Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 20:7

ᾑμῶν for τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ with אABDE. Vulg. ‘cum convenissemus.’

7. ἐν δὲ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων, and upon the first day of the week, which had now, in memory of the Resurrection, begun to be observed as a holy day by Christians. In an Epistle written before this visit to Troas (1 Corinthians 16:2) the day is appointed by St Paul as the special time when the Christian alms should be laid aside.

For the phrase ἡ μία τῶν σαββάτων, which has come from the use of the Hebrew cardinal אֶחָד = one, for the ordinal, cf. Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1, &c. Also LXX. Genesis 1:5 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί, ἡμέρα μία, and Exodus 40:2 ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ τοῦ μηνός.

συνηγμένων ἡμῶν κ.τ.λ., when we were gathered together to break bread. Wherever a Christian congregation was established the first and most natural religious service was the communion of the body and blood of Christ.

ὁ Παῦλος διελέγετο αὐτοῖς, Paul discoursed with them. The meeting was one where reasoning and conversation were used to solve doubts and clear away difficulties which might be in the minds of the Christians at Troas. For we can perceive that there was a Church established here. Indeed wherever St Paul came he was enabled to leave that mark of his visit behind him. It is true the meeting was only still in an upper chamber, but the ‘many lights’ shews that it was not a mere gathering of one or two with the Apostle and his friends, but a settled Christian congregation.

μέλλων ἐξιέναι τῇ ἐπαύριον, intending to depart on the morrow. They had met first for an evening service, but the consolation of Christian intercourse and the additional zeal infused into the Church by the Apostle’s visit caused the irregular conversational meeting to be protracted beyond the intended time. As the Jewish mode of reckoning would probably be retained, the meeting would be on what we now call Saturday evening. This would be the beginning of the first day of the week. If this be so, St Paul did not hesitate to travel on Sunday.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 20:7

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