Acts 20:15

κἀκεῖθεν, see on Acts 16:12; Acts 14:26. κατηντήσαμεν, cf. Acts 16:1; Acts 18:19; Acts 18:24, “we reached a point on the mainland,” Ramsay, ἀντικρὺ Χ. over against, i.e., opposite Chios; often in Greek writers, only here in N.T., but W.H [334], Weiss, ἄντικρυς, 3Ma 5:16 (Nehemiah 12:8, see Hatch and Redpath). On καταντᾶν εἰς, and καταντᾶν ἄντ. as here, see on Acts 16:1; Acts 18:19; Klostermann, Vindiciæ Lucanæ, p. 49. Χίου : The island Chios (Scio) in the Ægean was separated from the Asian coast by a channel which at its narrowest was only five miles across. The ship carrying St. Paul would pass through this picturesque channel on its way south from Mitylene. An interesting comparison with the voyage of St. Paul may be found in Herod's voyage by Rhodes, Cos, Chios and Mitylene, towards the Black Sea (Jos., Ant., xvi., 2, 2). Amongst the seven rivals for the honour of being the birthplace of Homer, the claims of Chios are most strongly supported by tradition. On the legendary and historic connections of the places named in this voyage see Plumptre, in loco, and “Chios” (Ramsay), Hastings' B.D. τῇ δὲ ἑτέρᾳ : (see critical note). Wetstein calls attention to the variety of phrases, τῇ ἑτ., τῇ ἐπιούσῃ, τῇ ἐχομ. The phrase before us is found in Acts 27:3, so that it only occurs in the “We”, sections and nowhere else in Acts, but the expression “the next day” occurs so much more frequently in the “We” sections than in any other passages of the same length that we might expect a larger variety of phrases to express it, Hawkins, Horæ Synop., pp. 153, 154; and Klostermann, Vindiciæ Lucanæ, p. 50. παρεβάλομεν εἰς Σ.: “we struck across to Samos,” Ramsay, cf. Thuc., iii., 32, where the verb means “to cross over to Ionia” (see Mr. Page's note, and the passage quoted also in Wetstein, and L. and.). On the frequency of this and other nautical terms in Acts cf. Klostermann, u. s., p. 49. καὶ μείν. ἐν Τρω., see critical note. Μίλητον : practically the port of Ephesus. The latter city had long gained the pre-eminence once enjoyed by Miletus, the former capital of Ionia, Pliny, N. H., v., 31; cf. Herod., Acts 20:28-36, for the revolt of Miletus against Persia and its disastrous consequences. Miletus had been the mother of some eighty colonies. Here Thales and Anaximander were born. The silting up of the Menander had altered its position even in St. Paul's day, and now it is several miles from the sea; Lewin, St. Paul, ii., 90; Renan, Saint Paul, p. 501; Ramsay, Church in the Roman Empire, p. 480.

[334] Westcott and Hort's The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.