But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.
Parallel translations
- WEB But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost,
- BSB But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,
- NKJV But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost.
- NASB But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost;
- NLT In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul announces he will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost rather than leaving immediately. It shows his plans were governed by gospel opportunity, not mere convenience.
Overview
Writing from Ephesus near the end of his roughly three-year ministry there (Acts 19), Paul explains the timing of his travel plans to the Corinthians. Pentecost, a major Jewish feast some weeks after Passover, served as a natural marker on his calendar. His willingness to stay reflects a life ordered around fruitful service to Christ rather than personal ease.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Acts 2:1And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
- Exod 23:16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
- 1 Cor 15:32If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
- Lev 23:15–21And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
- Acts 18:19And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 16:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.