But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.

But I remain in Ephesus until Pentecost.

I shall remain in Ephesus, however, until the time of the Harvest Festival,

But I must remain at Ephesus, even until Pentecost.

I intend, however, staying at Ephesus until the Festival at the close of the Harvest;

I will remain. From this statement I have argued above, that this epistle was sent from Ephesus, rather than from Philippi. For the probability is, that the Apostle speaks of the place in which he was at the time, and not of a place, in going to which he would require to make a long circuit; and farther, in passing through Macedonia, [1] it would have been necessary to leave Corinth when already in the neighborhood of it, and cross the sea in order to reach Ephesus. He accordingly tells them beforehand that he will remain at Ephesus until Pentecost, adding the reason -- in order that they may wait for him the more patiently. Erasmus has preferred to render it -- until the fiftieth day, influenced by frivolous conjectures rather than by any solid argument. He objects, that there was as yet no day of Pentecost appointed among Christians, as it is now celebrated; and this I grant. He says, that it ought not to be understood as referring to the Jewish solemnity, because in various instances he annuls and condemns the superstitious observance of days. (Galatians 4:10; Romans 14:5; Colossians 2:16, 17.) I do not concede to him, however, that Paul celebrated that day at Ephesus from being influenced by a superstitious regard to the day, but because there would be a larger assembly at that time, and he hoped that, in that way, an opportunity would be presented to him of propagating the gospel. Thus, when he was hastening forward to Jerusalem, he assigned as the reason of his haste, that he might arrive there at Pentecost, (Acts 20:16;) but while others presented themselves there for the purpose of sacrificing according to the ritual of the law, he himself had another object in view -- that his ministry might be the more useful in proportion to the largeness of the attendance. It were, however, an excessively poor meaning to understand Paul here as simply specifying fifty days. Besides, when he expressly says ten pentekosten (the Pentecost,) he cannot but be understood as speaking of a particular day. As to this festival, see Leviticus 23:16

Footnotes

1 - "En passant de Philippes par Macedone;" -- "In passing from Philippi through Macedonia."

But I will tarry at Ephesus - This passage proves that this letter was written from Ephesus. It is by such indications as this usually that we are able to determine the place where the Epistles were written. In regard to the situation of Ephesus, see the note on Acts 18:19.
Until Pentecost - This was a Jewish festival occurring fifty days after the Passover, and hence called the Pentecost. See the note at Acts 2:1. As there were Jews at Corinth, and doubtless in the church, they would understand the time which Paul referred to; and as he was a Jew, he naturally used their mode of reckoning time where it would be understood. Doubtless the great festivals of the Jews were well known among most of the cities of Greece, as there were Jews in them all who were scrupulous in their observances. It is no improbable supposition, also, that Christians everywhere regarded this day with deep interest, as being the day on which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and on the people of Jerusalem, Acts 2.

I will tarry at Ephesus - And it is very probable that he did so; and that all these journeys were taken as he himself had projected. See on 1-Corinthians 16:5 (note).

But I will tarry at Ephesus till Pentecost. The feast of weeks, or of harvest, which was fifty days from the passover; See Gill on Acts 2:1 which though abrogated at the death of Christ, was observed by the Jews, and is mentioned by the apostle, not as a festival that the Christians were obliged to regard, or did regard, but as pointing out the time he intended to stay at Ephesus: and we elsewhere read, that he was greatly desirous of being at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, Acts 20:16 not to keep it, but because there would then be abundance of people from all parts there, to whom he should have an opportunity of preaching the Gospel.

at Ephesus--whence Paul writes this Epistle. Compare 1-Corinthians 16:19, "Asia," wherein Ephesus was.
until Pentecost--He seems to have stayed as he here purposes: for just when the tumult which drove him away broke out, he was already intending to leave Ephesus (Acts 19:21-22). Combined with 1-Corinthians 5:7-8, this verse fixes the date of this Epistle to a few weeks before Pentecost, and very soon after the Passover.

I will stay at Ephesus - Where he was at this time.