16For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; he was eager to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
The Greek that is translated as “Pentecost” in English is translated in Huichol as “festival of the 7th week” It was rendered thus because the name of Pentecost would be equated with a sect only, and a harvest festival in late May would strain credibility. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that refers to the fire of the Holy Spirit. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as “the fiftieth day after Passover, on the Jewish Pentecost” (in Acts 2:1).
In Huichol, it is translated as “festival of the 7th week,” “because the name of ‘Pentecost’ would be equated only with [Pentecostal Christians], and a harvest festival in late May would strain credibility.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The Greek that is transliterated as “Ephesus” in English is translated in Swiss-German Sign Language with a sign that depicts the large amphitheater in Ephesus (see Acts 19:29 and here ).
The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English means “little.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies the many letters he wrote. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Paul” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting putting away a sword, referring to his conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a Christian leader. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that is based on contemporary depictions and refers to the presumed baldness of the top of his head. The description originates from the 2nd-century apocryphal text titled Acts of Paul and Thecla , which represents the earliest and most detailed physical characterization of the apostle in Christian tradition (see also the icon below). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)
“Paul” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Paul,” the second part refers to “apostle” (source )
Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The following is a contemporary stained glass window from the Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota by Peter Dohmen. Individual glass pieces were made in Germany in accordance with Dohmen’s design, using a technique first developed by Irish monks in the 9th and 10th centuries.
“This window is dedicated to St. Paul, the great apostle and missionary, for whom our city is named. At the top of the window is a ship which symbolizes the many missionary journeys of Paul — the Church is our ship, which carries us over the way of life. In the lower section we see Paul on the road to Damascus when he saw a great light and heard our Lord’s voice, which called him to discipleship.”
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Paul (source: Bible Lands 2012)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 20:16:
Uma: “Paulus had made up his mind from the start not to waste time stopping in at the town of Efesus so that we (excl.) would not be so long in the province of Asia. He wanted to speed up his trip, because the desire of his heart was to attend the big day Pentakosta in Yerusalem.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Paul’s decision was/Paul thought that he would not anymore stop-briefly at Epesus so that he would not be delayed there in the land of Asiya. Because he was hurrying to go to Awrusalam in order that he would be on time for the celebration of the Yahudi which they called Pentekostes.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Paul decided that we would pass by the town of Ephesus so that we would not have to spend a long time in the province of Asia. Paul was in a hurry because he wanted to arrive in the town of Jerusalem before the day of Pentecost. We left Mitylene and one night later we passed by the island of Chios, and one night later we passed by the island of Samos, and one night later than that we came into the town of Miletus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “We (excl.) didn’t stop-by at Efeso lest we (excl.) be delayed there in the province Asia, because Pablo was in-a-hurry to arrive in Jerusalem so that if possible, he would arrive-in-time-for the fiesta called Pentecostes.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “It was like that because Pablo had already decided to by-pass Efeso. He wouldn’t stop by there for he didn’t want to delay any longer there in Asia. He was now in a hurry, for he really wanted to be able to arrive in Jerusalem before the Fiesta of Pentecostes arrived.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Luke would have no doubt considered Miletus within the province of Asia, but Asia used in the present context probably refers to the city of Ephesus and to the regions around it. Not only would Paul have lost travel time going to Ephesus, but he probably understood how difficult it would be for him to get away from Ephesus if he actually went to the city where he had ministered for such a long time.
On the day of Pentecost see the comments at 2.1.
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 .
The Greek conjunction often translated as “for” introduces this verse. It introduces an explanation why Paul wanted to sail directly from Assos to Miletus. For example:
For Paul had decided to sail… (Revised Standard Version)
In some languages it may be more natural to omit the Greek conjunction.
Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus: The phrase had decided indicates here that Paul decided earlier in the journey to sail past Ephesus. He probably chose a ship in Troas (20:13) that was not going to Ephesus.
to sail past Ephesus: After leaving the harbor near Chios, the ship sailed southeast, directly to Samos. It did not turn east and sail to Ephesus. Other ways to translate this clause are:
not to sail/go to Ephesus -or-
to sail straight ⌊to Samos/Miletus⌋ without going to Ephesus -or-
to sail past Ephesus ⌊on his way to Miletus⌋
20:16b
to avoid spending time: Here the phrase spending time refers to staying for a day or more. Paul did not want to stay in Ephesus and delay his journey to Jerusalem. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
so that he might not have to spend time (Revised Standard Version) -or-
so as not to lose any time (Good News Translation) -or-
so that he would not be delayed there
the province of Asia: The Berean Standard Bible adds the phrase the province of. At that time the name Asia referred to a region in what is now the western part of the country of Turkey. See how you translated this phrase in 20:4.
20:16c
because: This word introduces the reason for Paul wanting to avoid spending time in Asia.
if possible: This phrase indicates that Paul was trying to go to Jerusalem before Pentecost, but he was not sure that he would arrive there by that time.
Pentecost: The word Pentecost refers to a holy day for the Jews. It means “fiftieth.” It is the Greek name for the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15–21), fifty days after the Passover.
For Christians it refers to the events of 2:1–13. It became a holy day for Christians, seven weeks after Easter, but it is not clear when this practice began.
In some languages this name is not well known. If that is true in your language, you may want to use the name from the common language and explain it in your translation. For example:
Pentecost ⌊holy day⌋
You may also want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:
The word “Pentecost” refers to a holy day for Jews and Christians. For Jews it refers to Leviticus 23:15–21. For Christians, it refers to Acts 2:1–13.
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