Acts 18:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.

NIV: Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.

NASB: Now Paul, when he had remained many days longer, took leave of the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. Paul first had his hair cut at Cenchrea, for he was keeping a vow.

CSB: After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.

NLT: Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.

KJV: And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

NKJV: So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.

Paul is finishing up his second missionary journey. He has been in Corinth for a year and a half. As usual, he started by teaching about Jesus in the synagogue until enough of the Jewish leadership drove him out. He then moved next door to the home of a Gentile Jesus-follower, taking along the ruler of the synagogue who also put his faith in Christ. When the remaining leadership accused Paul of encouraging the worship of a god the Roman government had not authorized, the proconsul threw the case out, saying it was a matter of religious interpretation, not civil law (Acts 18:1–17).

Priscilla and Aquila were evicted from Rome by the emperor Claudius and apparently came to Christ in Corinth after Paul joined their tentmaking business (Acts 18:1–3). Paul will leave them in Ephesus where they will disciple Apollos (Acts 18:24–28). They will also host the church in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:19) before returning to Rome (Romans 16:3).

Cenchreae was the eastern port of Corinth. Corinth was in the district of Achaia on a large island-like mass of land connected to the Greek mainland by a narrow isthmus. Cenchreae was on the east side of the isthmus while its counterpart Lechaion was on the west. Instead of taking the treacherous route around Achaia, ships often stopped at Cenchreae and were dragged over land to Lechaion where they could reach Delphi. Cenchreae and Lechaion were named after the sons of Poseidon. Phoebe, who hand-delivered Paul's letter to the Romans, was possibly a deaconess of the church in Cenchreae (Romans 16:1).

It's unclear what kind of vow Paul was under, but probably a Nazirite vow. A Nazirite vow was a tradition from the time of the Mosaic law where Jews would refrain from alcohol, let their hair grow, and dedicate themselves to a period of intense devotion to God (Numbers 6:1–21). Since Paul cut his hair right after he left Corinth, it was probably for his work there. Although the text says he is going to Syria, meaning Syrian Antioch, he lands in Caesarea Maritima on the Judean coast and goes to Jerusalem first. The resolution of a Nazarite vow requires an offering at the temple. "Nazirite" means consecrated, devoted, or untrimmed; it doesn't have anything to do with Nazareth. John the Baptist and Samson were to be Nazirites for their entire lives (Judges 13:5; Luke 1:15).

Paul will return to Corinth at least twice more (2 Corinthians 12:14), either because the location is strategic or because the believers need extra help. Second Timothy 4:20 strongly suggests that after Paul is released from his house-arrest in Rome (Acts 28), he takes a fourth and final journey, stopping in Corinth.

Acts 18:18–21 starts with a short account of Paul's final days in Corinth. He works there, where he met Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2–3), for eighteen months (Acts 18:11) before taking the couple with him to Ephesus. He apparently spends only one day in the synagogue before sailing to Caesarea Maritima on the coast of Judea. He stops briefly in Jerusalem before returning home to Syrian Antioch, then travels north and west again into modern-day Turkey. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquila meet Apollos in Ephesus and teach him the truth about Jesus, thus equipping another powerful witness for the church (Acts 18:24–28).

Acts 18 recounts the end of Paul's second missionary journey. He leaves Athens for Corinth, in southern Greece, and works with Priscilla and Aquila as a tentmaker until Silas and Timothy rejoin him. The team stays eighteen months with no significant pressure. Eventually, Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila sail east to Ephesus. Paul leaves a short time later for Judea and Syrian Antioch before returning to Galatia for his third missionary journey. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquilla host the church in Ephesus and train a talented speaker named Apollos to be a minister of Christ.

Acts 18 covers the last half of Paul's second missionary journey and the first part of the third. He and his team have traveled down the east coast of Macedonia and Greece to Corinth (Acts 17) where they will spend eighteen months. Paul will stop briefly in Ephesus on their way back to Judea before visiting Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch. From there, Paul will return to Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor before returning to Ephesus for an extended stay (Acts 19). He will revisit the churches in Macedonia and Greece before facing arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.