Acts 20:9-12

20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, ¹  was sinking ²  into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak ³  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 himself ⁶  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 Paul ¹⁰  went back upstairs, ¹¹  and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them ¹²  a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly ¹³  comforted.

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

² tn 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.

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

⁴ tn 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.”

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

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

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

⁸ tn 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.

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

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

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

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

¹³ tn Grk “were not to a moderate degree” (an idiom). L&N 78.11 states: “μετρίως: a moderate degree of some activity or state – ‘moderately, to a moderate extent.’ ἤγαγον δὲ τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα, καὶ παρεκλήθησαν οὐ μετρίωθς ‘they took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted’ Ac 20:12. In Ac 20:12 the phrase οὐ μετρίως, literally ‘not to a moderate degree,’ is equivalent to a strong positive statement, namely, ‘greatly’ or ‘to a great extent.’”