Acts 20:4

And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. AND THERE ACCOMPANIED HIM INTO ASIA, [ achri (G891) tees (G3588) Asias (G773)] - 'as far as Asia.' The natural inference from this expression would be, that some, at least, of the seven persons about to be named went no further than the Asian province; but since we know that some of them went with him all the way to Jerusalem, the probability is that they all did so, as representatives to the mother-church at Jerusalem of uncircumcised believers, gathered from the chief regions of the apostle's missionary labour...

1-6 Tumults or opposition may constrain a Christian to remove from his station or alter his purpose, but his work and his pleasure will be the same, wherever he goes. Paul thought it worth while to bestow five days in going to Troas, though it was but for seven days' stay there; but he knew, and so should we, how to redeem even journeying time, and to make it turn to some good account....

Verse Acts 20:4. _AND THERE ACCOMPANIED HIM_] Rather, says Bishop Pearce, _there followed him as far as to Asia_; for they were not in his company till he set sail from Philippi, and came to them at Troas, in Asia, whither they had gone before, and where they tarried for him, Acts 20:5. _INTO ASIA_] αχρι της ασιας; These words are wanting in two MSS., _Erpen_, the _AEthiopic, Coptic_, and _Vulgate_. Some think that they embarrass this place; for how these could _accompany_ him into Asia, and _go before him_, and _tarry for him_ at Troas, Acts 20:6, is not so very clear; unless we suppose, what I have glanced at in the table of contents, that they came with him to Asia, but,

AND THERE ACCOMPANIED HIM - It was usual for some of the disciples to attend the apostles in their journeys. INTO ASIA - It is not meant that they attended him from Greece through Macedonia, but that they went with him to Asia, having gone before him, and joined him at Troas. SOPATER OF BEREA - Perhaps the same person who, in Romans 16:21, is called Sosipater, and who is there said to have been a kinsman of Paul. ARISTARCHUS - Acts 19:29. GAIUS OF DERBE - See the notes on Acts 19:29. Tychi

EXPOSITION ACTS 20:1 _Having sent for_ …_ and exhorted _for _called unto him, _A.V. and T.R.; _took leave of them, and departed _for _and embraced them, and departed, _A.V. DEPARTED FOR TO GO INTO MACEDONIA. This was St. Paul's purpose, as he had written to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 16:5) from Ephesus. He judged it wise, not only with a view to his own safety and that of his companions, but also for the rest and quiet of the Ephesian Church, to take advantage of the lull in the popular storm, and withdraw into quiet waters before any fresh outbreak occurred. Aquila and Priscilla seem to have left Ephesus about the same time, or soon after, since the Epistle to the Romans found them again at Rome ...

AND THERE ACCOMPANIED HIM INTO ASIA SOPATER OF BEREA,.... This Sopater is thought to be the same with Sosipater in Romans 16:21 and in three of Beza's copies, and in as many of Stephens's, he is so called here; the Ethiopic version calls him Peter, a citizen of Berea; and the Arabic version Sopater of Aleppo. The Alexandrian copy, Beza's most ancient copy, and others, the Complutensian edition, and the Vulgate Latin version, read, Sopater of Pyrrhus, the Berean; that is, the son of Pyrrhus. He is reckoned among the seventy disciples, and is said to be bishop of Iconium; Luke 10:1. This name was common among the Greeks; there was one of this name a native of Paphus, in the times of Alexander the great, a comical poet, and who also is sometimes called Sosipater, as this man was; there was another Sopate

ACTS 20:3-4 Codex Bezae, supported in part by syrhmg and Ephraem, presents the following text of verses Acts 20:3 and Acts 20:4: poih,saj de. mh/naj g kai. genhqei,sÉhjË auvtw|/ evpiboulh/j u`po. tw/n VIoudai,wn hvqe,lhsen avnacqh/nai eivj Suri,an( ei=pen de. to. pneu/ma auvtw|/ u`postre,fein dia. th/j Makedoni,aj) (4) me,llontoj ou=n evxeie,nai auvtou/ [+ sunei,ponto auvtw|/ syrhmg] me,cri th/j VAsi,aj Sw,patroj Pu,rrou Beroiai/oj [ms.: Beruiaoj],...

CHAPTER 20 __ 1. Paul in Macedonia (Acts 20:1). 2. His abode in Greece, the visit to Troas and what transpired there (Acts 20:3). 3. The journey from Troas to Miletus (Acts 20:13). 4. The farewell to the Ephesian Elders (Acts 20:17). The record before us is very brief. Some have thought the reason is the fact that the Apostle had turned aside from His given ministry, and therefore the Holy Spirit had nothing to report. We believe that this is correct. The object of the Spirit of God is now to lead us rapidly forward to the last visit of the Apostle to Jerusalem, therefore much is passed over in the untiring s

TO GREECE; RETURN TO TROAS. The journey sketched in Acts 19:21; 1 Corinthians 16:5, is entered on; for what happened at Troas and in Macedonia on the way _cf._ 2 Corinthians 2:12 f., 2 Corinthians 7:5; but of all that intense experience there is little echo in Acts. The sketches of the journey did not fix what route was to be followed from Greece to Jerusalem; here (3) we find that the intention was to go by sea. The plan is changed on account of a Jewish plot. Accordingly Paul sets out to Macedonia with a part only of his companions, the others remaining behind in Greece and overtaking the party by sea. L

After the disturbance had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples. He spoke words of encouragement to them and bade them farewell and departed to go to Macedonia. When he had gone through those parts and when he had spoken many a word of encouragement to them, he went into Greece. When he had spent three months there, and when he was about to set sail for Syria, a plot was made against him by the Jews. So he made up his mind to make the return journey through Macedonia. As far as Asia there accompanied him Sopatros, the son of Pyrrhus, who belonged to Beroea; and, of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius from Derbe and Timothy; and the men from Asia, Tychichus and Trophimus. They went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. After the days of unleavened bread we sailed away from Philippi; and in five days time we came to them at Troas; and there we spent seven days. We have alr...