Acts 13:12

13:12 Then when the proconsul ¹  saw what had happened, he believed, ²  because he was greatly astounded ³  at the teaching about ⁴  the Lord.

Acts 13:7-8

13:7 who was with the proconsul ⁵  Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul ⁶  summoned ⁷  Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear ⁸  the word of God. 13:8 But the magician Elymas ⁹  (for that is the way his name is translated) ¹⁰  opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul ¹¹  away from the faith.

Acts 18:12

Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio

18:12 Now while Gallio ¹²  was proconsul ¹³  of Achaia, ¹⁴  the Jews attacked Paul together ¹⁵  and brought him before the judgment seat, ¹⁶ 

Acts 19:38

19:38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint ¹⁷  against someone, the courts are open ¹⁸  and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there. ¹⁹ 

¹ sn See the note on proconsul in v. 8.

² sn He believed. The faith of the proconsul in the face of Jewish opposition is a theme of the rest of Acts. Paul has indeed become “a light to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:47).

³ tn The translation “greatly astounded” for ἐκπλησσόμενος (ekplhssomeno") is given by L&N 25.219.

⁴ tn Grk “of,” but this could give the impression the Lord himself had done the teaching (a subjective genitive) when actually the Lord was the object of the teaching (an objective genitive).

⁵ sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

⁶ tn Grk “This one”; the referent (the proconsul) is specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Grk “summoning Barnabas and Saul, wanted to hear.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁸ sn The proconsul…wanted to hear the word of God. This description of Sergius Paulus portrays him as a sensitive, secular Gentile leader.

⁹ tn On the debate over what the name “Elymas” means, see BDAG 320 s.v. ᾿Ελύμας. The magician’s behavior is more directly opposed to the faith than Simon Magus’ was.

¹⁰ sn A parenthetical note by the author.

¹¹ sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

¹³ sn Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from a.d. 51-52. This date is one of the firmly established dates in Acts. Lucius Junius Gallio was the son of the rhetorician Seneca and the brother of Seneca the philosopher. The date of Gallio’s rule is established from an inscription (W. Dittenberger, ed., Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum 2.3 no. 8). Thus the event mentioned here is probably to be dated July-October a.d. 51.

¹⁴ sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

¹⁵ sn Achaia was a Roman province created in 146 b.c. that included the most important parts of Greece (Attica, Boeotia, and the Peloponnesus).

¹⁶ tn Grk “with one accord.”

¹⁷ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), there is no need for an alternative translation here since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time.

¹⁷ tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”

¹⁸ tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”

¹⁹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.