Acts 20:16

Acts 20:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.

Context of Acts 20:16

14When he met us at Assos, he came on the ship with us. Then we all sailed to Mitylene. 15We sailed from there and we arrived the next day at the coast near Chios. The day after that, we came to Samos. The next day, we arrived at Miletus. Paul had decided to leave quickly from there. He did not want to visit Ephesus, because he did not want to remain in Asia for a long time. Instead, he wanted to travel to Jerusalem quickly. He wanted to arrive there before the day of the Pentecost festival. 17When we were in Miletus, Paul sent someone to Ephesus with a message. This message was for the leaders of the believers in Ephesus. Paul asked them to come to Miletus to meet him there. 18When they arrived, Paul said to them, ‘You yourselves know about everything that I did here in Asia. You saw how I lived from the first day that I arrived in this region. I was with you for the whole time.

Acts 20:16 word by word

κεκρίκει γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος παραπλεῦσαι τὴν Ἔφεσον, ὅπως μὴ γένηται αὐτῷ χρονοτριβῆσαι ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ· ἔσπευδεν γὰρ εἰ δυνατὸν εἴη αὐτῷ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς πεντηκοστῆς γενέσθαι εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• Paulὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
• had determinedκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
• to sail byπαραπλέωparapleō · to sail pastG3896
• EphesusἜφεσοςEphesos · EphesusG2181
• becauseὅπωςhopōs · thatG3704
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• wouldγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• notμήmē · notG3361
• spend the timeχρονοτριβέωchronotribeō · to spend timeG5551
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• AsiaἈσίαAsia · AsiaG773
• he hastedσπεύδωspeudō · to hastenG4692
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• it wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• possibleδυνατόςdunatos · ableG1415
• atεἰςeis · towardG1519
• JerusalemἹεροσόλυμαHierosoluma · JerusalemG2414
• the dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• of Pentecostπεντηκοστήpentēkostē · PentecostG4005

Cross-references for Acts 20:16

• Acts 20:13Paul decided to travel to Assos across the land. But we got on a ship and we sailed to Assos. We agreed with Paul that we would wait for him there.
• Acts 18:21Before he left, he said to them, ‘If God wants me to come back, I will return to you.’ Then Paul got in a ship and he sailed from Ephesus to Caesarea.
• Acts 19:21After these things happened, Paul decided that he should go to Jerusalem. But first he wanted to visit the believers in Macedonia and Greece. He said, ‘After I have been to Jerusalem, I must also go to Rome.’
• Acts 21:4We found some believers in the city. So we stayed with them for a week. The Holy Spirit showed these believers that trouble would come to Paul in Jerusalem. So they said to him, ‘Paul, you should not to go to Jerusalem.’
• Acts 12:13Peter knocked on the outside door of the house. A servant girl called Rhoda came to the door.
• Acts 24:17I had not been to Jerusalem for several years. Now I returned there with a gift of some money. I brought it to give to poor people who are Jews, like me. I also wanted to offer sacrifices to God.
• Romans 15:24So I hope to visit you while I am travelling to Spain. I will stay with you in Rome for a short time. I will really enjoy having some time together with you there. Then you can help me to continue my journey.
• Acts 2:1Then the day of the Pentecost festival arrived. All the believers were meeting together in one place.
• Exodus 34:22Eat the Feast of Weeks every year when you cut the first wheat in your fields. Eat the Feast of Harvest at the end of each year.
• 1 Corinthians 16:8So I will remain here at Ephesus city until the Pentecost festival.

Commentaries on Acts 20:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16To sail by Ephesus - Not to touch there at this time. To be at Jerusalem the day of pentecost - That he might have the opportunity of preaching the kingdom of God to multitudes of Jews from different places, who would come up to Jerusalem at that feast; and then he no doubt expected to see there a renewal of that day of pentecost in which the Spirit was poured out on the disciples, and in consequence of which so many were converted to God.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16To sail by Ephesus - The word “by” in our translation is ambiguous. We say to go by a place, meaning either to take it in our way and to go to it, or to go past it. Here it means the latter. He intended to sail past Ephesus without going to it. For he hasted … - Had he gone to Ephesus, he would probably have been so delayed in his journey that he could not reach Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost. The day of Pentecost - See the notes on Acts 2:1.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-16Verses 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.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16The Feast of Pentecost was one of the three Jewish feasts that required Jewish men to travel to Jerusalem and worship (see study note on 2:1–4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1615-16. came the next day over against Chios--now Scio: one of the most beautiful of those islands between which and the coast the sail is so charming. They appear not to have touched at it. next day we arrived--"touched" or "put in." at Samos--another island coming quite close to the mainland, and about as far south of Chios as it is south of Lesbos. tarried--for the night. at Trogyllium--an anchorage on the projecting mainland, not more than a mile from…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 20:16

• Asia
• Ephesus
• Feasts
• Paul
• Pentecost

In the dictionaries

• Asia
• Ephesus
• Jerusalem
• Paul
• Ephesus, Ephesian
• Paul, Saul
• Appoint
• Bind
• Bishop
• Counsel

Commentaries on Acts 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings