Discovery BoxActs 20:2-4 
Context20:2 After he had gone through those regions 1 and spoken many words of encouragement 2 to the believers there, 3 he came to Greece, 4 20:3 where he stayed 5 for three months. Because the Jews had made 6 a plot 7 against him as he was intending 8 to sail 9 for Syria, he decided 10 to return through Macedonia. 11 20:4 Paul 12 was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, 13 Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, 14 Gaius 15 from Derbe, 16 and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 17
1 tn BDAG 633 s.v. μέρος 1.b.γ gives the meanings “the parts (of a geographical area), region, district,” but the use of “district” in this context probably implies too much specificity.
2 tn Grk “and encouraging them with many words.” The participle παρακαλέσας (parakalesa", “encouraging”) has been translated by the phrase “spoken…words of encouragement” because the formal equivalent is awkward in contemporary English.
3 tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).
5 tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”
6 tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”
7 sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).
8 tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”
9 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.
10 tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”
11 sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
12 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.
map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.
14 tn Grk “of the Thessalonians.”
map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.
15 tn Grk “and Gaius,” but this καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
16 sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 30 mi (50 km) southeast of Lystra.
map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.
17 tn Grk “the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.” In the NT “Asia” 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.
