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Hechos 18

VBL · Chapter 18/28

1Entonces Pablo partió de Atenas y se fue a Corinto,

2y allí conoció a un judío llamado Aquila. Este era de Ponto, y acababa de llegar de Italia con su esposa Priscila porque Claudio había deportado a todos los judíos expulsados de Roma. Y Pablo fue a verlos,

3y como estaban en el mismo negocio de fabricar tiendas, se quedó con ellos.

4Y Pablo debatía en la sinagoga cada sábado, convenciendo tanto a griegos como a judíos.

5Cuando Silas y Timoteo llegaron desde Macedonia, Pablo sintió que necesitaba ser más directo en lo que predicaba, y les dijo a los judíos que Jesús era el Mesías.

6Y cuando ellos se le opusieron y lo maldijeron, sacudió su ropa y les dijo: “¡La sangre de ustedes está sobre sus propias cabezas! Soy libre de toda culpa, y desde ahora iré a los extranjeros”.

7Entonces se marchó y se fue a quedar donde Tito Justo, quien adoraba a Dios y cuya casa estaba al lado de la sinagoga.

8Crispo, líder de la sinagoga, creía en el Señor y también toda su casa. Y muchas personas de Corinto que escucharon el mensaje se convirtieron en creyentes y fueron bautizados.

9Entonces el Señor le dijo a Pablo en una visión de noche: “No tengas miedo. Habla, no te quedes callado

10porque yo estoy contigo, y nadie te hará daño, pues muchas personas en esta ciudad son mías”.

11Y Pablo se quedó allí durante dieciocho meses, enseñando la palabra de Dios.

12Sin embargo, cuando Galión se convirtió en el gobernante de Acaya, los judíos se unieron para atacar a Pablo y lo llevaron ante la corte.

13“Este hombre está persuadiendo al pueblo para adorar a Dios ilegalmente”, declararon.

14Pero cuando Pablo estaba a punto de defenderse, Galión les dijo a los judíos: “Si ustedes los judíos me trajeran cargos criminales o una ofensa legal grave, habría razón para que yo escuchara su caso.

15Pero como solo están discutiendo por las palabras y nombres y respecto a la propia ley de ustedes, entonces encárguense ustedes mismos. Yo no voy a gobernar respecto a tales asuntos”.

16Después de esto Galión mandó a sacarlos de la corte.

17Entonces la multitud tomó a Sóstenes, líder de la sinagoga, y lo golpearon justo a las afueras de la corte, pero a Galión no le preocupó esto en absoluto.

18Pablo se quedó por un tiempo. Entonces dejó a los creyentes de allí y partió hacia Siria, llevando consigo a Priscila y Aquila. En Cencrea mandó a afeitar su cabeza, porque había hecho un voto.

19Entonces llegaron a Éfeso, donde Pablo había dejado a los otros. Y se dirigió a la sinagoga para razonar con los judíos.

20Y ellos le pidieron que se quedara por más tiempo, pero Pablo no aceptó.

21Entonces se despidió y emprendió su viaje desde Éfeso, diciéndoles: “Regresaré y los veré nuevamente si es la voluntad de Dios”.

22Después de desembarcar en Cesarea fue a saludar a los miembros de iglesia, y entonces siguió hasta Antioquía.

23Y se quedó un tiempo allí y luego fue de ciudad en ciudad por la región de Galacia y Frigia, animando a los creyentes.

24Durante este tiempo, un judío llamado Apolo, de Alejandría, llegó a Éfeso. Era un orador con mucho talento, que conocía bien las Escrituras.

25Se le había enseñado el camino del Señor. Era apasionado por lo espiritual, y en su hablar y su enseñanza presentaba a Jesús de manera precisa, pero solo sabía acerca del bautismo de Juan.

26Entonces comenzó a hablar de manera abierta en la sinagoga. De modo que cuando Priscila y Aquila lo escucharon, lo invitaron a unirse a ellos y le enseñaron con mayor amplitud el camino del Señor.

27Cuando decidió ir a Acaya, los hermanos lo animaron y le escribieron a los discípulos de allí, diciéndoles que lo recibieran. Y cuando llegó fue de gran ayuda a los que por gracia creían en Dios,

28porque podía refutar enérgicamente a los judíos en debates públicos, demostrando con las Escrituras que Jesús era el Mesías.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul spends a year and a half in Corinth, working as a tentmaker alongside Aquila and Priscilla, and is brought before the tribunal, but the proconsul Gallio refuses to judge the case. He then travels on and meets Apollos, an eloquent preacher.

Explanation

Paul's time in Corinth shows his balance between manual labor and ministry — he did not live off charity but supported himself while preaching. Gallio's refusal to judge internal Jewish religious disputes set a legal precedent that, for a time, protected Christianity under the umbrella of Rome's tolerance of Judaism. Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple, teach Apollos 'more accurately' — showing discipleship carried out with humility, without publicly embarrassing someone who already preached well but needed deeper understanding.

Fun facts

  • A Roman inscription discovered at Delphi confirms Gallio's term as proconsul of Achaia between AD 51-52, allowing historians to precisely date this part of Paul's journey.
  • 'Tentmaking' (the trade of Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla) likely involved working with leather and heavy fabric, a common craft in Paul's home region of Cilicia, famous for a goat-hair cloth called cilicium.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Hechos 18:1After the episode in Athens, Paul travels on alone to Corinth, a large commercial port city, quite different from the more philosophical setting he had just left.
  2. Hechos 18:2This is a reference to a real historical decree of Emperor Claudius, around A.D. 49, expelling the Jews from Rome. That is why Aquila and Priscilla, Roman Jews, were living in Corinth when Paul meets them.
  3. Hechos 18:3It was common for rabbis and Jewish teachers to learn a manual trade to support themselves, even while also being scholars of the law. Paul uses his skill making tents of leather or canvas to work while he preached, without depending on donations.
  4. Hechos 18:4Following his usual pattern, Paul goes to the synagogue every week to reason with those present, trying to persuade both the Jews and the Greeks gathered there.
  5. Hechos 18:5When Silas and Timothy finally join him, coming from Macedonia, Paul devotes himself even more to preaching, openly declaring to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
  6. Hechos 18:6Shaking out his garments was a symbolic Jewish gesture of protest, similar to shaking the dust off one’s feet, signaling that Paul was releasing himself from responsibility for those who rejected the message after having had the chance to hear it.
  7. Hechos 18:7After facing resistance in the synagogue, Paul changes location and starts meeting at the house of Justus, a Gentile who already worshipped the God of Israel, right next door to the synagogue itself.
  8. Hechos 18:8Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, converts along with his whole household, and many other Corinthians who hear the preaching also believe and are baptized.
  9. Hechos 18:9In a night vision, the Lord directly encourages Paul not to be afraid and to keep speaking without stopping, suggesting he had been considering giving up or falling silent in the face of opposition.
  10. Hechos 18:10The promise in the vision includes personal protection and the news that God already had “much people” in Corinth—people who would still come to believe, even though Paul had no way of knowing who they were.
  11. Hechos 18:11Encouraged by the vision, Paul decides to stay in Corinth for a year and a half, a much longer period than he usually spent in other cities.
  12. Hechos 18:12Roman inscriptions found at Delphi help historians precisely date when Gallio governed this Greek province, which serves as an anchor for calculating the dates of Paul’s journey.
  13. Hechos 18:13The formal charge against Paul before the Roman tribunal is that he was persuading people to worship God in a way contrary to the law—most likely Jewish law, not Roman law.
  14. Hechos 18:14Before Paul can even offer a defense, Gallio himself, the Roman governor of the region, interrupts, saying he would only hear the complaint if it involved an actual crime.
  15. Hechos 18:15Gallio refuses to judge the case because he understands it to be an internal dispute over words, names, and Jewish religious law—a matter that Roman justice had no business deciding.
  16. Hechos 18:16Without further delay, Gallio drives the accusers away from the tribunal, ending the proceedings before they had really even begun.
  17. Hechos 18:17Taking advantage of the confusion, the crowd beats Sosthenes, another synagogue leader, right in front of the tribunal, and Gallio simply ignores the attack, showing total indifference to the local religious conflict.
  18. Hechos 18:18The haircut at Cenchreae refers to a temporary Jewish vow, similar to the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6, which involved letting the hair grow for a period and then cutting it as a sign of completion. It shows Paul still keeping certain personal Jewish customs even while preaching to the Gentiles.
  19. Hechos 18:19On arriving in Ephesus, an important city in Asia Minor, Paul leaves Priscilla and Aquila there and goes to the synagogue to reason with the local Jews, repeating his usual pattern.
  20. Hechos 18:20Even though he is invited to stay longer in Ephesus, Paul decides not to accept, eager to continue on his journey.
  21. Hechos 18:21Paul explains that he needed to be in Jerusalem for an approaching Jewish feast, but promises to return to Ephesus if God wills, before setting sail.
  22. Hechos 18:22After landing at Caesarea, Paul goes up to Jerusalem to greet the church there, and then goes down to Antioch, closing the loop on this second missionary journey.
  23. Hechos 18:23After some time in Antioch, Paul sets out again, passing through Galatia and Phrygia, regions he had already visited, now strengthening the disciples established there.
  24. Hechos 18:24Apollos was already preaching about Jesus with enthusiasm, but his knowledge was incomplete, based only on the teaching of John the Baptist. Priscilla and Aquila instruct him privately, without embarrassing him in public.
  25. Hechos 18:25Apollos already knew “the way of the Lord” and taught enthusiastically about Jesus, but his knowledge came only from John’s baptism—an incomplete teaching that was missing the part about the Holy Spirit.
  26. Hechos 18:26Hearing Apollos preaching boldly in the synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila take him aside and complete his instruction more accurately, without embarrassing him in public.
  27. Hechos 18:27When Apollos decides to go to the region of Achaia, the brothers in Ephesus write a letter of recommendation so the disciples there would welcome him warmly.
  28. Hechos 18:28Once in Achaia, Apollos proves useful to the local Christians, publicly refuting the Jews with strong arguments from the Scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Messiah.

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