2:1 When I came 1 to you, brothers and sisters, 2 I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony 3 of God. 2:2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing 4 among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived 5 from Macedonia, 6 Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming 7 the word, testifying 8 to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 9
23:11 The following night the Lord 18 stood near 19 Paul 20 and said, “Have courage, 21 for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, 22 so you must also testify in Rome.” 23
28:23 They set 24 a day to meet with him, 25 and they came to him where he was staying 26 in even greater numbers. 27 From morning until evening he explained things 28 to them, 29 testifying 30 about the kingdom of God 31 and trying to convince 32 them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.
28:1 After we had safely reached shore, 33 we learned that the island was called Malta. 34
1:1 I wrote 42 the former 43 account, 44 Theophilus, 45 about all that Jesus began to do and teach
5:12 Now many miraculous signs 49 and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By 50 common consent 51 they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. 52 5:13 None of the rest dared to join them, 53 but the people held them in high honor. 54
1:9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares 57 with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that 58 are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. 59
6:9 Now 60 when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed 61 because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given.
12:11 But 62 they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives 63 so much that they were afraid to die.
1 tn Grk “and I, when I came.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, κἀγώ (kagw) has not been translated here.
2 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
3 tc ‡ A few important
4 tn Grk “to know nothing.”
5 tn Grk “came down.”
6 sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
7 tn BDAG 971 s.v. συνέχω 6 states, “συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ (Paul) was wholly absorbed in preaching Ac 18:5…in contrast to the activity cited in vs. 3.” The imperfect συνείχετο (suneiceto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“became wholly absorbed…”), stressing the change in Paul’s activity once Silas and Timothy arrived. At this point Paul apparently began to work less and preach more.
8 tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “testify of, bear witness to solemnly (orig. under oath)…W. acc. and inf. foll. Ac 18:5.”
9 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
10 tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”
11 tc Several
12 tn Grk “soul.”
13 tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”
14 tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”
15 tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation – ‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.
16 tn Or “to the gospel.”
17 tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.
19 tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
20 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
21 tn Or “Do not be afraid.”
22 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
23 sn Like Jesus went to Jerusalem, Paul would now go to Rome. This trip forms the concluding backdrop to Acts. This is the second notice about going to Rome (see Acts 19:21 for the first).
24 tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
25 tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
26 tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”
27 tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”
28 tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
29 tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.
30 tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”
31 sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.
32 tn Or “persuade.”
33 tn Grk “We having been brought safely through” [to land] (same verb as 27:44). The word “shore” is implied, and the slight variations in translation from 27:44 have been made to avoid redundancy in English. The participle διασωθέντες (diaswqente") has been taken temporally.
34 sn Malta is an island (known by the same name today) in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The ship had traveled 625 mi (1,000 km) in the storm.
35 tn Or “this noise.”
36 tn Or “was bewildered.”
37 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated for stylistic reasons. It occurs as part of the formula καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto) which is often left untranslated in Luke-Acts because it is redundant in contemporary English. Here it is possible (and indeed necessary) to translate ἐγένετο as “came” so that the initial clause of the English translation contains a verb; nevertheless the translation of the conjunction καί is not necessary.
38 tn Or “a noise.”
39 tn While φέρω (ferw) generally refers to movement from one place to another with the possible implication of causing the movement of other objects, in Acts 2:2 φέρομαι (feromai) should probably be understood in a more idiomatic sense of “blowing” since it is combined with the noun for wind (πνοή, pnoh).
40 tn Or “from the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.
41 tn Or “to the ends.”
42 tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”
43 tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).
44 tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.
45 tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).
46 tn Grk “And great.” 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.
47 tn Or “fear came on,” “fear seized”; Grk “fear happened to.”
48 sn This is the first occurrence of the term church (ἐκκλησία, ekklhsia) in Acts. It refers to an assembly of people.
49 tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.
50 tn Grk “And by.” 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.
51 tn Or “With one mind.”
52 tn Or “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”
53 tn Or “to associate with them.” The group was beginning to have a controversial separate identity. People were cautious about joining them. The next verse suggests that the phrase “none of the rest” in this verse is rhetorical hyperbole.
54 tn Or “the people thought very highly of them.”
55 tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to make the chronological succession clear in the translation.
56 tn The genitive phrase “about Jesus Christ” is taken as an objective genitive.
57 tn The translation attempts to bring out the verbal idea in συγκοινωνός (sunkoinwno", “co-sharer”); John was suffering for his faith at the time he wrote this.
58 tn The prepositional phrase ἐν ᾿Ιησοῦ (en Ihsou) could be taken with ὑπομονῇ (Jupomonh) as the translation does or with the more distant συγκοινωνός (sunkoinwno"), in which case the translation would read “your brother and the one who shares with you in Jesus in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance.”
59 tn The phrase “about Jesus” has been translated as an objective genitive.
60 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new and somewhat different topic after the introduction of the four riders.
61 tn Or “murdered.” See the note on the word “butcher” in 6:4.
62 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
63 sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.
64 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.
65 tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).
66 tn Or “who obey.”
67 tn Grk “and having.”
68 tn Grk “the testimony of Jesus,” which may involve a subjective genitive (“Jesus’ testimony”) or, more likely, an objective genitive (“testimony about Jesus”).
69 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
70 tc Grk ἐστάθη (estaqh, “he stood”). The reading followed by the translation is attested by the better
71 tn Or “sandy beach” (L&N 1.64).
72 sn The standard critical texts of the Greek NT, NA27 and UBS4, both include this sentence as 12:18, as do the RSV and NRSV. Other modern translations like the NASB and NIV include the sentence at the beginning of 13:1; in these versions chap. 12 has only 17 verses.
73 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s announcement.
74 tn Grk “I fell down at his feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
75 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
76 tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή (Jora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”
77 tn The lowliness of a slave is emphasized in the Greek text with the emphatic position of σύνδουλος (sundoulo"). The use of “only” helps to bring this nuance out in English.
78 tn Grk “fellow slave.” See the note on the word “servants” in v. 2.
79 tn The Greek term “brother” literally refers to family relationships, but here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).
80 tn The genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) has been translated as an objective genitive here. A subjective genitive, also possible, would produce the meaning “who hold to what Jesus testifies.”