he "waited for them" there, as if unwilling to do anything till they came. That they did come, there is no good reason to doubt (as some excellent critics do). For though Paul himself says to the Thessalonians...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
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KJV Study Commentary
'I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.' This solemn declaration asserted complete faithfulness in witness. 'Blood' language echoes Ezekiel's watchman (Ezekiel 33:8-9) - failure to warn makes one guilty.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **I am pure from the blood of all men.**—The image was a familiar one in the Apostle’s lips (Acts 18:6). It rested on the language of an older prophet (Ezekiel 3:18; Ezekiel 3:20). He had acted on the teaching of that prophet, and none could require the blood of any man at his hands.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ac 17:16-34. Paul at Athens.
**16-17. wholly given to idolatry--**"covered with idols"; meaning the city, not the inhabitants. Petronius, a contemporary writer at Nero's court, says satirically that it was easier to find a god at Athens than a man. This "stirred the spirit" of the apostle. "The first impression which the masterpieces of man's taste for art left on the mind of St. Paul was a revol...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
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KJV Study Commentary
'I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.' Complete proclamation of divine truth, not selected comfortable portions, characterized Paul's ministry. 'All the counsel' includes difficult doctrines and uncomfortable applications.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.**—The words point to a greater degree of receptivity for Divine truth than had been found elsewhere. So in the Epistle to the Ephesians, which, even on the assumption that it was an encyclical letter, was addressed to them principally, he speaks to them as able to understand his knowledge in the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:4)...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ac 17:16-34. Paul at Athens.
**16-17. wholly given to idolatry--**"covered with idols"; meaning the city, not the inhabitants. Petronius, a contemporary writer at Nero's court, says satirically that it was easier to find a god at Athens than a man. This "stirred the spirit" of the apostle. "The first impression which the masterpieces of man's taste for art left on the mind of St. Paul was a revol...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-27**
The elders knew that Paul was no designing, self-seeking man. Those who would in any office serve the Lord acceptably, and profitably to others, must do it with humility. He was a plain preacher, one that spoke his message so as to be understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the gospel as a testimony to them if they received it; but as a testimony against them if th...
Read full commentary →Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood</strong>—Paul's charge to Ephesian elders combines pastoral authority, responsibility, and motivation. <strong>Take heed... unto yourselves</strong> prioritizes leaders' spiritual health before ministry. <str...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.**—Better, *in which the Holy Ghost set you as watchers.* The word used is the same as that commonly translated *bishops, *but, as used here in connection with the idea of the flock, it requires a word less technically ecclesiastical. It will be noticed that the word is commonly used in the New Testament as associated with this imagery. ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. certain ... of the Epicureans--**a well-known school of atheistic materialists, who taught that pleasure was the chief end of human existence; a principle which the more rational interpreted in a refined sense, while the sensual explained it in its coarser meaning.
**and of the Stoics--**a celebrated school of severe and lofty pantheists, whose principle was that the universe was under ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
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KJV Study Commentary
'I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.' False teachers would emerge after apostolic departure. 'Wolves' and 'flock' use shepherd imagery for destructive leaders attacking God's people.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **After my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you.**—The figurative language followed naturally on the idea of the flock and of the shepherds who keep watch over it. It lies in the nature of the case that the wolf stands primarily for the open enemies of the flock, the persecutors of all ages. (Comp. John 10:12.) The wolves, however, might come in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15), ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. certain ... of the Epicureans--**a well-known school of atheistic materialists, who taught that pleasure was the chief end of human existence; a principle which the more rational interpreted in a refined sense, while the sensual explained it in its coarser meaning.
**and of the Stoics--**a celebrated school of severe and lofty pantheists, whose principle was that the universe was under ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.' Internal threats compound external dangers. Leaders seeking personal following rather than Christ's glory corrupt the church from within.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things.**—The Pastoral Epistles, 2 Peter and Jude, supply but too abundant evidence of the clearness of the Apostle’s prevision. Hymenæus and Alexander and Philetus, saying that the resurrection was past already (1Timothy 1:20; 2Timothy 2:17); evil men and seducers becoming worse and worse (2Timothy 3:13); resisting the faith, as Jannes ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. certain ... of the Epicureans--**a well-known school of atheistic materialists, who taught that pleasure was the chief end of human existence; a principle which the more rational interpreted in a refined sense, while the sensual explained it in its coarser meaning.
**and of the Stoics--**a celebrated school of severe and lofty pantheists, whose principle was that the universe was under ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.' Paul's emotional investment over three years modeled pastoral vigilance. 'Night and day with tears' shows constant, compassionate care.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **Therefore watch . . .**—The word was, as it were, an echo from our Lord’s teaching (Matthew 24:42; Matthew 25:13, *et al*.), which could hardly have been unknown to St. Paul. Here, however, it receives a fresh significance from its connection with the term *episcopi.* They who were the bishops, the overseers, the watchers of the flock, ought, above all others, to set an example of vigilance...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-21. certain ... of the Epicureans--**a well-known school of atheistic materialists, who taught that pleasure was the chief end of human existence; a principle which the more rational interpreted in a refined sense, while the sensual explained it in its coarser meaning.
**and of the Stoics--**a celebrated school of severe and lofty pantheists, whose principle was that the universe was under ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
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KJV Study Commentary
Paul's final commendation - 'I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace' - identifies the twin foundations for Christian perseverance: God's person and His revealed Word. The 'word of his grace' doesn't merely inform but actively 'builds up' and gives inheritance. This confidence in Scripture's power through the Spirit's work remains the church's hope across generations.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **And now, brethren, I commend you . . .**—The Greek verb and its derivatives are characteristic of St. Paul’s phraseology. Teachers are to “commit” the truth they have received to others (2Timothy 2:2), and the truth so committed is the *depositum fidei* which they thus hold, as it were, in trust (2Timothy 1:14).
**The word of his grace, which is able to build you up . . .**—It can hardly be...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. Then Paul stood ... and said--**more graphically, "standing in the midst of Mars' hill, said." This prefatory allusion to the position he occupied shows the writer's wish to bring the situation vividly before us [Baumgarten].
**I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious--**rather (with most modern interpreters and the ancient Greek ones), "in all respects extremely reverential"...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
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KJV Study Commentary
'I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.' Financial integrity protected ministry credibility. Paul rejected any accusation of mercenary motive. Freedom from covetousness demonstrated gospel sincerity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.**—Comp. the parallel of Samuel’s appeal to the people (1Samuel 12:3). In each case there was a special reason for what might otherwise seem an uncalled-for boast. Samuel’s sons had been guilty of corrupt practices, taking bribes and the like (1Samuel 8:3). Among the many calumnies against St. Paul, one was that he used his apostolic minis...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. as I passed by and beheld your devotions--**rather, "the objects of your devotion," referring, as is plain from the next words, to their works of art consecrated to religion.
**I found an altar ... To the--**or, "an"
**unknown god--**erected, probably, to commemorate some divine interposition, which they were unable to ascribe to any known deity. That there were such altars, Greek writer...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.' Paul's tent-making supported both himself and others. Physical labor served the gospel by removing accusation and modeling work ethic.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **These hands have ministered unto my necessities.**—The words clearly cover the whole three years of the Apostle’s ministry at Ephesus. The partnership with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:3) continued. Philemon was probably a sharer in it (Philemon 1:17). And the Apostle had not been satisfied with working for himself, but ministered also to “those who were with him.” His teaching in 2Thessal...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24-25. God that made the world and all ... therein--**The most profound philosophers of Greece were unable to conceive any real distinction between God and the universe. Thick darkness, therefore, behooved to rest on all their religious conceptions. To dissipate this, the apostle sets out with a sharp statement of the fact of creation as the central principle of all true religion--not less neede...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive</strong>—Paul cites an unrecorded saying of Jesus (not in the Gospels) to model generous labor. <strong>So labouring</strong> refers to Paul's tentmaking (v.34), supporting himself and companions rather than b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **I have shewed you all things.**—The words point to his motive in acting as he did. He sought to teach by example, to *indicate in all things* how others ought to act.
**To support the weak.**—The Greek verb is rightly rendered, but it deserves notice that it is the root of the noun translated “help” in 1Corinthians 12:28. The word “weak “is to be taken as implying bodily infirmities. (See N...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24-25. God that made the world and all ... therein--**The most profound philosophers of Greece were unable to conceive any real distinction between God and the universe. Thick darkness, therefore, behooved to rest on all their religious conceptions. To dissipate this, the apostle sets out with a sharp statement of the fact of creation as the central principle of all true religion--not less neede...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
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KJV Study Commentary
'When he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.' Prayer concluded the farewell, committing them to God. Kneeling expressed humility and earnestness. Shared prayer bonded departing shepherd and remaining flock.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **He kneeled down, and prayed with them all.**—The historian who has recorded what we may call the “charge” of St. Paul, shrinks, with a natural reverence, from reporting his prayer. Ephesians 3:14-21 will enable the thoughtful reader to represent to himself its substance, perhaps even its very thoughts and words.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-27. and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth--**Holding with the Old Testament teaching, that in the blood is the life (Ge 9:4; Le 17:11; De 12:23), the apostle sees this life stream of the whole human race to be one, flowing from one source [Baumgarten].
**and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation--**The ap...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,
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KJV Study Commentary
'They all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him.' Deep emotional expression marked this farewell. Mediterranean culture allowed public emotional display. The combination of weeping, embracing, and kissing expressed profound love.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **Fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him.**—We note, as before in Acts 20:19, the absence of any suppression of emotion. As David and Jonathan parted of old (1Samuel 20:41), so did St. Paul and his fellow-workers part now. In 2Timothy 1:4 we have a passing reference to another parting scene of perhaps even tenderer emotion. To think that they should see his face no more, that this was their last...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26-27. and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth--**Holding with the Old Testament teaching, that in the blood is the life (Ge 9:4; Le 17:11; De 12:23), the apostle sees this life stream of the whole human race to be one, flowing from one source [Baumgarten].
**and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation--**The ap...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.
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KJV Study Commentary
'Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more.' The finality of departure intensified grief. Loss of face-to-face relationship, not merely Paul's suffering, caused deepest sorrow. Presence matters in pastoral care.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being--**(or, more briefly, "exist").--This means, not merely, "Without Him we have no life, nor that motion which every inanimate nature displays, nor even existence itself" [Meyer], but that God is the living, immanent Principle of all these in men.
**as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring--**the first half of...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 28-38**
If the Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to their charge. It is the church He has purchased with his own blood. The blood was his as Man; yet so close is the union between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the blood of Go...
Read full commentary →