Act 16:8, 20:5-12 | PNT | STEP | Troas . This city was about four miles from the site of ancient Troy, and was a transit harbor for those who crossed from Asia to Macedonia, or Greece.

Acts 16:8

Troas. This city was about four miles from the site of ancient Troy, and was a transit harbor for those who crossed from Asia to Macedonia, or Greece.

Acts 20:5-12

These going before. Paul evidently tarried with the church at Philippi, while they went on to Troas.

Us. Luke was now a companion. When Paul first passed into Europe, six or seven years before, he was with him (Ac 16:12), but there are reasons for thinking that he had remained and labored in Philippi until this time. Henceforth he attends the great apostle.

Troas.

See PNT Ac 16:8. To Troas,

See PNT Ac 16:8.

In five days. The winds must have been contrary. Formerly the voyage was made in two days (Ac 16:11). On the first [day] of the week, when, etc. The language shows that it was the custom to meet on the first day of the week, and shows the leading object of that meeting. This was not a farewell meeting for Paul, for then the day of the week would not have been mentioned, but the regular weekly assemblage of the saints. They came together, primarily to break bread, i.e., to observe the Lord's Supper. Dean Howson says: ``We have here an unmistakable allusion to the practice, which began evidently immediately after the resurrection of our Lord, of assembling on the first day of the week for religious purposes.'' He also shows that the Lord arose on the first day of the week, showed himself to the apostles a second time one week later on the first day of the week, that the church was founded and the Holy Spirit shed forth on Pentecost, which was on the first day of the week. On the same day the disciples at Troas meet to break bread, the Corinthians meet, take collections, and eat the Lord's Supper (1Co 16:2 11:20), and the Lord on Patmos reveals himself to John (Re 1:10). In addition to this, the early church writers from Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, to Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Cyprian, all with one consent, declare that the church observed the first day of the week. They are equally agreed that the Lord's Supper was observed weekly, on the first day of the week.

Paul preached. Though it was the special object of this weekly meeting "to break bread", preaching was a part of the worship.

Continued his speech until midnight. About to depart, probably never to see them more, all were anxious to hear the great apostle, and he had much to say. There were many lights. This is mentioned to show how they could meet at night. In those time public meetings and even the games of the theater were by daylight. Means of lighting were very imperfect. Eutychus. Sitting in the window, and at last overcome by drowsiness, he fell to the earth, three stories below. The language implies that he was killed by the fall, and restored by the Divine power, exercised through Paul. The history is plain, simple, and easy to understand. Compare 2Ki 4:34. When he . . . had broken bread, and eaten. Opinions are divided whether the Lord's Supper had been celebrated before his long discourse and this was a common meal just before his departure in the early morning, or whether these words allude to the celebration of the Lord's Supper. I incline to the last opinion. The fact that the same phraseology is used in both places shows that they refer to the same thing. Some, however, insist that if this be true, the Lord's Supper was celebrated on Monday morning before day. This does not necessarily follow. The Jews began their day at sunset. Sunday began at sunset of what he call Saturday. The early churches, composed in large part of Jews at first, often followed the Jewish custom. It is probable that this meeting at Troas began at the close of the Sabbath, in the evening, was continued through the night, the Lord's Supper being celebrated in the latter part of the night, before dawn of Sunday, and that at daybreak Paul departed. He had remained over a week to have the privilege of observing the Lord's Supper with them. So, too, he remained a week with the disciples at Tyre (Ac 21:4) and with the brethren at Puteoli (Ac 28:14).