Acts 18:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

NIV: They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

NASB: They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

CSB: When they reached Ephesus he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews.

NLT: They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews.

KJV: And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.

NKJV: And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

After a long second missionary journey, Paul is traveling home. After spending a year and a half in Corinth, he and Priscilla and Aquila sail east to modern-day Asia Minor. The Holy Spirit prevented him from preaching in Asia, the western-most province on the peninsula, on their way to Macedonia, but now Paul spends a very brief time in Ephesus. Whenever Paul enters a new town, he starts by going to the local synagogue and showing how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament; his message in Pisidian Antioch is representative (Acts 13:16–41). His hope is that all the Jews, whom God chose to bring the Savior to the world, will believe him. Invariably, some of the Jews and a great deal more Gentile God-followers believe. This time, Paul barely has the time to introduce Jesus' story.

Paul will return. During his third missionary voyage, he will teach in the Ephesian synagogue for three months and then in the school of Tyrannus for about two years (Acts 19:8–10). Until then, he leaves Priscilla and Aquila. They meet the Jewish man Apollos, a powerful speaker who knows little about Jesus but much about John the Baptist's message of repentance. The couple pulls Apollos aside and fills in the gaps of the story. Apollos accepts their explanation and takes over for Paul, using the Hebrew Scriptures to prove Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:24–28).

Ephesus was a large city easily accessible by land or sea. It was known for the temple of Artemis; when Paul returns, he will make such an impact on pagan worshipers that the craftsmen who make idols of Artemis will fear for their livelihoods and cause a riot (Acts 19:23–29). Priscilla and Aquila will host the first church there before they go on to Rome (1 Corinthians 16:19; Romans 16:3), and Timothy will later be their pastor (1 Timothy 1:3). Later, the apostle John will make Ephesus his headquarters before and after his exile to the island of Patmos.

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.