Acts 20:20
New International Version
You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

New Living Translation
I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.

English Standard Version
how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,

Berean Standard Bible
I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from house to house,

Berean Literal Bible
how I did not shrink back from declaring to you anything being profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

King James Bible
And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

New King James Version
how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

New American Standard Bible
how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

NASB 1995
how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

NASB 1977
how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

Legacy Standard Bible
how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

Amplified Bible
[you know] how I did not shrink back in fear from telling you anything that was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public meetings, and from house to house,

Christian Standard Bible
You know that I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly and from house to house.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and that I did not shrink back from proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching it to you in public and from house to house.

American Standard Version
how I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“And I have neglected nothing that was useful for your souls, to preach and to teach in the marketplace and in houses,”

Contemporary English Version
When I preached in public or taught in your homes, I didn't hold back from telling anything that would help you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
How I have kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but have preached it to you, and taught you publicly, and from house to house,

English Revised Version
how that I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I didn't avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn't avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house.

Good News Translation
You know that I did not hold back anything that would be of help to you as I preached and taught in public and in your homes.

International Standard Version
I never shrank from telling you anything that would help you nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.

Literal Standard Version
how I kept back nothing of what things are profitable, not to declare to you, and to teach you publicly, and in every house,

Majority Standard Bible
I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from house to house,

New American Bible
and I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public or in your homes.

NET Bible
You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming to you anything that would be helpful, and from teaching you publicly and from house to house,

New Revised Standard Version
I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

New Heart English Bible
how I did not hold back from declaring to you anything that was profitable, teaching you publicly and from house to house,

Webster's Bible Translation
And how I kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but have shown you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,

Weymouth New Testament
and that I never shrank from declaring to you anything that was profitable, or from teaching you in public and in your homes,

World English Bible
how I didn’t shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, teaching you publicly and from house to house,

Young's Literal Translation
how nothing I did keep back of what things are profitable, not to declare to you, and to teach you publicly, and in every house,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul's Farewell to the Ephesians
19I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, especially in the trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews. 20 I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from house to house, 21testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.…

Cross References
Psalm 40:10
I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly.

Jeremiah 26:2
"This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard of the house of the LORD and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all the cities of Judah who come to worship there. Do not omit a word.

Jeremiah 42:4
"I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will surely pray to the LORD your God as you request, and I will tell you everything that the LORD answers; I will not withhold a word from you."

Acts 20:27
For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will of God.


Treasury of Scripture

And how I kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,

I kept.

Acts 20:27,31
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God…

Acts 5:2
And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Deuteronomy 4:5
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

profitable.

1 Corinthians 12:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

1 Corinthians 14:6
Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?

Philippians 3:1
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

and have.

Acts 20:31
Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Acts 2:46
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

Acts 5:42
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Jump to Previous
Announce Declare Declaring Held Helpful Hesitated Homes House Kept Preach Privately Profit Profitable Public Publickly Publicly Shewed Shown Shrank Shrink Taught Teach Teaching
Jump to Next
Announce Declare Declaring Held Helpful Hesitated Homes House Kept Preach Privately Profit Profitable Public Publickly Publicly Shewed Shown Shrank Shrink Taught Teach Teaching
Acts 20
1. Paul goes to Macedonia, and thence to Troas.
7. He celebrates the Lord's supper, and preaches.
9. Eutychus having fallen down dead is raised to life.
13. Paul continues his travels;
17. and at Miletum he calls the elders together, tells them what shall befall to himself,
28. commits God's flock to them,
29. warns them of false teachers,
32. commends them to God,
36. prays with them, and departs.














(20) How I kept back nothing that was profitable.--The verb is one which belongs to the vocabulary of sailors, and was used for taking in or reefing sails. He, St. Paul seems to say of himself, had used no such reticence or reserve, but had gone on his course, as it were, before the wind, with all his canvas spread. It must be noted, however, that even here, as in the more limited range of teaching imparted to the Corinthians (1Corinthians 3:1-2), he confines his statement to the things that were "profitable." In each case he considered what was required by the capacity of his disciples. That of Ephesus was wider than that of Corinth, and there, accordingly, he was able to set forth "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).

Publicly, and from house to house.--The first word points probably to the teaching in the synagogue and the lecture-room of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9), the second to the meetings of disciples which were held in private houses, such as that of Aquila and Priscilla (1Corinthians 16:19). It may, however, include even more personal and individual counsel.

Verse 20. - How that I shrank not from declaring unto you anything for and how I kept back nothing, A.V.; profitable for profitable unto you, A.V; and teaching for but have showed you and have taught, A.V. I shrank not from declaring, etc. The R.V. seems to construe the phrase as if it were Ὡς ὑπεσταιλάμην τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι ὑμῖν οὐδὲν τῶν συμφερόντων, which is a very labored construction, of which the only advantage is that it gives exactly the same sense to ὑπεστειλάμην as it has in ver. 27. But it is much simpler to take οὐδὲν here as governed by ὑπεστειλάμην, and to take the verb in its very common sense of "keeping back," or "dissembling" (see the very similar passages quoted by Kuinoel from Demosthenes, Plato, Socrates, etc., Οὐδὲν ὑποστειλάμενος, μηδὲν ὑποστείλαμεμος κ.τ.λ.), and to take the τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι ὑμῖν καὶ διδάξαι as expressing what would have been the effect of such "keeping back," or "dissembling," the μὴ extending to both infinitives (Meyer), "so as not to declare and teach," etc. In ver. 27 the verb ὑπεστειλάμην must be taken in the equally common sense of "holding back," or "shrinking," under the influence of fear, or indolence, or what not. The difference of rendering is required by the fact that here you have οὐδὲν ὑπεστειλάμην, whereas in ver. 27 you have οὐκ ὑπεστειλάμην In several of the classical passages quoted above, and others in Schleusner, ὑποστέλλεσθαι is opposed to παρρησίαζεσθαι, or, μετὰ παρρησίας διαλεχθῆναι (comp. therefore for the sentiment, Acts 2:29; Acts 4:13, 29, 31; Acts 9:27; Acts 13:46; Acts 14:3; Acts 28:31, etc.; Ephesians 6:19, 20).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
I did not shrink back
ὑπεστειλάμην (hypesteilamēn)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 5288: From hupo and stello; to withhold under, i.e. to cower or shrink, to conceal.

from declaring
ἀναγγεῖλαι (anangeilai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 312: To bring back word, report; I announce, declare. From ana and the base of aggelos; to announce.

[anything]
οὐδὲν (ouden)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3762: No one, none, nothing.

that
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

was helpful
συμφερόντων (sympherontōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 4851: From sun and phero; to bear together, i.e. to collect, or to conduce; especially advantage.

to you
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

[as]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

I taught
διδάξαι (didaxai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 1321: To teach, direct, admonish. A prolonged form of a primary verb dao; to teach.

you
ὑμᾶς (hymas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

publicly
δημοσίᾳ (dēmosia)
Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1219: Public, publicly. From demos; public; in public.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

from
κατ’ (kat’)
Preposition
Strong's 2596: A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined).

house to house,
οἴκους (oikous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3624: A dwelling; by implication, a family.


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