Acts 20:17

Acts 20:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
• New International Version (NIV)From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
• New King James Version (NKJV)From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.

Context of Acts 20:17

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. 16Paul 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. When 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. 19I did not say that I was an important man. Instead, I worked as a servant of the Lord Jesus. I often was sad because of trouble that came to me. Some Jewish people spoke against my message. They wanted to hurt me.

Acts 20:17 word by word

Ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Μιλήτου πέμψας εἰς Ἔφεσον μετεκαλέσατο τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andδέde · thenG1161
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• MiletusΜίλητοςMilētos · MiletusG3399
• he sentπέμπωpempō · to sendG3992
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• EphesusἜφεσοςEphesos · EphesusG2181
• and calledμετακαλέωmetakaleō · to summonG3333
• the eldersπρεσβύτεροςpresbuteros · elder (leader)G4245
• of the churchἐκκλησίαekklēsia · assemblyG1577

Cross-references for Acts 20:17

• Acts 20:28You who are leaders should be careful about how you live. Also take care of the group of people that the Holy Spirit has chosen you to lead. Keep them safe like shepherds who take care of their sheep. All the believers belong to God because his Son, Jesus, died for them. He bought them with his blood which poured out on the cross.
• Acts 11:30Then they gave the money to Barnabas and Saul. Barnabas and Saul took this gift to the leaders of the believers in Jerusalem.
• Acts 14:23Paul and Barnabas chose leaders for each group of believers in these places. They fasted and they prayed to God for some time about this. They asked the Lord Jesus to help these leaders who trusted in him.
• Acts 15:4When Paul, Barnabas and the other men arrived in Jerusalem, they met with the believers there. The apostles, the other leaders and the whole group of believers were happy to see them. Paul and Barnabas told them about everything that God had helped them to do.
• Acts 16:4Paul, Silas and Timothy travelled through many towns. In each place, they told the believers the things that the apostles and the other leaders in Jerusalem had decided. They told the believers to obey those rules.
• 1 Timothy 5:17Everyone should respect leaders of the believers who lead the church well. The church should also pay them properly for their work. That is certainly true for leaders who teach God's people and speak God's message to them.
• James 5:14Is anyone ill? They should ask the leaders of the church to come and to pray for them. The leaders should put some olive oil on the sick person. They should pray for him with the authority of the Lord Jesus.
• 1 Peter 5:1Now I want to say something to you who are leaders of the groups of believers. Like you, I am also a leader. I myself saw how people caused Christ to have great pain so that he died. One day people will see how great he really is. Then I will be among those people who join with him in heaven. So I say this to you who are leaders:
• 2 John 1:1This letter comes from me, the leader of the believers. I am writing to you, a special lady that God has chosen, and to your children. I love all of you, because you have believed God's true message. And I am not the only one who loves you. Everyone who knows the true message about God really loves you.
• 3 John 1:1This letter comes from me, the leader of the believers. I am writing to you, my friend Gaius. I love you because we believe God's true message.

Commentaries on Acts 20:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17He sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the Church - These are called , bishops, Acts 20:28. By the , presbyters or elders, here, we are to understand all that were in authority in the Church, whether they were , bishops or overseers, or seniors in years, knowledge, and experience. The , or elders, were probably the first order in the Church; an order which was not so properly constituted, but which rose out of the state of things. From these…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17He sent to Ephesus - Perhaps a distance of twenty or thirty miles. The elders of the church - Who had been appointed while he was there to take charge of the church. See the notes on Acts 15:2.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-27Verses 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 they rejected it. He was a profitable preacher; one that aimed to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17Miletus was a major sea port on the western coast of Asia Minor at the opening of the Meander River. Paul met briefly with the elders of the church of Ephesus there on his way to Jerusalem.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church--As he was now some forty miles south of Ephesus, we might think that more time would be lost by sending thus far for the elders to come to him, than by going at once to Ephesus itself, when so near it. 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…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 20:17

• Church
• Elder
• Ephesus
• Miletus
• Minister, Christian
• Paul

In the dictionaries

• Ephesus
• Ephesus, Ephesian
• Appoint
• Bind
• Bishop
• Counsel
• Count
• Course
• Determine
• Draw

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