The verb translated we got our things ready is perhaps a specific reference to packing up for the trip (see New English Bible “we packed our baggage” and Jerusalem Bible “we packed”). Some commentators understand this verb to mean “we hired horses,” but no translation seems to go in this direction. The tense of the verb translated left perhaps means something like “went on” (so Jerusalem Bible), thus indicating the continuation of the journey rather than its beginning.

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 .