23:1 Paul looked directly 34 at the council 35 and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience 36 before God to this day.”
2:29 “Brothers, 44 I can speak confidently 45 to you about our forefather 46 David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
1 tn Or “and was chosen to have a share in this ministry.” The term λαγχάνω (lancanw) here and in 2 Pet 1:1 can be understood as referring to the process of divine choice and thus be translated, “was chosen to have.”
2 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
3 tn Or “speak.”
3 tn Grk “to take the place.”
4 tn Or “of this ministry.”
5 tn Or “the task of this service and apostleship which Judas ceased to perform.”
6 sn To go to his own place. This may well be a euphemism for Judas’ judged fate. He separated himself from them, and thus separated he would remain.
4 tn Or “this noise.”
5 tn Or “was bewildered.”
5 tn Or “warned.”
6 tn Or “crooked” (in a moral or ethical sense). See Luke 3:5.
6 tn It is not clear from a historical standpoint (but it is unlikely) that women would have been involved in the selection process too. For this reason the translation “brothers” has been retained, rather than “brothers and sisters” (used in contexts where both male and female believers are clearly addressed).
7 sn Seven. Jewish town councils often had seven members (Josephus, Ant. 4.18.14 [4.214]).
8 tn Or “are of good reputation” (BDAG 618 s.v. μαρτυρέω 2.b).
9 tn The translation “put in charge” is given by BDAG 492 s.v. καθίστημι 2.
10 tn Grk “of this need”; translated “necessary work” or “needed task” by L&N 42.22.
7 tn Or “and implore the Lord.”
8 tn Grk “that if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in contemporary English and has thus been converted to an active construction in the translation.
8 tn Grk “opening his mouth” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
9 sn Beginning with this scripture. The discussion likely included many of the scriptures Acts has already noted for the reader in earlier speeches. At the least, readers of Acts would know what other scriptures might be meant.
9 tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.
10 tn Grk “sons”
11 tn Or “race.”
12 tn Grk “and those among you who fear God,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44. Note how Paul includes God-fearing Gentiles as recipients of this promise.
13 tn Grk “word.”
10 tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunaqroisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
11 tn Grk “whom”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a pronoun (“these”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
12 sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.
13 tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”
11 tn Grk “For indeed.” The ascensive force of καί (kai) would be awkward to translate here.
12 tn The term translated “rioting” refers to a revolt or uprising (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 2, 3). This would threaten Roman rule and invite Roman intervention.
13 tn Or “to account for.” Grk “since there is no cause concerning which we can give account concerning this disorderly gathering.” The complexity of the Greek relative clause (“which”) and the multiple prepositions (“concerning”) have been simplified in the translation consistent with contemporary English style.
14 tn Or “commotion.” BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 gives the meaning “a tumultuous gathering of people, disorderly/seditious gathering or commotion…Ac 19:40.”
12 tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
13 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
14 tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”
13 tn BDAG 433 s.v. ἤ 2.c has “οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἤ nothing else than…Ac 17:21. τί…ἤ what other…than…24:21.”
14 tn Grk “one utterance.”
15 tn Cf. BDAG 327 s.v. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”
16 sn The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?
14 tn Grk “regarding this sect it is known to us.” The passive construction “it is known to us” has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.
15 tn Grk “that everywhere it is spoken against.” To simplify the translation the passive construction “it is spoken against” has been converted to an active one with the subject “people” supplied.
16 tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.
15 tn Since this represents a continuation of the address beginning in v.14 and continued in v. 22, “brothers” has been used here rather than a generic expression like “brothers and sisters.”
16 sn Peter’s certainty is based on well-known facts.
17 tn Or “about our noted ancestor,” “about the patriarch.”
16 tn Grk “And Cornelius.” 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.
17 tn Grk “said.”
18 tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.
19 tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.
17 tn Grk “So experiencing…I stand.” The participle τυχών (tucwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
18 tn BDAG 311 s.v. ἐκτός 3.b, “functions as prep. w. gen. οὐδὲν ἐ. ὧν nothing except what (cf. 1 Ch 29:3; 2 Ch 17:19; TestNapht. 6:2) Ac 26:22.”
19 sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.