20:20a
If you start 20:20a with a new sentence, you may want to repeat “You know that” here. See note at 20:18b–21b.
I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you: Paul spoke everything that was helpful to the believers at Ephesus. He did not withhold anything. He was not afraid of what someone might do to stop him from preaching and teaching. Other ways to translate this clause are:
I did not hold back anything that would be of help to you (Good News Translation)
-or-
I spoke everything that was helpful
declaring: The Greek word here is interpreted in two ways:
(1) It means to report here. Paul reported what God has told him. For example:
declaring (Berean Standard Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004))
(2) It means to preach here. Paul preached the gospel to the people of Ephesus and some of the people who believed were the elders that Paul was speaking to here. For example:
preach (New International Version)
(New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation. Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the BDAG, Louw and Nida, and Kittel lexicons support it. Other ways to translate this word here are:
proclaiming (NET Bible)
-or-
telling (God’s Word)
-or-
reported ⌊what God has told me⌋
-or-
reported ⌊God’s message⌋
See how you translated this word in 15:4 (“reported”).
20:20c
publicly and from house to house: Paul spoke God’s message and taught the believers in large meetings that anyone could attend. He also did those things at smaller gatherings in believer’s homes. Other ways to translate this are:
in public or…in your homes (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
in open/public meetings and in your own homes
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