8:14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem 2 heard that Samaria had accepted the word 3 of God, they sent 4 Peter and John to them.
8:25 So after Peter and John 5 had solemnly testified 6 and spoken the word of the Lord, 7 they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming 8 the good news to many Samaritan villages 9 as they went. 10
1 tn Or “to the ends.”
2 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
3 tn Or “message.”
4 sn They sent. The Jerusalem church with the apostles was overseeing the expansion of the church, as the distribution of the Spirit indicates in vv. 15-17.
5 tn Grk “after they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and could be taken to refer specifically to the warning given to Simon in the preceding verses. However, a more general reference is more likely, referring to parting exhortations from Peter and John to the entire group of believers.
7 sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
8 tn Grk “they were returning to Jerusalem and were proclaiming.” The first imperfect is taken ingressively and the second is viewed iteratively (“proclaiming…as they went”).
9 sn By proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages, the apostles now actively share in the broader ministry the Hellenists had started.
10 tn “As they went” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the imperfect tense (see tn above).
11 tn The participle ἰδόντες (idontes) has been taken temporally to retain the structure of the passage. Many modern translations, because of the length of the sentence here, translate this participle as a finite verb and break the Greek sentences into several English sentences (NIV, for example, begins new sentences at the beginning of both vv. 8 and 9).
12 tn Grk “to the uncircumcision,” that is, to the Gentiles.
13 tn Grk “to the circumcision,” a collective reference to the Jewish people.
14 tn Or “worked through”; the same word is also used in relation to Paul later in this verse.
15 tn Or “his ministry as an apostle.”
16 tn Grk “to the circumcision,” i.e., the Jewish people.
17 tn Grk “also empowered me to the Gentiles.”
18 sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).
19 tn Or “who were influential as,” or “who were reputed to be.” See also the note on the word “influential” in 2:6.
20 sn Pillars is figurative here for those like James, Peter, and John who were leaders in the Jerusalem church.
21 tn The participle γνόντες (gnontes) has been taken temporally. It is structurally parallel to the participle translated “when they saw” in v. 7.
22 tn Grk “me and Barnabas.”
23 tn Grk “so,” with the ἵνα (Jina) indicating the result of the “pillars” extending the “right hand of fellowship,” but the translation “they gave…the right hand of fellowship so that we would go” could be misunderstood as purpose here. The implication of the scene is that an agreement, outlined at the end of v. 10, was reached between Paul and Barnabas on the one hand and the “pillars” of the Jerusalem church on the other.
24 tn Grk “to the circumcision,” a collective reference to the Jewish people.