Acts 19:1

Paul in Ephesus

1 And it happened that while 1Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed 2through the inland[a] country and came to Ephesus. There he 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 at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.
2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism."
4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus."
5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Cross References 2

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Greek upper (that is, highland)
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.