Acts 16:1--19:41

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16:1 He also came to Derbe ¹  and to Lystra. ²  A disciple ³  named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, ⁴  but whose father was a Greek. ⁵  16:2 The brothers in Lystra ⁶  and Iconium ⁷  spoke well ⁸  of him. ⁹  16:3 Paul wanted Timothy ¹⁰  to accompany him, and he took ¹¹  him and circumcised ¹²  him because of the Jews who were in those places, ¹³  for they all knew that his father was Greek. ¹⁴  16:4 As they went through the towns, ¹⁵  they passed on ¹⁶  the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ¹⁷  for the Gentile believers ¹⁸  to obey. ¹⁹  16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day. ²⁰ 

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man

16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia ²¹  and Galatia, ²²  having been prevented ²³  by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message ²⁴  in the province of Asia. ²⁵  16:7 When they came to ²⁶  Mysia, ²⁷  they attempted to go into Bithynia, ²⁸  but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow ²⁹  them to do this, ³⁰  16:8 so they passed through ³¹  Mysia ³²  and went down to Troas. ³³  16:9 A ³⁴  vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there ³⁵  urging him, ³⁶  “Come over ³⁷  to Macedonia ³⁸  and help us!” 16:10 After Paul ³⁹  saw the vision, we attempted ⁴⁰  immediately to go over to Macedonia, ⁴¹  concluding that God had called ⁴²  us to proclaim the good news to them.

Arrival at Philippi

16:11 We put out to sea ⁴³  from Troas ⁴⁴  and sailed a straight course ⁴⁵  to Samothrace, ⁴⁶  the next day to Neapolis, ⁴⁷  16:12 and from there to Philippi, ⁴⁸  which is a leading city of that district ⁴⁹  of Macedonia, ⁵⁰  a Roman colony. ⁵¹  We stayed in this city for some days. 16:13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down ⁵²  and began to speak ⁵³  to the women ⁵⁴  who had assembled there. ⁵⁵  16:14 A ⁵⁶  woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth ⁵⁷  from the city of Thyatira, ⁵⁸  a God-fearing woman, listened to us. ⁵⁹  The Lord opened her heart to respond ⁶⁰  to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, ⁶¹  “If ⁶²  you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, ⁶³  come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded ⁶⁴  us.

Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

16:16 Now ⁶⁵  as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. ⁶⁶  She ⁶⁷  brought her owners ⁶⁸  a great profit by fortune-telling. ⁶⁹  16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, ⁷⁰  “These men are servants ⁷¹  of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way ⁷²  of salvation.” ⁷³  16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, ⁷⁴  and turned ⁷⁵  and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ ⁷⁶  to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. ⁷⁷  16:19 But when her owners ⁷⁸  saw their hope of profit ⁷⁹  was gone, they seized ⁸⁰  Paul and Silas and dragged ⁸¹  them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When ⁸²  they had brought them ⁸³  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ⁸⁴  They are ⁸⁵  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ⁸⁶  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ⁸⁷  or practice, ⁸⁸  since we are ⁸⁹  Romans.”

16:22 The crowd joined the attack ⁹⁰  against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes ⁹¹  off Paul and Silas ⁹²  and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ⁹³  16:23 After they had beaten them severely, ⁹⁴  they threw them into prison and commanded ⁹⁵  the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ⁹⁶  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ⁹⁷ 

16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying ⁹⁸  and singing hymns to God, ⁹⁹  and the rest of ¹⁰⁰  the prisoners were listening to them. 16:26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds ¹⁰¹  of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up ¹⁰²  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ¹⁰³  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ¹⁰⁴  because he assumed ¹⁰⁵  the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, ¹⁰⁶  “Do not harm yourself, ¹⁰⁷  for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer ¹⁰⁸  rushed in and fell down ¹⁰⁹  trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside ¹¹⁰  and asked, “Sirs, what must ¹¹¹  I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, ¹¹²  “Believe ¹¹³  in the Lord Jesus ¹¹⁴  and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then ¹¹⁵  they spoke the word of the Lord ¹¹⁶  to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At ¹¹⁷  that hour of the night he took them ¹¹⁸  and washed their wounds; ¹¹⁹  then ¹²⁰  he and all his family ¹²¹  were baptized right away. ¹²²  16:34 The jailer ¹²³  brought them into his house and set food ¹²⁴  before them, and he rejoiced greatly ¹²⁵  that he had come to believe ¹²⁶  in God, together with his entire household. ¹²⁷  16:35 At daybreak ¹²⁸  the magistrates ¹²⁹  sent their police officers, ¹³⁰  saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ¹³¹  “The magistrates have sent orders ¹³²  to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” ¹³³  16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ¹³⁴  “They had us beaten in public ¹³⁵  without a proper trial ¹³⁶  – even though we are Roman citizens ¹³⁷  – and they threw us ¹³⁸  in prison. And now they want to send us away ¹³⁹  secretly? Absolutely not! They ¹⁴⁰  themselves must come and escort us out!” ¹⁴¹  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ¹⁴²  were Roman citizens ¹⁴³  16:39 and came ¹⁴⁴  and apologized to them. After ¹⁴⁵  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ¹⁴⁶  to leave the city. 16:40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then ¹⁴⁷  departed.

Paul and Silas at Thessalonica

17:1 After they traveled through ¹⁴⁸  Amphipolis ¹⁴⁹  and Apollonia, ¹⁵⁰  they came to Thessalonica, ¹⁵¹  where there was a Jewish synagogue. ¹⁵²  17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ¹⁵³  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ¹⁵⁴  them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating ¹⁵⁵  that the Christ ¹⁵⁶  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ¹⁵⁷  saying, ¹⁵⁸  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ¹⁵⁹  17:4 Some of them were persuaded ¹⁶⁰  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ¹⁶¹  of God-fearing Greeks ¹⁶²  and quite a few ¹⁶³  prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ¹⁶⁴  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ¹⁶⁵  they formed a mob ¹⁶⁶  and set the city in an uproar. ¹⁶⁷  They attacked Jason’s house, ¹⁶⁸  trying to find Paul and Silas ¹⁶⁹  to bring them out to the assembly. ¹⁷⁰  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ¹⁷¹  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ¹⁷²  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ¹⁷³  throughout the world ¹⁷⁴  have come here too, 17:7 and ¹⁷⁵  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ¹⁷⁶  are all acting against Caesar’s ¹⁷⁷  decrees, saying there is another king named ¹⁷⁸  Jesus!” ¹⁷⁹  17:8 They caused confusion among ¹⁸⁰  the crowd and the city officials ¹⁸¹  who heard these things. 17:9 After ¹⁸²  the city officials ¹⁸³  had received bail ¹⁸⁴  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ¹⁸⁵  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ¹⁸⁶  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹⁸⁷  17:11 These Jews ¹⁸⁸  were more open-minded ¹⁸⁹  than those in Thessalonica, ¹⁹⁰  for they eagerly ¹⁹¹  received ¹⁹²  the message, examining ¹⁹³  the scriptures carefully every day ¹⁹⁴  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ¹⁹⁵  prominent ¹⁹⁶  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ¹⁹⁷  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ¹⁹⁸  in Berea, ¹⁹⁹  they came there too, inciting ²⁰⁰  and disturbing ²⁰¹  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ²⁰²  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ²⁰³  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ²⁰⁴  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ²⁰⁵ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ²⁰⁶  his spirit was greatly upset ²⁰⁷  because he saw ²⁰⁸  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ²⁰⁹  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ²¹⁰  in the synagogue, ²¹¹  and in the marketplace every day ²¹²  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ²¹³  and Stoic ²¹⁴  philosophers were conversing ²¹⁵  with him, and some were asking, ²¹⁶  “What does this foolish babbler ²¹⁷  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ²¹⁸  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ²¹⁹  17:19 So they took Paul and ²²⁰  brought him to the Areopagus, ²²¹  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ²²²  to our ears, so we want to know what they ²²³  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ²²⁴  in nothing else than telling ²²⁵  or listening to something new.) ²²⁶ 

17:22 So Paul stood ²²⁷  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ²²⁸  in all respects. ²²⁹  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ²³⁰  I even found an altar with this inscription: ²³¹  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ²³²  this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ²³³  who is ²³⁴  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ²³⁵  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ²³⁶  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ²³⁷  17:26 From one man ²³⁸  he made every nation of the human race ²³⁹  to inhabit the entire earth, ²⁴⁰  determining their set times ²⁴¹  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ²⁴²  17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ²⁴³  for him and find him, ²⁴⁴  though he is ²⁴⁵  not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about ²⁴⁶  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ²⁴⁷  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ²⁴⁸  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ²⁴⁹  made by human ²⁵⁰  skill ²⁵¹  and imagination. ²⁵²  17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ²⁵³  such times of ignorance, ²⁵⁴  he now commands all people ²⁵⁵  everywhere to repent, ²⁵⁶  17:31 because he has set ²⁵⁷  a day on which he is going to judge the world ²⁵⁸  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ²⁵⁹  having provided proof to everyone by raising ²⁶⁰  him from the dead.”

17:32 Now when they heard about ²⁶¹  the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, ²⁶²  but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 17:33 So Paul left the Areopagus. ²⁶³  17:34 But some people ²⁶⁴  joined him ²⁶⁵  and believed. Among them ²⁶⁶  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ²⁶⁷  a woman ²⁶⁸  named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

18:1 After this ²⁶⁹  Paul ²⁷⁰  departed from ²⁷¹  Athens ²⁷²  and went to Corinth. ²⁷³  18:2 There he ²⁷⁴  found ²⁷⁵  a Jew named Aquila, ²⁷⁶  a native of Pontus, ²⁷⁷  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ²⁷⁸  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ²⁷⁹  Rome. ²⁸⁰  Paul approached ²⁸¹  them, 18:3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them ²⁸²  (for they were tentmakers ²⁸³  by trade). ²⁸⁴  18:4 He addressed ²⁸⁵  both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue ²⁸⁶  every Sabbath, attempting to persuade ²⁸⁷  them.

18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived ²⁸⁸  from Macedonia, ²⁸⁹  Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming ²⁹⁰  the word, testifying ²⁹¹  to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ²⁹²  18:6 When they opposed him ²⁹³  and reviled him, ²⁹⁴  he protested by shaking out his clothes ²⁹⁵  and said to them, “Your blood ²⁹⁶  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ²⁹⁷  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!” 18:7 Then Paul ²⁹⁸  left ²⁹⁹  the synagogue ³⁰⁰  and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, ³⁰¹  whose house was next door to the synagogue. 18:8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, ³⁰²  believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it ³⁰³  believed and were baptized. 18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ³⁰⁴  in the night, ³⁰⁵  “Do not be afraid, ³⁰⁶  but speak and do not be silent, 18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ³⁰⁷  you to harm ³⁰⁸  you, because I have many people in this city.” 18:11 So he stayed there ³⁰⁹  a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ³¹⁰ 

Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio

18:12 Now while Gallio ³¹¹  was proconsul ³¹²  of Achaia, ³¹³  the Jews attacked Paul together ³¹⁴  and brought him before the judgment seat, ³¹⁵  18:13 saying, “This man is persuading ³¹⁶  people to worship God in a way contrary to ³¹⁷  the law!” 18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak, ³¹⁸  Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, ³¹⁹  I would have been justified in accepting the complaint ³²⁰  of you Jews, ³²¹  18:15 but since it concerns points of disagreement ³²²  about words and names and your own law, settle ³²³  it yourselves. I will not be ³²⁴  a judge of these things!” 18:16 Then he had them forced away ³²⁵  from the judgment seat. ³²⁶  18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ³²⁷  and began to beat ³²⁸  him in front of the judgment seat. ³²⁹  Yet none of these things were of any concern ³³⁰  to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria

18:18 Paul, after staying ³³¹  many more days in Corinth, ³³²  said farewell to ³³³  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ³³⁴  Priscilla and Aquila. ³³⁵  He ³³⁶  had his hair cut off ³³⁷  at Cenchrea ³³⁸  because he had made a vow. ³³⁹  18:19 When they reached Ephesus, ³⁴⁰  Paul ³⁴¹  left Priscilla and Aquila ³⁴²  behind there, but he himself went ³⁴³  into the synagogue ³⁴⁴  and addressed ³⁴⁵  the Jews. 18:20 When they asked him to stay longer, he would not consent, ³⁴⁶  18:21 but said farewell to ³⁴⁷  them and added, ³⁴⁸  “I will come back ³⁴⁹  to you again if God wills.” ³⁵⁰  Then ³⁵¹  he set sail from Ephesus, 18:22 and when he arrived ³⁵²  at Caesarea, ³⁵³  he went up and greeted ³⁵⁴  the church at Jerusalem ³⁵⁵  and then went down to Antioch. ³⁵⁶  18:23 After he spent ³⁵⁷  some time there, Paul left and went through the region of Galatia ³⁵⁸  and Phrygia, ³⁵⁹  strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Begins His Ministry

18:24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. ³⁶⁰  He was an eloquent speaker, ³⁶¹  well-versed ³⁶²  in the scriptures. 18:25 He had been instructed in ³⁶³  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ³⁶⁴  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ³⁶⁵  about Jesus, although he knew ³⁶⁶  only the baptism of John. 18:26 He began to speak out fearlessly ³⁶⁷  in the synagogue, ³⁶⁸  but when Priscilla and Aquila ³⁶⁹  heard him, they took him aside ³⁷⁰  and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 18:27 When Apollos ³⁷¹  wanted to cross over to Achaia, ³⁷²  the brothers encouraged ³⁷³  him ³⁷⁴  and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he ³⁷⁵  assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 18:28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously ³⁷⁶  in public debate, ³⁷⁷  demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ ³⁷⁸  was Jesus. ³⁷⁹ 

Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus

19:1 While ³⁸⁰  Apollos was in Corinth, ³⁸¹  Paul went through the inland ³⁸²  regions ³⁸³  and came to Ephesus. ³⁸⁴  He ³⁸⁵  found some disciples there ³⁸⁶  19:2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ³⁸⁷  They replied, ³⁸⁸  “No, we have not even ³⁸⁹  heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 19:3 So Paul ³⁹⁰  said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied. ³⁹¹  19:4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, ³⁹²  that is, in Jesus.” 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, 19:6 and when Paul placed ³⁹³  his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ³⁹⁴  upon them, and they began to speak ³⁹⁵  in tongues and to prophesy. ³⁹⁶  19:7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.) ³⁹⁷ 

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul ³⁹⁸  entered ³⁹⁹  the synagogue ⁴⁰⁰  and spoke out fearlessly ⁴⁰¹  for three months, addressing ⁴⁰²  and convincing ⁴⁰³  them about the kingdom of God. ⁴⁰⁴  19:9 But when ⁴⁰⁵  some were stubborn ⁴⁰⁶  and refused to believe, reviling ⁴⁰⁷  the Way ⁴⁰⁸  before the congregation, he left ⁴⁰⁹  them and took the disciples with him, ⁴¹⁰  addressing ⁴¹¹  them every day ⁴¹²  in the lecture hall ⁴¹³  of Tyrannus. 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, ⁴¹⁴  both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. ⁴¹⁵ 

The Seven Sons of Sceva

19:11 God was performing extraordinary ⁴¹⁶  miracles by Paul’s hands, 19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body ⁴¹⁷  were brought ⁴¹⁸  to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ⁴¹⁹  19:13 But some itinerant ⁴²⁰  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ⁴²¹  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ⁴²²  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ⁴²³  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ⁴²⁴  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ⁴²⁵  19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ⁴²⁶  “I know about Jesus ⁴²⁷  and I am acquainted with ⁴²⁸  Paul, but who are you?” ⁴²⁹  19:16 Then the man who was possessed by ⁴³⁰  the evil spirit jumped on ⁴³¹  them and beat them all into submission. ⁴³²  He prevailed ⁴³³  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 19:17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, ⁴³⁴  both Jews and Greeks; fear came over ⁴³⁵  them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. ⁴³⁶  19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward, ⁴³⁷  confessing and making their deeds known. ⁴³⁸  19:19 Large numbers ⁴³⁹  of those who had practiced magic ⁴⁴⁰  collected their books ⁴⁴¹  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ⁴⁴²  When ⁴⁴³  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁴⁴⁴  19:20 In this way the word of the Lord ⁴⁴⁵  continued to grow in power ⁴⁴⁶  and to prevail. ⁴⁴⁷ 

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ⁴⁴⁸  Paul resolved ⁴⁴⁹  to go to Jerusalem, ⁴⁵⁰  passing through Macedonia ⁴⁵¹  and Achaia. ⁴⁵²  He said, ⁴⁵³  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁴⁵⁴  19:22 So after sending ⁴⁵⁵  two of his assistants, ⁴⁵⁶  Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, ⁴⁵⁷  he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia. ⁴⁵⁸ 

19:23 At ⁴⁵⁹  that time ⁴⁶⁰  a great disturbance ⁴⁶¹  took place concerning the Way. ⁴⁶²  19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines ⁴⁶³  of Artemis, ⁴⁶⁴  brought a great deal ⁴⁶⁵  of business ⁴⁶⁶  to the craftsmen. 19:25 He gathered ⁴⁶⁷  these ⁴⁶⁸  together, along with the workmen in similar trades, ⁴⁶⁹  and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ⁴⁷⁰  comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded ⁴⁷¹  and turned away ⁴⁷²  a large crowd, ⁴⁷³  not only in Ephesus ⁴⁷⁴  but in practically all of the province of Asia, ⁴⁷⁵  by saying ⁴⁷⁶  that gods made by hands are not gods at all. ⁴⁷⁷  19:27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, ⁴⁷⁸  but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis ⁴⁷⁹  will be regarded as nothing, ⁴⁸⁰  and she whom all the province of Asia ⁴⁸¹  and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” ⁴⁸² 

19:28 When ⁴⁸³  they heard ⁴⁸⁴  this they became enraged ⁴⁸⁵  and began to shout, ⁴⁸⁶  “Great is Artemis ⁴⁸⁷  of the Ephesians!” 19:29 The ⁴⁸⁸  city was filled with the uproar, ⁴⁸⁹  and the crowd ⁴⁹⁰  rushed to the theater ⁴⁹¹  together, ⁴⁹²  dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 19:30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, ⁴⁹³  the disciples would not let him. 19:31 Even some of the provincial authorities ⁴⁹⁴  who were his friends sent ⁴⁹⁵  a message ⁴⁹⁶  to him, urging him not to venture ⁴⁹⁷  into the theater. 19:32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together. ⁴⁹⁸  19:33 Some of the crowd concluded ⁴⁹⁹  it was about ⁵⁰⁰  Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. ⁵⁰¹  Alexander, gesturing ⁵⁰²  with his hand, was wanting to make a defense ⁵⁰³  before the public assembly. ⁵⁰⁴  19:34 But when they recognized ⁵⁰⁵  that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, ⁵⁰⁶  “Great is Artemis ⁵⁰⁷  of the Ephesians!” for about two hours. ⁵⁰⁸  19:35 After the city secretary ⁵⁰⁹  quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person ⁵¹⁰  is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper ⁵¹¹  of the temple of the great Artemis ⁵¹²  and of her image that fell from heaven? ⁵¹³  19:36 So because these facts ⁵¹⁴  are indisputable, ⁵¹⁵  you must keep quiet ⁵¹⁶  and not do anything reckless. ⁵¹⁷  19:37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers ⁵¹⁸  nor blasphemers of our goddess. ⁵¹⁹  19:38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint ⁵²⁰  against someone, the courts are open ⁵²¹  and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there. ⁵²²  19:39 But if you want anything in addition, ⁵²³  it will have to be settled ⁵²⁴  in a legal assembly. ⁵²⁵  19:40 For ⁵²⁶  we are in danger of being charged with rioting ⁵²⁷  today, since there is no cause we can give to explain ⁵²⁸  this disorderly gathering.” ⁵²⁹  19:41 After ⁵³⁰  he had said ⁵³¹  this, ⁵³²  he dismissed the assembly. ⁵³³ 

¹ sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra. It was about 90 mi (145 km) from Tarsus.

² sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

³ tn Grk “And behold, a disciple.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

⁴ tn L&N 31.103 translates this phrase “the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.”

⁵ sn His father was a Greek. Timothy was the offspring of a mixed marriage between a Jewish woman (see 2 Tim 1:5) and a Gentile man. On mixed marriages in Judaism, see Neh 13:23-27; Ezra 9:1-10:44; Mal 2:10-16; Jub. 30:7-17; m. Qiddushin 3.12; m. Yevamot 7.5.

⁶ sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

⁷ sn Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 110 mi (175 km) east of Pisidian Antioch.

⁸ tn For this sense of μαρτυρέω (marturew), see BDAG 618 s.v. 2.b.

⁹ tn Grk “who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who was a believer…who was well spoken of”) and the awkwardness of the passive verb (“was well spoken of”), the relative pronoun at the beginning of 16:2 (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“him”) and the construction converted from passive to active at the same time a new sentence was started in the translation.

¹⁰ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Timothy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Grk “and taking him he circumcised him.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Paul’s cultural sensitivity showed in his action here. He did not want Timothy’s lack of circumcision to become an issue (1 Cor 9:15-23).

¹² tn The verb περιέτεμεν (perietemen) here may be understood as causative (cf. ExSyn 411-12) if Paul did not personally perform the circumcision.

¹³ tn Or “who lived in the area.”

¹⁴ tn The anarthrous predicate nominative has been translated as qualitative (“Greek”) rather than indefinite (“a Greek”).

¹⁵ tn Or “cities.”

¹⁶ tn BDAG 762-63 s.v. παραδίδωμι 3 has “they handed down to them the decisions to observe Ac 16:4.”

¹⁷ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹⁸ tn Grk “for them”; the referent (Gentile believers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁹ tn Or “observe” or “follow.”

²⁰ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

²¹ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia.

²² sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor (North Galatia), or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch (South Galatia). The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.

²³ tn Or “forbidden.”

²⁴ tn Or “word.”

²⁵ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

²⁶ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.b has “to Mysia” here.

²⁷ sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

²⁸ sn Bithynia was a province in northern Asia Minor northeast of Mysia.

²⁹ tn Or “permit”; see BDAG 269 s.v. ἐάω 1.

³⁰ tn The words “do this” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons, since English handles ellipses differently than Greek.

³¹ tn Although the normal meaning for παρέρχομαι (parercomai) is “pass by, go by,” it would be difficult to get to Troas from where Paul and his companions were without going through rather than around Mysia. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 6 list some nonbiblical examples of the meaning “go through, pass through,” and give that meaning for the usage here.

³² sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

³³ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor, near ancient Troy.

³⁴ tn Grk “And a.” 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.

³⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

³⁶ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

³⁷ tn Grk “Coming over.” The participle διαβάς (diabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

³⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴⁰ tn Grk “sought.”

⁴¹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

⁴² tn Or “summoned.”

⁴³ 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.”

⁴⁴ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. See v. 8.

⁴⁵ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course” here; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

⁴⁶ sn Samothrace is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea.

⁴⁷ sn Neapolis was a seaport on the southern coast of Macedonia. It was 10 mi (16 km) from Philippi.

⁴⁸ map For location see JP1-C1; JP2-C1; JP3-C1; JP4-C1.

⁴⁹ tc ‡ Or perhaps, “a city in the first district” (there are a number of textual variants). L&N 1.85 follow the text of UBS⁴ and NA²⁷ here: “In Ac 16:12…the Greek New Testament published by the United Bible Societies has adopted a conjectural emendation, since the more traditional text, πρώτη τῆς μερίδος, literally ‘first of the district,’ is not only misleading in meaning but does not reflect the historical fact that Philippi was a city in one of the four districts of Macedonia but was not a capital city.” The original text is probably πρώτη τῆς μερίδος (prwth th" merido", “first of that district”) as found in Ì⁷⁴ א A C Ψ 33^vid 36 81 323 945 1175 1891 pc. This has traditionally been translated to give the impression that Philippi was the capital city of the district, but it does not necessarily have to be translated this way. The translation of the article before μερίδος as “that” acknowledges that there were other districts in the province of Macedonia.

⁵⁰ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

⁵¹ sn A Roman colony was a city whose residents were regarded as Roman citizens, since such cities were originally colonized by citizens of Rome. From Troas to Philippi was 130 mi (208 km).

⁵² tn Grk “and sitting down we began to speak.” The participle καθίσαντες (kaqisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁵³ tn The imperfect verb ἐλαλοῦμεν (elaloumen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

⁵⁴ sn To the women. Apparently there were not enough Jews present in Philippi to have a synagogue (ten men would have been required to have one).

⁵⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

⁵⁶ tn Grk “And a.” 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.

⁵⁷ tn On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see BDAG 855 s.v. πορφυρόπωλις.

⁵⁸ sn Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia in Asia Minor.

⁵⁹ tn The words “to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

⁶⁰ tn Although BDAG 880 s.v. προσέχω 2.b gives the meaning “pay attention to” here, this could be misunderstood by the modern English reader to mean merely listening intently. The following context, however, indicates that Lydia responded positively to Paul’s message, so the verb here was translated “to respond.”

⁶¹ tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

⁶² tn This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.

⁶³ tn Or “faithful to the Lord.” BDAG 821 s.v. πίστος 2 states concerning this verse, “Of one who confesses the Christian faith believing or a believer in the Lord, in Christ, in God πιστ. τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 16:15.” L&N 11.17 has “one who is included among the faithful followers of Christ – ‘believer, Christian, follower.’”

⁶⁴ tn Although BDAG 759 s.v. παραβιάζομαι has “urge strongly, prevail upon,” in contemporary English “persuade” is a more frequently used synonym for “prevail upon.”

⁶⁵ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁶⁶ tn Or “who had a spirit of divination”; Grk “who had a spirit of Python.” According to BDAG 896-97 s.v. πύθων, originally Πύθων (Puqwn) was the name of the serpent or dragon that guarded the Delphic oracle. According to Greek mythology, it lived at the foot of Mount Parnassus and was killed by Apollo. From this, the word came to designate a person who was thought to have a spirit of divination. Pagan generals, for example, might consult someone like this. So her presence here suggests a supernatural encounter involving Paul and her “spirit.” W. Foerster, TDNT 6:920, connects the term with ventriloquism but states: “We must assume, however, that for this girl, as for those mentioned by Origen…, the art of ventriloquism was inseparably connected with a (supposed or authentic) gift of soothsaying.” It should also be noted that if the girl in question here were only a ventriloquist, the exorcism performed by Paul in v. 18 would not have been effective.

⁶⁷ tn Grk “who.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who had a spirit…who brought her owners a great profit”) the relative pronoun here (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“she”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

⁶⁸ tn Or “masters.”

⁶⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 616 s.v. μαντεύομαι. It was used of those who gave oracles.

⁷⁰ tn Grk “crying out, saying”; the participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated. The imperfect verb ἔκραζεν (ekrazen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect.

⁷¹ tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18. The translation “servants” was used here because in this context there appears to be more emphasis on the activity of Paul and his companions (“proclaiming to you the way of salvation”) than on their status as “slaves of the Most High God.”

⁷² tn Or “a way.” The grammar of this phrase is a bit ambiguous. The phrase in Greek is ὁδὸν σωτηρίας (Jodon swthria"). Neither the head noun nor the genitive noun has the article; this is in keeping with Apollonius’ Canon (see ExSyn 239-40). Since both nouns are anarthrous, this construction also fits Apollonius’ Corollary (see ExSyn 250-54); since the genitive noun is abstract it is most naturally qualitative, so the head noun could either be definite or indefinite without being unusual as far as the grammar is concerned. Luke’s usage of ὁδός elsewhere is indecisive as far as this passage is concerned. However, when one looks at the historical background it is clear that (1) the woman is shut up (via exorcism) not because her testimony is false but because of its source (analogous to Jesus’ treatment of demons perhaps), and (b) “the way” is a par excellence description of the new faith throughout Acts. It thus seems that at least in Luke’s presentation “the way of salvation” is the preferred translation.

⁷³ sn Proclaiming to you the way of salvation. The remarks were an ironic recognition of Paul’s authority, but he did not desire such a witness, possibly for fear of confusion. Her expression the Most High God might have been understood as Zeus by the audience.

⁷⁴ tn Grk “becoming greatly annoyed.” The participle διαπονηθείς (diaponhqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The aorist has been translated as an ingressive aorist (entry into a state or condition). See BDAG 235 s.v. διαπονέομαι.

⁷⁵ tn Grk “and turning.” The participle ἐπιστρέψας (epistreya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁷⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

⁷⁷ tn BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c has “at that very time, at once, instantly” for the usage in this verse.

⁷⁸ tn Or “masters.”

⁷⁹ tn On this use of ἐργασία (ergasia), see BDAG 390 s.v. 4. It is often the case that destructive practices and commerce are closely tied together.

⁸⁰ tn Grk “was gone, seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁸¹ tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.

⁸² tn Grk “And when.” 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.

⁸³ tn Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”

⁸⁴ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

⁸⁵ tn Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁸⁶ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

⁸⁷ tn Or “acknowledge.”

⁸⁸ sn Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).

⁸⁹ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

⁹⁰ tn L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepesth) in this verse.

⁹¹ tn Grk “tearing the clothes off them, the magistrates ordered.” The participle περιρήξαντες (perirhxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Although it may be possible to understand the aorist active participle περιρήξαντες in a causative sense (“the magistrates caused the clothes to be torn off Paul and Silas”) in the mob scene that was taking place, it is also possible that the magistrates themselves actively participated. This act was done to prepare them for a public flogging (2 Cor 11:25; 1 Thess 2:2).

⁹² tn Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹³ tn The infinitive ῥαβδίζειν (rJabdizein) means “to beat with rods or sticks” (as opposed to fists or clubs, BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω).

⁹⁴ tn Grk “Having inflicted many blows on them.” The participle ἐπιθέντες (epiqente") has been taken temporally. BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.a.β has “inflict blows upon someone” for this expression, but in this context it is simpler to translate in English as “they had beaten them severely.”

⁹⁵ tn Grk “commanding.” The participle παραγγείλαντες (parangeilante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁹⁶ tn Or “prison.”

⁹⁷ tn L&N 6.21 has “stocks” for εἰς τὸ ξύλον (ei" to xulon) here, as does BDAG 685 s.v. ξύλον 2.b. However, it is also possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied. Such a possibility is suggested by v. 26, where the “bonds” (“chains”?) of the prisoners loosened.

⁹⁸ tn Grk “praying, were singing.” The participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁹⁹ sn Praying and singing hymns to God. Tertullian said, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven” (To the Martyrs 2; cf. Rom 5:3; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 5:6). The presence of God means the potential to be free (cf. v. 26).

¹⁰⁰ tn The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

¹⁰¹ tn Or perhaps, “chains.” The translation of τὰ δεσμά (ta desma) is to some extent affected by the understanding of ξύλον (xulon, “stocks”) in v. 24. It is possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied.

¹⁰² tn L&N 23.75 has “had awakened” here. It is more in keeping with contemporary English style, however, to keep the two verbal ideas parallel in terms of tense (“when the jailer woke up and saw”) although logically the second action is subsequent to the first.

¹⁰³ tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.

¹⁰⁴ sn Was about to kill himself. The jailer’s penalty for failing to guard the prisoners would have been death, so he contemplated saving the leaders the trouble (see Acts 12:19; 27:42).

¹⁰⁵ tn Or “thought.”

¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying.” The dative phrase μεγάλῃ φωνῇ (megalh fwnh) has been simplified as an English adverb (“loudly”), and the participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated since it is redundant in English.

¹⁰⁷ sn Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.

¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰⁹ tn Or “and prostrated himself.”

¹¹⁰ tn Grk “And bringing them outside, he asked.” The participle προαγαγών (proagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the conjunction “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

¹¹¹ tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

¹¹² tn Grk “said.”

¹¹³ sn Here the summary term of response is a call to believe. In this context it refers to trusting the sovereign God’s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer.

¹¹⁴ tc The majority of mss add Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) here (C D E Ψ 1739 Ï sy sa), but the best and earliest witnesses read simply τὸν κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton kurion Ihsoun, “the Lord Jesus”; Ì^74vid א A B 33 81 pc bo). The addition of “Christ” to “Lord Jesus” is an obviously motivated reading. Thus on both external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

¹¹⁵ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

¹¹⁶ 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 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 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.

¹¹⁷ tn Grk “And at.” 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.

¹¹⁸ tn Grk “taking them…he washed.” The participle παραλαβών (paralabwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹¹⁹ tn On this phrase BDAG 603 s.v. λούω 1 gives a literal translation as “by washing he freed them from the effects of the blows.”

¹²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

¹²¹ sn All his family. It was often the case in the ancient world that conversion of the father led to the conversion of all those in the household.

¹²² tn Or “immediately.”

¹²³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹²⁴ tn Grk “placed [food] on the table” (a figurative expression). Since the actual word for food is not specified, it would also be possible to translate “set a meal before them,” but since this is taking place in the middle of the night, the preparations necessary for a full meal would probably not have been made. More likely Paul and Silas were given whatever was on hand that needed little or no preparation.

¹²⁵ tn Or “he was overjoyed.”

¹²⁶ tn The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.

¹²⁷ tn The phrase “together with his entire household” is placed at the end of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and the belief. A formal equivalence translation would have “and he rejoiced greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in God,” but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33 presumes that all in the household believed.

¹²⁸ tn The translation “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse is given by BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a.

¹²⁹ tn On the term translated “magistrates,” see BDAG 947-48 s.v. στρατηγός 1. These city leaders were properly called duoviri, but were popularly known as praetors (στρατηγοί, strathgoi). They were the chief officials of Philippi. The text leaves the impression that they came to the decision to release Paul and Silas independently. God was at work everywhere.

¹³⁰ tn On the term ῥαβδοῦχος (rJabdouco") see BDAG 902 s.v. The term was used of the Roman lictor and roughly corresponds to contemporary English “constable, policeman.”

¹³¹ tn The word “saying” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; it is necessary in English because the content of what the jailer said to Paul and Silas is not the exact message related to him by the police officers, but is a summary with his own additions.

¹³² tn The word “orders” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

¹³³ tn Grk “So coming out now go in peace.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹³⁴ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³⁵ tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹³⁶ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

¹³⁷ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

¹³⁸ tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

¹³⁹ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “But they.”

¹⁴¹ sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.

¹⁴² tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴³ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

¹⁴⁴ tn Grk “and coming, they apologized.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

¹⁴⁶ tn The verb ἐρώτων (erwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” brings out the iterative force in the translation.

¹⁴⁷ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.

¹⁴⁸ tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.

¹⁴⁹ 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).

¹⁵⁰ sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.

¹⁵¹ 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.

¹⁵² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

¹⁵³ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁵⁴ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

¹⁵⁵ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

¹⁵⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

¹⁵⁷ sn The Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead. These two points (suffering and resurrection) would have been among the more controversial aspects of Paul’s messianic preaching. The term translated “had to” (δεῖ, dei) shows how divine design and scripture corresponded here.

¹⁵⁸ tn The Greek words used here (καὶ ὅτι, kai {oti, “and that”) mark the switch from indirect to direct discourse. Contemporary English requires the use of an introductory verb of speaking or saying to make this transition.

¹⁵⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

¹⁶⁰ tn Or “convinced.”

¹⁶¹ tn Or “a large crowd.”

¹⁶² tn Or “of devout Greeks,” 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. Luke frequently mentions such people (Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7).

¹⁶³ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

¹⁶⁴ tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).

¹⁶⁵ tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”

¹⁶⁶ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

¹⁶⁷ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.

¹⁶⁸ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁷⁰ tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”

¹⁷¹ tn See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19).

¹⁷² tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).

¹⁷³ tn Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “disturb, trouble, upset,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.

¹⁷⁴ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

¹⁷⁵ tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.

¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

¹⁷⁷ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

¹⁷⁸ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

¹⁷⁹ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.

¹⁸¹ tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”

¹⁸² tn Grk “And after.” 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.

¹⁸³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸⁴ tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.

¹⁸⁵ 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) west of Thessalonica.

¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.

¹⁸⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

¹⁸⁸ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸⁹ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

¹⁹⁰ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

¹⁹¹ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

¹⁹² tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

¹⁹³ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

¹⁹⁴ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

¹⁹⁵ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

¹⁹⁶ tn Or “respected.”

¹⁹⁷ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

¹⁹⁸ 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.

¹⁹⁹ 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.

²⁰⁰ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

²⁰¹ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

²⁰² tn Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ({ew" epi thn qalassan) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).

²⁰³ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰⁴ map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

²⁰⁵ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

²⁰⁶ map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

²⁰⁷ tn Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.”

²⁰⁸ tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.

²⁰⁹ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

²¹⁰ tn Or “and the devout,” 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, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.

²¹¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

²¹² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

²¹³ sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.

²¹⁴ sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c.), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.

²¹⁵ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

²¹⁶ tn Grk “saying.”

²¹⁷ tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”

²¹⁸ tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.

²¹⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

²²⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²²¹ tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.

²²² tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

²²³ tn Grk “these things”; but since the referent (“surprising things”) is so close, the repetition of “these things” sounds redundant in English, so the pronoun “they” was substituted in the translation.

²²⁴ tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

²²⁵ tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

²²⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

²²⁷ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

²²⁸ tn The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterou") is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.

²²⁹ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

²³⁰ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

²³¹ tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).

²³² tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.

²³³ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

²³⁴ tn Or “because he is.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) could be either adjectival, modifying οὗτος (Joutos, “who is Lord…”) or adverbial of cause (“because he is Lord…”). Since the participle διδούς (didou") in v. 25 appears to be clearly causal in force, it is preferable to understand ὑπάρχων as adjectival in this context.

²³⁵ sn On the statement does not live in temples made by human hands compare Acts 7:48. This has implications for idols as well. God cannot be represented by them or, as the following clause also suggests, served by human hands.

²³⁶ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

²³⁷ tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

²³⁸ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

²³⁹ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

²⁴⁰ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

²⁴¹ tn BDAG 884-85 s.v. προστάσσω has “(οἱ) προστεταγμένοι καιροί (the) fixed times Ac 17:26” here, but since the following phrase is also translated “fixed limits,” this would seem redundant in English, so the word “set” has been used instead.

²⁴² tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.

²⁴³ tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.

²⁴⁴ sn Perhaps grope around for him and find him. The pagans’ struggle to know God is the point here. Conscience alone is not good enough.

²⁴⁵ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

²⁴⁶ tn According to L&N 15.1, “A strictly literal translation of κινέω in Ac 17:28 might imply merely moving from one place to another. The meaning, however, is generalized movement and activity; therefore, it may be possible to translate κινούμεθα as ‘we come and go’ or ‘we move about’’ or even ‘we do what we do.’”

²⁴⁷ sn This quotation is from Aratus (ca. 310-245 b.c.), Phaenomena 5. Paul asserted a general relationship and accountability to God for all humanity.

²⁴⁸ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

²⁴⁹ tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

²⁵⁰ tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

²⁵¹ tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

²⁵² tn Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “thought, reflection, idea” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.

²⁵³ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

²⁵⁴ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

²⁵⁵ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

²⁵⁶ sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.

²⁵⁷ tn Or “fixed.”

²⁵⁸ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

²⁵⁹ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

²⁶⁰ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

²⁶¹ tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

²⁶² tn L&N 33.408 has “some scoffed (at him) Ac 17:32” for ἐχλεύαζον (ecleuazon) here; the imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to scoff”).

²⁶³ tn Grk “left out of their midst”; the referent (the Areopagus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁶⁴ tn Although the Greek word here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which normally refers to males, husbands, etc., in this particular context it must have a generic force similar to that of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), since “a woman named Damaris” is mentioned specifically as being part of this group (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).

²⁶⁵ tn Grk “joining him, believed.” The participle κολληθέντες (kollhqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the use of this verb in Acts, see 5:13; 8:29; 9:26; 10:28.

²⁶⁶ tn Grk “among whom.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been translated as a third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

²⁶⁷ tn Grk “the Areopagite” (a member of the council of the Areopagus). The noun “Areopagite” is not in common usage today in English. It is clearer to use a descriptive phrase “a member of the Areopagus” (L&N 11.82). However, this phrase alone can be misleading in English: “Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris” could be understood to refer to three people (Dionysius, an unnamed member of the Areopagus, and Damaris) rather than only two. Converting the descriptive phrase to a relative clause in English (“who was a member of the Areopagus”) removes the ambiguity.

²⁶⁸ tn Grk “and a woman”; but this καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

²⁶⁹ tn Grk “After these things.”

²⁷⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁷¹ tn Or “Paul left.”

²⁷² map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

²⁷³ sn Corinth was the capital city of the senatorial province of Achaia and the seat of the Roman proconsul. It was located 55 mi (88 km) west of Athens. Corinth was a major rival to Athens and was the largest city in Greece at the time.

²⁷⁴ tn Grk “And he.” 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. The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

²⁷⁵ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

²⁷⁶ sn On Aquila and his wife Priscilla see also Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. This author uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.

²⁷⁷ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

²⁷⁸ sn Claudius refers to the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54. The edict expelling the Jews from Rome was issued in a.d. 49 (Suetonius, Claudius 25.4).

²⁷⁹ tn Or “to leave.”

²⁸⁰ map For location see JP4-A1.

²⁸¹ tn Or “went to.”

²⁸² tn The prepositional phrase “with them” occurs only once in the Greek text, but since it occurs between the two finite verbs (ἔμενεν, emenen, and ἠργάζετο, hrgazeto) it relates (by implication) to both of them.

²⁸³ tn On the term translated “tentmakers,” see BDAG 928-29 s.v. σκνηοποιός. Paul apparently manufactured tents. In contrast to the Cynic philosophers, Paul at times labored to support himself (see also v. 5).

²⁸⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

²⁸⁵ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 18:4. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

²⁸⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

²⁸⁷ tn Grk “Addressing in the synagogue every Sabbath, he was attempting to persuade both Jews and Greeks.” Because in English the verb “address” is not used absolutely but normally has an object specified, the direct objects of the verb ἔπειθεν (epeiqen) have been moved forward as the objects of the English verb “addressed,” and the pronoun “them” repeated in the translation as the object of ἔπειθεν. The verb ἔπειθεν has been translated as a conative imperfect.

²⁸⁸ tn Grk “came down.”

²⁸⁹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

²⁹⁰ tn BDAG 971 s.v. συνέχω 6 states, “συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ (Paul) was wholly absorbed in preaching Ac 18:5…in contrast to the activity cited in vs. 3.” The imperfect συνείχετο (suneiceto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“became wholly absorbed…”), stressing the change in Paul’s activity once Silas and Timothy arrived. At this point Paul apparently began to work less and preach more.

²⁹¹ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “testify of, bear witness to solemnly (orig. under oath)…W. acc. and inf. foll. Ac 18:5.”

²⁹² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

²⁹³ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

²⁹⁴ tn The participle βλασφημούντων (blasfhmountwn) has been taken temporally. The direct object (“him”) is implied rather than expressed and could be impersonal (“it,” referring to what Paul was saying rather than Paul himself), but the verb occurs more often in contexts involving defamation or slander against personal beings (not always God). For a very similar context to this one, compare Acts 13:45. The translation “blaspheme” is not used because in contemporary English its meaning is more narrowly defined and normally refers to blasphemy against God (not what Paul’s opponents were doing here). What they were doing was more like slander or defamation of character.

²⁹⁵ tn Grk “shaking out his clothes, he said to them.” L&N 16:8 translates Acts 18:6 “when they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes.” The addition of the verb “protested by” in the translation is necessary to clarify for the modern reader that this is a symbolic action. It is similar but not identical to the phrase in Acts 13:51, where the dust from the feet is shaken off. The participle ἐκτιναξάμενος (ektinaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

²⁹⁶ sn Your blood be on your own heads! By invoking this epithet Paul declared himself not responsible for their actions in rejecting Jesus whom Paul preached (cf. Ezek 33:4; 3:6-21; Matt 23:35; 27:25).

²⁹⁷ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

²⁹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁹⁹ tn Grk “Then leaving from there he went.” The participle μεταβάς (metabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³⁰⁰ tn Grk “from there”; the referent (the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁰¹ tn Grk “a worshiper of God.” The clarifying phrase “a Gentile” has been supplied for clarity, and is indicated by the context, since Paul had parted company with the Jews in the previous verse. The participle σεβομένου (sebomenou) 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.

³⁰² tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

³⁰³ tn Or “who heard him,” or “who heard Paul.” The ambiguity here results from the tendency of Greek to omit direct objects, which must be supplied from the context. The problem is that no less than three different ones may be supplied here: (1) “him,” referring to Crispus, but this is not likely because there is no indication in the context that Crispus began to speak out about the Lord; this is certainly possible and even likely, but more than the text here affirms; (2) “Paul,” who had been speaking in the synagogue and presumably, now that he had moved to Titius Justus’ house, continued speaking to the Gentiles; or (3) “about it,” that is, the Corinthians who heard about Crispus’ conversion became believers. In the immediate context this last is most probable, since the two incidents are juxtaposed. Other, less obvious direct objects could also be supplied, such as “heard the word of God,” “heard the word of the Lord,” etc., but none of these are obvious in the immediate context.

³⁰⁴ sn Frequently in Acts such a vision will tell the reader where events are headed. See Acts 10:9-16 and 16:9-10 for other accounts of visions.

³⁰⁵ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

³⁰⁶ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

³⁰⁷ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 2 has “to set upon, attack, lay a hand on” here, but “assault” is a contemporary English equivalent very close to the meaning of the original.

³⁰⁸ tn Or “injure.”

³⁰⁹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

³¹⁰ tn See BDAG 326-27 s.v. ἐν 1.d. However, it is also possible that ἐν (en) followed by the dative here stands for the ordinary dative (“to them”).

³¹¹ 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.

³¹² sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

³¹³ sn Achaia was a Roman province created in 146 b.c. that included the most important parts of Greece (Attica, Boeotia, and the Peloponnesus).

³¹⁴ tn Grk “with one accord.”

³¹⁵ 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.

³¹⁶ tn Or “inciting.”

³¹⁷ tn Grk “worship God contrary to.” BDAG 758 s.v. παρά C.6 has “against, contrary to” for Acts 18:13. The words “in a way” are not in the Greek text, but are a necessary clarification to prevent the misunderstanding in the English translation that worshiping God was in itself contrary to the law. What is under dispute is the manner in which God was being worshiped, that is, whether Gentiles were being required to follow all aspects of the Mosaic law, including male circumcision. There is a hint of creating public chaos or disturbing Jewish custom here since Jews were the ones making the complaint. Luke often portrays the dispute between Christians and Jews as within Judaism.

³¹⁸ tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

³¹⁹ tn BDAG 902 s.v. ῥᾳδιούργημα states, “From the sense ‘prank, knavery, roguish trick, slick deed’ it is but a short step to that of a serious misdeed, crime, villainy…a serious piece of villainy Ac 18:14 (w. ἀδίκημα).”

³²⁰ tn According to BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνέχω 3 this is a legal technical term: “Legal t.t. κατὰ λόγον ἂν ἀνεσχόμην ὑμῶν I would have been justified in accepting your complaint Ac 18:14.”

³²¹ tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

³²² tn Or “dispute.”

³²³ tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).

³²⁴ tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.

³²⁵ tn Grk “driven away,” but this could result in a misunderstanding in English (“driven” as in a cart or wagon?). “Forced away” conveys the idea; Gallio rejected their complaint. In contemporary English terminology the case was “thrown out of court.” The verb ἀπήλασεν (aphlasen) has been translated as a causative since Gallio probably did not perform this action in person, but ordered his aides or officers to remove the plaintiffs.

³²⁶ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

³²⁷ tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

³²⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

³²⁹ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

³³⁰ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

³³¹ tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.

³³² map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

³³³ tn Or “Corinth, took leave of.” Grk “saying farewell to”; the participle ἀποταξάμενος (apotaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³³⁴ tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”

³³⁵ sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.

³³⁶ tn Or “Aquila, who.” The relationship of the participle κειράμενος (keirameno") is difficult to determine. Traditionally it is taken to refer to Paul, meaning that Paul had his hair cut off because of the vow. However, due to the proximity of the noun ᾿Ακύλας (Akula") and the reversal of the normal order (Aquila and Priscilla, Acts 17:34), the participle is taken as adjectival referring to Aquila by H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, n. 11. The later references to Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:23) do not resolve the problem, because the cutting of Paul’s own hair, while it may be implied, is not specifically mentioned in connection with the completion of the vows made by the other four.

³³⁷ tn The word “off” is supplied in the translation to indicate that this was not a normal haircut, but the shaving of the head connected with taking the vow (see Acts 21:24).

³³⁸ tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”

³³⁹ sn He had made a vow. It is debated whether this vow is a private vow of thanksgiving or the Nazirite vow, because it is not clear whether the Nazirite vow could be taken outside Jerusalem. Some have cited the Mishnah (m. Nazir 3:6, 5:4) to argue that the shaving of the hair can occur outside Jerusalem, and Josephus, J. W. 2.15.1 (2.313) is sometimes suggested as a parallel, but these references are not clear. H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, is certain that this refers to the Nazirite vow. Regardless, it is clear that Paul reflected his pious dependence on God.

³⁴⁰ sn Ephesus was an influential city in Asia Minor. It was the location of the famous temple of Artemis. In 334 b.c. control of the city had passed to Alexander the Great, who contributed a large sum to the building of a new and more elaborate temple of Artemis, which became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and lasted until destroyed by the Goths in a.d. 263. This major port city would be reached from Corinth by ship. It was 250 mi (400 km) east of Corinth by sea.

³⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁴² tn Grk “left them”; the referents (Priscilla and Aquila) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁴³ tn Grk “going”; the participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³⁴⁴ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

³⁴⁵ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 18:19. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

³⁴⁶ sn He would not consent. Paul probably refused because he wanted to reach Jerusalem for the festival season before the seas became impassable during the winter.

³⁴⁷ tn Or “but took leave of.”

³⁴⁸ tn Grk “and saying”; the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as “added” rather than “said” to avoid redundancy with the previous “said farewell.” The participle εἰπών has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³⁴⁹ tn Or “will return.”

³⁵⁰ tn The participle θέλοντος (qelontos), a genitive absolute construction, has been translated as a conditional adverbial participle. Again Paul acts in dependence on God.

³⁵¹ tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation due to the length of the sentence in Greek and the requirements of contemporary English style, which generally uses shorter sentences.

³⁵² tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…εἴς τι at someth. a harbor Ac 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

³⁵³ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a sea voyage of 620 mi (990 km).

³⁵⁴ tn Grk “going up and greeting.” The participles ἀναβάς (anabas) and ἀσπασάμενος (aspasameno") are translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³⁵⁵ tn The words “at Jerusalem” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the participle ἀναβάς (anabas). The expression “go up” refers almost exclusively to the direction of Jerusalem, while the corresponding “go down” (κατέβη, katebh) refers to directions away from Jerusalem. Both expressions are based on a Hebrew idiom. Assuming Jerusalem is meant, this is another indication of keeping that key church informed. If Jerusalem is not referred to here, then Caesarea is in view. Paul was trying to honor a vow, which also implies a visit to Jerusalem.

³⁵⁶ sn Went down to Antioch. The city of Antioch in Syria lies due north of Jerusalem. In Western languages it is common to speak of north as “up” and south as “down,” but the NT maintains the Hebrew idiom which speaks of any direction away from Jerusalem as down (since Mount Zion was thought of in terms of altitude). This marks the end of the second missionary journey which began in Acts 15:36. From Caesarea to Antioch is a journey of 280 mi (450 km).

³⁵⁷ tn Grk “Having spent”; the participle ποιήσας (poihsas) is taken temporally.

³⁵⁸ sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor, or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch. The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.

³⁵⁹ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia. See Acts 16:6.

³⁶⁰ map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.

³⁶¹ tn Or “was a learned man.” In this verse λόγιος (logios) can refer to someone who was an attractive and convincing speaker, a rhetorician (L&N 33.32), or it can refer to the person who has acquired a large part of the intellectual heritage of a given culture (“learned” or “cultured,” L&N 27.20, see also BDAG 598 s.v. λόγιος which lists both meanings as possible here). The description of Apollos’ fervent speaking in the following verses, as well as implications from 1 Cor 1-4, where Paul apparently compares his style and speaking ability with that of Apollos, suggests that eloquent speaking ability or formal rhetorical skill are in view here. This clause has been moved from its order in the Greek text (Grk “a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus, who was powerful in the scriptures”) and paired with the last element (“powerful in the scriptures”) due to the demands of clarity and contemporary English style.

³⁶² tn Grk “powerful.” BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b has “in the Scriptures = well-versed 18:24.”

³⁶³ tn Or “had been taught.”

³⁶⁴ tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).

³⁶⁵ tn Grk “the things.”

³⁶⁶ tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistameno") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

³⁶⁷ tn Or “boldly.” This is a frequent term in Acts (9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26).

³⁶⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

³⁶⁹ sn Priscilla and Aquila. This key couple, of which Priscilla was an important enough figure to be mentioned by name, instructed Apollos about the most recent work of God. See also the note on Aquila in 18:2.

³⁷⁰ tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσλαμβάνω 3 has “take aside, mid. τινά someone…So prob. also Ac 18:26: Priscilla and Aquila take Apollos aside to teach him undisturbed.”

³⁷¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Apollos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁷² sn To cross over to Achaia. Achaia was organized by the Romans as a separate province in 27 b.c. and was located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. The city of Corinth was in Achaia.

³⁷³ tn Grk “encouraging [him], the brothers wrote.” The participle προτρεψάμενοι (protreyamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This was the typical letter of commendation from the Ephesians to the Achaeans.

³⁷⁴ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

³⁷⁵ tn Grk “who, when he arrived.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced with the pronoun “he” and a new sentence begun in the translation.

³⁷⁶ tn Or “vehemently.” BDAG 414 s.v. εὐτόνως has “vigorously, vehemently…εὐ. διακατελέγχεσθαί τινι refute someone vigorously Ac 18:28.”

³⁷⁷ tn L&N 33.442 translates the phrase τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις διακατηλέγχετο δημοσίᾳ (toi" Ioudaioi" diakathlenceto dhmosia) as “he defeated the Jews in public debate.” On this use of the term δημόσιος (dhmosio") see BDAG 223 s.v. 2.

³⁷⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Again the issue is identifying the Christ as Jesus (see 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 18:5).

³⁷⁹ tn Although many English translations have here “that Jesus was the Christ,” in the case of two accusatives following a copulative infinitive, the first would normally be the subject and the second the predicate nominative. Additionally, the first accusative here (τὸν χριστόν, ton criston) has the article, a further indication that it should be regarded as subject of the infinitive.

³⁸⁰ tn Grk “It happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

³⁸¹ map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

³⁸² tn Or “interior.”

³⁸³ tn BDAG 92 s.v. ἀνωτερικός has “upper τὰ ἀ. μέρη the upper (i.e. inland) country, the interior Ac 19:1.”

³⁸⁴ map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.

³⁸⁵ tn Grk “and found.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

³⁸⁶ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

³⁸⁷ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") is taken temporally.

³⁸⁸ tn Grk “they [said] to him” (the word “said” is implied in the Greek text).

³⁸⁹ tn This use of ἀλλά (alla) is ascensive and involves an ellipsis (BDAG 45 s.v. ἀλλά 3): “No, [not only did we not receive the Spirit,] but also we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” However, this is lengthy and somewhat awkward in English, and the ascensive meaning can be much more easily represented by including the word “even” after the negation. Apparently these disciples were unaware of the provision of the Spirit that is represented in baptism. The language sounds like they did not know about a Holy Spirit, but this seems to be only linguistic shorthand for not knowing about the Spirit’s presence (Luke 3:15-18). The situation is parallel to that of Apollos. Apollos and these disciples represent those who “complete” their transition to messianic faith as Jews.

³⁹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁹¹ tn Grk “they said.”

³⁹² sn These disciples may have had their contact with John early on in the Baptist’s ministry before Jesus had emerged. This is the fifth time Luke links John the Baptist and Jesus (Acts 1:5; 11:16; 13:25; 18:25).

³⁹³ tn Or “laid.”

³⁹⁴ sn The coming of the Holy Spirit here is another case where the Spirit comes and prophesy results in Acts (see Acts 2). Paul’s action parallels that of Peter (Acts 8) and not just with Gentiles.

³⁹⁵ tn The imperfect verb ἐλάλουν (elaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

³⁹⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἐπροφήτευον (eprofhteuon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

³⁹⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

³⁹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁹⁹ tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁴⁰⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

⁴⁰¹ tn Or “boldly.”

⁴⁰² tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:8. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

⁴⁰³ tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomeno" and peiqwn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”

⁴⁰⁴ sn To talk about Jesus as the Christ who has come is to talk about the kingdom of God. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28.

⁴⁰⁵ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.

⁴⁰⁶ tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.

⁴⁰⁷ tn Or “speaking evil of.” BDAG 500 s.v. κακολογέω has “speak evil of, revile, insult…τὶ someth. τὴν ὁδόν the Way (i.e. Christian way of life) Ac 19:9.”

⁴⁰⁸ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity). Luke frequently refers to it as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

⁴⁰⁹ tn Grk “leaving them, he took.” The participle ἀποστάς (apostas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁴¹⁰ tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

⁴¹¹ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:9. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

⁴¹² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

⁴¹³ tn The “lecture hall” was a place where teachers and pupils met. The term is a NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 982 s.v. σχολή). L&N 7.14 notes, “it is better to use a translation such as ‘lecture hall’ rather than ‘school,’ since one does not wish to give the impression of the typical classroom situation characteristic of present-day schools.”

⁴¹⁴ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

⁴¹⁵ 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 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:20; 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.

⁴¹⁶ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11.”

⁴¹⁷ tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).

⁴¹⁸ tn Or “were taken.” It might be that as word went out into the region that since the sick could not come to Paul, healing was brought to them this way. The “handkerchiefs” are probably face cloths for wiping perspiration (see BDAG 934 s.v. σουδάριον) while the “aprons” might be material worn by workmen (BDAG 923-24 s.v. σιμικίνθιον).

⁴¹⁹ tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

⁴²⁰ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

⁴²¹ tn Grk “to name the name.”

⁴²² tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

⁴²³ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

⁴²⁴ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

⁴²⁵ sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

⁴²⁶ tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

⁴²⁷ tn Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.

⁴²⁸ tn BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπίσταμαι 2 has “know, be acquainted with τινά…τὸν Παῦλον Ac 19:15.” Here the translation “be acquainted with” was used to differentiate from the previous phrase which has γινώσκω (ginwskw).

⁴²⁹ sn But who are you? This account shows how the power of Paul was so distinct that parallel claims to access that power were denied. In fact, such manipulation, by those who did not know Jesus, was judged (v. 16). The indirect way in which the exorcists made the appeal shows their distance from Jesus.

⁴³⁰ tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

⁴³¹ tn Grk “the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them.” The participle ἐφαλόμενος (efalomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 15.239 has “ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς ‘the man jumped on them’ Ac 19:16.”

⁴³² tn Grk “and beating them all into submission.” The participle κατακυριεύσας (katakurieusa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. According to W. Foerster, TDNT 3:1098, the word means “the exercise of dominion against someone, i.e., to one’s own advantage.” These exorcists were shown to be powerless in comparison to Jesus who was working through Paul.

⁴³³ tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

⁴³⁴ map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.

⁴³⁵ tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone…Ac 19:17.”

⁴³⁶ tn Or “exalted.”

⁴³⁷ tn Grk “came”; the word “forward” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning and to conform to the contemporary English idiom.

⁴³⁸ tn Or “confessing and disclosing their deeds.” BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναγγέλλω 2 has “W. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι: ἀ. τὰς πράξεις αὐτο'ν make their deeds known Ac 19:18.”

⁴³⁹ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (Jikanoi) in this verse.

⁴⁴⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.

⁴⁴¹ tn Or “scrolls.”

⁴⁴² tn Or “burned them up publicly.” L&N 14.66 has “‘they brought their books together and burned them up in the presence of everyone’ Ac 19:19.”

⁴⁴³ tn Grk “and when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

⁴⁴⁴ tn Or “fifty thousand silver drachmas” (about $10,000 US dollars). BDAG 128 s.v. ἀργύριον 2.c states, “ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε 50,000 (Attic silver) drachmas Ac 19:19.” Another way to express the value would be in sheep: One drachma could buy one sheep. So this many drachmas could purchase a huge flock of sheep. A drachma also equals a denarius, or a day’s wage for the average worker. So this amount would be equal to 50,000 work days or in excess of 8,300 weeks of labor (the weeks are calculated at six working days because of the Jewish cultural context). The impact of Christianity on the Ephesian economy was considerable (note in regard to this the concerns expressed in 19:26-27).

⁴⁴⁵ 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 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10; 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.

⁴⁴⁶ tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (huxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (iscuen).

⁴⁴⁷ sn The word of the Lord…to prevail. Luke portrays the impact of Christianity in terms of the Lord’s transforming power in the lives of individuals.

⁴⁴⁸ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

⁴⁴⁹ tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

⁴⁵⁰ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁴⁵¹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

⁴⁵² sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

⁴⁵³ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

⁴⁵⁴ sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.

⁴⁵⁵ tn The aorist participle ἀποστείλας (aposteila") has been taken temporally reflecting action antecedent to that of the main verb (ἐπέσχεν, epescen).

⁴⁵⁶ tn Grk “two of those who ministered to him.”

⁴⁵⁷ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

⁴⁵⁸ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

⁴⁵⁹ tn Grk “There happened at that time.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Instead the verb “took place” has been supplied in the translation.

⁴⁶⁰ tn BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.2.a, “in definite indications of time…Of the past: κ. ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν at that time, then…Ac 12:1; 19:23.”

⁴⁶¹ tn Grk “no little disturbance” (an idiom; see BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 2).

⁴⁶² sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity).

⁴⁶³ tn BDAG 665 s.v. ναός 1.a states, “Specif. of temples: of replicas of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus 19:24…but here, near ἱερόν vs. 27…ναός can be understood in the more restricted sense shrine, where the image of the goddess stood.”

⁴⁶⁴ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

⁴⁶⁵ tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).

⁴⁶⁶ sn A great deal of business. The charge that Christianity brought economic and/or social upheaval was made a number of times in Acts: 16:20-21; 17:6-7; 18:13.

⁴⁶⁷ tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunaqroisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁴⁶⁸ 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.

⁴⁶⁹ sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.

⁴⁷⁰ tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”

⁴⁷¹ tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁴⁷² tn Or “misled.”

⁴⁷³ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”

⁴⁷⁴ map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.

⁴⁷⁵ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

⁴⁷⁶ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.

⁴⁷⁷ tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

⁴⁷⁸ tn Or “come under public criticism.” BDAG 101 s.v. ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”

⁴⁷⁹ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

⁴⁸⁰ tn BDAG 597 s.v. λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing…Ac 19:27.”

⁴⁸¹ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

⁴⁸² tn Or “her magnificence.” BDAG 488 s.v. καθαιρέω 2.b has “καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς suffer the loss of her magnificence Ac 19:27”; L&N 13.38 has “‘and to have her greatness done away with’ Ac 19:27.”

⁴⁸³ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

⁴⁸⁴ tn Grk “And hearing.” The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

⁴⁸⁵ tn Grk “they became filled with rage” (an idiom). The reaction of the Ephesians here is like that of the Jews earlier, though Luke referred to “zeal” or “jealousy” in the former case (Acts 7:54).

⁴⁸⁶ tn Grk “and began shouting, saying.” The imperfect verb ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

⁴⁸⁷ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

⁴⁸⁸ tn Grk “And the.” 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.

⁴⁸⁹ tn L&N 39.43 has “‘the uproar spread throughout the whole city’ (literally ‘the city was filled with uproar’) Ac 19:29.” BDAG 954 s.v. σύγχυσις has “confusion, tumult.”

⁴⁹⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴⁹¹ sn To the theater. This location made the event a public spectacle. The Grand Theater in Ephesus (still standing today) stood facing down the main thoroughfare of the city toward the docks. It had a seating capacity of 25,000.

⁴⁹² tn Grk “to the theater with one accord.”

⁴⁹³ tn Or “enter the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν δ. go into the assembly 19:30.”

⁴⁹⁴ tn Grk “Asiarchs” (high-ranking officials of the province of Asia).

⁴⁹⁵ tn Grk “sending”; the participle πέμψαντες (pemyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁴⁹⁶ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

⁴⁹⁷ tn BDAG 242-43 s.v. δίδωμι 11 has “to cause (oneself) to go, go, venture somewhere (cp. our older ‘betake oneself’)…Ac 19:31.” The desire of these sympathetic authorities was surely to protect Paul’s life. The detail indicates how dangerous things had become.

⁴⁹⁸ tn Or “had assembled.”

⁴⁹⁹ tn Or “Some of the crowd gave instructions to.”

⁵⁰⁰ tn The words “it was about” are not in the Greek text but are implied; ᾿Αλέξανδρον (Alexandron) is taken to be an accusative of general reference.

⁵⁰¹ tn BDAG 865 s.v. προβάλλω 1 has “to cause to come forward, put forward…τινά someone…push someone forward to speak in the theater…Ac 19:33.”

⁵⁰² tn Or “motioning.”

⁵⁰³ sn The nature of Alexander’s defense is not clear. It appears he was going to explain, as a Jew, that the problem was not caused by Jews, but by those of “the Way.” However, he never got a chance to speak.

⁵⁰⁴ tn Or “before the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ δ. make a defense before the assembly vs. 33.”

⁵⁰⁵ tn Grk “But recognizing.” The participle ἐπιγνόντες (epignonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁵⁰⁶ tn Grk “[they shouted] with one voice from all of them” (an idiom).

⁵⁰⁷ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus, 1.25 mi (2 km) northeast of the Grand Theater. Dimensions were 418 ft by 239 ft (125 m by 72 m) for the platform; the temple proper was 377 ft by 180 ft (113 m by 54 m). The roof was supported by 117 columns, each 60 ft (18 m) high by 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter. The Emperor Justinian of Byzantium later took these columns for use in construction of the Hagia Sophia, where they still exist (in modern day Istanbul).

⁵⁰⁸ sn They all shouted…for about two hours. The extent of the tumult shows the racial and social tensions of a cosmopolitan city like Ephesus, indicating what the Christians in such locations had to face.

⁵⁰⁹ tn Or “clerk.” The “scribe” (γραμματεύς, grammateu") was the keeper of the city’s records.

⁵¹⁰ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

⁵¹¹ tn See BDAG 670 s.v. νεωκόρος. The city is described as the “warden” or “guardian” of the goddess and her temple.

⁵¹² sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

⁵¹³ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

⁵¹⁴ tn Grk “these things.”

⁵¹⁵ tn The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὄντων (ontwn) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. On the term translated “indisputable” see BDAG 68-69 s.v. ἀναντίρρητος which has “not to be contradicted, undeniable.”

⁵¹⁶ tn Grk “it is necessary that you be quiet.”

⁵¹⁷ tn L&N 88.98 has “pertaining to impetuous and reckless behavior – ‘reckless, impetuous.’…‘so then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless’ Ac 19:36.” The city secretary was asking that order be restored.

⁵¹⁸ tn Or perhaps, “desecrators of temples.”

⁵¹⁹ sn Nor blasphemers of our goddess. There was no formal crime with which Paul could be charged. He had the right to his religion as long as he did not act physically against the temple. Since no overt act had taken place, the official wanted the community to maintain the status quo on these religious matters. The remarks suggest Paul was innocent of any civil crime.

⁵²⁰ tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”

⁵²¹ tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”

⁵²² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.

⁵²³ tn Or “anything more than this.”

⁵²⁴ tn Or “resolved.”

⁵²⁵ tn Or “in a legal meeting of the citizens.” L&N 30.81 has “ἐν τῇ ἐννόμῳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπιλυθήσεται ‘it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of the citizens’ Ac 19:39.” This meeting took place three times a year.

⁵²⁶ tn Grk “For indeed.” The ascensive force of καί (kai) would be awkward to translate here.

⁵²⁷ 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.

⁵²⁸ 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.

⁵²⁹ 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.”

⁵³⁰ tn Grk “And after.” 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.

⁵³¹ tn Grk “And saying.” The participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁵³² tn Grk “these things.”

⁵³³ sn Verse 41 in the English text is included as part of verse 40 in the standard critical editions of the Greek NT.