The believers in Troas (cf. ) had a "meeting" on the first day of the week (verse 7; cf. ), which started on Saturday night (at that time, Sunday was a working day, so the practice was to gather on Saturday night or early on Sunday morning as noted by Pliny, Ep. 10.96.7), perhaps after work for some people, including
Eutychus, which is a common slave name. It comprised a long teaching session by Paul (verse 7), 'breaking of bread' and a communal meal (verse 11), then finished at dawn.
Verse 9 :
And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. Eutychus was a young man of
(Alexandria) Troas tended to by
St. Paul. The name
Eutychus means "fortunate". Eutychus fell asleep due to the long nature of the discourse Paul was giving and fell from his seat out of a three-story window. Paul's immediate action to resurrect Eutychus (verse 10) recalls the miracles of Elijah and Elisha (
1 Kings 17:21–22;
2 Kings 4:34–35). The term "dead" (Greek:
nekros) is used to emphasize that this is to be seen as a real miracle (verse 10). • "Third story": this indicates a 'working-class insula or apartment block', not the atrium of a villa or town house.
Verse 10 :
But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, "Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him." After Eutychus fell down to his death, Paul then picked him up, insisting that he was not dead, and carried him back upstairs; those gathered then had a meal and a long conversation which lasted until dawn. After Paul left, Eutychus was found to be alive. It is unclear whether the story intends to relate that Eutychus was killed by the fall and Paul
raised him, or whether he simply seemed to be dead, with Paul ensuring that he is still alive.
Verse 12 :
And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted. ==Journey from Troas to Miletus (verses 13–17)==