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Acts 18

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,

and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,

for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal,

saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”

But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint.

But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.”

And he drove them from the tribunal.

And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.

And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.

But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.

After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,

for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Acts 18

In Corinth, Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, tentmakers who have been expelled from Rome by Claudius's edict, and they become lifelong companions and co-laborers in the gospel; the church grows through Paul's eighteen-month ministry, and the Lord's word to Paul—I am with you, and no one will hammer you, because I have many people in this city—assures him of divine protection and the presence of the Father's elect. Gallio's dismissal of the Jewish accusation's charges against Paul (If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or crime, it would be reasonable for me to hear you, but since it is a question about words and names and your own law, settle the matter yourself) establishes that Roman law distinguishes between public crimes and internal religious disputes, and that Paul's gospel does not threaten Roman order. The Nazirite vow that Paul takes in Cenchreae represents his personal piety within Judaism, and Apollos's arrival at Ephesus—described as mighty in the Scriptures but knowing only John's baptism—occasions Priscilla and Aquila's more accurate instruction regarding the Way of God, demonstrating that the Spirit works through community correction and mutual edification.

Acts 18:4

Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks — Paul's Sabbath synagogue engagement continues unchanged; he seeks persuasion (peithō) through reasoned discourse rather than miraculous demonstration.

Acts 18:3

and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them — Paul's trade (skēnopoios, tentmaker) was not uncommon for rabbis; he maintains apostolic self-support. The shared craft forges immediate fraternal bond and practical mutuality.

Acts 18:1

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth — The transition from the intellectual heights of Athens to Corinth, city of commerce and vice, marks Luke's geographical and social realism. Corinth embodied cosmopolitan vice and opportunity.

Acts 18:2

There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome — Claudius's expulsion (likely 49 AD) provides historical anchoring; Suetonius corroborates Jewish expulsion under Claudius. Aquila and Priscilla embody diaspora Jewish resilience and mobility.

Acts 18:5

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah — Timothy's and Silas's arrival brings financial support (implied by 2 Corinthians 11:9), enabling Paul to cease tentmaking. 'Devoted himself exclusively' (synechō, to be pressed or driven) suggests intensified proclamation.

Acts 18:6

But when the Jews opposed him and became abusive (blasphēmeō, to blaspheme or speak against), he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of the blood of all. From now on I will go to the Gentiles' — The dramatic gesture of shaking dust (echoing Jewish custom for gentile impurity) accompanies the pivotal declaration: Paul's initial strategy has reached exhaustion. The formula 'your blood be on your own heads' and 'I am innocent' will resurface in his Miletus address (20:26).

Acts 18:7

Then he left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God (sebomenos ton theon, a God-fearer) — The shift from synagogue to private household, while remaining adjacent, permits continued Jewish encounter while establishing gentile-centered community. Titius Justus's theism bridges Jewish and gentile worlds.

Acts 18:8

Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized — Crispus's conversion represents establishment-level breach; his household baptism (cf. Acts 16:15) exemplifies household solidarity in conversion. 'Many of the Corinthians' marks the gospel's significant penetration.

Acts 18:9

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent' — The vision responds to possible discouragement following Jewish opposition; divine encouragement sustains apostolic persistence. The command to speak (laleō) and not remain silent (siōpaō) reiterates the gospel's urgency.

Acts 18:10

'For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city' — God's assurance combines protection and harvest: harm prevention secures continued proclamation, while 'many people' (laos) suggests divine pre-knowledge of receptivity. The city's election is already divinely constituted.

Acts 18:11

So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God — Eighteen months represents extended urban ministry, permitting theological depth beyond evangelistic breadth. Luke's precise duration suggests documentary reliability.

Acts 18:12

While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment — Gallio's proconsulate (51-52 AD) provides datable historical reference; inscriptions confirm this dating. The united Jewish attack (homothumadon, with one mind) represents coordinated legal strategy against Paul.

Acts 18:13

'This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law' — The accusation avoids Roman political charges, instead framing Paul's teaching as violation of Jewish law (implying Roman tolerance of Jewish legal autonomy). The complaint targets theological innovation.

Acts 18:14

Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, 'If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or criminal wrongdoing, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you' — Gallio's dismissal hinges on the distinction between private religious matters and public legal infractions. His disinterest in intra-Jewish theological disputes reflects Roman pragmatism.

Acts 18:15

But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law — settle the matter yourselves. I am not willing to be a judge of such things' — Gallio's refusal establishes crucial precedent: Roman magistrates will not adjudicate Jewish theological disputes. This provides legal space for Christian propagation.

Acts 18:16

So he drove them off the place of judgment — Gallio's forcible removal (apo tou bēmatos, from the judgment seat) of the accusers signals Roman impatience with Jewish legal harassment. The scene exemplifies how Roman legal indifference inadvertently protects Christian expansion.

Acts 18:17

Then all the Greeks (literally, 'the Greeks,' Hellenes) seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul — It is unclear whether the violence reflects gentile anti-Semitism or a perverse victory celebration by Christian gentiles. Luke's ambiguity preserves the incident's historical integrity without ecclesiastical smoothing.

Acts 18:18

Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time — Then he left the brothers and sisters there and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila — He had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken — Paul's hair-cutting at Cenchreae likely reflects a temporary Nazirite vow (cf. Numbers 6); this preserves Paul's Jewish piety despite gentile ministry. The vow-ending suggests thanksgiving for Corinthian ministry.

Acts 18:19

They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila — He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews — Ephesus, major commercial and religious center, becomes Paul's new primary location. Priscilla and Aquila's settlement marks intentional leadership deployment.

Acts 18:20

When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined (apotassamai, to bid farewell or decline) — 'But as he left, he promised, 'I will come back if it is God's will' — Paul's refusal and conditional promise ('if God wills,' theos thelō) acknowledge the Jerusalem visit's priority and divine guidance's ultimate determinacy.

Acts 18:21

Then he set sail from Ephesus — The brevity masks Paul's internal calculations: Jerusalem pilgrimage supersedes extended Ephesus residence, yet he knows (later events confirm) that Ephesus will become crucial.

Acts 18:22

When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch — The abbreviated account of these movements emphasizes continuity with home-base Antioch. The triumphal entry to Jerusalem (went up, anabainō) uses liturgical language.

Acts 18:23

After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples — The third missionary journey's commencement receives minimal narrative attention; Luke reserves detailed space for Ephesus. 'Strengthening' (episterizō) suggests pastoral consolidation rather than new evangelization.

Acts 18:24

Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus — He was a learned man (dunatos, powerful or capable), with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures — Apollos's Alexandrian provenance suggests familiarity with allegorical exegesis (Philo's tradition). His learning (dunamis, power or capability) and scriptural knowledge promise theological weight.

Acts 18:25

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught accurately about Jesus — Yet he knew only the baptism of John — Apollos's pedagogical passion (zeon tō pneumati, fervent in spirit) combines with ignorance of Christian baptism and, implicitly, Pentecostal pneumatology. He represents incomplete gospel knowledge.

Acts 18:26

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue — When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately (akribōs, more precisely or accurately) — Priscilla's leadership in instruction (feminine subject in instruction narrative) is theologically significant; she and Aquila complement Apollos's gaps. The verb 'explained more accurately' suggests systematic deepening rather than correction of error.

Acts 18:27

'When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him — By his grace, he was a great help to those who by faith had believed — The letters of commendation establish early Christian epistolary networking. Apollos's effectiveness (synebalen polla, contributed much) in Achaia suggests his rhetorical gifts, once properly instructed, prove formidable.

Acts 18:28

For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah (dynamei elegchō, powerfully refuting) — Apollos's argumentative force, grounded in scriptural proof-texting, makes him a formidable Christian advocate. Luke portrays gentile-Christian teachers as exegetically rigorous.