Paul’s team sails from Troas to Assos, while Paul journeys by land. They reunite in Assos, and sail to Mitylene. From Mitylene they sail south, eventually making port in Miletus, which is a city not far from Ephesus. Paul purposefully avoided stopping in Ephesus, because his intention is to be in Jerusalem in time for the holy day of Pentecost.
In Acts 20:13-16Acts 20:13-16 commentary, commentary Luke, the author of Acts, describes in detail the various legs of the journey from Troas to Miletus. In the previous section, Paul had spent the entire night teaching fellow believers in a house in Troas, when a young boy fell asleep and accidentally dropped out of a window, dying on the street below. Paul draped himself over the boy and the boy came back to life, and so the believers in Troas returned to their room to hear Paul preach until the dawn. Now Paul continues his return journey to Jerusalem.
But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land (v. 13).
From Troas to Assos, Paul’s traveling companions travelled by boat. Luke writes we, including himself in the company. He had joined Paul on this journey in Philippi (Acts 20:6Acts 20:6 commentary). After the final night in Troas, Luke and Timothy and the others went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos. They would sail along the western coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).
Paul, on the other hand, was intending himself to go by land from Troas to Assos. It appears Paul traveled alone, since the group (we) is depicted as traveling by ship, and Paul is the only one described as traveling by land. He may have been accompanied by disciples from Troas, since the distance between the two cities was not too far.
This was how Paul had arranged the first leg of their journey. He wanted to walk and ride along the road between Troas and Assos. We can only speculate why. But once in Assos, Paul would reunite with his team and they would all stay together from then on. In Assos, the sailing group were intending from there to take Paul on board the ship in which they had sailed from Troas to Assos.
By road, the distance between these cities was only 20-30 miles. Paul and his team were only separated for a day and a half or two days.
These travel plans were successful. Luke reports no incident or issue during this period where Paul’s team and Paul went by separate routes to the same meeting place:
And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene (v. 14).
As planned, Paul met his team at Assos. Luke is still with them, as he writes that Paul met us at Assos. Upon their reunion, the team took Paul on board and set sail for Mitylene.
Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to Miletus (v. 15).
The journey continues. Luke makes note of a four-day period of sailing, and three locations where they harbored during this course of the journey. Sailing from the city of Mitylene on the isle of Lesbos, the company arrived the following day opposite Chios. Chios was another island off the mainland of Anatolia/Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The detail that they arrived somewhere opposite Chios sounds like they stayed in a city on the mainland, facing the isle of Chios.
Upon the next day, Paul, Luke, and the others crossed over to Samos, another island. On the fourth day from when they set sail from Mitylene, Luke writes that we came to Miletus. Miletus was about 30 miles south of Ephesus along the coast.
The reason they sailed to Miletus was to avoid harboring in Ephesus.
For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost (v. 16).
Paul had spent two to three years preaching and teaching in Ephesus. He had made many friends there, and knew if he lingered, he would be tempted to stay too long. Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia in those days. Paul did not want to spend time in the Roman province of Asia (not to be confused with Asia Minor/Anatolia, which was the entire landmass of what is essentially modern-day Turkey).The province of Asia in the Roman Empire, 1st century, covered much of the western area of Asia Minor/Anatolia/Turkey.
During Paul’s time in Ephesus, Luke reported that “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10Acts 19:10 commentary). This hints that Paul taught in many cities in the western province, not just Ephesus, and his time there was so influential that to spend even a little bit of time in Asia could lead to a stay much longer than intended.
Paul’s sights were set on Jerusalem, where he hoped, if possible, to celebrate the day of Pentecost. Thus, he was hurrying on this final leg of the journey, and had made the tough decision to sail past Ephesus.
But he had sent word ahead so that the elders of the Ephesian church would meet him in Miletus for a final farewell.
Years later, Paul would return to Miletus briefly, where his traveling companion Trophimus would remain behind due to an illness (2 Timothy 4:202 Timothy 4:20 commentary).
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Acts 20:13-16 meaning
In Acts 20:13-16Acts 20:13-16 commentary, commentary Luke, the author of Acts, describes in detail the various legs of the journey from Troas to Miletus. In the previous section, Paul had spent the entire night teaching fellow believers in a house in Troas, when a young boy fell asleep and accidentally dropped out of a window, dying on the street below. Paul draped himself over the boy and the boy came back to life, and so the believers in Troas returned to their room to hear Paul preach until the dawn. Now Paul continues his return journey to Jerusalem.
But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land (v. 13).
From Troas to Assos, Paul’s traveling companions travelled by boat. Luke writes we, including himself in the company. He had joined Paul on this journey in Philippi (Acts 20:6Acts 20:6 commentary). After the final night in Troas, Luke and Timothy and the others went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos. They would sail along the western coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).
Paul, on the other hand, was intending himself to go by land from Troas to Assos. It appears Paul traveled alone, since the group (we) is depicted as traveling by ship, and Paul is the only one described as traveling by land. He may have been accompanied by disciples from Troas, since the distance between the two cities was not too far.
This was how Paul had arranged the first leg of their journey. He wanted to walk and ride along the road between Troas and Assos. We can only speculate why. But once in Assos, Paul would reunite with his team and they would all stay together from then on. In Assos, the sailing group were intending from there to take Paul on board the ship in which they had sailed from Troas to Assos.
By road, the distance between these cities was only 20-30 miles. Paul and his team were only separated for a day and a half or two days.
These travel plans were successful. Luke reports no incident or issue during this period where Paul’s team and Paul went by separate routes to the same meeting place:
And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene (v. 14).
As planned, Paul met his team at Assos. Luke is still with them, as he writes that Paul met us at Assos. Upon their reunion, the team took Paul on board and set sail for Mitylene.
Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to Miletus (v. 15).
The journey continues. Luke makes note of a four-day period of sailing, and three locations where they harbored during this course of the journey. Sailing from the city of Mitylene on the isle of Lesbos, the company arrived the following day opposite Chios. Chios was another island off the mainland of Anatolia/Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The detail that they arrived somewhere opposite Chios sounds like they stayed in a city on the mainland, facing the isle of Chios.
Upon the next day, Paul, Luke, and the others crossed over to Samos, another island. On the fourth day from when they set sail from Mitylene, Luke writes that we came to Miletus. Miletus was about 30 miles south of Ephesus along the coast.
The reason they sailed to Miletus was to avoid harboring in Ephesus.
For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost (v. 16).
Paul had spent two to three years preaching and teaching in Ephesus. He had made many friends there, and knew if he lingered, he would be tempted to stay too long. Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia in those days. Paul did not want to spend time in the Roman province of Asia (not to be confused with Asia Minor/Anatolia, which was the entire landmass of what is essentially modern-day Turkey).The province of Asia in the Roman Empire, 1st century, covered much of the western area of Asia Minor/Anatolia/Turkey.
During Paul’s time in Ephesus, Luke reported that “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10Acts 19:10 commentary). This hints that Paul taught in many cities in the western province, not just Ephesus, and his time there was so influential that to spend even a little bit of time in Asia could lead to a stay much longer than intended.
Paul’s sights were set on Jerusalem, where he hoped, if possible, to celebrate the day of Pentecost. Thus, he was hurrying on this final leg of the journey, and had made the tough decision to sail past Ephesus.
But he had sent word ahead so that the elders of the Ephesian church would meet him in Miletus for a final farewell.
Years later, Paul would return to Miletus briefly, where his traveling companion Trophimus would remain behind due to an illness (2 Timothy 4:202 Timothy 4:20 commentary).