17:1 After they traveled through 8 Amphipolis 9 and Apollonia, 10 they came to Thessalonica, 11 where there was a Jewish synagogue. 12
4:23 When they were released, Peter and John 13 went to their fellow believers 14 and reported everything the high priests and the elders had said to them.
13:13 Then Paul and his companions put out to sea 16 from Paphos 17 and came to Perga 18 in Pamphylia, 19 but John 20 left them and returned to Jerusalem. 21
28:23 They set 31 a day to meet with him, 32 and they came to him where he was staying 33 in even greater numbers. 34 From morning until evening he explained things 35 to them, 36 testifying 37 about the kingdom of God 38 and trying to convince 39 them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.
1 tn Grk “Therefore when I was sent for.” The passive participle μεταπεμφθείς (metapemfqei") has been taken temporally and converted to an active construction which is less awkward in English.
2 tn Grk “ask for what reason.”
3 tn The participle ἐκτιναξάμενοι (ektinaxamenoi) is taken temporally. It could also be translated as a participle of attendant circumstance (“So they shook…and went”).
4 sn Shaking the dust off their feet was a symbolic gesture commanded by Jesus to his disciples, Matt 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5. It shows a group of people as culpable before God.
5 sn Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 90 mi (145 km) east southeast of Pisidian Antioch. It was the easternmost city of Phrygia.
5 tn Grk “Then passing through Pisidia they came.” The participle διελθόντες (dielqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
6 sn Pamphylia was a province along the southern coast of Asia Minor.
7 tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.
8 sn Amphipolis. The capital city of the southeastern district of Macedonia (BDAG 55 s.v. ᾿Αμφίπολις). It was a military post. From Philippi this was about 33 mi (53 km).
9 sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.
10 sn Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was a city in Macedonia about 33 mi (53 km) west of Apollonia. It was the capital of Macedonia. The road they traveled over was called the Via Egnatia. It is likely they rode horses, given their condition in Philippi. The implication of v. 1 is that the two previously mentioned cities lacked a synagogue.
11 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
9 tn Grk “they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity, since a new topic begins in v. 23 and the last specific reference to Peter and John in the Greek text is in 4:19.
10 tn Grk “to their own [people].” In context this phrase is most likely a reference to other believers rather than simply their own families and/or homes, since the group appears to act with one accord in the prayer that follows in v. 24. At the literary level, this phrase suggests how Jews were now splitting into two camps, pro-Jesus and anti-Jesus.
11 tn Or “What prevents me.” The rhetorical question means, “I should get baptized, right?”
13 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”
14 sn Paphos was a city on the southwestern coast of the island of Cyprus. See Acts 13:6.
15 sn Perga was a city in Pamphylia near the southern coast of Asia Minor. The journey from Paphos to Perga is about 105 mi (175 km).
16 sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor.
17 sn That is, John Mark.
18 sn Returned to Jerusalem. John Mark had originally accompanied them from Jerusalem (see Acts 12:25). John Mark’s decision to leave became an issue later for Barnabas and Paul (Acts 15:36-39).
15 tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”
16 tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”
17 tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”
17 sn Six witnesses is three times more than what would normally be required. They could confirm the events were not misrepresented by Peter.
19 sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).
20 tn Grk “that the word of God had also been proclaimed by Paul.” This passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.
22 tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.
23 tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.
21 tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
22 tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
23 tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”
24 tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”
25 tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
26 tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.
27 tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”
28 sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.
29 tn Or “persuade.”