Acts 20:7 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →On the first day of the week the believers gather to share the bread and hear the word, late into the night.
The Context of Acts 20:7
Paul is at Troas, near the end of his third missionary journey, and is leaving in the morning. Luke, who writes this, is traveling with him (the passage uses 'we'). The believers gather in an upstairs room lit by many lamps (verse 8), the very meeting where young Eutychus will fall asleep and tumble from a window (verse 9).
What Does Acts 20:7 Mean?
Luke gives us an early, ordinary glimpse of the church at worship. It is 'the first day of the week', the day Jesus rose from the dead, and the disciples have 'come together to break bread'. Around that shared table Paul preaches, and because he is leaving in the morning, he keeps on speaking until midnight. There is no grand temple here, just believers gathered in a borrowed upper room, hungry both for the bread and for the word. The picture is warm and unhurried: people who do not want the night to end because the things being said are too precious to cut short.
Already the rhythm of Christian gathering is taking shape: the Lord's people, on the Lord's day, around the Lord's table, fed on His word. The breaking of bread carries the memory of Jesus, who told His friends to do this in remembrance of Him. What draws them together is not a building or a duty but a Person, the risen Christ whose day this is. That same Christ still gathers His people to His table and His word, and the hours spent there are never wasted.
Acts 20:7 in the Original Language
klao (κλάω), 'break' -- to break bread, the shared meal that remembers the Lord among His gathered people.
How to Apply Acts 20:7 Today
This verse shows us the simple shape of gathered worship from the very beginning: God's people meeting on the first day of the week to share the bread and sit under His word. What held them was not the room but the risen Christ at the center of it. We are invited into that same unhurried gathering, where the hours given to Him are never lost.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 20:7
What does Acts 20:7 mean?
On the first day of the week the believers gather to share the bread and hear the word, late into the night.
What is the context of Acts 20:7?
Paul is at Troas, near the end of his third missionary journey, and is leaving in the morning. Luke, who writes this, is traveling with him (the passage uses 'we'). The believers gather in an upstairs room lit by many lamps (verse 8), the very meeting where young Eutychus will fall asleep and tumble from a window (verse 9).
How can I apply Acts 20:7 today?
This verse shows us the simple shape of gathered worship from the very beginning: God's people meeting on the first day of the week to share the bread and sit under His word. What held them was not the room but the risen Christ at the center of it. We are invited into that same unhurried gathering, where the hours given to Him are never lost.