Bible Strands
Acts 18:21
But as he left, he said, “I will come back to you if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul speaks to the Ephesian believers at the moment of his departure, declining their request that he remain longer. He issues this statement as he prepares to set sail from the city.
The words — ἀποταξάμενος (apotaxamenos) means “having taken leave,” marking the decisive act of his departure. δεῖ (dei) translates to “it is necessary,” establishing the conditional framework for his promised return.
The thread — The text records Paul’s conditional promise to return, which parallels his reliance on divine will in 1 Corinthians 4:19 and James 4:15. This pattern continues in Acts 20:16, where his strategic haste to bypass Ephesus demonstrates the same submission to God’s timing.
Why it lands — The text states that Paul’s return depends entirely on God’s will rather than his own schedule. It requires readers to abandon rigid personal timelines and submit their own plans to that same sovereign authority.
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
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.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 4:19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have.
- James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
- Acts 20:16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
- Romans 1:10 in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.
- Romans 15:32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.
- Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do, if God permits.
- Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
- Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
- Acts 15:29 You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
- Acts 19:21 After these things had happened, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well.”