Acts 20

KJV · Chapter 20/28

1And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.

2And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece,

3And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.

4And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.

5These going before tarried for us at Troas.

6And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.

7And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

8And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.

9And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

10And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.

11When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.

12And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

13And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot.

14And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.

15And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus.

16For 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.

17And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.

18And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,

19Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

20And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

21Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

22And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

23Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

24But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

25And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

26Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

27For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

29For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

31Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

32And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

33I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.

34Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

35I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

36And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

37And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,

38Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In Troas, Paul raises the young man Eutychus back to life after he fell from a window while dozing off during Paul's lengthy sermon. Later, in Miletus, he tearfully bids farewell to the elders of Ephesus, warning of future dangers for the church.

Explanation

The Eutychus episode has a human touch and even a hint of humor: the young man falls asleep during a long sermon and falls from a third-story window — but Paul restores him to life with striking calm, without fanfare. The farewell speech at Miletus is one of Paul's most personal, revealing his pastoral heart: he warns of 'fierce wolves' who would arise to distort the faith, a timeless warning to all Christian leadership about vigilance. His closing quotation of Jesus — 'it is more blessed to give than to receive' — does not appear in the written Gospels, showing that not everything Jesus said was recorded there.

Fun facts

  • Paul's quotation 'it is more blessed to give than to receive' is a saying of Jesus that appears in none of the four Gospels — a rare example of a word of Jesus preserved only by oral tradition and recorded here.
  • Miletus was an important Greek port near Ephesus; Paul chose not to detour to Ephesus so as not to lose time, showing his urgency to reach Jerusalem in time for Pentecost.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Acts 20:1As soon as the uproar of the Ephesian craftsmen dies down, Paul embraces the disciples in farewell and leaves for Macedonia, resuming his interrupted journey.
  2. Acts 20:2Passing through Macedonia, Paul keeps encouraging the local churches with a great deal of teaching, before moving on to Greece.
  3. Acts 20:3After three months in Greece, Paul discovers a plot against him by the Jews just as he is about to sail for Syria, and for safety he decides to change his route, going back by land through Macedonia.
  4. Acts 20:4A list of traveling companions is recorded, coming from different cities Paul had already visited, showing how the network of churches he founded already had its own representatives traveling along with him.
  5. Acts 20:5This group of companions goes on ahead and waits for Paul to arrive at Troas, the agreed meeting point before the final crossing.
  6. Acts 20:6After the Jewish feast of unleavened bread, Paul sails from Philippi and takes five days to rejoin the group at Troas, where they stay another week.
  7. Acts 20:7The “first day of the week” is Sunday, the day Christians gradually adopted as their weekly gathering because it was the day of Jesus’s resurrection, although the Jewish Sabbath continued to be observed by many for quite some time still.
  8. Acts 20:8The setting of the gathering is described in detail: many lamps lit in the upstairs room where they were meeting, a detail that helps make sense of the accident that follows.
  9. Acts 20:9Eutychus dozes off during a long speech by Paul that stretches on until midnight, and falls from a high window. The account treats the fall as real and severe, not a mild fainting spell, since the text says he was picked up dead.
  10. Acts 20:10After Eutychus’s fatal fall, Paul goes down, falls on the young man, and embraces him, declaring that his life was still in him—a gesture and statement that precede the resurrection.
  11. Acts 20:11After tending to the young man, Paul goes back up, shares in the meal (“breaking bread”), and keeps talking with everyone until daybreak, before finally leaving.
  12. Acts 20:12The young man is brought back home alive, and the community is greatly comforted after the scare and the miracle.
  13. Acts 20:13The group of companions sails on to Assos, where they were to pick up Paul, who preferred to make that leg on foot, probably wanting some time to walk alone.
  14. Acts 20:14Paul joins them at Assos as planned, and the journey continues by ship to Mitylene, following the coast of Asia Minor.
  15. Acts 20:15The sea voyage continues in short stages, passing by Chios and Samos before reaching Miletus, a route of stops typical of ancient coastal navigation.
  16. Acts 20:16Paul tries to reach Jerusalem in time for Pentecost, an important Jewish feast, showing that he still organized his travel around the Jewish festival calendar even after years of preaching among the Gentiles.
  17. Acts 20:17Paul gathers the local leaders of Ephesus at a stopping point on the journey, without entering the city, probably so as not to lose time. It is an emotional farewell speech, given knowing he might never see them again.
  18. Acts 20:18When the Ephesian elders arrive, Paul begins by recalling his own conduct during the entire time he spent among them, a kind of accounting before the farewell.
  19. Acts 20:19Paul describes his ministry as full of humility, tears, and trials, caused by the constant plots of the Jews opposed to his preaching.
  20. Acts 20:20Paul assures them he never held back from teaching anything that was helpful, whether publicly or by visiting people from house to house.
  21. Acts 20:21Summing up his preaching in a single sentence, Paul says he always testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance and faith in Jesus.
  22. Acts 20:22Paul reveals that he now feels “bound in the spirit” to go to Jerusalem, even without knowing exactly what he will face there.
  23. Acts 20:23In every city he passes through, the Holy Spirit has been warning Paul that imprisonment and suffering await him in Jerusalem.
  24. Acts 20:24Despite the warnings, Paul declares that he does not value his own life more than completing the mission he received from Jesus: proclaiming the gospel of the grace of God.
  25. Acts 20:25Paul makes a personal and emotional prediction: he is certain that none of those leaders will see his face again after this farewell.
  26. Acts 20:26Paul declares himself free from any guilt for the salvation or ruin of those who heard his preaching, since he had done his part in proclaiming the full message.
  27. Acts 20:27He stresses that he never hid or softened any part of God’s teaching, even when it brought trouble or persecution.
  28. Acts 20:28“Bishops,” elders, and pastors are used here as synonyms describing the same local leadership role. The hierarchical distinction the word bishop would later gain in later centuries did not yet exist.
  29. Acts 20:29Paul warns that after he leaves, “grievous wolves” will come in, trying to harm the community—an image of false or destructive leaders.
  30. Acts 20:30The danger does not come only from outside: Paul warns that even from within the very group of leaders present, people will rise up distorting the teaching to draw away their own followers.
  31. Acts 20:31Paul calls for constant watchfulness, reminding them that for three whole years he himself never stopped warning each one of them, with tears, day and night.
  32. Acts 20:32In his farewell, Paul commits the leaders to the care of God and to the message of His grace, trusting that this would be enough to sustain them after he left.
  33. Acts 20:33Paul points out that he never coveted anyone’s money or possessions during his work among them, an important detail reinforcing his integrity.
  34. Acts 20:34Paul recalls that he supported himself and his companions with his own manual labor, likely tentmaking, without depending financially on the community.
  35. Acts 20:35This saying attributed to Jesus does not appear in any of the four written Gospels. It is an example of a teaching of Jesus passed down orally and preserved only here, in Paul’s speech.
  36. Acts 20:36After finishing his farewell speech, Paul kneels down and prays together with everyone present, closing the meeting solemnly.
  37. Acts 20:37The farewell is emotionally intense: everyone weeps freely, embraces Paul around the neck, and kisses him, a common gesture of affection and respect in the culture of the time.
  38. Acts 20:38What saddens the group most is the certainty, spoken by Paul himself, that they would not see his face again; even so, they accompany him to the ship before his final departure.

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