Acts 20:9-11

20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window,¹ was sinking² into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak³ for a long time. Fast asleep,⁴ he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down,⁵ threw himself⁶ on the young man,⁷ put his arms around him,⁸ and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”⁹ 20:11 Then Paul¹⁰ went back upstairs,¹¹ and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them¹² a long time, until dawn. Then he left.

¹tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

²tn Grk “sinking into a deep sleep.” BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “ὕπνῳ βαθεῖ sink into a deep sleep…Ac 20:9a.” The participle καταφερόμενος (kataferomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

⁴tn BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “κατενεχθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὔπνου overwhelmed by sleep vs. 9b,” but this expression is less common in contemporary English than phrases like “fast asleep” or “sound asleep.”

⁵tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁶tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

⁷tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸tn BDAG 959 s.v. συμπεριλαμβάνω has “to throw one’s arms around, embrace w. acc. to be supplied Ac 20:10.” However, “embraced the young man” might be taken (out of context) to have erotic implications, while “threw his arms around him” would be somewhat redundant since “threw” has been used in the previous phrase.

⁹tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

¹⁰tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹²tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.