Bible Strands
Acts 20:35
In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Ephesian elders at Miletus during his farewell (Acts 20:17), summarizing his own practice before he kneels to pray (v. 36).
The words — Κοπιῶντας (kopiōntas) is not neutral "work" but straining, the participle of a verb meaning to toil or labor under strain. Ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι (antilambanesthai) compounds anti- (against, toward) with lambanō (take), yielding the sense of taking hold to support or take up another's burden.
The thread — The Jesus saying resonates with Luke 6:38 ("give, and it will be given to you") and Matthew 10:8 ("freely you received, freely give"), while the obligation to share with the poor is stated in Proverbs 19:17 and Hebrews 13:16.
Why it lands — Paul grounds the command in δεῖ, a dative of necessity: helping the weak is not a suggestion but a debt. The verse asks the reader to treat generosity as obligation rather than mood.
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
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
- Proverbs 19:17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
- Luke 14:12 Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid.
- Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
- 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
- Isaiah 58:7 Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
- Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
- Romans 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.