Actschapter 20
38 verses · Luke · about AD 62 · Acts
In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Introduction
Luke, Acts, Acts Overview.
Luke rejoins Paul in this chapter, and he writes it as a man who was on the ship. His readers were churches that would soon have to live without the apostles, and this chapter shows how one apostle prepared for that day. The pace is quick through a winter in Greece and slows for one long night at Troas. Then comes a farewell to men Paul had trained for three years. Listen for how he describes his own conduct, and for the charge he gives to those who will lead after him. Read it as his parting charge to the elders of a church.
Context
- Who
- Theophilus and Gentile readers, hearing Paul say goodbye to the church he knew best.
- What
- Paul's travels through Macedonia and Greece, the night at Troas when Eutychus fell, the voyage down the coast and the farewell address to the Ephesian elders at Miletus.
- Where
- Macedonia and Greece, then Philippi, Troas, Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos and Miletus on the coast of the province of Asia.
- When
- About AD 56 to 57 on the usual reckoning, from the three months in Greece to the spring voyage after the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
- Why
- To show Paul setting his face toward Jerusalem and handing the churches he founded to their own overseers and to God.
Historical context
The travel plans in this chapter run on shipping seasons. The Mediterranean was effectively closed to sailing in winter, and Paul is racing to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost, which is why he sails past Ephesus and calls the elders down to Miletus instead of going up himself.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
The meeting at Troas is on the first day of the week and includes breaking bread, one of the earliest glimpses of Christians gathering on Sunday. It ran past midnight in an upper room with many lamps burning, which in a crowded third-storey room meant heat and thickening air. Eutychus sitting in the window makes complete sense, and so does falling asleep.
The delegation travelling with Paul, men named from Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe, Asia, are almost certainly the church representatives escorting the relief money collected for Jerusalem. Carrying a large sum overland required witnesses, both for safety and for the reputation of the men handling it.
The farewell at Miletus is the only speech in Acts Paul gives to Christians, and he ends it by pointing at his own hands: he had supported himself and his companions rather than coveting anyone's silver or clothing.
Significance
To churches that would soon have no apostles left, this speech was a handover. Paul tells the elders to guard themselves and the flock, warns that damage will come from among their own number, and commits them to God and to the word of his grace rather than to himself.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The last line he quotes, that it is more blessed to give than to receive, is a saying of Jesus found nowhere in the Gospels, preserved here because the elders on that beach already knew it.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Through Macedonia and Greece With Traveling Companions
Acts 20:1-3
When the uproar had ended: After the uproar Paul left for Macedonia, and Luke’s summary covers months that Paul’s letters fill in. 2 Corinthians was very likely written from Macedonia in this stretch, and Romans from the three months in Greece.
Acts 20:1
“The uproar - The tumult excited, by Demetrius and the workmen. After it had been quieted by the town-clerk, Act 19:40-41. Embraced them - Saluted them; gave them parting expressions of kindness. Compare the Luk 7:45 note; Rom 16:16 note; 1Co 16:20 note; 2Co 13:12 note; 1Th 5:26 note; 1Pe 5:14 note. The Syriac translates this, “Paul caned the disciples, and consoled them, and kissed them.” To go into Macedonia - On his way to Jerusalem, agreeably to his purpose, as recorded in Act 19:21.”
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Acts 20:1
“His removal might somewhat appease the rage of his adversaries, and gain better quarter for the Christians there. Currenti cede furori--It is good to lie by in a storm.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
he arrived in Greece: Luke uses the name Greece only here in the New Testament, and it means the province of Achaia with Corinth at its centre. Paul wrote at Romans 15:19 that he had proclaimed the gospel all the way around to Illyricum. Many place that reach in these travels through Macedonia.
Acts 20:2
“He came into Greece - Εις την Ἑλλαδα, Into Hellas, Greece properly so called, the regions between Thessaly and Propontis, and the country of Achaia. He did not, however, go there immediately: he passed through Macedonia, Act 20:1, in which he informs us, 2Co 7:5-7, that he suffered much, both from believers and infidels; but was greatly comforted by the arrival of Titus, who gave him a very flattering account of the prosperous state of the Church at Corinth.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
the Jews formed a plot against him: Ramsay held Paul meant to sail on a Jewish pilgrim ship to the Passover, where a murder at sea would be easy to hide. The change of route cost him the feast in Jerusalem. He spent the Feast of Unleavened Bread at Philippi, as verse 6 records.
Acts 20:3
“And there abode - Why he remained here is unknown. It is probable that while in Greece he wrote the Epistle to the Romans. Compare Rom 15:25-27. And when the Jews laid wait for him - There was a design formed against him by the Jews, which they sought to execute. Why they formed this purpose the historian has not informed us. As he was about to sail - It would seem from this, that the design of the Jews was to attack the ship in which he was about to sail, or to arrest him on shipboard.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:3
“And there abode three months--Though the province only is here mentioned, it is the city of CORINTH that is meant, as the province of "Macedonia" (Ac 20:1) meant the city of Philippi.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea: Paul’s companions came from Macedonia, Galatia and Asia, churches of the Gentile mission that had given to the collection for the poor in Jerusalem. Their number also guarded the collection, since several people watched money that could otherwise draw suspicion of private gain.
Acts 20:4
“And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea,.... This Sopater is thought to be the same with Sosipater in Rom 16:21 and in three of Beza's copies, and in as many of Stephens's, he is so called here; the Ethiopic version calls him Peter, a citizen of Berea; and the Arabic version Sopater of Aleppo. The Alexandrian copy, Beza's most ancient copy, and others, the Complutensian edition, and the Vulgate Latin version, read, Sopater of Pyrrhus, the Berean; that is, the son of Pyrrhus.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:4
“And there accompanied him - Rather, says Bishop Pearce, there followed him as far as to Asia; for they were not in his company till he set sail from Philippi, and came to them at Troas, in Asia, whither they had gone before, and where they tarried for him, Act 20:5. Into Asia - Αχρι της Ασιας; These words are wanting in two MSS., Erpen, the Ethiopic, Coptic, and Vulgate.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 20:5-6
waited for us in Troas: With the words waited for us in Troas, Luke rejoins the company he had left at Philippi in chapter 16. It is the second of the we-passages, after a gap of some years, and the company stayed seven days in Troas.
Acts 20:5
“These going before - Going before Paul and Luke. Dr. Doddridge supposes that only Tychicus and Trophimus went before the others. Perhaps the Greek most naturally demands this interpretation. Tarried for us - The word “us,” here, shows that Luke had again joined Paul as his companion. In Act 16:12 it appears that Luke was in Philippi, in the house of Lydia. Why he remained there, or why he did not attend Paul in his journey to Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, etc., is not known. It is evident, however, that he here joined him again.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:5
“But that this Luke was inseparable from Paul, and his fellow-labourer in the Gospel, he himself clearly evinces, not as a matter of boasting, but as bound to do so by the truth itself.”
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book III, Chapter 14, Section 1patristic
after the Feast of Unleavened Bread: Luke dates the voyage by the Jewish feasts, the Feast of Unleavened Bread here and Pentecost at verse 16. About fifty days lay between the two. The count explains the haste of the voyage that follows.
Acts 20:6
“Days of unleavened bread - The seven days of the passover, in which they ate unleavened bread. See the account of this festival in the notes on Exodus 12:1-51 (note). It is evident, from the manner in which St. Luke writes here, that he had not been with St. Paul since the time he accompanied him to Philippi, Act 16:10-12; but he now embarks at Philippi with the apostle, and accompanies him to Troas, and continues with him through the rest of his journey.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:6
“And we sailed . . . from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread--(that is, the Passover). This, compared with 1Co 16:8, shows that the three months spent at Corinth (Ac 20:3) were the winter months. came . . . to Troas--for the third and last time.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Eutychus Falls From the Third Loft at Troas
Acts 20:7-8
break bread: The disciples met to break bread on the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection. This shows the church already gathering on the Lord’s day. The many lamps in the upper room fit a night meeting.
Acts 20:7
“But every Lord's day do ye gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, saith the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations.”
Didache · written before 100 · The Didache, Chapter 14patristic
there were many lamps in the upper room: Luke has named an upper room before, at 1:13 where the apostles stayed and at 9:37 and 9:39 where Tabitha lay dead. Peter raised Tabitha in such a room, and Paul will raise Eutychus after his fall from one. Luke sets the two apostles side by side again.
Acts 20:8
“Upper chamber - It was in an upper chamber in the temple that the primitive disciples were accustomed to meet: on that account, they might have preferred an upper chamber whenever they could meet with it. The pious Quesnel supposes that the smoke, issuing from the many lamps in this upper chamber, was the cause of Eutychus falling asleep; and this, he says, the apostle mentions, in charity, to excuse the young man’s appearing negligent.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
was sinking into a deep sleep: Eutychus sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on, fell from the third story and was picked up dead. Luke, a physician, records the death plainly. The seat in the window and the crowded upper room, heated by its lamps, explain the drowsiness.
Acts 20:9
“And there sat in a window - The window was left open, probably to avoid the malice of their enemies, who might be disposed otherwise to charge them with holding their assemblies in darkness for purposes of iniquity. The window was probably a mere opening in the wall to let in light, as glass was not common at that time. As the shutters of the window were not closed, there was nothing to prevent Eutychus from falling down. The third loft - The third story.”
Acts 20:10-12
Paul threw himself on the young man and embraced him, as Elijah and Elisha had done over the children they raised. In verse 12 the people take the boy home alive, greatly relieved. Paul then broke bread and spoke until daybreak.
Acts 20:10
“And Paul - fell on him - Επεπεσεν αυτῳ, Stretched himself upon him, in the same manner as Elisha did on the Shunammite’s son, 2Ki 4:33-35; though the action of lying on him, in order to communicate warmth to the flesh, might not have been continued so long as in the above instance; nor indeed was it necessary, as the natural warmth had not yet left the body of Eutychus; but the son of the Shunammite had been some time dead.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 20:10
“Paul fell or him - It is observable, our Lord never used this gesture. But Elijah and Elisha did as well as Paul. His life is in him - He is alive again.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Acts 20:10
“He did not say "he will rise, for I will raise him," but rather "his life is in him." Note his humility and his desire to comfort.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate: The Greek names the bread with the article, the bread, which ties this act to the purpose of the meeting in verse 7. Barnes and Calvin read it as the Lord's Supper. Paul then ate a meal before the long talk until daybreak.
Acts 20:11
“Come up again - To the upper room, Act 20:8. And had broken bread, and eaten - Had taken refreshment. As this is spoken of Paul only, it is evidently distinguished from the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.”
to take the boy home alive: Luke calls Eutychus a young man in verse 9 and a boy here, a word used of a lad still in his father's house. His name means fortunate. The people who took him home had seen him picked up dead.
Acts 20:12
“And they brought the young man alive,.... Up into the upper room, and presented him alive to the disciples: and were not a little comforted; that is, the disciples, at the sight of the young man, who was taken up dead, not only for his sake, but chiefly because by this miracle the Gospel, which the apostle preached, and who was about to depart from them, was greatly confirmed to them.”
Bound in the Spirit, Bound for Jerusalem
Acts 20:13-14
sailed to Assos: Paul walked to Assos across the neck of land from Troas while the company sailed, a route that saved little time. Luke’s itinerary is precise enough that its stops can still be traced on a map of the Aegean coast.
Acts 20:13
“And we went before to ship,.... That is, Luke, the writer of this history, and the rest of the apostle's company, went before him to a ship, which lay at Troas, and went aboard it: and sailed unto Assos; a city of Aeolia, or Mysia; and is said by Pliny to be the same with Apollonia; and which he places on the sea shore, where it is evident this Assos was.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 20:13
“Sailed unto Assos - There were several cities of this name. One was in Lycia; one in the territory of Eolis; one in Mysia; one in Lydia; and another in Epirus. The latter is the one intended here. It was between Troas and Mitylene. The distance to it from Troas by land was about 20 miles, while the voyage round Cape Lecture was nearly twice as far, and accordingly Paul chose to go to it on foot. Minding himself - Choosing or preferring to go on foot. Most of his journeys were probably performed in this way.”
Acts 20:13
“There they took him in; for by this time he had enough of his walk, and was willing to betake himself to the other way of travelling; or perhaps he could not go any further by land, but was obliged to go by water. When Christ sent his disciples away by ship, and tarried behind himself, yet he came to them, and they took him in, Mark vi.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
went on to Mitylene: Mitylene was the chief city of Lesbos, and the ship carrying Paul sailed by day and put in each evening. Ramsay ties the pattern to the spring winds, which rise in the morning and fall at night. Each place named in verses 14 and 15 marks one day at sea.
Acts 20:14
“Came to Mitylene - This was the capital of the island of Lesbos. It was distinguished by the beauty of its situation, and the splendor and magnificence of its edifices. The island on which it stood, Lesbos, was one of the largest in the Aegean Sea, and the seventh in the Mediterranean. It is a few miles distant from the coast of Aeolia, and is about 168 miles in circumference. The name of the city now is Castro.”
Acts 20:15-16
arrived the next day opposite Chios: Paul sailed past Ephesus, in a hurry to reach Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost, the feast that opened this book’s story. The choice cost him a farewell in Ephesus, so he sends for its elders from Miletus.
Acts 20:15
“Over against Chios - Opposite to. Into the neighborhood of; or near to it. Chios, called also Coos, is an island in the Archipelago, between Lesbos and Samos. It is on the coast of Asia Minor, and is now called Scio. It will long be remembered as the seat of a dreadful massacre of almost all its inhabitants by the Turks in 1823. At Samos - This was also an island of the Archipelago, lying off the coast of Lydia, from which it is separated by a narrow strait. These islands were celebrated among the ancients for their extraordinary wines.”
by the day of Pentecost: Paul was carrying the gift of Macedonia and Achaia for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem, as Romans 15:25 to 26 records. At Pentecost the city would be full of pilgrims. Paul later tells Felix at 24:17 that he came to bring alms to his people.
Acts 20:16
“He aimed to be there by the feast of pentecost because it was a time of concourse, which would give him an opportunity of propagating the gospel among the Jews and proselytes, who came from all parts to worship at the feast: and the feast of pentecost had been particularly made famous among the Christians by the pouring out of the Spirit.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:16
“The words imply that there was considerable ground to doubt if he would attain this object--for more than three of the seven weeks from Passover to Pentecost had already expired--and they are inserted evidently to explain why he did not once more visit Ephesus.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
for the elders of the church: From Miletus Paul sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus, the presbuteroi, whom verse 28 also calls overseers, one office under two names. What follows is the only speech in Acts addressed to believers.
Acts 20:17
“And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus,.... Which is said, by some, to be about four hundred furlongs from Miletus, and, by others, ten German miles. And called the elders of the church; that is, at Ephesus; not the ancient members of the church, but the officers of it; the pastors, bishops, and overseers, as they are called, Act 20:28 and are so styled from their office, and not their age.”
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 20:17
“But that Paul taught with simplicity what he knew, not only to those who were [employed] with him, but to those that heard him, he does himself make manifest. For when the bishops and presbyters who came from Ephesus and the other cities adjoining had assembled in Miletus, since he was himself hastening to Jerusalem to observe Pentecost, after testifying many things to them, and declaring what must happen to him at Jerusalem, he added: "I know that ye shall see my face no more.”
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book III, Chapter 14, Section 2patristic
Acts 20:17
“But if unfavorable winds and stormy weather had overtaken them, his object could not have been attained, and perhaps he was unwilling to run the risk of detention at Ephesus by the state of the church and other causes. Those here called "elders" or "presbyters," are in Ac 20:28 called "bishops." (See on Ac 20:28).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 20:18-19
from the first day: Paul opens with what the elders had seen for themselves, how he lived among them from his first day in Asia. He served the Lord with great humility and tears, through the plots of the Jews. Three years are condensed into one sentence of tears and opposition.
Acts 20:18
“After what manner I have been with you - The Codex Bezae adds here, for three years, and even more, which reading might have been borrowed from Act 20:31, though the time assigned by it is too long.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
I served the Lord with great humility: The verb for served is the work of a slave, from the noun Paul uses of himself at Romans 1:1. Chapter 19 records the riot of the craftsmen and says nothing of Jewish plots at Ephesus. The speech adds what the account left out.
Acts 20:19
“Serving the Lord - In the discharge of the appropriate duties of his apostolic office, and in private life. To discharge aright our duties in any vocation is serving the Lord. Religion is often represented in the Bible as a service rendered to the Lord. With all humility - Without arrogance, pride, or a spirit of dictation; without a desire to “lord it over God’s heritage”; without being elated with the authority of the apostolic office, the variety of the miracles which he was enabled to perform, or the success which attended his labors.”
Acts 20:20-21
did not shrink back: Paul's message had two parts, repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the call John the Baptist and Jesus had preached. He gave it publicly and from house to house, to Jews and Greeks alike.
Acts 20:20
“I kept back nothing - Notwithstanding the dangers to which he was exposed, and the temptations he must have had to suppress those truths that were less acceptable to the unrenewed nature of man, or to the particular prejudices of the Jews and the Gentiles, he fully and faithfully, at all hazards, declared what he terms, Act 20:27, the whole counsel of God.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
repentance to God and faith: Hebrews 6:1 lists repentance from dead works and faith in God among the first foundations. Paul preached one message to Jews and Greeks alike. His call to repent at Athens in 17:30 and the jailer's answer at Philippi in 16:31 carry the same two parts.
Acts 20:21
“Greeks--laboring under a common malady, and recoverable only by a common treatment. repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ--(See on Ac 5:31). REPENTANCE, as distinguished from faith, is that state of the "honest and good heart" which arises from a discovery of one's contrariety to the righteous demands of the divine law.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
3 more voices on this verse
Acts 20:21
“Our repentance towards God is not sufficient, we must have a true faith in Christ as our Redeemer and Saviour, consenting to him as our Lord and our God. For there is no coming to God, as penitent prodigals to a Father, but in the strength and righteousness of Jesus Christ as Mediator.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Acts 20:21
“This was the practical drift of Paul's teaching at Ephesus, and everywhere else. He kept back nothing which was profitable to them; and the main profit he expected them to derive from his teaching the whole counsel of God was this, that they should have "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." This was the great aim of the apostle.”
Acts 20:21
“Testifying - Bearing witness to the necessity of repentance toward God. Or teaching them the nature of repentance, and exhorting them to repent and believe. Perhaps the word “testifying” includes both ideas of giving evidence, and of urging with great earnestness and affection that repentance and faith were necessary.”
Acts 20:22-24
compelled by the Spirit: The Spirit compels Paul to Jerusalem while warning in town after town that chains and afflictions await him. He counts his life of no value if only he may finish his course. He answers the disciples at Caesarea in chapter 21 the same way.
Acts 20:22
“I go bound in the spirit - Δεδεμενος τῳ πνευματι - Either meaning the strong influence of the Divine Spirit upon his mind, or the strong propensity in his own will, wish, and desire, to visit Jerusalem; and in this sense δεειν, to bind, is sometimes used.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
in town after town: Luke records two of these warnings in the next chapter, through the disciples at Tyre in 21:4 and through Agabus at Caesarea in 21:11. Agabus bound his own feet and hands with Paul's belt. The chains of this verse are acted out there.
Acts 20:23
“Save that - Except that. This was all that he knew, that bonds and afflictions were to be his portion. The Holy Ghost witnesseth - Either by direct revelation to him, or by the predictions of inspired men whom Paul might meet. An instance of the latter mode occurs in Act 21:11. It is probable that the meaning here is that the Holy Spirit had deeply impressed the mind of Paul by his direct influences, and by his experience in every city, that bonds and trials were to be his portion.”
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:23
“Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, &c.--by prophetic utterances from city to city, as in Ac 11:4; Analogous premonitions of coming events are not unknown to the general method of God's providence.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
if only I may finish my course: The word for course is a runner's track, and Paul used it of John completing his course at 13:25. Paul writes at 2 Timothy 4:7, near his own death, that he has finished the race. The track here ends in Jerusalem.
Acts 20:24
“None of these things move me - Ουδενος λογον ποιουμαι; I consider them as nothing; I value them not a straw; they weigh not with me. Neither count I my life dear - I am not my own; my life and being are the Lord’s; he requires me to employ them in his service; I act under his direction, and am not anxious about the issue. Finish my course with joy - Τον δρομον μου, My ministerial function. We have already met with this word in application to the same subject, Act 13:25, where see the note.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 20:24
“From Syria even unto Rome I fight with beasts not that I am devoured by brute beasts, for these, as ye know, by the will of God, spared Daniel, but by beasts in the shape of men, in whom the merciless wild beast himself lies hid, and pricks and wounds me day by day. But none of these hardships "move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself," in such a way as to love it better than the Lord.”
Ignatius of Antioch · written before 108 · Epistle of Pseudo-Ignatius to the Tarsianspatristic
Acts 20:24
PAUL says that in comparison with his great objective of preaching the Gospel, he did not count even his life to be dear to himself; yet we are sure Paul highly valued life. He had the same love of life as other men and he knew that his own life was of great consequence to the Churches and to the cause of Christ. In another place he said, "To abide in the flesh is more necessary for you."
Farewell at Miletus: Feed the Church of God
will see my face again: Paul tells the elders that none of them will see his face again. The pastoral letters suggest he did revisit Asia after his first Roman imprisonment, so the words state his settled expectation. He had preached the kingdom among them, the subject that opens and closes this book.
Acts 20:25
“I know that ye all . . . shall see my face no more--not an inspired prediction of what was certainly to be, but what the apostle, in his peculiar circumstances, fully expected. Whether, therefore, he ever did see them again, is a question to be decided purely on its own evidence.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 20:26-27
innocent of the blood: Paul declares himself innocent of the blood of all men, the language of the watchman in Ezekiel 33. That watchman is cleared of the blood of those who perish after his faithful warning.
Acts 20:26
“I am pure from the blood of all - If any man, Jew or Gentile, perish in his sins, his blood shall be upon him; he, alone, shall be accessary to his own perdition. I am blameless, because I have fully shown to both the way to escape from every evil.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:26
“WHEN Paul was parting from his Ephesian friends, who had come to bid him farewell at Miletus, he did not request of them a commendation of his ability; he did not request of them a recommendation for his fervid eloquence, his profound learning, his comprehensive thought, or his penetrating judgment. He knew right well that he might have credit for all these, and yet be found a castaway at last. He required a witness which would be valid in the court of heaven, and of value in a dying hour.”
declaring to you the whole will of God: Verses 20 and 27 both use shrink back from declaring, framing Paul's account of his teaching. The word for will is boule, God's settled purpose, the word Peter used at 2:23 for the plan by which Jesus was delivered up. Paul kept back no part of it.
Acts 20:27
“For - This verse contains a reason for what had been said in the previous verse. It shows why Paul regarded himself as innocent if they should be lost. I have not shunned - I have not kept back; I have not been deterred by fear, by the desire of popularity, by the fact that the doctrines of the gospel are unpalatable to people, from declaring them fully.”
Be shepherds of the church: Paul tells the elders to keep watch and to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. Some early manuscripts read church of the Lord, and with church of God the blood that bought the church is God’s own.
Acts 20:28
“To do this is the peculiar work of the Holy Ghost: to feed the Church of God - That is, the believing, loving, holy children of God; which he hath purchased - How precious is it then in his sight! with his own blood - For it is the blood of the only begotten Son of God, 1 John i, 7.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Acts 20:28
“Made you overseers - Εθετο επισκοπους, Appointed you bishops; for so we translate the original word in most places where it occurs: but overseers, or inspectors, is much more proper, from επι, over, and σκεπτομαι, I look. The persons who examine into the spiritual state of the flock of God, and take care to lead them in and out, and to find them pasture, are termed episcopoi, or superintendents.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Acts 20:28
“And as the sacrificial atoning character of Christ's death is here plainly expressed, so His supreme dignity is implied as clearly by the second reading as it is expressed by the first.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 20:29-30
savage wolves will come: Paul foresees savage wolves pressing in from outside once he is gone. A second danger rises from inside, men who distort the truth to draw disciples after them. The letter to Ephesus and the seven letters of Revelation name trouble at work in this church within a generation.
Acts 20:29
If you touch "what is seized by a wild beast," you will be unclean. Which wild beast? Is it a lion or a wolf that ravishes persons or animals? I believe that beast is the one about whom the apostle Peter says, "your adversary, the devil, goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. Resist him, strong in the faith." And again, the apostle Paul says concerning these, "For after my departure, fierce wolves will come in, not sparing the flock."
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Homilies on Leviticus 3.3.5patristic
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Acts 20:29
“For I know this - By what he had seen in other places; by his knowledge of human nature, and of the dangers to which they were exposed; and by the guidance of inspiration. After my departure - His presence had been the means of guarding the church, and preserving it from these dangers. Now that the founder and guide of the church was to be removed, they would be exposed to dissensions and dangers. Grievous wolves - Heavy βαρεῖς bareis, strong, mighty, dangerous wolves - so strong that the feeble flock would not be able to resist them.”
men will rise up and distort the truth: Paul later names men of this kind in his letters to Timothy, whom he left at Ephesus according to 1 Timothy 1:3. Hymenaeus and Philetus taught that the resurrection had already occurred, as 2 Timothy 2:17 to 18 records. They drew disciples after themselves.
Acts 20:30
“Yea, from among yourselves men will arise - Such were the Nicolaitans, of whom Christ complains, Rev. ii, 6; to draw away disciples - From the purity of the Gospel and the unity of the body.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
I never stopped warning: Paul sets his own labor as the measure of the elders' watching. For three years he warned each of them night and day with tears, the longest settled stay of his recorded missionary work. Tears mark his preaching here as they did at verse 19.
Acts 20:31
“Therefore watch - Mat 24:42. In view of the dangers which beset yourselves Act 20:28, the danger from people not connected with the church Act 20:29, and the danger which will arise from the love of power among yourselves Act 20:30, be on your guard. Observe the approach of danger, and set yourselves against it. Remember - Recall my counsels and admonitions in reference to these dangers. By the space of three years - In Act 19:10, we are told that Paul spent two years in the school of Tyrannus.”
I commit you to God: Having warned the elders of wolves from outside and within, Paul commits them to God and to the word of His grace. That word can build them up and give them an inheritance among all who are sanctified. It does the work Paul can no longer do in person.
Acts 20:32
“Eph 3:20; particularly Jude 24; and compare 2Ti 1:12, where the same thing is ascribed to Christ. among all them which are sanctified--Sanctification is here viewed as the final character and condition of the heirs of glory, regarded as one saved company.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Acts 20:33-35
I have not coveted anyone’s silver: Paul had not coveted anyone’s silver or gold, and his own tentmaker’s hands had met his needs. He closes with a saying of the Lord Jesus found in no Gospel, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Such a saying of Jesus is called an agraphon.
Acts 20:33
“I have coveted - I have not desired. I have not made it an object of my living among you to obtain your property. Thus, 2Co 12:14 he says, “I seek not yours, but you.” Paul had power to demand support in the, ministry as the reward of his labor, 1Co 9:13-14. Yet he did not choose to exercise it, lest it should bring the charge of avarice against the ministry, 1Co 9:12, 1Co 9:15. He also had power in another respect. He had a vast influence over the people.”
these hands of mine have ministered: Paul wrote from Ephesus at 1 Corinthians 4:12 that he worked hard with his own hands. He paid for his companions as well as for himself. The elders had watched that labour for three years.
Acts 20:34
“These hands have ministered, etc. - It was neither “sin nor discredit” for the apostle to work to maintain himself, when the circumstances of the Church were such that it could not support him. Still many eminent ministers of God are obliged to support themselves and their families, at least in part, in the same way, while indefatigably testifying the Gospel of the grace of God. Whatever it may be to the people, it is no cause of reproach to the minister, to be obliged thus to employ himself.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
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Acts 20:34
“And although for this there were great rewards for his merits prepared, yet [Paul's] mind, however holy and sublime it might be, could not help being sometimes drawn away from that heavenly contemplation by its attention to earthly labors. Further, … he saw himself enriched with such practical fruits, and on the other hand considered in his heart the good of meditation and weighed as it were in one scale the profit of all these labors and in the other the delights of divine contemplation.”
John Cassian · written before 435 · CONFERENCE 23.5.4-6patristic
we must help the weak: Gill reads the weak two ways, the poor and sick who need support and the weak in faith who might stumble at a paid preacher. Paul's labour served both. The saying of Jesus that follows gives the ground for the whole practice.
Acts 20:35
“I have showed you - I have taught you by instruction and example. I have not merely discoursed about it, but have showed you how to do it. All things - Or, in respect to all things. In everything that respects preaching and the proper mode of life, I have for three years set you an example, illustrating the design, nature, and duties of the office by my own self-denials and toil. How that - Or, that - ὅτι hoti. I have showed you that ye should by so laboring support the weak.”
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Acts 20:35
“Somehow or other the very one who begs leave to offer you a gift holds you the cheaper for your acceptance of it; while, if you refuse it, it is wonderful how much more he will come to respect you.”
Jerome · written before 420 · LETTER 52.16patristic
Acts 20:36-38
knelt down with all of them: Paul knelt with all the elders and prayed, and they wept openly as they embraced and kissed him. They grieved most at his statement that they would never see his face again, the word of verse 25.
Acts 20:36
“He kneeled down and prayed - Kneeling is the proper posture of a supplicant, it argues at once both humility and submission; and he who prays to God should endeavor to feel the utmost measures of both.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:36
“It should be noted that the one who is departing ought to kneel and pray with all those present, and only then depart.”
Theophylact of Ohrid · written before 1107 · Commentary on Actspatristic
They all wept openly as they embraced Paul: The Greek says they fell upon the neck of Paul, the words Luke uses of the father greeting his son at Luke 15:20. The verb for kissed marks repeated action, so they kissed him again and again.
Acts 20:37
“Wept sore - Wept much. Greek: “There was a great weeping of all.” And fell on Paul’s neck - Embraced him, as a token of tender affection. The same thing Joseph did when he met his aged father Jacob, Gen 46:29. And kissed him - This was the common token of affection. See the Mat 26:48 note; Luk 15:20 note; Rom 16:16 note; 1Co 16:20 note.”
Then they accompanied him to the ship: The verb for accompanied means to send a traveller on his way, as the church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas at 15:3. The disciples at Tyre do the same at 21:5.
Acts 20:38
“That they should see his face no more - This was a most solemn meeting, and a most affecting parting. The man who had first pointed out to them the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom they had been brought into so glorious a state of salvation, is now going away, in all likelihood, to be seen no more till the day in which the quick and dead shall stand before the throne of judgment. Such a scene, and its correspondent feelings, are more easily imagined than described.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Acts 20:38
“Sorrowing most for that word which he spake, that they should see his face no more - What sorrow will be in the great day, when God shall speak that word to all who are found on the left hand, that they shall see his face no more!”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
How this psalm is built
The form: Travel narrative in the first person plural, framing a farewell address, as 20 classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The first person plural | The narrative moves into we and us at verse 5 and holds it through verse 15, from Philippi to Troas and down the coast to Miletus. This site's published exposition records that the same we left off at Philippi in chapter 16, and W. M. Ramsay reads its return as the writer's own presence.This site's published exposition of Acts 20:5 to 6, The exposition_notes row on Acts 20:5 to 6, citing W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible. | Acts 20:5, Acts 20:6, Acts 20:13, Acts 20:15 |
| Port by port | Verses 13 to 15 name Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos and Miletus, one day's sail at a time. Verse 4 gives a second list, the seven men who travelled with Paul and the cities they came from.This site's published exposition of Acts 20:13 to 14, The exposition_notes row on Acts 20:13 to 14, citing W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible. | Acts 20:4, Acts 20:13, Acts 20:14, Acts 20:15 |
| The farewell address | Verses 18 to 35 give the speech at Miletus. Paul looks back on his conduct at verses 18 to 21, looks ahead to Jerusalem at verses 22 to 27, charges the elders at verses 28 to 31 and commits them to God at verses 32 to 35.This site's published exposition of Acts 20:17 to 38, The exposition_notes rows on Acts 20:17 to 38, citing J. A. Alexander, Matthew Henry, John Calvin and John Gill. | Acts 20:18, Acts 20:22, Acts 20:28, Acts 20:32 |
| I did not shrink back from declaring | The same words stand at verse 20 and at verse 27, once for everything helpful and once for the whole will of God. Paul's account of his teaching is framed by them.The text of Acts 20, counted in the Berean Standard Bible, The verses table, translation id 3, Acts 20. | Acts 20:20, Acts 20:27 |
| See my face again | Paul says at verse 25 that none of them will see his face again, and verse 38 names that statement as what grieved them most. The words close the scene where the speech set them.This site's published exposition of Acts 20:36 to 38, The exposition_notes row on Acts 20:36 to 38, citing J. A. Alexander and John Chrysostom. | Acts 20:25, Acts 20:38 |
How the chapter is built
10 more paragraphs on the patterns
The chapter falls into four parts. Verses 1 to 6 cover months of travel through Macedonia and Greece in a few sentences. Verses 7 to 12 slow down for one night at Troas. Verses 13 to 16 give the voyage port by port. Verses 17 to 38 give the address to the Ephesian elders and the parting at the ship.
The address itself has four movements, each opened by a turn in time. Paul looks back at verses 18 to 21, looks ahead at verses 22 to 27, gives his charge at verses 28 to 31, and commits them to God at verses 32 to 35. The word now at verses 22, 25 and 32 marks the turns.
Where it stands in Acts
Chapter 19 ended the ministry at Ephesus and set Paul's purpose at 19:21 to go to Jerusalem and then to Rome. This chapter begins that road, and the warnings of verse 23 look ahead to Tyre and Caesarea in chapter 21. The we of verses 5 to 15 continues into chapter 21 and carries the account to Jerusalem.
The debated readings
The church of God or of the Lord. At verse 28 some manuscripts read the church of the Lord and others the church of God. This site's published exposition records that John Gill and Adam Clarke are the works cited on that verse. John Calvin reads the phrase God's own blood as speech about the one person of Christ, who is God and man.
The breaking of bread. Verses 7 and 11 speak of breaking bread on the first day of the week. Albert Barnes and John Calvin read it as the Lord's Supper.
See my face again. Paul says at verse 25 that none of them will see his face again. Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes are cited on that verse, and the note records that the pastoral letters suggest a later visit to Asia.
The reach of the chapter
The watchman of Ezekiel 33 stands behind verse 26, and the shepherd charge of verse 28 stands beside 1 Peter 5:2. The wolves of verse 29 are named in 1 Timothy 1:3 and 2 Timothy 2:17 to 18, and Revelation 2:2 praises the church at Ephesus for testing false apostles. The saying of Jesus at verse 35 is recorded in none of the four Gospels.
Keep studying
Studies10
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
This site's published exposition of Acts 20, scripts/data/exposition-revision/acts-20.json, the notes on 20:5 to 6 and 20:17, citing W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, and J. A. Alexander, The Acts of the Apostles Explained and This site's published exposition of Acts 20:17, The exposition_notes row on Acts 20:17, citing J. A. Alexander and Matthew Henry.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on Acts; J. A. Alexander; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; R. J. Knowling, The Acts of the Apostles, Expositor's Greek Testament; W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen and William Ramsay.