Acts 19:1

Paul Finds Disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus

1 And it happened that [while] Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions [and] came to Ephesus and found some disciples.

Acts 19:1 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 19:1

And it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth
Whither he came after the Apostle Paul, and where he watered what the apostle had planted, and where he became very famous and eminent; insomuch that he was set up, though not with his will, at the head of a party, in opposition to the chief of the apostles, Peter and Paul; see ( 1 Corinthians 1:12 ) ( 3:4-6 ) ( 4:6 ) .

Paul having passed through the upper coasts;
that is, of Phrygia, Galatia, Pontus, Bithynia, Lydia, Lycaonia, and Paphlagonia;

came to Ephesus;
into Ionia, of which Ephesus was the chief city, and lay near the sea; wherefore the other countries are called the upper coasts; hither he came, according to his promise in ( Acts 28:21 )

And finding certain disciples;
such as believed in Christ, made a profession of him, and had been baptized in his name, for such were commonly called disciples: these do not seem to be persons, who were either converted by Paul, when he was at Ephesus before, or by Apollos, who had been there since, and was gone; but rather some who came hither from other parts, since the apostle was at this place; though indeed his stay at Ephesus before was so short, that they might be here, and he not hear of them, or meet with them.

Acts 19:1 In-Context

1 And it happened that [while] Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions [and] came to Ephesus and found some disciples.
2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit [when you] believed?" And they [said] to him, "But we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!"
3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into the baptism of John."
4 And Paul said, "John baptized [with] a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who was to come after him--that is, in Jesus."
5 And [when they] heard [this], they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("traveled through") has been translated as a finite verb
  • [b]. Some manuscripts have "[and] came down"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.