📖 Biblical Definition
Miletus was an Ionian seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor, about thirty miles south of Ephesus. On Paul’s final voyage to Jerusalem, he bypassed Ephesus to save time but summoned the elders of the Ephesian church to meet him at Miletus — and there delivered his most personal farewell charge in the New Testament: "Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons... I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak" (Acts 20:17-38). He warned of grievous wolves who would enter in among them after his departure. They knelt down on the shore and prayed; they wept and embraced him, sorrowing that they should see his face no more. Later, Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletum (2 Timothy 4:20).
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
MILETUS — an Ionian port preserved as the site of Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders.
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Webster 1828 omits the proper name. Acts 20 records that Paul, hurrying past Ephesus to make Pentecost in Jerusalem, sent for the Ephesian elders to meet him at Miletus. The address that follows is the only Pauline sermon in Acts directed to elders, and it stands as the New Testament's most concentrated portrait of pastoral charge: feed the flock, beware of wolves, watch yourselves, work with your hands, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus.
📖 Key Scripture
Acts 20:17 — "From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church."
Acts 20:28 — "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."
Acts 20:32 — "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
2 Timothy 4:20 — "Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern pastoral ministry has lost the Miletus charge: feed the flock, watch for wolves, and weep with the elders.
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The Miletus farewell is the most concentrated pastoral handover in Scripture. Paul names every essential: doctrine taught publicly and house to house, hands that worked to support weak brethren, vigilance against wolves from outside and rising teachers from inside, and the commendation of the elders to God and the word of His grace. The elders wept on his neck.
The corruption is the reduction of pastoral ministry to platform performance. Miletus measures the pastor by humility, tears, manual labor, doctrinal completeness, and personal vigilance. The wolves come; the inheritance is given to those who are sanctified; the elders weep because they will not see his face again.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek Milētos (G3399); paired with presbyteros (elder) and episkopos (overseer).
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G3399 — Milētos — Miletus; an Ionian port
G4245 — presbyteros — elder; whom Paul summoned
G1985 — episkopos — overseer; what the Spirit had made them
Usage
"From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders (Acts 20:17)."
"Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock (Acts 20:28)."
"I commend you to God and to the word of His grace (Acts 20:32)."