• Acts 20:7
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 7 ᾿Εν In δὲ but τῇ the μιᾷ one τῶν of the σαββάτων sabbaths συνηγμένων having been led together ἡμῶν of us κλάσαι to break ἄρτον bread ὁ the Παῦλος Paul διελέγετο was discoursing αὐτοῖς, to them, μέλλων being about ἐξιέναι to be going out τῇ to the ἐπαύριον, morrow, παρέτεινέν he extended alongside τε and τὸν the λόγον word μέχρι until μεσονυκτίου. midnight.

  • Acts 20:7
    King James Version

    • 7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

  • Acts 20:7
    American Standard Version

    • 7 And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

  • Acts Study Notes—Chapter 20
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 20:7

      to have a meal: Lit., “to break bread.” Bread was the staple of the diet in the ancient Middle East; hence, this expression came to denote any kind of meal. Bread was generally formed into flat loaves that were baked hard, so the bread was often broken rather than cut with a knife. Therefore, breaking the loaves to eat them was customary and something that Jesus often did. (See study note on Mt 14:19; see also Mt 15:36; Lu 24:30.) When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Evening Meal, he took a loaf and broke it. Since this was the normal way to divide a loaf, there is no spiritual significance to Jesus’ breaking the bread. (See study note on Mt 26:26.) Some claim that when this expression occurs in certain places in the book of Acts, it refers to the observance of the Lord’s Evening Meal. (Ac 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11) Every time the Lord’s Evening Meal is mentioned, though, breaking bread is associated with drinking wine from a cup. (Mt 26:26-28; Mr 14:22-25; Lu 22:19, 20; 1Co 10:16-21; 11:23-26) The two actions are equally significant. So when breaking bread is mentioned without any reference to drinking from a cup, this is a reference, not to the Lord’s Evening Meal, but to an ordinary meal. Moreover, there is nothing to indicate that Jesus intended the Memorial of his death to be observed more often than the festival it replaced, the Passover, which was observed just once a year.