1 Corinthians 16:8-9

“But I will tarry at Ephesus till Pentecost; 9. for a great door and effectual is open unto me, and there are many adversaries.”

It is commonly thought this was the date when the tumult excited by Demetrius the goldsmith occurred (Acts 19:23 seq.), and that this circumstance abridged the time which St. Paul wished to spend at Ephesus. This supposition seems to me unfounded; it is incompatible with the notice in Acts 20:31, where Paul speaks of the three years he passed at Ephesus; for he arrived at Ephesus about the end of the year 54, and at the Passover of 57 he had not passed more than two years and a few months in the city.

The figure of a door denotes opportunities for preaching the gospel. The epithet great indicates that the occasions are numerous, and the epithet effectual, in which the figure is sacrificed to the idea, relates to the power exerted by the gospel in the midst of those populations. The last words are sometimes understood in a restrictive sen ldquo; though there are many adversaries.” But Paul rather finds in the fact a new motive for prolonging his stay. As he is under obligation to those who are disposed to listen to him, he also feels it a duty to confront those who oppose him.