Acts 3:20-23

3:20 so that times of refreshing ¹  may come from the presence of the Lord, ²  and so that he may send the Messiah ³  appointed ⁴  for you – that is, Jesus. 3:21 This one ⁵  heaven must ⁶  receive until the time all things are restored, ⁷  which God declared ⁸  from times long ago ⁹  through his holy prophets. 3:22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey ¹⁰  him in everything he tells you. ¹¹  3:23 Every person ¹²  who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed ¹³  from the people.’ ¹⁴ 

[3:20]  ¹ tn Or “relief.”

[3:20]  ² tn The words “so that…Lord” are traditionally placed in v. 19 by most English translations, but in the present translation the verse division follows the standard critical editions of the Greek text (NA²⁷, UBS⁴).

[3:20]  ³ tn Or “the Christ”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:20]  ⁴ tn Or “designated in advance.”

[3:21]  ⁵ tn Grk “whom,” continuing the sentence from v. 20.

[3:21]  ⁶ sn The term must used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) is a key Lukan term to point to the plan of God and what must occur.

[3:21]  ⁷ tn Grk “until the times of the restoration of all things.” Because of the awkward English style of the extended genitive construction, and because the following relative clause has as its referent the “time of restoration” rather than “all things,” the phrase was translated “until the time all things are restored.”

[3:21]  ⁸ tn Or “spoke.”

[3:21]  ⁹ tn Or “from all ages past.”

[3:22]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “hear,” but the idea of “hear and obey” or simply “obey” is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw; see L&N 36.14) and the following context (v. 23) makes it clear that failure to “obey” the words of this “prophet like Moses” will result in complete destruction.

[3:22]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. By quoting Deut 18:15 Peter declared that Jesus was the eschatological “prophet like [Moses]” mentioned in that passage, who reveals the plan of God and the way of God.

[3:23]  ¹² tn Grk “every soul” (here “soul” is an idiom for the whole person).

[3:23]  ¹³ tn Or “will be completely destroyed.” In Acts 3:23 the verb ἐξολεθρεύω (exoleqreuw) is translated “destroy and remove” by L&N 20.35.

[3:23]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 18:19, also Lev 23:29. The OT context of Lev 23:29 discusses what happened when one failed to honor atonement. One ignored the required sacrifice of God at one’s peril.