Acts 20:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

NIV: On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

NASB: On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.

CSB: On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.

NLT: On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight.

KJV: And 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.

NKJV: Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

Troas is the major port where the Aegean Sea meets the northwest coast of modern-day Turkey. Paul is there, planning to sail to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost (Acts 20:16). He had originally planned to sail from Corinth, a much more direct trip, but the Jewish leaders there plotted against him, and he had to skirt the coast instead (Acts 20:3). So, he stays in Troas for a week and has an opportunity to meet with the church (Acts 20:6).

The Jewish Sabbath is from evening on Friday to evening on Saturday. God gave the Jews the Sabbath to rest and to trust Him for provision. It is based on the seventh day that God rested from creation (Genesis 2:2). The early Christians meet on Sunday. First, because it is the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 28:1). Second, because it represents the first day of creation—the church is something new, and the Jesus-followers have work to do.

"Break bread" can have different meanings. It may refer to a community meal (a "love feast"), a meal provided for the poor, or the Lord's supper. Considering the date given is the first day of the week, this is probably communion. In the early church, communion is practiced every Sunday. The bread and cup are one part of the entire eucharist service which also includes a reminder of the gospel and a call to repent of sins and reconcile with other church members. As baptism is the physical sign that a believer joins in Christ's death and resurrection and commits to the local church, so communion memorializes Christ's death and reconfirms one's commitment to the church body.

"Talked with" is from the Greek root word dialegomai. It means that Paul has a discussion with them, reasoning back and forth, instead of just lecturing. The discussion goes long into the night—so long that a young man falls asleep and falls out a window to his death. Paul interrupts the conversation and brings the man back to life. The congregation takes communion, and Paul continues the dialogue until daybreak (Acts 20:8–12).

Acts 20:7–12 records a famous story from Scripture which is often referenced in humor. Paul is in Troas on his way back to Jerusalem. On the first day of the week, he meets with the church in a third-story room, and proceeds to lead a discussion that lasts for hours. One of the young men falls asleep by the window and tumbles out to his death. Paul brings him back to life, takes a meal that likely includes communion, and resumes the conversation. When dawn breaks, he and his team continue their journey.

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.