because we wanted to come to you--indeed, I, Paul, once and again-- but Satan hindered us.
hindered us: "The Greek word used here is egkopto, which means ’to cut in on’. It was often used to refer to a runner who cut in on the stride of another runner during a race" (Swindoll 17). Fields notes that egkopto "is a military term and indicates the obstruction of an enemy’s progress by breaking up the road, destroying bridges, etc." (80). There has been a great deal of conjecture as to the nature of the hindrance; but, as noted by Hogg and Vine, "How Satan hindered him is not stated, but probably the bond that Jason and his friends gave to the civil authorities at Thessalonica, Acts 17:9, included an undertaking that Paul would not re-enter the city" (84).