21:15 God sent an angel 1 to ravage 2 Jerusalem. As he was doing so, 3 the Lord watched 4 and relented from 5 his judgment. 6 He told the angel who was destroying, “That’s enough! 7 Stop now!” 8
Now the Lord’s angel was standing near the threshing floor of Ornan 9 the Jebusite. 21:16 David looked up and saw the Lord’s messenger standing between the earth and sky with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 10
95:3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to 11 all gods.
37:36 The Lord’s messenger 12 went out and killed 185,000 troops 13 in the Assyrian camp. When they 14 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses! 15
1 tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 24:15 reports that God sent a plague, while 24:16-17 attributes this to the instrumentality of an angel.
2 tn Or “destroy.”
3 tn Heb “while he was destroying.”
4 tn Or “saw.”
5 tn Or “was grieved because of.”
6 tn Heb “concerning the calamity.”
7 tn For this nuance of the Hebrew word רַב (rav), see BDB 913 s.v. 1.f.
8 tn Heb “Now, drop your hand.”
9 tn In the parallel text in 2 Sam 24:16 this individual is called אֲרַוְנָא (’aravna’, “Aravna”), traditionally “Araunah.” The form of the name found here also occurs in vv. 18-28.
10 tn Heb “and David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.”
11 tn Heb “above.”
12 tn Traditionally, “the angel of the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
13 tn The word “troops” is supplied in the translation for smoothness and clarity.
14 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
15 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies”; NLT “they found corpses everywhere.”
16 tn Grk “the ones who practice lawlessness.”
17 sn A quotation from Dan 3:6.
18 tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The interjection ἰδού (idou), often difficult to translate into English, expresses the suddenness of the angel’s appearance.
19 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
20 tn Grk “striking the side of Peter, he awoke him saying.” The term refers to a push or a light tap (BDAG 786 s.v. πατάσσω 1.a). The participle πατάξας (pataxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
21 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.
23 tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.
24 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Or “outer garment.”
27 tn Grk “And going out he followed.”
28 tn Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
29 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
30 tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).
31 tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”
32 sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).
33 tn Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
34 tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).
35 tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).
36 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
37 sn On being struck…down by an angel, see Acts 23:3; 1 Sam 25:28; 2 Sam 12:15; 2 Kgs 19:35; 2 Chr 13:20; 2 Macc 9:5.
38 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 sn He was eaten by worms and died. Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.343-352), states that Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in