God’s Word Translation
Acts 20:16
16Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if that was possible.
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 Paul met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to the city of Mitylene. 15We sailed from there. On the following day we approached the island of Chios. The next day we went by the island of Samos, and on the next day we arrived at the city of Miletus. Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if that was possible. 17From Miletus Paul sent messengers to the city of Ephesus and called the spiritual leaders of the church to meet with him ⌞in Miletus⌟. 18When they were with him, he said to them, “You know how I spent all my time with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia.
Read all of Acts 20Acts 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 20:13We went ahead to the ship and sailed for the city of Assos. At Assos, we were going to pick up Paul. He had made these arrangements, since he had planned to walk overland to Assos.
- Acts 18:21As he left, he told them, “I’ll come back to visit you if God wants me to.” Paul took a boat from Ephesus
- Acts 19:21After all these things had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem by traveling through Macedonia and Greece. He said, “After I have been there, I must see Rome.”
- Acts 21:4In Tyre we searched for the disciples. After we found them, we stayed there for seven days. The Spirit had the disciples tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
- Acts 12:13Peter knocked on the door of the entryway, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.
- Acts 24:17After many years I have come back to my people and brought gifts for the poor and offerings ⌞for God⌟.
- Romans 15:24Now I am on my way to Spain, so I hope to see you when I come your way. After I have enjoyed your company for a while, I hope that you will support my trip to Spain.
- Acts 2:1When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place.
- Exodus 34:22“You must celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the first grain from your wheat harvest, and the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the season.
- 1 Corinthians 16:8I will be staying here in Ephesus until Pentecost.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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