1 Samuel 26:8-9

26:8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear ¹  right through him into the ground with one swift jab! ²  A second jab won’t be necessary!”

26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one ³  and remain guiltless?”

Job 29:17

29:17 I broke the fangs ⁴  of the wicked,

and made him drop ⁵  his prey from his teeth.

Psalms 82:4

82:4 Rescue the poor and needy!

Deliver them from the power ⁶  of the wicked!

Isaiah 58:6-7

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. ⁷ 

I want you ⁸  to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed, ⁹ 

and to break every burdensome yoke.

58:7 I want you ¹⁰  to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. ¹¹ 

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! ¹² 

Luke 10:31-32

10:31 Now by chance ¹³  a priest was going down that road, but ¹⁴  when he saw the injured man ¹⁵  he passed by ¹⁶  on the other side. ¹⁷  10:32 So too a Levite, when he came up to ¹⁸  the place and saw him, ¹⁹  passed by on the other side.

Luke 23:23-25

23:23 But they were insistent, ²⁰  demanding with loud shouts that he be crucified. And their shouts prevailed. 23:24 So ²¹  Pilate ²²  decided ²³  that their demand should be granted. 23:25 He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over ²⁴  to their will. ²⁵ 

Acts 18:17

18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ²⁶  and began to beat ²⁷  him in front of the judgment seat. ²⁸  Yet none of these things were of any concern ²⁹  to Gallio.

Acts 21:31-32

21:31 While they were trying ³⁰  to kill him, a report ³¹  was sent up ³²  to the commanding officer ³³  of the cohort ³⁴  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³⁵  21:32 He ³⁶  immediately took ³⁷  soldiers and centurions ³⁸  and ran down to the crowd. ³⁹  When they saw ⁴⁰  the commanding officer ⁴¹  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ⁴²  Paul.

Acts 23:10

23:10 When the argument became ⁴³  so great the commanding officer ⁴⁴  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ⁴⁵  he ordered the detachment ⁴⁶  to go down, take him away from them by force, ⁴⁷  and bring him into the barracks. ⁴⁸ 

Acts 23:23-35

23:23 Then ⁴⁹  he summoned ⁵⁰  two of the centurions ⁵¹  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ⁵²  along with seventy horsemen ⁵³  and two hundred spearmen ⁵⁴  by ⁵⁵  nine o’clock tonight, ⁵⁶  23:24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride ⁵⁷  so that he may be brought safely to Felix ⁵⁸  the governor.” ⁵⁹  23:25 He wrote ⁶⁰  a letter that went like this: ⁶¹ 

23:26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor ⁶²  Felix, ⁶³  greetings. 23:27 This man was seized ⁶⁴  by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ⁶⁵  when I came up ⁶⁶  with the detachment ⁶⁷  and rescued him, because I had learned that he was ⁶⁸  a Roman citizen. ⁶⁹  23:28 Since I wanted to know ⁷⁰  what charge they were accusing him of, ⁷¹  I brought him down to their council. ⁷²  23:29 I found he ⁷³  was accused with reference to controversial questions ⁷⁴  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ⁷⁵  23:30 When I was informed ⁷⁶  there would be a plot ⁷⁷  against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges ⁷⁸  against him before you.

23:31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, ⁷⁹  took ⁸⁰  Paul and brought him to Antipatris ⁸¹  during the night. 23:32 The next day they let ⁸²  the horsemen ⁸³  go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ⁸⁴  23:33 When the horsemen ⁸⁵  came to Caesarea ⁸⁶  and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented ⁸⁷  Paul to him. 23:34 When the governor ⁸⁸  had read ⁸⁹  the letter, ⁹⁰  he asked ⁹¹  what province he was from. ⁹²  When he learned ⁹³  that he was from Cilicia, ⁹⁴  23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ⁹⁵  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ⁹⁶  he ordered that Paul ⁹⁷  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ⁹⁸ 

Acts 23:1

23:1 Paul looked directly ⁹⁹  at the council ¹⁰⁰  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ¹⁰¹  before God to this day.”

Acts 3:16-17

3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ¹⁰²  name, ¹⁰³  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ¹⁰⁴  faith that is through Jesus ¹⁰⁵  has given him this complete health in the presence ¹⁰⁶  of you all. 3:17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, ¹⁰⁷  as your rulers did too.

[26:8]  ¹ tn Here “the spear” almost certainly refers to Saul’s own spear, which according to the previous verse was stuck into the ground beside him as he slept. This is reflected in a number of English versions: TEV, CEV “his own spear”; NLT “that spear.” Cf. NIV, NCV “my spear,” in which case Abishai refers to his own spear rather than Saul’s, but this is unlikely since (1) Abishai would probably not have carried a spear along since such a weapon would be unwieldy when sneaking into the enemy camp; and (2) this would not explain the mention of Saul’s own spear stuck in the ground beside him in the previous verse.

[26:8]  ² tn Heb “let me strike him with the spear and into the ground one time.”

[26:9]  ³ tn Heb “anointed” (also in vv. 11, 16, 23).

[29:17]  ⁴ tn The word rendered “fangs” actually means “teeth,” i.e., the molars probably; it is used frequently of the teeth of wild beasts. Of course, the language is here figurative, comparing the oppressing enemy to a preying animal.

[29:17]  ⁵ tn “I made [him] drop.” The verb means “to throw; to cast,” throw in the sense of “to throw away.” But in the context with the figure of the beast with prey in its mouth, “drop” or “cast away” is the idea. Driver finds another cognate meaning “rescue” (see AJSL 52 [1935/36]: 163).

[82:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “hand.”

[58:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[58:6]  ⁸ tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “crushed.”

[58:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”

[58:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.

[58:7]  ¹² tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”

[10:31]  ¹³ sn The phrase by chance adds an initial note of hope and fortune to the expectation in the story.

[10:31]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the priest’s expected action (helping the victim) and what he really did.

[10:31]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:31]  ¹⁶ sn It is not said why the priest passed by and refused to help. It is not relevant to the point of the parable that no help was given in the emergency situation.

[10:31]  ¹⁷ sn The text suggests that the priest went out of his way (on the other side) not to get too close to the scene.

[10:32]  ¹⁸ tn Here κατά (kata) has been translated “up to”; it could also be translated “upon.”

[10:32]  ¹⁹ tn The clause containing the aorist active participle ἐλθών (elqwn) suggests that the Levite came up to the place, took a look, and then moved on.

[23:23]  ²⁰ tn Though a different Greek term is used here (BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι), this remark is like 23:5.

[23:24]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the crowd’s cries prevailing.

[23:24]  ²² sn Finally Pilate gave in. He decided crucifying one Galilean teacher was better than facing a riot. Justice lost out in the process, because he did not follow his own verdict.

[23:24]  ²³ tn Although some translations render ἐπέκρινεν (epekrinen) here as “passed sentence” or “gave his verdict,” the point in context is not that Pilate sentenced Jesus to death here, but that finally, although convinced of Jesus’ innocence, he gave in to the crowd’s incessant demand to crucify an innocent man.

[23:25]  ²⁴ tn Or “delivered up.”

[23:25]  ²⁵ sn He handed Jesus over to their will. Here is where Luke places the major blame for Jesus’ death. It lies with the Jewish nation, especially the leadership, though in Acts 4:24-27 he will bring in the opposition of Herod, Pilate, and all people.

[18:17]  ²⁶ tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

[18:17]  ²⁷ tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ²⁸ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ²⁹ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[21:31]  ³⁰ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ³¹ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ³² tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  ³³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[21:31]  ³⁴ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ³⁵ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ³⁶ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:32]  ³⁷ tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32]  ³⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ³⁹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ⁴² sn The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.

[23:10]  ⁴³ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[23:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.

[23:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:23]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to the reported ambush, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[23:23]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “summoning…he said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:23]  ⁵¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23]  ⁵² sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a journey of about 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[23:23]  ⁵³ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23]  ⁵⁴ tn A military technical term of uncertain meaning. BDAG 217 s.v. δεξιολάβος states, “a word of uncertain mng., military t.t., acc. to Joannes Lydus…and Theophyl. Sim., Hist. 4, 1 a light-armed soldier, perh. bowman, slinger; acc. to a scholion in CMatthaei p. 342 body-guard….Spearman Goodspd., NRSV; ‘security officer’, GDKilpatrick, JTS 14, ’63, 393f.”

[23:23]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “from.”

[23:23]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[23:24]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”

[23:24]  ⁵⁸ sn Felix the governor was Antonius Felix, a freedman of Antonia, mother of the Emperor Claudius. He was the brother of Pallas and became procurator of Palestine in a.d. 52/53. His administration was notorious for its corruption, cynicism, and cruelty. According to the historian Tacitus (History 5.9) Felix “reveled in cruelty and lust, and wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave.”

[23:24]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:25]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “writing.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation, supplying “he” (referring to the commanding officer, Claudius Lysias) as subject. The participle γράψας (grayas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:25]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “having this form,” “having this content.” L&N 33.48 has “γράψσς ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὸν τύπον τοῦτον ‘then he wrote a letter that went like this’ Ac 23:25. It is also possible to understand ἐπιστολή in Ac 23:25 not as a content or message, but as an object (see 6.63).”

[23:26]  ⁶² tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:26]  ⁶³ sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.

[23:27]  ⁶⁴ tn The participle συλλημφθέντα (sullhmfqenta) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The remark reviews events of Acts 21:27-40.

[23:27]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “and was about to be killed by them.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:27]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “approached.”

[23:27]  ⁶⁷ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:27]  ⁶⁸ tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.

[23:27]  ⁶⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[23:28]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “determine.”

[23:28]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “to know the charge on account of which they were accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the prepositional phrase and relative pronoun δι᾿ ἣν (di’ }hn) similar to L&N 27.8 which has “‘I wanted to find out what they were accusing him of, so I took him down to their Council’ Ac 23:28.”

[23:28]  ⁷² tn Grk “their Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:29]  ⁷³ tn Grk “whom I found.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been changed to a personal pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.

[23:29]  ⁷⁴ tn BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19. – In 23:29, since περί had already been used, the subj. of the discussion is added in the gen. ζ. τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν.”

[23:29]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “but having no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.” BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 has “legal t.t.…ἔ. ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν a charge deserving death or imprisonment 23:29.”

[23:30]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “It being revealed to me.” The participle μηνυθείσης (mhnuqeish") has been taken temporally.

[23:30]  ⁷⁷ tn The term translated “plot” here is a different one than the one in Acts 23:16 (see BDAG 368 s.v. ἐπιβουλή).

[23:30]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “the things against him.” This could be rendered as “accusations,” “grievances,” or “charges,” but since “ordered his accusers to state their accusations” sounds redundant in English, “charges” was used instead.

[23:31]  ⁷⁹ tn BDAG 237-38 s.v. διατάσσω 2 has “κατὰ τὸ δ. αὐτοῖς in accordance w. their orders…Ac 23:31.”

[23:31]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “taking.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:31]  ⁸¹ sn Antipatris was a city in Judea about 35 mi (55 km) northwest of Jerusalem (about halfway to Caesarea). It was mentioned several times by Josephus (Ant. 13.15.1 [13.390]; J. W. 1.4.7 [1.99]).

[23:32]  ⁸² tn Grk “letting.” The participle ἐάσαντες (easante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:32]  ⁸³ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:32]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:33]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “who, coming to Caesarea.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was begun here in the translation. The relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced with the referent (the horsemen) in the translation for clarity.

[23:33]  ⁸⁶ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. It was about 30 mi (50 km) from Antipatris.

[23:33]  ⁸⁷ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.b has “present, represent – α. lit. τινά τινι someone to someone παρέστησαν τὸν Παῦλον αὐτῷ Ac 23:33.”

[23:34]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:34]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnou") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁹⁰ tn The words “the letter” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:34]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “and asking.” The participle ἐπερωτήσας (eperwthsa") has been translated as a finite verb and καί (kai) left untranslated due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁹² sn Governor Felix asked what province he was from to determine whether he had legal jurisdiction over Paul. He could have sent him to his home province for trial, but decided to hear the case himself.

[23:34]  ⁹³ tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puqomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ⁹⁴ sn Cilicia was a province in northeastern Asia Minor.

[23:35]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter – ‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”

[23:35]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.

[23:35]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ⁹⁸ sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.

[23:1]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:1]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:1]  ¹⁰¹ tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”

[3:16]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ¹⁰³ sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.

[3:16]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “see and know, and the faith.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated.

[3:16]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “in full view.”

[3:17]  ¹⁰⁷ sn The ignorance Peter mentions here does not excuse them from culpability. It was simply a way to say “you did not realize the great mistake you made.”