Acts 13:8

13:8 But the magician Elymas (for that is the way his name is translated) opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Acts 14:9

14:9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed,

Acts 14:22

14:22 They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions.”

Acts 14:27

14:27 When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported 10  all the things God 11  had done with them, and that he had opened a door 12  of faith for the Gentiles.

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.

sn A parenthetical note by the author.

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

tn Grk “speaking, who.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the noun “Paul,” and a new sentence begun in the translation because an English relative clause would be very awkward here.

tn Or “looked.”

tn Grk “to Antioch, strengthening.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here. This participle (ἐπιστηρίζοντες, episthrizonte") and the following one (παρακαλοῦντες, parakalounte") have been translated as finite verbs connected by the coordinating conjunction “and.”

sn And encouraged them to continue. The exhortations are like those noted in Acts 11:23; 13:43. An example of such a speech is found in Acts 20:18-35. Christianity is now characterized as “the faith.”

sn This reference to the kingdom of God clearly refers to its future arrival.

10 tn Or “sufferings.”

10 tn Or “announced.”

11 sn Note that God is the subject of the activity. The outcome of this mission is seen as a confirmation of the mission to the Gentiles.

12 sn On the image of opening, or of the door, see 1 Cor 16:9; 2 Cor 2:12; Col 4:3.