Bible Strands
Acts 17:2
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul arrives in Thessalonica after passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia and enters the local Jewish synagogue. He addresses a Jewish audience with a deliberate, repeated practice of entering their gathering place.
The words — εἰωθὸς (eiōthos) translates literally as "being customary," and εἰσῆλθεν (eisēlthen) means "he went in." These terms mark the visit as a habitual routine rather than a spontaneous event.
The thread — This pattern of synagogue engagement appears in Acts 18:4, where Paul reasons every Sabbath, and aligns with the invitation to "reason together" in Isaiah 1:18. Acts 9:20 records his earlier method of proclaiming Jesus in synagogues, showing a consistent trajectory of public teaching.
Why it lands — The text reports a factual sequence: Paul entered a synagogue and taught from the Scriptures over three Sabbaths. It requires the reader to note the structural consistency of his method before drawing conclusions about his missionary strategy.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Cross-references
- Acts 9:20 Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.”
- Acts 18:4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike.
- Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.
- Luke 4:16 Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,
- Acts 13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as their helper.
- Acts 14:1 At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
- Acts 17:10 As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
- Acts 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
- John 18:20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.
- Acts 8:35 Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.