Acts 20:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.

NIV: There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

NASB: There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered together.

CSB: There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were assembled,

NLT: The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps.

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

NKJV: There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.

Paul is conversing with the church in Troas on the northeast coast of the Aegean Sea. They're in a room which is likely on the third story of a house. Paul and the church members have been talking for a long time. It's now midnight, and between the lamps and the people, it's likely getting hot and stuffy (Acts 20:7). Soon, a young man who is sitting by the window will fall asleep and fall to the ground, dead. Paul will bring him back to life and the group will continue talking until daybreak (Acts 20:9–12).

Like Jesus and the disciples at Passover, the church meets in an upper room. The higher the room in a building, the fewer floors need to be supported above it. In the highest room, there is only the roof. Although people do use the roof for living space, fewer supports are needed, allowing upper rooms to be more open. The windows on the higher floor will, normally, also allow for more air flow.

Luke uses the pronoun "we." At the very least, he and Paul are present. Likely, some of the men listed in Acts 20:4 are also there. People from modern-day Turkey, Macedonia, and Greece—Jews and Gentiles—gather all night to discuss Jesus, the purpose of the church, and their places in it. Together they take communion, reaffirming their commitment to Christ and each other. The Holy Spirit has told Paul that imprisonment awaits him in Jerusalem (Acts 20:22–23). He must ensure the church in Troas is able to take care of itself.

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.