1 AFTER these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,
13 Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.
14 And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:
15 But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters.
16 And he drave them from the judgment seat.
17 Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.
18 And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.
19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
20 When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;
21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.
22 And when he had landed at Cæsarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.
23 And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.
24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

1After these things, Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth,

2And found a certaine Iewe named Aquila, borne in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, (because that Claudius had commanded all Iewes to depart from Rome) and came vnto them.

3And because hee was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought (for by their occupation they were tentmakers.)

4And hee reasoned in the Synagogue euery Sabbath, and perswaded the Iewes, and the Greekes.

5And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in spirit, and testified to the Iewes, that Iesus was Christ.

6And when they opposed themselues, and blasphemed, he shooke his raiment, and said vnto them, Your blood be vpon your owne heads, I am cleane: from henceforth I will goe vnto the Gentiles.

7 And hee departed thence, and entred into a certaine mans house, named Iustus, one that worshipped God, whose house ioyned hard to the Synagogue.

8And Crispus, the chiefe ruler of the Synagogue, beleeued on the Lord, with all his house: and many of the Corinthians, hearing, beleeued, and were baptized.

9Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speake, and holde not thy peace:

10For I am with thee, and no man shal set on thee, to hurt thee: for I haue much people in this city.

11And hee continued there a yeere and sixe monethes, teaching the word of God among them.

12 And when Gallio was the Deputie of Achaia, the Iewes made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the iudgement seat,

13Saying, This fellow perswadeth men to worship God contrary to the Law.

14And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said vnto the Iewes, If it were a matter of wrong, or wicked lewdnesse, O yee Iewes, reason would that I should beare with you.

15But if it be a question of words, and names, and of your law, looke ye to it: for I wil be no iudge of such matters.

16And he draue them from the iudgment seate.

17Then all the Greekes tooke Sosthenes the chiefe ruler of the Synagogue, and beat him before the Iudgement seat: and Gallio cared for none of those things.

18 And Paul after this taried there yet a good while, and then tooke his leaue of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila: hauing shorne his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

19And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himselfe entred into the Synagogue, and reasoned with the Iewes.

20When they desired him to tary longer time with them, hee consented not:

21But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all meanes keepe this feast that commeth, in Hierusalem; but I will returne againe vnto you, if God will: and he sailed from Ephesus.

22And when he had landed at Cesarea, and gone vp, and saluted the Church, he went downe to Antioch.

23And after he had spent some time there, hee departed, and went ouer all the countrey of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

24 And a certaine Iew, named Apollos, borne at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mightie in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being feruent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing onely the baptisme of Iohn.

26And he began to speake boldly in the Synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they tooke him vnto them, and expounded vnto him the way of God more perfectly.

27And when hee was disposed to passe into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receiue him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had beleeued throgh grace.

28For hee mightily conuinced the Iewes, and that publikely, shewing by the scriptures, that Iesus was Christ.

 

1 After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. He went to visit them 3 and, because he practiced the same trade, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 Every sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. 6 When they opposed him and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." 7 So he left there and went to a house belonging to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next to a synagogue. 8 Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and were baptized. 9 One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city." 11 He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them. 12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him to the tribunal, 13 saying, "This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law." 14 When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews, "If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud, I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews; 15 but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters." 16 And he drove them away from the tribunal. 17 They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official, and beat him in full view of the tribunal. But none of this was of concern to Gallio. 18 Paul remained for quite some time, and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut because he had taken a vow. 19 When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, while he entered the synagogue and held discussions with the Jews. 20 Although they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21 but as he said farewell he promised, "I shall come back to you again, God willing." Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 Upon landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After staying there some time, he left and traveled in orderly sequence through the Galatian country and Phrygia, bringing strength to all the disciples. 24 A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and, with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way (of God) more accurately. 27 And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace. 28 He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.  

v1. Whereas Athens was noted for culture and learning, 50 miles away Corinth was a Greek city well known for idolatry and the accompanying immorality religion.
v2. Aquila was born in the most easterly province of Asia Minor but had apparently been in Italy quite a while as he was not using his Jewish name. There was considerable resentment against the Jews in Rome, and they were blamed for many things for rioting and other things of which they had nothing to do. Claudius was not really opposed to them but succumbed to political pressure and ordered them out about AD 49.
v3. All Jewish youths were taught a trade, and since Tarsus was famous for it’s goat hair, tent making was a likely trade for Paul. He now uses his out of need and so as not to be chargeable to others. It can not be known for sure if his new friends were already believers, they were simply fellow tent makers.
That seems logical, but a Jewish  preacher looks at this in a different way. A large shawl like garment worn by Jews was pulled up over their head at time of prayer, making a tabernacle or tent in which to worship. He thinks this garment was what Paul was making, placing tassels or rib-band of blue on it as commanded, Num. 15:38. The “blue” could range to a deep purple, and that preacher contended Paul had obtained purple from Lydia for that purpose. Purple was the royal Roman color and they forbade Jews to use it, but they continued to use it on the tassels. They persisted and Rome killed large numbers of them, so they gave it up for a while. This purple was from a shellfish, and when Jews stopped using it, the shellfish disappeared. When the Jews returned to the land, the shellfish also returned in abundance. From Rude Awakening.
v4. Again the synagogue with Jews and proselytes as audience.
v5. After having sent Silas and Timothy back to Thessalonica from Athens, Paul has again sent for them to come help him in Corinth. According to 2 Cor. 11:9, they brought financial help from Macedonia so Paul could devote full time to ministry. The pressure or burden he felt is described in 1 Cor. 2:1-5 and 1 Thess. 3:1-10.
v6. Opposed themselves, ie. set themselves in battle array. Because of the opposition Paul shakes his apron with the same intent as shaking the dust from his feet. He leaves the synagogue to go directly to Gentiles. Compare Acts 13:46.
v7. He only had to go next door to continue preaching.
v8. Though some blasphemed, the chief ruler, Crispus believed. This was so noteworthy that Paul personally baptized him,1 Cor. 1:14.
v9-11. Paul probably expected violence for this, but on the contrary, God used it to reach many others. The context of his vision was 1 Don’t be afraid 2 Preach the gospel because (a) I am with thee (b) None will hurt you (c) There will be fruit  Encouraged by the vision, Paul stayed a total of 18 months. v12. In AD 51 Gallio was proconsul of the province of Achaia, so Paul arrived in AD 50.
v13. Probably over resentment that he was not having Gentiles circumcised.
v14-17. Rome did not allow any new religions to come in, but Gallio looked upon them as just a branch of Judaism, so spelled out his responsibility and expelled the Jews in disgust. Taking a cue from that, the anti Semitic Greeks grabbed the new Jewish leader, Sosthenes, and beat him. Gallio just ignored it. This could be  Sosthenes of 1 Cor. 1:1.
v18-21. Leaving Corinth and perhaps other churches in Achaia, Paul took Aquila and Priscilla as far as Ephesus. He had taken some type of vow, whether earlier at a time of testing or a 30 day one, but it was completed and he had his head shaved at the port of Cenchrea. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for Passover, so only stayed briefly at Ephesus then sailed 500 miles to Caesarea.
v22. From the port at Caesarea he continued to Jerusalem and went back to the sending church at Antioch.
v23. The entire first phase of the third missionary journey is covered in this verse as Paul hurries back to Ephesus, a major seaport and trade route from Rome to East.
v24-26. Apollos was from Alexandria, the center of Greek learning, and named after the pagan deity Apollyon i.e. the sun.  He was a man versed in the OT and with a missionary zeal and boldness came to Corinth. He was still preaching John’s message, repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Aquila and Priscilla were probably impressed by his oratory, but saw his need to know of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and coming of the Holy Spirit. They were discreet in taking him to their home to inform him, and in the original Greek text, Priscilla’s name is first, apparently being more adept spiritually.
v27-28. A letter of recommendation was in order because of Apollos’ changed message. Beyond the message of John, with the gift of oratory God had given him, he now convinces others that Jesus was the Messiah, with the added understanding of justification through the blood and sanctification through the Spirit.