13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: 8 Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, 9 Lucius the Cyrenian, 10 Manaen (a close friend of Herod 11 the tetrarch 12 from childhood 13 ) and Saul.
From the apostles 15 and elders, your brothers, 16 to the Gentile brothers and sisters 17 in Antioch, 18 Syria, 19 and Cilicia, greetings!
18:18 Paul, after staying 21 many more days in Corinth, 22 said farewell to 23 the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by 24 Priscilla and Aquila. 25 He 26 had his hair cut off 27 at Cenchrea 28 because he had made a vow. 29
1 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine, south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.
2 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
3 tn Grk “So it happened that” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
4 tn Grk “year they”; the referents (Barnabas and Saul) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Grk “a significant crowd.”
6 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
7 sn The term Christians appears only here, in Acts 26:28, and 1 Pet 4:16 in the NT.
8 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).
9 sn Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”
10 sn The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.
11 sn Herod is generally taken as a reference to Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee from 4
12 tn Or “the governor.”
13 tn Or “(a foster brother of Herod the tetrarch).” The meaning “close friend from childhood” is given by L&N 34.15, but the word can also mean “foster brother” (L&N 10.51). BDAG 976 s.v. σύντροφας states, “pert. to being brought up with someone, either as a foster-brother or as a companion/friend,” which covers both alternatives. Context does not given enough information to be certain which is the case here, although many modern translations prefer the meaning “close friend from childhood.”
14 tn Grk “writing by their hand” (an idiom for sending a letter).
15 tn Grk “The apostles.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
16 tn Grk “brothers,” but “your” is supplied to specify the relationship, since without it “brothers” could be understood as vocative in English.
17 tn Grk “to the brothers who are from the Gentiles.”
18 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).
19 tn Grk “and Syria,” 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.
20 sn Strengthening. See Acts 14:22; 15:32; 18:23.
21 tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.
22 map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.
23 tn Or “Corinth, took leave of.” Grk “saying farewell to”; the participle ἀποταξάμενος (apotaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
24 tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”
25 sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.
26 tn Or “Aquila, who.” The relationship of the participle κειράμενος (keirameno") is difficult to determine. Traditionally it is taken to refer to Paul, meaning that Paul had his hair cut off because of the vow. However, due to the proximity of the noun ᾿Ακύλας (Akula") and the reversal of the normal order (Aquila and Priscilla, Acts 17:34), the participle is taken as adjectival referring to Aquila by H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, n. 11. The later references to Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:23) do not resolve the problem, because the cutting of Paul’s own hair, while it may be implied, is not specifically mentioned in connection with the completion of the vows made by the other four.
27 tn The word “off” is supplied in the translation to indicate that this was not a normal haircut, but the shaving of the head connected with taking the vow (see Acts 21:24).
28 tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”
29 sn He had made a vow. It is debated whether this vow is a private vow of thanksgiving or the Nazirite vow, because it is not clear whether the Nazirite vow could be taken outside Jerusalem. Some have cited the Mishnah (m. Nazir 3:6, 5:4) to argue that the shaving of the hair can occur outside Jerusalem, and Josephus, J. W. 2.15.1 (2.313) is sometimes suggested as a parallel, but these references are not clear. H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, is certain that this refers to the Nazirite vow. Regardless, it is clear that Paul reflected his pious dependence on God.
30 sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.
31 sn The expression left it behind on our port side here means “sailed past to the south of it” since the ship was sailing east.
32 tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”
33 sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia. From Patara to Tyre was about 400 mi (640 km). It required a large cargo ship over 100 ft (30 m) long, and was a four to five day voyage.