Acts 20:21

Acts 20:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
• New International Version (NIV)I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
• English Standard Version (ESV)testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• New King James Version (NKJV)testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Context of Acts 20:21

19I humbly served the Lord, often with tears in my eyes. I served the Lord during the difficult times I went through when the Jews plotted against me. 20I didn’t avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn’t avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house. I warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Jesus. 22“I am determined to go to Jerusalem now. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me.

Acts 20:21 word by word

διαμαρτυρόμενος Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Ἕλλησιν τὴν εἰς θεὸν μετάνοιαν καὶ πίστιν εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Testifyingδιαμαρτύρομαιdiamarturomai · to testify solemnlyG1263
• bothτεte · and/bothG5037
• to the JewsἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• and alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• to the GreeksἝλλην=ἝλληνHellēn · Greek, GentileG1672
• repentanceμετάνοιαmetanoia · repentanceG3341
• towardεἰςeis · towardG1519
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547

Cross-references for Acts 20:21

• Acts 20:24But I don’t place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus—the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness.
• Acts 2:40Peter said much more to warn them. He urged, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
• Acts 8:25After they had boldly spoken about the message of the Lord, they spread the Good News in many Samaritan villages on their way back to Jerusalem.
• Acts 18:5But when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to teaching God’s word. He assured the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.
• Acts 28:23On a designated day a larger number of influential Jews ⌞than expected⌟ went to the place where Paul was staying. From morning until evening, Paul was explaining God’s kingdom to them. He was trying to convince them about Jesus from Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets.
• 1 John 5:11This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son.
• Acts 18:4On every day of rest—a holy day, Paul would discuss ⌞Scripture⌟ in the synagogue. He tried to win over Jews and Greeks who had converted to Judaism.
• Acts 19:17All the Jews and Greeks living in the city of Ephesus heard about this. All of them were filled with awe for the name of the Lord Jesus and began to speak very highly about it.
• Romans 1:14I have an obligation to those who are civilized and those who aren’t, to those who are wise and those who aren’t.
• 1 Corinthians 1:22Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,
• Acts 2:38Peter answered them, “All of you must turn to God and change the way you think and act, and each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.
• Acts 3:19So change the way you think and act, and turn ⌞to God⌟ to have your sins removed.
• Acts 11:18When the others heard this, they had no further objections. They praised God by saying, “Then God has also led people who are not Jewish to turn to him so that they can change the way they think and act and have eternal life.”
• Acts 17:30“God overlooked the times when people didn’t know any better. But now he commands everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
• Acts 26:20Instead, I spread the message that I first told to the ⌞Jewish⌟ people in Damascus and Jerusalem and throughout the whole country of Judea. I spread the same message to non-Jewish people. Both groups were expected to change the way they thought and acted and to turn to God. I told them to do things that prove they had changed their lives.
• Ezekiel 18:30“That is why I will judge each of you by what you have done, people of Israel,” declares the Almighty Lord. “Change the way you think and act. Turn away from all the rebellious things that you have done so that you will not fall into sin.

Commentaries on Acts 20:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Testify both to - Jews and - Greeks - He always began with the Jews; and, in this case, he had preached to them alone for three months, Acts 19:8-10, and only left their synagogues when he found, through their obstinacy, he could do them no good. Repentance toward God, etc. - As all had sinned against God, so all should humble themselves before him against whom they have sinned; but humiliation is no atonement for sin; therefore repentance is…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Testifying - 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. See 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:14; where the word used here, and here translated “testify,” is there translated correctly, “charge,” in…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. 18-38Paul’s message to the elders (leaders) of the church in Ephesus describes his life and work among them. He also calls these leaders to show the same kind of commitment as they continue the ministry. In this message, Paul points to his own life as an example. He shows his honesty and care for people (20:18–21, 26, 31). He also speaks about what will happen in the future (20:22–23, 25, 29–30). He warns them about false teachers (people who teach wrong ideas…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. Testifying both to Jews and ... 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. This is said to be "toward God," because seeing Him to be the party…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 20:21

• Ephesus
• Faith
• Jesus Continued
• Miletus
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Repentance
• Salvation
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• God
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Jesus Christ
• Appoint
• Bind
• Bishop

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