Limitless Word
And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece,
Acts 20:2 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB When he had gone through those parts, and had encouraged them with many words, he came into Greece.
  • BSB After traveling through that area and speaking many words of encouragement, he arrived in Greece,
  • NKJV Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece
  • NASB When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece.
  • NLT While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece,

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 travels through Macedonia encouraging the churches, then comes into Greece. His ministry is marked by ongoing exhortation.

Overview

Passing through the Macedonian regions, Paul gives the believers "many words" of encouragement, likely the period in which he wrote some of his letters. "Greece" refers to Achaia, especially Corinth, where he would spend three months. The repeated emphasis on encouragement shows that Christian growth depends on continual teaching and exhortation in the word of God's grace.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • 1 Th 4:1Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
  • Col 1:28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
  • 1 Th 2:3For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:
  • Acts 20:11When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
  • 1 Th 2:11As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
  • Zech 9:13When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
  • Acts 14:22Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
  • Acts 16:12And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
  • Acts 2:40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
  • Acts 17:10And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
  • Acts 20:6–7And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
  • Acts 17:1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
  • Acts 15:41And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 20:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 20:2 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.