vv.1-3 Arrival and Companions: Aquila and Priscilla. From Athens Paul came to Corinth, the principal city of Achaia. This area was known for idolatry, immorality, and opulence. There Paul met Aquila, a Jew from Pontus on the Black Sea, and his wife Priscilla (or Prisca, her formal name). They had been living in Rome as tent-makers until the emperor Claudius commanded all Jews to leave the city. Forced out, they relocated to Corinth, where Paul stayed and worked with them, as they shared the same trade (tent-makers). Paul was careful to work to provide for his own needs, and emphasizes this to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 4:12, 2 Cor. 11:9). Aquila and Priscilla were already believers before meeting Paul, and their partnership in both work and faith continued for many years. They later travelled with him toward Syria but were left at Ephesus (end of ch.18). When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, they were still in Ephesus, and the assembly met in their house (1 Cor. 16:19). After Claudius’ death in A.D. 54, the decree was lifted, and they returned to Rome, where another assembly gathered in their home (Rom. 16:3-5). Later, they were again at Ephesus when Paul wrote 2 Timothy 4:19. Their consistent hospitality is notable: they hosted Paul at Corinth and assemblies both in Ephesus and in Rome. As W. Kelly observed, their occupation as tent-makers likely required a large workroom, which would have readily served as a meeting place for believers. Read more…

 

 

vv.4-6 Preaching and Rejection in the Synagogue. In Corinth, Paul began his work in the synagogue, reasoning every Sabbath with both Jews and Greeks who attended (v.4). His message was founded on the Scriptures, showing that Jesus is the Christ. Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, and elsewhere we find that they brought financial support from the brethren there (2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:15), allowing Paul to give himself fully to the word. Paul testified earnestly to the Jews that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah (v.5). The result was strong opposition. Luke records that they “opposed and blasphemed,” rejecting the testimony outright. In response, Paul symbolically shook his garments, declaring, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go to the Gentiles” (v. 6). This act marked a turning point in Corinth, following the same pattern seen elsewhere: after faithfully presenting the gospel first to the Jews, Paul turned to the Gentiles when the synagogue refused the message (Acts 13:46; Rom. 1:16).

 

vv.7-11 Preaching to the Gentiles and Divine Encouragement. After leaving the synagogue, Paul continued his ministry from the house of Titius Justus, a Gentile worshipper of God whose home was located next door to the synagogue (v.7). This move marked a public separation from the Jewish synagogue but placed him close enough to reach any who were willing to hear. Among the converts was Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, who believed on the Lord together with his household (v.8, 1 Cor. 1:14). Many others in Corinth also heard, believed, and were baptized, forming the beginning of the local assembly there. Paul could speak of being their “father” in the gospel; “in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). Despite the city’s reputation for immorality, the Lord encouraged Paul through a vision, saying, “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (vv.9-10). With this assurance, Paul remained in Corinth a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them (v.11). This period became one of his longest and most fruitful labors, during which he wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

 

vv.12-17 Opposition before Gallio. When Gallio, a former senator and friend of Claudius, became proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up, seizing on the opportunity, and brought Paul before the judgment seat, accusing him of persuading men “to worship God contrary to the law” (v.13). Before Paul could answer, Gallio dismissed the charge, recognizing it as a dispute over Jewish religious matters rather than a civil crime (v.15). He refused to involve Roman authority in such questions and drove them from the tribunal. The crowd then turned on Sosthenes, the new ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat, while Gallio showed complete indifference (v.17). God thus used the proconsul’s disregard to protect Paul and frustrate the plans of the Jews. This fulfilled the Lord’s earlier promise that no one would harm His servant in Corinth (v.10). Later, Sosthenes himself appears among the believers, referred to by Paul as “our brother”, and with Paul in writing First Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:1).

  

vv.18-21 Short Visit to Ephesus: Aquila and Priscilla Left. After remaining in Corinth “a good while,” Paul departed for Syria, taking Aquila and Priscilla with him (v.18). This shows that this couple were valuable to Paul. At Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth, where later there was an assembly of which Phoebe was a deaconess (Rom. 16), Paul shaved his head, having made a vow. This was a Jewish custom that likely required his later visit to Jerusalem to complete (see Num. 6:18). This shows that Paul still viewed himself as a Jew. It wasn’t until he was imprisoned in Rome that he seems to have clearly seen the full import of the believer’s individual and collective identity. Sailing east, Paul stopped briefly at Ephesus, where he entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews (v.19). They requested that he remain longer, but he declined, saying he must keep the coming feast at Jerusalem, though promising to return “if God will” (v.21). He then sailed from Ephesus, leaving Aquila and Priscilla there, where they would later instruct Apollos and host the local assembly (v.26; 1 Cor. 16:19).