Acts 20:34
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You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
these hands--doubtless holding them up, as before Agrippa in chains (Act 26:29). have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me--See Act 18:3; Co1 4:12; Co1 9:6, written from Ephesus; also Th1 2:9.
Open source ↗In this chapter we have, I. Paul's travels up and down about Macedonia, Greece, and Asia, and his coming at length to Troas (Act 20:1-6). II. A particular account of his spending one Lord's day at Troas, and his raising Eutychus to life there (Act 20:7-12). III. His progress, or circuit, for the visiting of the churches he had planted, in his way towards Jerusalem, where he designed to be by the next feast of pentecost (Act 20:13-16). IV. The farewell sermon he preached to the presbyters at Ephesus, now that he was leaving that country (v. 17-35). V. The very sorrowful parting between him and them (Act 20:36-38). And in all these we find Paul very busy to serve Christ, and to do good to the souls of men, not only in the conversion of heathen, but in the edification of Christians.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.
We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;
Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed for a time in the province of Asia.