1 Timothy 2:7

2:7 For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle – I am telling the truth; ¹  I am not lying – and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Acts 9:15

9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument ²  to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. ³ 

Acts 26:16-18

26:16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance ⁴  as a servant and witness ⁵  to the things ⁶  you have seen ⁷  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ⁸  you from your own people ⁹  and from the Gentiles, to whom ¹⁰  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ¹¹  from darkness to light and from the power ¹²  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ¹³  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Acts 26:1

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ¹⁴  said to Paul, “You have permission ¹⁵  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ¹⁶  and began his defense: ¹⁷ 

Colossians 1:17

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ¹⁸  in him.

Galatians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹⁹  an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)

Galatians 1:11

Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship

1:11 Now ²⁰  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, ²¹  that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ²² 

Galatians 1:2

1:2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.

Galatians 1:11

Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship

1:11 Now ²³  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, ²⁴  that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ²⁵ 

Titus 1:3

1:3 But now in his own time ²⁶  he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior.

¹ tc Most mss (א* D² H 33^vid Ï) have ἐν Χριστῷ (en Cristw) after λέγω (legw) to read “I am telling the truth in Christ,” but this is probably an assimilation to Rom 9:1. Further, the witnesses that lack this phrase are early, important, and well distributed (א² A D* F G P Ψ 6 81 1175 1739 1881 al sy co). It is difficult to explain the shorter reading if it is not original.

² tn Or “tool.”

³ tn Grk “the sons of Israel.” In Acts, Paul is a minister to all nations, including Israel (Rom 1:16-17).

⁴ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

⁵ sn As a servant and witness. The commission is similar to Acts 1:8 and Luke 1:2. Paul was now an “eyewitness” of the Lord.

⁶ tn BDAG 719 s.v. ὁράω A.1.b states, “W. attraction of the relative ὧν = τούτων ἅ Lk 9:36; Ac 22:15. The attraction may be due to colloq. breviloquence in μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες με ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι a witness to the things in which you saw me and to those in which I shall appear to you Ac 26:16b.”

⁷ tc ‡ Some mss read “of the things in which you have seen me.” The accusative object με (me, “me”) is found after εἶδές (eide") in B C*^vid 614 945 1175 1505 1739 1891 2464 pc sy sa; it is lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A C² E Ψ 096 Ï latt bo. The external evidence is relatively evenly divided, though there is a slight preference for the omission. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

⁸ tn Grk “rescuing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ἐξαιρούμενος (exairoumeno") has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 17.

⁹ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

¹⁰ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is probably both the Jews (“your own people”) and the Gentiles, indicating the comprehensive commission Paul received.

¹¹ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

¹² tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

¹³ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

¹⁴ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

¹⁵ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

¹⁶ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

¹⁷ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

¹⁸ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.

¹⁹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

²⁰ tc ‡ The conjunction δέ (de) is found in Ì⁴⁶ א*^,2 A D¹ Ψ 1739 1881 Ï sy bo, while γάρ (gar) is the conjunction of choice in א¹ B D*^,c F G 33 pc lat sa. There are thus good representatives on each side. Scribes generally tended to prefer γάρ in such instances, most likely because it was more forceful and explicit. γάρ is thus seen as a motivated reading. For this reason, δέ is preferred.

²¹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

²² tn Grk “is not according to man.”

²³ tc ‡ The conjunction δέ (de) is found in Ì⁴⁶ א*^,2 A D¹ Ψ 1739 1881 Ï sy bo, while γάρ (gar) is the conjunction of choice in א¹ B D*^,c F G 33 pc lat sa. There are thus good representatives on each side. Scribes generally tended to prefer γάρ in such instances, most likely because it was more forceful and explicit. γάρ is thus seen as a motivated reading. For this reason, δέ is preferred.

²⁴ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

²⁵ tn Grk “is not according to man.”

²⁶ tn The Greek text emphasizes the contrast between vv. 2b and 3a: God promised this long ago but now has revealed it in his own time.