And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

ACTS 19:1KJV
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Acts 19:1 (KJV)

What does Acts 19:1 mean?

Acts 19:1 describes how Paul, after traveling through inland regions, arrived at the city of Ephesus and found some disciples there, while Apollos was staying in Corinth. This verse sets the scene for the events that follow in Ephesus, highlighting the movement and activities of key early Christian leaders.

The book of Acts is written by Luke and describes the spread of the early Christian message. In this verse, Paul is traveling through what the King James Version calls the "upper coasts," meaning the inland or higher regions, before reaching Ephesus, a major city in Asia Minor. The mention of Apollos in Corinth and Paul in Ephesus shows how the early Christian mission was expanding in different cities at the same time.

The Greek behind Acts 19:1

  • "διερχόμενον" (dierchomenon, G1330) — translated as "having passed through," this word often means traveling through or across regions. Here, it emphasizes Paul's journey through the inland or upper areas before arriving at Ephesus.
  • "ἀνωτερικὰ" (anōterika, G510) — translated as "upper," this word refers to higher or inland regions, not coastal areas. This helps clarify that Paul took a route through the interior rather than along the coast.
  • "μαθητάς" (mathētas, G3101) — translated as "disciples," this word means learners or followers. In this context, it refers to people in Ephesus who were already followers of the faith, though the following verses will clarify what they understood.

Why Acts 19:1 matters

  • Acts 19:1 shows the spread of the Christian message beyond Jerusalem and Judea into major cities of the Roman world, highlighting the strategic importance of places like Ephesus and Corinth.
  • The mention of both Apollos and Paul working in different cities at the same time shows that the early Christian movement was not centered on just one leader, but was growing through the efforts of several people.
  • By noting that Paul found "certain disciples" in Ephesus, this verse sets up the important conversation in the next verses about what these disciples had learned and experienced, which becomes a key moment in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“Corinth” Greek G2882 · used in 7 verses

  • Acts 18:1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
  • 1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
  • 2 Corinthians 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.

“Apollos” Greek G625 · used in 10 verses

  • Acts 18:24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
  • 1 Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
  • 1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

“Ephesus” Greek G2181 · used in 15 verses

  • Acts 18:19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
  • Acts 19:26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
  • Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

“coasts” Greek G3313 · used in 41 verses

  • Matthew 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
  • Acts 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
  • 1 Corinthians 14:27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.