Acts 20:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus.

NIV: The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.

NASB: Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day we came to Miletus.

CSB: Sailing from there, the next day we arrived off Chios. The following day we crossed over to Samos, and the day after, we came to Miletus.

NLT: The next day we sailed past the island of Kios. The following day we crossed to the island of Samos, and a day later we arrived at Miletus.

KJV: And 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.

NKJV: We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus.

Paul has faced several complications during his journey back to Jerusalem, but he is finally underway. He and his companions sailed from Assos to the city of Mitylene on the island of Lesbos. They continue skirting the province of Asia, in the southwest of modern-day Turkey, to Chios before they touch Samos on their way to Miletus.

If Paul had had his way, he would already be in Jerusalem. Personal conflict with both the church and the Jewish leaders in Corinth has thwarted his plans (2 Corinthians 1:15–16, 23–24; Acts 20:3). In exchange, however, he is able to spend time with the church in Troas (Acts 20:7–12) and the elders in Ephesus. Paul knows that something will happen in Jerusalem and the Romans will imprison him (Acts 20:22–23). It's not clear if he realizes the ordeal and travel will span five years and end up in Rome. By taking the many undesired detours, Paul can build up the churches and prepare them for his absence. They also encourage him so he can remember how his hard work has led to the salvation of so many in Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, and Greece.

Chios is an island south of Lesbos Island and directly west of modern-day Izmir, Turkey. Samos is an island southwest of Chios, between Ephesus and Miletus. Miletus is about 63 miles south of Ephesus. Accompanying Paul are Luke and an assortment of men from Turkey and Macedonia who are likely taking offerings from their home churches to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4; Romans 15:26). Among them is Trophimus who will be an unwitting catalyst in Paul's arrest (Acts 21:27–36).

In Acts 20:13–16, Luke shows his love for the sea by including an inordinate amount of detail about the journey. Paul, Luke, Timothy, and companions from all over Macedonia and modern-day Turkey leave Troas for Jerusalem. Most of them board a ship directly; Paul joins them down the road in Assos. Ephesus, where Paul had recently spent three years, is along their route, but Paul doesn't want to get distracted. Seeking to arrive in Jerusalem by Pentecost, they sail past to Miletus, and the Ephesian elders join them there (Acts 20:17).

Acts 20 finishes Paul's third missionary journey. He leaves Ephesus after three years and travels to Macedonia and Corinth. Threats from the Corinthian Jews send him and his team back to Macedonia and Troas. In Troas, Paul gives a very long sermon and raises Eutychus from the dead after he falls—both asleep and out a window. In Miletus, Paul meets with the Ephesian elders. He reminds them to beware of false teachers and tells them he is going to be imprisoned and will not see them again. After a tearful farewell, he boards a ship for Judea.

Acts 20 records the last stages of Paul's third missionary journey. He started by visiting the churches he and Barnabas had planted in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). From there, he traveled southwest to the province of Asia, where he established a church in Ephesus (Acts 19). In Acts 20, he visits the churches in Macedonia and Greece before returning to Judea. When he lands, he meets briefly with Philip the Evangelist in Caesarea Maritima before going to Jerusalem and getting arrested. He will stay in house arrest for the next two years before embarking on a dangerous sea voyage to Rome (Acts 21—28).

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.