Discovery BoxActs 16:6-8 
Context16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia 1 and Galatia, 2 having been prevented 3 by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message 4 in the province of Asia. 5 16:7 When they came to 6 Mysia, 7 they attempted to go into Bithynia, 8 but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow 9 them to do this, 10 16:8 so they passed through 11 Mysia 12 and went down to Troas. 13
1 sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia.
2 sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor (North Galatia), or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch (South Galatia). The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.
3 tn Or “forbidden.”
4 tn Or “word.”
5 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
6 tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.b has “to Mysia” here.
7 sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.
8 sn Bithynia was a province in northern Asia Minor northeast of Mysia.
9 tn Or “permit”; see BDAG 269 s.v. ἐάω 1.
10 tn The words “do this” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons, since English handles ellipses differently than Greek.
11 tn Although the normal meaning for παρέρχομαι (parercomai) is “pass by, go by,” it would be difficult to get to Troas from where Paul and his companions were without going through rather than around Mysia. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 6 list some nonbiblical examples of the meaning “go through, pass through,” and give that meaning for the usage here.
12 sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.
13 sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor, near ancient Troy.
