Acts 7:35-36

7:35 This same ¹  Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ ²  God sent as both ruler and deliverer ³  through the hand of the angel ⁴  who appeared to him in the bush. 7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs ⁵  in the land of Egypt, ⁶  at ⁷  the Red Sea, and in the wilderness ⁸  for forty years.

Acts 14:27

14:27 When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported ⁹  all the things God ¹⁰  had done with them, and that he had opened a door ¹¹  of faith for the Gentiles.

Acts 15:12

15:12 The whole group kept quiet ¹²  and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs ¹³  and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

Acts 21:19-20

21:19 When Paul ¹⁴  had greeted them, he began to explain ¹⁵  in detail ¹⁶  what God ¹⁷  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ¹⁸  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ¹⁹  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ²⁰  of the law. ²¹ 

Romans 15:18

15:18 For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience ²²  of the Gentiles, by word and deed,

¹ sn This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).

² sn A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.

³ tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”

⁴ tn Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14-18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 LXX).

⁵ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.

⁶ tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

⁷ tn Grk “and at,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

⁸ tn Or “desert.”

⁹ tn Or “announced.”

¹⁰ sn Note that God is the subject of the activity. The outcome of this mission is seen as a confirmation of the mission to the Gentiles.

¹¹ sn On the image of opening, or of the door, see 1 Cor 16:9; 2 Cor 2:12; Col 4:3.

¹² tn BDAG 922 s.v. σιγάω 1.a lists this passage under the meaning “say nothing, keep still, keep silent.”

¹³ tn Here in connection with τέρατα (terata) the miraculous nature of these signs is indicated.

¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁵ tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

¹⁶ tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”

¹⁷ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

¹⁸ tn Or “glorified.”

¹⁹ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

²⁰ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

²¹ sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

²² tn Grk “unto obedience.”