The means of travel is not indicated, whether by animal or by foot, though if Amphipolis and Apollonia were the only two cities in which Paul stopped on his way to Thessalonica, it would imply that at least part of the journey was made on horseback. The road on which Paul was traveling would have been the Via Egnatia, which extended all the way across Macedonia from Neapolis to the city of Dyrrhachium. Amphipolis, located about three miles from the sea, was the capital of the first district of Macedonia and was about 30 miles southwest of Philippi. Apollonia was 30 miles southwest of Amphipolis and 35 miles east of Thessalonica. Thessalonica was a free city and was the capital of the province of Macedonia.

It may be useful to use a classifier with the cities Amphipolis, Apollonia, and Thessalonica, since it is possible that these might be interpreted as provinces or territories. However, in the ancient world the name of a city normally applied not only to the immediate built-up area, but also to the surrounding farmlands, which were regarded as being a part of the city.

In a number of languages Jewish synagogue must be rendered as “a synagogue for Jews” or, as in some instances, “a worship house for Jews” or “a building where Jews worshiped God.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .