2:42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, 1 to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 2 2:43 Reverential awe 3 came over everyone, 4 and many wonders and miraculous signs 5 came about by the apostles. 2:44 All who believed were together and held 6 everything in common, 2:45 and they began selling 7 their property 8 and possessions and distributing the proceeds 9 to everyone, as anyone had need. 2:46 Every day 10 they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, 11 breaking bread from 12 house to house, sharing their food with glad 13 and humble hearts, 14 2:47 praising God and having the good will 15 of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day 16 those who were being saved.
3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time 17 for prayer, 18 at three o’clock in the afternoon. 19 3:2 And a man lame 20 from birth 21 was being carried up, who was placed at the temple gate called “the Beautiful Gate” every day 22 so he could beg for money 23 from those going into the temple courts. 24 3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, 25 he asked them for money. 26 3:4 Peter looked directly 27 at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!” 3:5 So the lame man 28 paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. 3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, 29 but what I do have I give you. In the name 30 of Jesus Christ 31 the Nazarene, stand up and 32 walk!” 3:7 Then 33 Peter 34 took hold 35 of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s 36 feet and ankles were made strong. 37 3:8 He 38 jumped up, 39 stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts 40 with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 3:9 All 41 the people saw him walking and praising God, 3:10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations 42 at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement 43 at what had happened to him.
3:11 While the man 44 was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway 45 called Solomon’s Portico. 46 3:12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, 47 why are you amazed at this? Why 48 do you stare at us as if we had made this man 49 walk by our own power or piety? 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 50 the God of our forefathers, 51 has glorified 52 his servant 53 Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected 54 in the presence of Pilate after he had decided 55 to release him. 3:14 But you rejected 56 the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. 3:15 You killed 57 the Originator 58 of life, whom God raised 59 from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! 60 3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ 61 name, 62 his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The 63 faith that is through Jesus 64 has given him this complete health in the presence 65 of you all. 3:17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, 66 as your rulers did too. 3:18 But the things God foretold 67 long ago through 68 all the prophets – that his Christ 69 would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way. 3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, 3:20 so that times of refreshing 70 may come from the presence of the Lord, 71 and so that he may send the Messiah 72 appointed 73 for you – that is, Jesus. 3:21 This one 74 heaven must 75 receive until the time all things are restored, 76 which God declared 77 from times long ago 78 through his holy prophets. 3:22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey 79 him in everything he tells you. 80 3:23 Every person 81 who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed 82 from the people.’ 83 3:24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced 84 these days. 3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, 85 saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants 86 all the nations 87 of the earth will be blessed.’ 88 3:26 God raised up 89 his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning 90 each one of you from your iniquities.” 91
4:1 While Peter and John 92 were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander 93 of the temple guard 94 and the Sadducees 95 came up 96 to them, 4:2 angry 97 because they were teaching the people and announcing 98 in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 4:3 So 99 they seized 100 them and put them in jail 101 until the next day (for it was already evening). 4:4 But many of those who had listened to 102 the message 103 believed, and the number of the men 104 came to about five thousand.
4:5 On the next day, 105 their rulers, elders, and experts in the law 106 came together 107 in Jerusalem. 108 4:6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who were members of the high priest’s family. 109 4:7 After 110 making Peter and John 111 stand in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power or by what name 112 did you do this?” 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, 113 replied, 114 “Rulers of the people and elders, 115 4:9 if 116 we are being examined 117 today for a good deed 118 done to a sick man – by what means this man was healed 119 – 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ 120 the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. 4:11 This Jesus 121 is the stone that was rejected by you, 122 the builders, that has become the cornerstone. 123 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people 124 by which we must 125 be saved.”
4:13 When they saw the boldness 126 of Peter and John, and discovered 127 that they were uneducated 128 and ordinary 129 men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. 4:14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this. 130 4:15 But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, 131 they began to confer with one another, 4:16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For it is plain 132 to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign 133 has come about through them, 134 and we cannot deny it. 4:17 But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more 135 to anyone in this name.” 4:18 And they called them in and ordered 136 them not to speak or teach at all in the name 137 of Jesus. 4:19 But Peter and John replied, 138 “Whether it is right before God to obey 139 you rather than God, you decide, 4:20 for it is impossible 140 for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” 4:21 After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising 141 God for what had happened. 4:22 For the man, on whom this miraculous sign 142 of healing had been performed, 143 was over forty years old.
4:23 When they were released, Peter and John 144 went to their fellow believers 145 and reported everything the high priests and the elders had said to them. 4:24 When they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind 146 and said, “Master of all, 147 you who made the heaven, the earth, 148 the sea, and everything that is in them, 4:25 who said by the Holy Spirit through 149 your servant David our forefather, 150
‘Why do the nations 151 rage, 152
and the peoples plot foolish 153 things?
4:26 The kings of the earth stood together, 154
and the rulers assembled together,
against the Lord and against his 155 Christ.’ 156
4:27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against 157 your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 158 4:28 to do as much as your power 159 and your plan 160 had decided beforehand 161 would happen. 4:29 And now, Lord, pay attention to 162 their threats, and grant 163 to your servants 164 to speak your message 165 with great courage, 166 4:30 while you extend your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs 167 and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 4:31 When 168 they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, 169 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak 170 the word of God 171 courageously. 172
4:32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, 173 and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. 174 4:33 With 175 great power the apostles were giving testimony 176 to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. 4:34 For there was no one needy 177 among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling 178 them 179 and bringing the proceeds from the sales 4:35 and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds 180 were distributed to each, as anyone had need. 4:36 So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), 181 4:37 sold 182 a field 183 that belonged to him and brought the money 184 and placed it at the apostles’ feet.
5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property. 5:2 He 185 kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought 186 only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet. 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled 187 your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the sale of 188 the land? 5:4 Before it was sold, 189 did it not 190 belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money 191 not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? 192 You have not lied to people 193 but to God!”
5:5 When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped 194 all who heard about it. 5:6 So the young men came, 195 wrapped him up, 196 carried him out, and buried 197 him. 5:7 After an interval of about three hours, 198 his wife came in, but she did not know 199 what had happened. 5:8 Peter said to her, “Tell me, were the two of you 200 paid this amount 201 for the land?” Sapphira 202 said, “Yes, that much.” 5:9 Peter then told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!” 5:10 At once 203 she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 5:11 Great 204 fear gripped 205 the whole church 206 and all who heard about these things.
5:12 Now many miraculous signs 207 and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By 208 common consent 209 they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. 210 5:13 None of the rest dared to join them, 211 but the people held them in high honor. 212 5:14 More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number, 213 crowds of both men and women. 5:15 Thus 214 they even carried the sick out into the streets, and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them. 5:16 A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem 215 also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. 216 They 217 were all 218 being healed.
5:17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees 219 ), 220 and they were filled with jealousy. 221 5:18 They 222 laid hands on 223 the apostles and put them in a public jail. 5:19 But during the night an angel of the Lord 224 opened 225 the doors of the prison, 226 led them out, 227 and said, 5:20 “Go and stand in the temple courts 228 and proclaim 229 to the people all the words of this life.” 5:21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts 230 at daybreak and began teaching. 231
Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin 232 – that is, the whole high council 233 of the Israelites 234 – and sent to the jail to have the apostles 235 brought before them. 236 5:22 But the officers 237 who came for them 238 did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 239 5:23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, 240 we found no one inside.” 5:24 Now when the commander 241 of the temple guard 242 and the chief priests heard this report, 243 they were greatly puzzled concerning it, 244 wondering what this could 245 be. 5:25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts 246 and teaching 247 the people!” 5:26 Then the commander 248 of the temple guard 249 went with the officers 250 and brought the apostles 251 without the use of force 252 (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). 253
5:27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, 254 and the high priest questioned 255 them, 5:28 saying, “We gave 256 you strict orders 257 not to teach in this name. 258 Look, 259 you have filled Jerusalem 260 with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood 261 on us!” 5:29 But Peter and the apostles replied, 262 “We must obey 263 God rather than people. 264 5:30 The God of our forefathers 265 raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree. 266 5:31 God exalted him 267 to his right hand as Leader 268 and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 269 5:32 And we are witnesses of these events, 270 and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey 271 him.”
5:33 Now when they heard this, they became furious 272 and wanted to execute them. 273 5:34 But a Pharisee 274 whose name was Gamaliel, 275 a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up 276 in the council 277 and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 5:35 Then he said to the council, 278 “Men of Israel, 279 pay close attention to 280 what you are about to do to these men. 5:36 For some time ago 281 Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He 282 was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and nothing came of it. 283 5:37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, 284 and incited people to follow him in revolt. 285 He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered. 5:38 So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, 286 it will come to nothing, 287 5:39 but if 288 it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found 289 fighting against God.” He convinced them, 290 5:40 and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten. 291 Then 292 they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. 5:41 So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy 293 to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. 294 5:42 And every day both in the temple courts 295 and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news 296 that Jesus was the Christ. 297
6:1 Now in those 298 days, when the disciples were growing in number, 299 a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews 300 against the native Hebraic Jews, 301 because their widows 302 were being overlooked 303 in the daily distribution of food. 304 6:2 So the twelve 305 called 306 the whole group 307 of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. 308 6:3 But carefully select from among you, brothers, 309 seven 310 men who are well-attested, 311 full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge 312 of this necessary task. 313 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 6:5 The 314 proposal pleased the entire group, so 315 they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with 316 Philip, 317 Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism 318 from Antioch. 319 6:6 They stood these men before the apostles, who prayed 320 and placed 321 their hands on them. 6:7 The word of God continued to spread, 322 the number of disciples in Jerusalem 323 increased greatly, and a large group 324 of priests became obedient to the faith.
6:8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and miraculous signs 325 among the people. 6:9 But some men from the Synagogue 326 of the Freedmen (as it was called), 327 both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, 328 stood up and argued with Stephen. 6:10 Yet 329 they were not able to resist 330 the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. 6:11 Then they secretly instigated 331 some men to say, “We have heard this man 332 speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 6:12 They incited the people, the 333 elders, and the experts in the law; 334 then they approached Stephen, 335 seized him, and brought him before the council. 336 6:13 They brought forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop saying things against this holy place 337 and the law. 338 6:14 For we have heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs 339 that Moses handed down to us.” 6:15 All 340 who were sitting in the council 341 looked intently at Stephen 342 and saw his face was like the face of an angel. 343
7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” 344 7:2 So he replied, 345 “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather 346 Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 7:3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ 347 7:4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God 348 made him move 349 to this country where you now live. 7:5 He 350 did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, 351 not even a foot of ground, 352 yet God 353 promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, 354 even though Abraham 355 as yet had no child. 7:6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Your 356 descendants will be foreigners 357 in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. 358 7:7 But I will punish 359 the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there 360 and worship 361 me in this place.’ 362 7:8 Then God 363 gave Abraham 364 the covenant 365 of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, 366 and Isaac became the father of 367 Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 368 7:9 The 369 patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold 370 him into Egypt. But 371 God was with him, 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made 372 him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 7:11 Then a famine occurred throughout 373 Egypt and Canaan, causing 374 great suffering, and our 375 ancestors 376 could not find food. 7:12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain 377 in Egypt, he sent our ancestors 378 there 379 the first time. 7:13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family 380 became known to Pharaoh. 7:14 So Joseph sent a message 381 and invited 382 his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people 383 in all. 7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, 384 along with our ancestors, 385 7:16 and their bones 386 were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money 387 from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
7:17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, 388 the people increased greatly in number 389 in Egypt, 7:18 until another king who did not know about 390 Joseph ruled 391 over Egypt. 392 7:19 This was the one who exploited 393 our people 394 and was cruel to our ancestors, 395 forcing them to abandon 396 their infants so they would die. 397 7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful 398 to God. For 399 three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, 400 Pharaoh’s daughter adopted 401 him and brought him up 402 as her own son. 7:22 So Moses was trained 403 in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful 404 in his words and deeds. 7:23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind 405 to visit his fellow countrymen 406 the Israelites. 407 7:24 When 408 he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, 409 Moses 410 came to his defense 411 and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. 7:25 He thought his own people 412 would understand that God was delivering them 413 through him, 414 but they did not understand. 415 7:26 The next day Moses 416 saw two men 417 fighting, and tried to make peace between 418 them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ 7:27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed 419 Moses 420 aside, saying, ‘Who made 421 you a ruler and judge over us? 7:28 You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ 422 7:29 When the man said this, 423 Moses fled and became a foreigner 424 in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
7:30 “After 425 forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert 426 of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 427 7:31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord, 7:32 ‘I am the God of your forefathers, 428 the God of Abraham, Isaac, 429 and Jacob.’ 430 Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely. 431 7:33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 432 7:34 I have certainly seen the suffering 433 of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. 434 Now 435 come, I will send you to Egypt.’ 436 7:35 This same 437 Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ 438 God sent as both ruler and deliverer 439 through the hand of the angel 440 who appeared to him in the bush. 7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs 441 in the land of Egypt, 442 at 443 the Red Sea, and in the wilderness 444 for forty years. 7:37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, 445 ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ 446 7:38 This is the man who was in the congregation 447 in the wilderness 448 with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, 449 and he 450 received living oracles 451 to give to you. 452 7:39 Our 453 ancestors 454 were unwilling to obey 455 him, but pushed him aside 456 and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 7:40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt 457 – we do not know what has happened to him!’ 458 7:41 At 459 that time 460 they made an idol in the form of a calf, 461 brought 462 a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing 463 in the works of their hands. 464 7:42 But God turned away from them and gave them over 465 to worship the host 466 of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices 467 forty years in the wilderness, was it, 468 house of Israel? 7:43 But you took along the tabernacle 469 of Moloch 470 and the star of the 471 god Rephan, 472 the images you made to worship, but I will deport 473 you beyond Babylon.’ 474 7:44 Our ancestors 475 had the tabernacle 476 of testimony in the wilderness, 477 just as God 478 who spoke to Moses ordered him 479 to make it according to the design he had seen. 7:45 Our 480 ancestors 481 received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, 482 until the time 483 of David. 7:46 He 484 found favor 485 with 486 God and asked that he could 487 find a dwelling place 488 for the house 489 of Jacob. 7:47 But Solomon built a house 490 for him. 7:48 Yet the Most High 491 does not live in houses made by human hands, 492 as the prophet says,
7:49 ‘Heaven is my throne,
and earth is the footstool for my feet.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is my resting place? 493
7:50 Did my hand 494 not make all these things?’ 495
7:51 “You stubborn 496 people, with uncircumcised 497 hearts and ears! 498 You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors 499 did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors 500 not persecute? 501 They 502 killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, 503 whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! 504 7:53 You 505 received the law by decrees given by angels, 506 but you did not obey 507 it.” 508
7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious 509 and ground their teeth 510 at him. 7:55 But Stephen, 511 full 512 of the Holy Spirit, looked intently 513 toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing 514 at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. 515 “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, 516 shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 7:58 When 517 they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, 518 and the witnesses laid their cloaks 519 at the feet of a young man named Saul. 7:59 They 520 continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 7:60 Then he fell 521 to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” 522 When 523 he had said this, he died. 524 8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing 525 him.
Now on that day a great 526 persecution began 527 against the church in Jerusalem, 528 and all 529 except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions 530 of Judea and Samaria. 8:2 Some 531 devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation 532 over him. 533 8:3 But Saul was trying to destroy 534 the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off 535 both men and women and put them in prison. 536
8:4 Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. 8:5 Philip went down to the main city of Samaria 537 and began proclaiming 538 the Christ 539 to them. 8:6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, 540 as they heard and saw the miraculous signs 541 he was performing. 8:7 For unclean spirits, 542 crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, 543 and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8:8 So there was 544 great joy 545 in that city.
8:9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic 546 and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 8:10 All the people, 547 from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” 548 8:11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God 549 and the name of Jesus Christ, 550 they began to be baptized, 551 both men and women. 8:13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to 552 Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. 553
8:14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem 554 heard that Samaria had accepted the word 555 of God, they sent 556 Peter and John to them. 8:15 These two 557 went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 8:16 (For the Spirit 558 had not yet come upon 559 any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 560 8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, 561 and they received the Holy Spirit. 562
8:18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit 563 was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them money, 8:19 saying, “Give me this power 564 too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 8:20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, 565 because you thought you could acquire 566 God’s gift with money! 8:21 You have no share or part 567 in this matter 568 because your heart is not right before God! 8:22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord 569 that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart. 570 8:23 For I see that you are bitterly envious 571 and in bondage to sin.” 8:24 But Simon replied, 572 “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to 573 me.”
8:25 So after Peter and John 574 had solemnly testified 575 and spoken the word of the Lord, 576 they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming 577 the good news to many Samaritan villages 578 as they went. 579
8:26 Then an angel of the Lord 580 said to Philip, 581 “Get up and go south 582 on the road that goes down from Jerusalem 583 to Gaza.” (This is a desert 584 road.) 585 8:27 So 586 he got up 587 and went. There 588 he met 589 an Ethiopian eunuch, 590 a court official of Candace, 591 queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He 592 had come to Jerusalem to worship, 593 8:28 and was returning home, sitting 594 in his chariot, reading 595 the prophet Isaiah. 8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 8:30 So Philip ran up 596 to it 597 and heard the man 598 reading Isaiah the prophet. He 599 asked him, 600 “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 8:31 The man 601 replied, “How in the world can I, 602 unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 8:32 Now the passage of scripture the man 603 was reading was this:
“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did 604 not open his mouth.
8:33 In humiliation 605 justice was taken from him. 606
Who can describe his posterity? 607
For his life was taken away 608 from the earth.” 609
8:34 Then the eunuch said 610 to Philip, “Please tell me, 611 who is the prophet saying this about – himself or someone else?” 612 8:35 So Philip started speaking, 613 and beginning with this scripture 614 proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 8:36 Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water! What is to stop me 615 from being baptized?” 8:37 [[EMPTY]] 616 8:38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, 617 and Philip baptized 618 him. 8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but 619 went on his way rejoicing. 620 8:40 Philip, however, found himself 621 at Azotus, 622 and as he passed through the area, 623 he proclaimed the good news 624 to all the towns 625 until he came to Caesarea. 626
9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats 627 to murder 628 the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues 629 in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, 630 either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners 631 to Jerusalem. 632 9:3 As he was going along, approaching 633 Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed 634 around him. 9:4 He 635 fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, 636 why are you persecuting me?” 637 9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 9:6 But stand up 638 and enter the city and you will be told 639 what you must do.” 9:7 (Now the men 640 who were traveling with him stood there speechless, 641 because they heard the voice but saw no one.) 642 9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, 643 he could see nothing. 644 Leading him by the hand, his companions 645 brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For 646 three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. 647
9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The 648 Lord 649 said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, 650 Lord.” 9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ 651 and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 9:12 and he has seen in a vision 652 a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 9:13 But Ananias replied, 653 “Lord, I have heard from many people 654 about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison 655 all who call on your name!” 656 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument 657 to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. 658 9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 659 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed 660 his hands on Saul 661 and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, 662 has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 663 9:18 Immediately 664 something like scales 665 fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He 666 got up and was baptized, 9:19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.
For several days 667 he was with the disciples in Damascus, 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, 668 saying, “This man is the Son of God.” 669 9:21 All 670 who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not 671 the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging 672 those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners 673 to the chief priests?” 9:22 But Saul became more and more capable, 674 and was causing consternation 675 among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving 676 that Jesus 677 is the Christ. 678
9:23 Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted 679 together to kill him, 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot against him. 680 They were also watching 681 the city gates 682 day and night so that they could kill him. 9:25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening 683 in the wall by lowering him in a basket. 684
9:26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, 685 he attempted to associate 686 with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe 687 that he was a disciple. 9:27 But Barnabas took 688 Saul, 689 brought 690 him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that 691 the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly 692 in the name of Jesus. 9:28 So he was staying with them, associating openly with them 693 in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 9:29 He was speaking and debating 694 with the Greek-speaking Jews, 695 but they were trying to kill him. 9:30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea 696 and sent him away to Tarsus.
9:31 Then 697 the church throughout Judea, Galilee, 698 and Samaria experienced 699 peace and thus was strengthened. 700 Living 701 in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church 702 increased in numbers.
9:32 Now 703 as Peter was traveling around from place to place, 704 he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda. 705 9:33 He found there a man named Aeneas who had been confined to a mattress for eight years because 706 he was paralyzed. 9:34 Peter 707 said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ 708 heals you. Get up and make your own bed!” 709 And immediately he got up. 9:35 All 710 those who lived in Lydda 711 and Sharon 712 saw him, and they 713 turned 714 to the Lord.
9:36 Now in Joppa 715 there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means 716 Dorcas). 717 She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity. 718 9:37 At that time 719 she became sick 720 and died. When they had washed 721 her body, 722 they placed it in an upstairs room. 9:38 Because Lydda 723 was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Come to us without delay.” 724 9:39 So Peter got up and went with them, and 725 when he arrived 726 they brought him to the upper room. All 727 the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him 728 the tunics 729 and other clothing 730 Dorcas used to make 731 while she was with them. 9:40 But Peter sent them all outside, 732 knelt down, 733 and prayed. Turning 734 to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 735 9:41 He gave 736 her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called 737 the saints and widows and presented her alive. 9:42 This became known throughout all 738 Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 739 9:43 So 740 Peter 741 stayed many days in Joppa with a man named 742 Simon, a tanner. 743
10:1 Now there was a man in Caesarea 744 named Cornelius, a centurion 745 of what was known as the Italian Cohort. 746 10:2 He 747 was a devout, God-fearing man, 748 as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people 749 and prayed to God regularly. 10:3 About three o’clock one afternoon 750 he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God 751 who came in 752 and said to him, “Cornelius.” 10:4 Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius 753 replied, 754 “What is it, Lord?” The angel 755 said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity 756 have gone up as a memorial 757 before God. 10:5 Now 758 send men to Joppa 759 and summon a man named Simon, 760 who is called Peter. 10:6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, 761 whose house is by the sea.” 10:7 When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius 762 called two of his personal servants 763 and a devout soldier from among those who served him, 764 10:8 and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
10:9 About noon 765 the next day, while they were on their way and approaching 766 the city, Peter went up on the roof 767 to pray. 10:10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. 768 10:11 He 769 saw heaven 770 opened 771 and an object something like a large sheet 772 descending, 773 being let down to earth 774 by its four corners. 10:12 In it 775 were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles 776 of the earth and wild birds. 777 10:13 Then 778 a voice said 779 to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter 780 and eat!” 10:14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” 781 10:15 The voice 782 spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider 783 ritually unclean!” 784 10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven. 785
10:17 Now while Peter was puzzling over 786 what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was 787 and approached 788 the gate. 10:18 They 789 called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, 790 was staying there as a guest. 10:19 While Peter was still thinking seriously about 791 the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look! Three men are looking for you. 10:20 But get up, 792 go down, and accompany them without hesitation, 793 because I have sent them.” 10:21 So Peter went down 794 to the men and said, “Here I am, 795 the person you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, 796 a righteous 797 and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, 798 was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message 799 from you.” 10:23 So Peter 800 invited them in and entertained them as guests.
On the next day he got up and set out 801 with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa 802 accompanied him. 10:24 The following day 803 he entered Caesarea. 804 Now Cornelius was waiting anxiously 805 for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 10:25 So when 806 Peter came in, Cornelius met 807 him, fell 808 at his feet, and worshiped 809 him. 10:26 But Peter helped him up, 810 saying, “Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.” 811 10:27 Peter 812 continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together. 813 10:28 He said to them, “You know that 814 it is unlawful 815 for a Jew 816 to associate with or visit a Gentile, 817 yet God has shown me that I should call no person 818 defiled or ritually unclean. 819 10:29 Therefore when you sent for me, 820 I came without any objection. Now may I ask why 821 you sent for me?” 10:30 Cornelius 822 replied, 823 “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, 824 I was praying in my house, and suddenly 825 a man in shining clothing stood before me 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity 826 have been remembered before God. 827 10:32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, 828 by the sea.’ 10:33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. 829 So now we are all here in the presence of God 830 to listen 831 to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” 832
10:34 Then Peter started speaking: 833 “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, 834 10:35 but in every nation 835 the person who fears him 836 and does what is right 837 is welcomed before him. 10:36 You know 838 the message 839 he sent to the people 840 of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace 841 through 842 Jesus Christ 843 (he is Lord 844 of all) – 10:37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 845 10:38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, 846 that 847 God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He 848 went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, 849 because God was with him. 850 10:39 We 851 are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea 852 and in Jerusalem. 853 They 854 killed him by hanging him on a tree, 855 10:40 but 856 God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, 857 10:41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, 858 who ate and drank 859 with him after he rose from the dead. 10:42 He 860 commanded us to preach to the people and to warn 861 them 862 that he is the one 863 appointed 864 by God as judge 865 of the living and the dead. 10:43 About him all the prophets testify, 866 that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins 867 through his name.”
10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on 868 all those who heard the message. 869 10:45 The 870 circumcised believers 871 who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished 872 that 873 the gift of the Holy Spirit 874 had been poured out 875 even on the Gentiles, 10:46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising 876 God. Then Peter said, 10:47 “No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, 877 can he?” 878 10:48 So he gave orders to have them baptized 879 in the name of Jesus Christ. 880 Then they asked him to stay for several days.
11:1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted 881 the word of God. 882 11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, 883 the circumcised believers 884 took issue with 885 him, 11:3 saying, “You went to 886 uncircumcised men and shared a meal with 887 them.” 11:4 But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, 888 saying, 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, 889 an object something like a large sheet descending, 890 being let down from heaven 891 by its four corners, and it came to me. 11:6 As I stared 892 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, 893 and wild birds. 894 11:7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; slaughter 895 and eat!’ 11:8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean 896 has ever entered my mouth!’ 11:9 But the voice replied a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider 897 ritually unclean!’ 11:10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again. 11:11 At that very moment, 898 three men sent to me from Caesarea 899 approached 900 the house where we were staying. 901 11:12 The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers 902 also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 11:13 He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, 11:14 who will speak a message 903 to you by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 11:15 Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on 904 them just as he did 905 on us at the beginning. 906 11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, 907 as he used to say, 908 ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 909 11:17 Therefore if God 910 gave them the same gift 911 as he also gave us after believing 912 in the Lord Jesus Christ, 913 who was I to hinder 914 God?” 11:18 When they heard this, 915 they ceased their objections 916 and praised 917 God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance 918 that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” 919
11:19 Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen 920 went as far as 921 Phoenicia, 922 Cyprus, 923 and Antioch, 924 speaking the message 925 to no one but Jews. 11:20 But there were some men from Cyprus 926 and Cyrene 927 among them who came 928 to Antioch 929 and began to speak to the Greeks 930 too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 11:21 The 931 hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed 932 turned 933 to the Lord. 11:22 A report 934 about them came to the attention 935 of the church in Jerusalem, 936 and they sent Barnabas 937 to Antioch. 938 11:23 When 939 he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true 940 to the Lord with devoted hearts, 941 11:24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people 942 were brought to the Lord. 11:25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul, 11:26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. 943 So 944 for a whole year Barnabas and Saul 945 met with the church and taught a significant number of people. 946 Now it was in Antioch 947 that the disciples were first called Christians. 948
11:27 At that time 949 some 950 prophets 951 came down 952 from Jerusalem 953 to Antioch. 954 11:28 One of them, named Agabus, got up 955 and predicted 956 by the Spirit that a severe 957 famine 958 was about to come over the whole inhabited world. 959 (This 960 took place during the reign of Claudius.) 961 11:29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, 962 decided 963 to send relief 964 to the brothers living in Judea. 11:30 They did so, 965 sending their financial aid 966 to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
12:1 About that time King Herod 967 laid hands on 968 some from the church to harm them. 969 12:2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. 970 12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, 971 he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) 972 12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads 973 of soldiers to guard him. Herod 974 planned 975 to bring him out for public trial 976 after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly 977 praying to God for him. 978 12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, 979 Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while 980 guards in front of the door were keeping watch 981 over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly 982 an angel of the Lord 983 appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck 984 Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s 985 wrists. 986 12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt 987 and put on your sandals.” Peter 988 did so. Then the angel 989 said to him, “Put on your cloak 990 and follow me.” 12:9 Peter 991 went out 992 and followed him; 993 he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, 994 but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, 995 they came to the iron 996 gate leading into the city. It 997 opened for them by itself, 998 and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, 999 when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When 1000 Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued 1001 me from the hand 1002 of Herod 1003 and from everything the Jewish people 1004 were expecting to happen.”
12:12 When Peter 1005 realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, 1006 where many people had gathered together and were praying. 12:13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered. 1007 12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told 1008 them 1009 that Peter was standing at the gate. 12:15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” 1010 But she kept insisting that it was Peter, 1011 and they kept saying, 1012 “It is his angel!” 1013 12:16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door 1014 and saw him, they were greatly astonished. 1015 12:17 He motioned to them 1016 with his hand to be quiet and then related 1017 how the Lord had brought 1018 him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. 1019
12:18 At daybreak 1020 there was great consternation 1021 among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 12:19 When Herod 1022 had searched 1023 for him and did not find him, he questioned 1024 the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. 1025 Then 1026 Herod 1027 went down from Judea to Caesarea 1028 and stayed there.
12:20 Now Herod 1029 was having an angry quarrel 1030 with the people of Tyre 1031 and Sidon. 1032 So they joined together 1033 and presented themselves before him. And after convincing 1034 Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, 1035 to help them, 1036 they asked for peace, 1037 because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. 12:21 On a day determined in advance, Herod 1038 put on his royal robes, 1039 sat down on the judgment seat, 1040 and made a speech 1041 to them. 12:22 But the crowd 1042 began to shout, 1043 “The voice of a god, 1044 and not of a man!” 12:23 Immediately an angel of the Lord 1045 struck 1046 Herod 1047 down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. 1048 12:24 But the word of God 1049 kept on increasing 1050 and multiplying.
1 sn Fellowship refers here to close association involving mutual involvement and relationships.
2 tn Grk “prayers.” This word was translated as a collective singular in keeping with English style.
3 tn Or “Fear.”
4 tn Grk “on every soul” (here “soul” is an idiom for the whole person).
5 tn In this context the miraculous nature of these signs is implied. Cf. BDAG 920 s.v. σημεῖον 2.a.
6 tn Grk “had.”
7 tn The imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive (“began…”). Since in context this is a description of the beginning of the community of believers, it is more likely that these statements refer to the start of various activities and practices that the early church continued for some time.
8 tn It is possible that the first term for property (κτήματα, kthmata) refers to real estate (as later usage seems to indicate) while the second term (ὑπάρξεις, Juparxeis) refers to possessions in general, but it may also be that the two terms are used together for emphasis, simply indicating that all kinds of possessions were being sold. However, if the first term is more specifically a reference to real estate, it foreshadows the incident with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11.
9 tn Grk “distributing them” (αὐτά, auta). The referent (the proceeds of the sales) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.
11 tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
12 tn Here κατά (kata) is used as a distributive (BDAG 512 s.v. B.1.d).
13 sn The term glad (Grk “gladness”) often refers to joy brought about by God’s saving acts (Luke 1:14, 44; also the related verb in 1:47; 10:21).
14 tn Grk “with gladness and humbleness of hearts.” It is best to understand καρδίας (kardias) as an attributed genitive, with the two nouns it modifies actually listing attributes of the genitive noun which is related to them.
15 tn Or “the favor.”
16 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.
17 tn Grk “hour.”
18 sn Going up to the temple at the time for prayer. The earliest Christians, being of Jewish roots, were still participating in the institutions of Judaism at this point. Their faith in Christ did not make them non-Jewish in their practices.
19 tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” This is calculated from sunrise (Josephus, Ant. 14.4.3 [14.65]; Dan 9:21).
20 tn Or “crippled.”
21 tn Grk “from his mother’s womb.”
22 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.
23 tn Grk “alms.” The term “alms” is not in common use today, so what the man expected, “money,” is used in the translation instead. The idea is that of money given as a gift to someone who was poor. Giving alms was viewed as honorable in Judaism (Tob 1:3, 16; 12:8-9; m. Pe’ah 1:1). See also Luke 11:41; 12:33; Acts 9:36; 10:2, 4, 31; 24:17.
24 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
25 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
26 tn Grk “alms.” See the note on the word “money” in the previous verse.
27 tn Grk “Peter, looking directly at him, as did John, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
28 tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the lame man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29 tn Or “I have no money.” L&N 6.69 classifies the expression ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον (argurion kai crusion) as an idiom that is a generic expression for currency, thus “money.”
30 sn In the name. Note the authority in the name of Jesus the Messiah. His presence and power are at work for the man. The reference to “the name” is not like a magical incantation, but is designed to indicate the agent who performs the healing. The theme is quite frequent in Acts (2:38 plus 21 other times).
31 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
32 tc The words “stand up and” (ἔγειρε καί, egeire kai) are not in a few
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the sequence of events.
34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35 tn Grk “Peter taking hold of him…raised him up.” The participle πιάσας (piasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
36 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
37 sn At once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. Note that despite the past lameness, the man is immediately able to walk. The restoration of his ability to walk pictures the presence of a renewed walk, a fresh start at life; this was far more than money would have given him.
38 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
39 tn Grk “Jumping up, he stood.” The participle ἐξαλλόμενος (exallomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. It is possible that the paralyzed man actually jumped off the ground, but more probably this term simply refers to the speed with which he stood up. See L&N 15.240.
40 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
41 tn Grk “And all.” 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.
42 tn Grk “alms,” but this term is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “donations,” is used instead. The idea is that of a donation to charity.
43 sn Amazement is a frequent response to miracles of Jesus or the apostles. These took the ancients by as much surprise as they would people today. But in terms of response to what God is doing, amazement does not equal faith (Luke 4:36; 5:9, 26; 7:16).
44 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.” The translation “covered walkway” (a descriptive translation) was used here because the architectural term “portico” or “colonnade” is less familiar. However, the more technical term “portico” was retained in the actual name that follows.
46 sn Solomon’s Portico was a covered walkway formed by rows of columns supporting a roof and open on the inner side facing the center of the temple complex. It was located on the east side of the temple (Josephus, Ant. 15.11.3-5 [15.391-420], 20.9.7 [20.221]) and was a place of commerce and conversation.
47 tn Or perhaps “People of Israel,” since this was taking place in Solomon’s Portico and women may have been present. The Greek ἄνδρες ᾿Ισραηλῖται (andre" Israhlitai) used in the plural would normally mean “men, gentlemen” (BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).
48 tn Grk “or why.”
49 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
50 tc ‡ The repetition of ὁ θεός (Jo qeos, “God”) before the names of Isaac and Jacob is found in Ì74 א C (A D without article) 36 104 1175 pc lat. The omission of the second and third ὁ θεός is supported by B E Ψ 33 1739 Ï pc. The other time that Exod 3:6 is quoted in Acts (7:32) the best witnesses also lack the repeated ὁ θεός, but the three other times this OT passage is quoted in the NT the full form, with the thrice-mentioned θεός, is used (Matt 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37). Scribes would be prone to conform the wording here to the LXX; the longer reading is thus most likely not authentic. NA27 has the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.
51 tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”
52 sn Has glorified. Jesus is alive, raised and active, as the healing illustrates so dramatically how God honors him.
53 sn His servant. The term servant has messianic connotations given the context of the promise, the note of suffering, and the titles and functions noted in vv. 14-15.
54 tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”
55 tn This genitive absolute construction could be understood as temporal (“when he had decided”) or concessive (“although he had decided”).
56 tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”
57 tn Or “You put to death.”
58 tn Or “Founder,” “founding Leader.”
59 sn Whom God raised. God is the main actor here, as he testifies to Jesus and vindicates him.
60 tn Grk “whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the words “to this fact” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.
61 tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
62 sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.
63 tn Grk “see and know, and the faith.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated.
64 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
65 tn Or “in full view.”
66 sn The ignorance Peter mentions here does not excuse them from culpability. It was simply a way to say “you did not realize the great mistake you made.”
67 sn God foretold. Peter’s topic is the working out of God’s plan and promise through events the scriptures also note.
68 tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).
69 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
70 tn Or “relief.”
71 tn The words “so that…Lord” are traditionally placed in v. 19 by most English translations, but in the present translation the verse division follows the standard critical editions of the Greek text (NA27, UBS4).
72 tn Or “the Christ”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
73 tn Or “designated in advance.”
74 tn Grk “whom,” continuing the sentence from v. 20.
75 sn The term must used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) is a key Lukan term to point to the plan of God and what must occur.
76 tn Grk “until the times of the restoration of all things.” Because of the awkward English style of the extended genitive construction, and because the following relative clause has as its referent the “time of restoration” rather than “all things,” the phrase was translated “until the time all things are restored.”
77 tn Or “spoke.”
78 tn Or “from all ages past.”
79 tn Grk “hear,” but the idea of “hear and obey” or simply “obey” is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw; see L&N 36.14) and the following context (v. 23) makes it clear that failure to “obey” the words of this “prophet like Moses” will result in complete destruction.
80 sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. By quoting Deut 18:15 Peter declared that Jesus was the eschatological “prophet like [Moses]” mentioned in that passage, who reveals the plan of God and the way of God.
81 tn Grk “every soul” (here “soul” is an idiom for the whole person).
82 tn Or “will be completely destroyed.” In Acts 3:23 the verb ἐξολεθρεύω (exoleqreuw) is translated “destroy and remove” by L&N 20.35.
83 sn A quotation from Deut 18:19, also Lev 23:29. The OT context of Lev 23:29 discusses what happened when one failed to honor atonement. One ignored the required sacrifice of God at one’s peril.
84 tn Or “proclaimed.”
85 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
86 tn Or “in your offspring”; Grk “in your seed.”
87 tn Or “families.” The Greek word πατριά (patria) can indicate persons of succeeding generations who are related by birth (“lineage,” “family”) but it can also indicate a relatively large unit of people who make up a sociopolitical group and who share a presumed biological descent. In many contexts πατριά is very similar to ἔθνος (eqnos) and λαός (laos). In light of the context of the OT quotation, it is better to translate πατριά as “nations” here.
88 sn A quotation from Gen 22:18.
89 tn Grk “God raising up his servant, sent him.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Some translations (e.g., NIV, NRSV) render this participle as temporal (“when God raised up his servant”).
90 sn The picture of turning is again seen as the appropriate response to the message. See v. 19 above. In v. 19 it was “turning to,” here it is “turning away from.” The direction of the two metaphors is important.
91 tn For the translation of plural πονηρία (ponhria) as “iniquities,” see G. Harder, TDNT 6:565. The plural is important, since for Luke turning to Jesus means turning away from sins, not just the sin of rejecting Jesus.
92 tn Grk “While they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
93 tn Or “captain.”
94 tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
95 sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). See also Matt 3:7; 16:1-12; 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 5:17; 23:6-8.
96 tn Or “approached.” This verb often denotes a sudden appearing (BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1).
97 tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”
98 tn Or “proclaiming.”
99 tn Grk “And” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the logical sequence of events.
100 tn Or “they arrested”; Grk “they laid hands on.”
101 tn Or “prison,” “custody.”
102 tn Or “had heard.”
103 tn Or “word.”
104 tn In the historical setting it is likely that only men are referred to here. The Greek term ἀνήρ (anhr) usually refers to males or husbands rather than people in general. Thus to translate “of the people” would give a false impression of the number, since any women and children were apparently not included in the count.
105 tn Grk “It happened that on the next day.” 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.
106 tn Or “and scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.
107 tn Or “law assembled,” “law met together.”
108 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
109 sn The high priest’s family. This family controlled the high priesthood as far back as
110 tn Grk “And after.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new sentence is begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 7.
111 tn Grk “making them”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
112 sn By what name. The issue of the “name” comes up again here. This question, meaning “by whose authority,” surfaces an old dispute (see Luke 20:1-8). Who speaks for God about the ancient faith?
113 sn Filled with the Holy Spirit. The narrator’s remark about the Holy Spirit indicates that Peter speaks as directed by God and for God. This fulfills Luke 12:11-12 (1 Pet 3:15).
114 tn Grk “Spirit, said to them.”
115 tc The Western and Byzantine texts, as well as one or two Alexandrian witnesses, read τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (tou Israhl, “of Israel”) after πρεσβύτεροι (presbuteroi, “elders”; so D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï it), while most of the better witnesses, chiefly Alexandrian (Ì74 א A B 0165 1175 vg sa bo), lack this modifier. The longer reading was most likely added by scribes to give literary balance to the addressees in that “Rulers” already had an adjunct while “elders” was left absolute.
116 tn This clause is a first class condition. It assumes for the sake of argument that this is what they were being questioned about.
117 tn Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinw) points to an examination similar to a legal one.
118 tn Or “for an act of kindness.”
119 tn Or “delivered” (σέσωται [seswtai], from σώζω [swzw]). See 4:12.
120 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
121 tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
122 tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.
123 sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.
124 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
125 sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.
126 tn Or “courage.”
127 tn Or “and found out.”
128 sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.
129 tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.
130 tn Or “nothing to say in opposition.”
131 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
132 tn Or “evident.”
133 tn Here σημεῖον (shmeion) has been translated as “miraculous sign” rather than simply “sign” or “miracle” since both components appear to be present in the context. It is clear that the healing of the lame man was a miracle, but for the Sanhedrin it was the value of the miraculous healing as a sign that concerned them because it gave attestation to the message of Peter and John. The sign “speaks” as Peter claimed in 3:11-16.
134 tn Or “has been done by them.”
135 tn Or “speak no longer.”
136 tn Or “commanded.”
137 sn In the name of Jesus. Once again, the “name” reflects the person. The person of Jesus and his authority is the “troubling” topic that, as far as the Jewish leadership is concerned, needs controlling.
138 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
139 tn Grk “hear,” but the idea of “hear and obey” or simply “obey” is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw; see L&N 36.14).
140 tn Grk “for we are not able not to speak about what we have seen and heard,” but the double negative, which cancels out in English, is emphatic in Greek. The force is captured somewhat by the English translation “it is impossible for us not to speak…” although this is slightly awkward.
141 tn Or “glorifying.”
142 tn Here σημεῖον (shmeion) has been translated as “miraculous sign” rather than simply “sign” or “miracle” since both components appear to be present in the context. See also the note on this word in v. 16.
143 tn Or “had been done.”
144 tn Grk “they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity, since a new topic begins in v. 23 and the last specific reference to Peter and John in the Greek text is in 4:19.
145 tn Grk “to their own [people].” In context this phrase is most likely a reference to other believers rather than simply their own families and/or homes, since the group appears to act with one accord in the prayer that follows in v. 24. At the literary level, this phrase suggests how Jews were now splitting into two camps, pro-Jesus and anti-Jesus.
146 sn With one mind. Compare Acts 1:14.
147 tn Or “Lord of all.”
148 tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
149 tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).
150 tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
151 tn Or “Gentiles.”
152 sn The Greek word translated rage includes not only anger but opposition, both verbal and nonverbal. See L&N 88.185.
153 tn Or “futile”; traditionally, “vain.”
154 tn Traditionally, “The kings of the earth took their stand.”
155 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
156 sn A quotation from Ps 2:1-2.
157 sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.
158 sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”
159 tn Grk “hand,” here a metaphor for God’s strength or power or authority.
160 tn Or “purpose,” “will.”
161 tn Or “had predestined.” Since the term “predestine” is something of a technical theological term, not in wide usage in contemporary English, the translation “decide beforehand” was used instead (see L&N 30.84). God’s direction remains as the major theme.
162 tn Or “Lord, take notice of.”
163 sn Grant to your servants to speak your message with great courage. The request is not for a stop to persecution or revenge on the opponents, but for boldness (great courage) to carry out the mission of proclaiming the message of what God is doing through Jesus.
164 tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18.
165 tn Grk “word.”
166 tn Or “with all boldness.”
167 tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.
168 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.
169 sn The place where they were assembled…was shaken. This signifies that God is in their midst. See Acts 16:26; Exod 19:18; Ps 114:7; Isa 6:4.
170 tn The imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to speak”). Logical sequencing suggests that their speaking began after they were filled with the Spirit. The prayer was answered immediately.
171 tn Or “speak God’s message.”
172 tn Or “with boldness.”
173 tn Grk “soul.”
174 tn Grk “but all things were to them in common.”
175 tn Grk “And with.” 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.
176 tn Or “were witnessing.”
177 tn Or “poor.”
178 tn Grk “houses, selling them were bringing.” The participle πωλοῦντες (pwlounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
179 tn The word “them” 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.
180 tn Grk “It” (or “They,” plural). The referent of the understood pronoun subject, the proceeds from the sales, of the verb διεδίδετο (diedideto) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
181 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Note how the actions of Barnabas are in keeping with the meaning of his nickname. He stands in contrast to Ananias and Sapphira in 5:1-11.
182 tn Grk “selling a field that belonged to him, brought” The participle πωλήσας (pwlhsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
183 tn Or “a farm.”
184 tn Normally a reference to actual coins (“currency”). See L&N 6.68.
185 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
186 tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenka") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
187 sn This is a good example of the Greek verb fill (πληρόω, plhrow) meaning “to exercise control over someone’s thought and action” (cf. Eph 5:18).
188 tn The words “from the sale of” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the meaning, since the phrase “proceeds from the land” could possibly be understood as crops rather than money from the sale.
189 tn Grk “Remaining to you.”
190 tn The negative interrogative particle οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply to this question and the following one (“And when it was sold, was it not at your disposal?”).
191 tn Grk “it”; the referent of the pronoun (the money generated from the sale of the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
192 tn Grk “How is it that you have [or Why have you] placed this deed in your heart?” Both of these literal translations differ from the normal way of expressing the thought in English.
193 tn Grk “to men.” If Peter’s remark refers only to the apostles, the translation “to men” would be appropriate. But if (as is likely) the action was taken to impress the entire congregation (who would presumably have witnessed the donation or been aware of it) then the more general “to people” is more appropriate, since the audience would have included both men and women.
194 tn Or “fear came on,” “fear seized”; Grk “fear happened to.”
195 tn Or “arose.”
196 tn The translation “wrapped up” for συνέστειλαν (sunesteilan) is suggested by L&N 79.119, but another interpretation is possible. The same verb could also be translated “removed” (see L&N 15.200), although that sense appears somewhat redundant and out of sequence with the following verb and participle (“carried him out and buried him”).
197 sn Buried. Same day burial was a custom in the Jewish world of the first century (cf. also Deut 21:23).
198 tn Grk “It happened that after an interval of about three hours.” 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.
199 tn Grk “came in, not knowing.” The participle has been translated with concessive or adversative force: “although she did not know.” In English, the adversative conjunction (“but”) conveys this nuance more smoothly.
200 tn The words “the two of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate that the verb (ἀπέδοσθε, apedosqe) is plural and thus refers to both Ananias and Sapphira.
201 tn Grk “so much,” “as much as this.”
202 tn Grk “She”; the referent (Sapphira) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
203 tn Grk “And at once.” 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.
204 tn Grk “And great.” 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.
205 tn Or “fear came on,” “fear seized”; Grk “fear happened to.”
206 sn This is the first occurrence of the term church (ἐκκλησία, ekklhsia) in Acts. It refers to an assembly of people.
207 tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.
208 tn Grk “And by.” 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.
209 tn Or “With one mind.”
210 tn Or “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”
211 tn Or “to associate with them.” The group was beginning to have a controversial separate identity. People were cautious about joining them. The next verse suggests that the phrase “none of the rest” in this verse is rhetorical hyperbole.
212 tn Or “the people thought very highly of them.”
213 tn Or “More and more believers were added to the Lord.”
214 tn This is a continuation of the preceding sentence in Greek, but because this would produce an awkward sentence in English, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
215 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
216 sn Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.
217 tn Literally a relative pronoun, “who.” In English, however, a relative clause (“bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, who were all being healed”) could be understood to refer only to the second group (meaning only those troubled by unclean spirits were being healed) or even that the unclean spirits were being healed. To avoid this ambiguity the pronoun “they” was used to begin a new English sentence.
218 sn They were all being healed. Note how the healings that the apostles provided were comprehensive in their consistency.
219 sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.
220 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
221 sn Filled with jealousy. In Acts, the term “jealousy” (ζήλος, zhlos) occurs only here and in Acts 13:45. It is a key term in Judaism for religiously motivated rage (1 Macc 2:24; 1QH 14:13-15; m. Sanhedrin 9:5). It was a zeal motivated by a desire to maintain the purity of the faith.
222 tn Grk “jealousy, and they.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but a new sentence has been started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
223 tn Or “they arrested.”
224 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.
225 tn Grk “opening the doors of the prison.” The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.
226 tn Greek φυλακῆς (fulakh"), a different word from the one in v. 18 (τήρησις, thrhsi", “jail”).
227 tn Or “brought them out.” Grk “and leading them out, said.” The participle ἐξαγαγών (exagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
228 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
229 tn Or “speak.”
230 tn Grk “the temple.” See the note on the same phrase in the preceding verse.
231 tn The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκον (edidaskon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
232 tn Or “the council” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
233 tn A hendiadys (two different terms referring to a single thing) is likely here (a reference to a single legislative body rather than two separate ones) because the term γερουσίαν (gerousian) is used in both 1 Macc 12:6 and Josephus, Ant. 13.5.8 (13.166) to refer to the Sanhedrin.
234 tn Grk “sons of Israel.”
235 tn Grk “have them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
236 tn The words “before them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
237 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants, like attendants to a king, the officers of the Sanhedrin (as here), assistants to magistrates, and (especially in the Gospel of John) Jewish guards in the Jerusalem temple (see L&N 35.20).
238 tn The words “for them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
239 tn Grk “reported, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
240 tn The word “them” 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.
241 tn Or “captain.”
242 tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
243 tn Grk “heard these words.”
244 tn Grk “concerning them,” agreeing with the plural antecedent “these words.” Since the phrase “these words” was translated as the singular “this report,” the singular “concerning it” is used here.
245 tn The optative verb here expresses confused uncertainty.
246 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
247 sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.
248 tn Or “captain.”
249 tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
250 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.
251 tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
252 tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.
253 tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.
254 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
255 tn Or “interrogated,” “asked.”
256 tc ‡ The majority of
257 tn Grk “We commanded you with a commandment” (a Semitic idiom that is emphatic).
258 sn The name (i.e., person) of Jesus is the constant issue of debate.
259 tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
260 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
261 sn To bring this man’s blood on us is an idiom meaning “you intend to make us guilty of this man’s death.”
262 tn Grk “apostles answered and said.”
263 sn Obey. See 4:19. This response has Jewish roots (Dan 3:16-18; 2 Macc 7:2; Josephus, Ant. 17.6.3 [17.159].
264 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
265 tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”
266 tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the first century an idiom for crucifixion). The allusion is to the judgment against Jesus as a rebellious figure, appealing to the language of Deut 21:23. The Jewish leadership has badly “misjudged” Jesus.
267 tn Grk “This one God exalted” (emphatic).
268 tn Or “Founder” (of a movement).
269 tn Or “to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”
270 tn Or “things.” They are preaching these things even to the hostile leadership.
271 sn Those who obey. The implication, of course, is that the leadership is disobeying God.
272 sn The only other use of this verb for anger (furious) is Acts 7:54 after Stephen’s speech.
273 sn Wanted to execute them. The charge would surely be capital insubordination (Exod 22:28).
274 sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
275 sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here in v. 34 and in Acts 22:3. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.
276 tn Grk “standing up in the council, ordered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
277 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
278 tn Grk “said to them”; the referent (the council) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
279 tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is highly unlikely that this is a generic usage, since Gamaliel was addressing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high council, which would have been exclusively male.
280 tn Or “men, be careful.”
281 tn Grk “For before these days.”
282 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point.
283 tn Grk “and they came to nothing.” Gamaliel’s argument is that these two insurrectionists were taken care of by natural events.
284 tn Or “registration.”
285 tn The verb ἀφίστημι (afisthmi) as a transitive means “cause to revolt” as used in Josephus, Ant. 8.7.5 (8.198), 20.5.2 (20.102); see BDAG 157 s.v. 1.
286 tn Here ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
287 tn Or “it will be put to an end.”
288 tn This is expressed in a first class condition, in contrast to the condition in v. 38b, which is third class. As such, v. 39 is rhetorically presented as the more likely option.
289 tn According to L&N 39.32, the verb εὑρεθῆτε (Jeureqhte, an aorist passive subjunctive) may also be translated “find yourselves” – “lest you find yourselves fighting against God.” The Jewish leader Gamaliel is shown contemplating the other possible alternative about what is occurring.
290 tn Grk “They were convinced by him.” This passive construction was converted to an active one (“He convinced them”) in keeping with contemporary English style. The phrase “He convinced them” is traditionally placed in Acts 5:40 by most English translations; the standard Greek critical text (represented by NA27 and UBS4) places it at the end of v. 39.
291 sn Had them beaten. The punishment was the “forty lashes minus one,” see also Acts 22:19; 2 Cor 11:24; Mark 13:9. The apostles had disobeyed the religious authorities and took their punishment for their “disobedience” (Deut 25:2-3; m. Makkot 3:10-14). In Acts 4:18 they were warned. Now they are beaten. The hostility is rising as the narrative unfolds.
292 tn The word “Then” is supplied as the beginning of a new sentence in the translation. The construction in Greek has so many clauses (most of them made up of participles) that a continuous English sentence would be very awkward.
293 sn That is, considered worthy by God. They “gloried in their shame” of honoring Jesus with their testimony (Luke 6:22-23; 2 Macc 6:30).
294 sn The name refers to the name of Jesus (cf. 3 John 7).
295 tn Grk “temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper and has been translated accordingly.
296 tn Grk “teaching and evangelizing.” They were still obeying God, not men (see 4:18-20; 5:29).
297 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
298 tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.
299 tn Grk “were multiplying.”
300 tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.
301 tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.
302 sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.
303 tn Or “neglected.”
304 tn Grk “in the daily serving.”
305 sn The twelve refers to the twelve apostles.
306 tn Grk “calling the whole group…together, said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενοι (proskalesamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
307 tn Or “the multitude.”
308 tn Grk “to serve tables.”
309 tn It is not clear from a historical standpoint (but it is unlikely) that women would have been involved in the selection process too. For this reason the translation “brothers” has been retained, rather than “brothers and sisters” (used in contexts where both male and female believers are clearly addressed).
310 sn Seven. Jewish town councils often had seven members (Josephus, Ant. 4.18.14 [4.214]).
311 tn Or “are of good reputation” (BDAG 618 s.v. μαρτυρέω 2.b).
312 tn The translation “put in charge” is given by BDAG 492 s.v. καθίστημι 2.
313 tn Grk “of this need”; translated “necessary work” or “needed task” by L&N 42.22.
314 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.
315 tn The translation “so” has been used to indicate the logical sequence in English.
316 tn “With” is smoother English style for an addition like this. Because of differences between Greek and English style, καί (kai), which occurs between each name in the list, has not been translated except preceding the last element.
317 sn Philip. Note how many of the names in this list are Greek. This suggests that Hellenists were chosen to solve the problem they had been so sensitive about fixing (cf. 6:1).
318 tn Or “a proselyte.”
319 map For location see JP1-F2; JP2-F2; JP3-F2; JP4-F2.
320 tn Literally this is a participle in the Greek text (προσευξάμενοι, proseuxamenoi). It could be translated as a finite verb (“and they prayed and placed their hands on them”) but much smoother English results if the entire coordinate clause is converted to a relative clause that refers back to the apostles.
321 tn Or “laid.”
322 tn Grk “kept on spreading”; the verb has been translated as a progressive imperfect.
323 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
324 tn Grk “a great multitude.”
325 tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context. Here the work of miracles extends beyond the Twelve for the first time.
326 sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
327 tn Grk “the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen.” The translation of the participle λεγομένης (legomenh") by the phrase “as it was called” is given by L&N 87.86. “Freedmen” would be slaves who had gained their freedom, or the descendants of such people (BDAG 594-95 s.v. Λιβερτῖνος).
328 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.
329 tn Grk “and.” The context, however, indicates that the conjunction carries an adversative force.
330 sn They were not able to resist. This represents another fulfillment of Luke 12:11-12; 21:15.
331 tn Another translation would be “they suborned” (but this term is not in common usage). “Instigate (secretly), suborn” is given by BDAG 1036 s.v. ὑποβάλλω.
332 tn Grk “heard him”; but since this is direct discourse, it is more natural (and clearer) to specify the referent (Stephen) as “this man.”
333 tn Grk “and the,” but 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.
334 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.
335 tn Grk “approaching, they seized him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
336 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). Stephen suffers just as Peter and John did.
337 sn This holy place is a reference to the temple.
338 sn The law refers to the law of Moses. It elaborates the nature of the blasphemy in v. 11. To speak against God’s law in Torah was to blaspheme God (Deut 28:15-19). On the Jewish view of false witnesses, see Exod 19:16-18; 20:16; m. Sanhedrin 3.6; 5.1-5. Stephen’s speech in Acts 7 may indicate why the temple was mentioned.
339 tn Or “practices.”
340 tn Grk “And all.” 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.
341 tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
342 tn Grk “at him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
343 sn His face was like the face of an angel. This narrative description of Stephen’s face adds to the mood of the passage. He had the appearance of a supernatural, heavenly messenger.
344 tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).
345 tn Grk “said.”
346 tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
347 sn A quotation from Gen 12:1.
348 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
349 tn The translation “made him move” for the verb μετοικίζω (metoikizw) is given by L&N 85.83. The verb has the idea of “resettling” someone (BDAG 643 s.v.); see v. 43, where it reappears.
350 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.
351 tn Grk “He did not give him an inheritance in it.” This could be understood to mean that God did not give something else to Abraham as an inheritance while he was living there. The point of the text is that God did not give any of the land to him as an inheritance, and the translation makes this clear.
352 tn Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).
353 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
354 sn An allusion to Gen 12:7; 13:15; 15:2, 18; 17:8; 24:7; 48:4. On the theological importance of the promise and to his descendants after him, see Rom 4 and Gal 3.
355 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
356 tn Grk “that his”; the discourse switches from indirect to direct with the following verbs. For consistency the entire quotation is treated as second person direct discourse in the translation.
357 tn Or “will be strangers,” that is, one who lives as a noncitizen of a foreign country.
358 sn A quotation from Gen 15:13. Exod 12:40 specifies the sojourn as 430 years.
359 tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α states, “Oft. the emphasis is unmistakably laid upon that which follows the Divine Judge’s verdict, upon the condemnation or punishment: condemn, punish …Ac 7:7 (Gen 15:14).”
360 tn The words “of there” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
361 tn Or “and serve,” but with religious/cultic overtones (BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω).
362 sn An allusion to Exod 3:12.
363 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
364 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
365 sn God gave…the covenant. Note how the covenant of promise came before Abraham’s entry into the land and before the building of the temple.
366 tn Grk “circumcised him on the eighth day,” but many modern readers will not understand that this procedure was done on the eighth day after birth. The temporal clause “when he was eight days old” conveys this idea more clearly. See Gen 17:11-12.
367 tn The words “became the father of” are not in the Greek text due to an ellipsis, but must be supplied for the English translation. The ellipsis picks up the verb from the previous clause describing how Abraham fathered Isaac.
368 sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).
369 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.
370 tn The meaning “sell” for the middle voice of ἀποδίδωμι (apodidwmi) is given by BDAG 110 s.v. 5.a. See Gen 37:12-36, esp. v. 28.
371 tn Though the Greek term here is καί (kai), in context this remark is clearly contrastive: Despite the malicious act, God was present and protected Joseph.
372 tn Or “appointed.” See Gen 41:41-43.
373 tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”
374 tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.
375 sn Our. Stephen spoke of “our” ancestors (Grk “fathers”) in an inclusive sense throughout the speech until his rebuke in v. 51, where the nation does what “your” ancestors did, at which point an exclusive pronoun is used. This serves to emphasize the rebuke.
376 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
377 tn Or possibly “food,” since in a number of extrabiblical contexts the phrase σιτία καὶ ποτά (sitia kai pota) means “food and drink,” where solid food is contrasted with liquid nourishment (L&N 3.42).
378 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
379 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
380 tn BDAG 194 s.v. γένος 2. gives “family, relatives” here; another alternative is “race” (see v. 19).
381 tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
382 tn Or “Joseph had his father summoned” (BDAG 121 s.v. ἀποστέλλω 2.b).
383 tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).
384 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
385 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
386 tn “and they.”
387 sn See Gen 49:29-32.
388 tn Grk “But as the time for the fulfillment of the promise drew near that God had declared to Abraham.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to improve English style. See vv. 6-7 above.
389 tn Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”
390 tn Or simply “did not know.” However, in this context the point is that the new king knew nothing about Joseph, not whether he had known him personally (which is the way “did not know Joseph” could be understood).
391 tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.
392 sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.
393 tn According to L&N 88.147 it is also possible to translate κατασοφισάμενος (katasofisameno") as “took advantage by clever words” or “persuaded by sweet talk.”
394 tn Or “race.”
395 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
396 tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).
397 tn Grk “so that they could not be kept alive,” but in this context the phrase may be translated either “so that they would not continue to live,” or “so that they would die” (L&N 23.89).
398 tn Or “was well-formed before God,” or “was well-pleasing to God” (BDAG 145 s.v. ἀστεῖος suggests the meaning is more like “well-bred” as far as God was concerned; see Exod 2:2).
399 tn Grk “who was brought up for three months.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation by changing the relative pronoun to a regular pronoun (“he”).
400 tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).
401 tn Grk “Pharaoh’s daughter took him up for herself.” According to BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω, “The pap. exx. involve exposed children taken up and reared as slaves…The rendering ‘adopt’ lacks philological precision and can be used only in a loose sense (as NRSV), esp. when Gr-Rom. terminology relating to adoption procedures is taken into account.” In this instance both the immediate context and the OT account (Exod 2:3-10) do support the normal sense of the English word “adopt,” although it should not be understood to refer to a technical, legal event.
402 tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).
403 tn Or “instructed.”
404 tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).
405 tn Grk “heart.”
406 tn Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.
407 tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”
408 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.
409 tn “Hurt unfairly” conveys a better sense of the seriousness of the offense against the Israelite than “treated unfairly,” which can sometimes refer to slight offenses, or “wronged,” which can refer to offenses that do not involve personal violence, as this one probably did.
410 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
411 tn Or “he defended,” “he retaliated” (BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμύνομαι).
412 tn Grk “his brothers.”
413 tn Grk “was granting them deliverance.” The narrator explains that this act pictured what Moses could do for his people.
414 tn Grk “by his hand,” where the hand is a metaphor for the entire person.
415 sn They did not understand. Here is the theme of the speech. The people did not understand what God was doing through those he chose. They made the same mistake with Joseph at first. See Acts 3:17; 13:27. There is good precedent for this kind of challenging review of history in the ancient scriptures: Ps 106:6-46; Ezek 20; and Neh 9:6-38.
416 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
417 tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).
418 tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).
419 tn Or “repudiated Moses,” “rejected Moses” (BDAG 126-27 s.v. ἀπωθέω 2).
420 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
421 tn Or “appointed.”
422 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do you?”
423 tn Grk “At this word,” which could be translated either “when the man said this” or “when Moses heard this.” Since λόγος (logos) refers to the remark made by the Israelite, this translation has followed the first option.
424 tn Or “resident alien.” Traditionally πάροικος (paroiko") has been translated “stranger” or “alien,” but the level of specificity employed with “foreigner” or “resident alien” is now necessary in contemporary English because a “stranger” is a person not acquainted with someone, while an “alien” can suggest science fiction imagery.
425 tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and contemporary English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
426 tn Or “wilderness.”
427 sn An allusion to Exod 3:2.
428 tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”
429 tn Grk “and Isaac,” but 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.
430 sn A quotation from Exod 3:6. The phrase suggests the God of promise, the God of the nation.
431 tn Or “to investigate,” “to contemplate” (BDAG 522 s.v. κατανοέω 2).
432 sn A quotation from Exod 3:5. The phrase holy ground points to the fact that God is not limited to a particular locale. The place where he is active in revealing himself is a holy place.
433 tn Or “mistreatment.”
434 tn Or “to set them free.”
435 tn Grk “And now.” 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.
436 sn A quotation from Exod 3:7-8, 10.
437 sn This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).
438 sn A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.
439 tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”
440 tn Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14-18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 LXX).
441 tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.
442 tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.
443 tn Grk “and at,” but 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.
444 tn Or “desert.”
445 tn Grk “to the sons of Israel.”
446 sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. This quotation sets up Jesus as the “leader-prophet” like Moses (Acts 3:22; Luke 9:35).
447 tn This term, ἐκκλησία (ekklhsia), is a secular use of the term that came to mean “church” in the epistles. Here a reference to an assembly is all that is intended.
448 tn Or “desert.”
449 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
450 tn Grk “fathers, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new clause introduced by “and” was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.
451 tn Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.
452 tc ‡ The first person pronoun ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “to us”) is read by A C D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy, while the second person pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”) is read by Ì74 א B 36 453 al co. The second person pronoun thus has significantly better external support. As well, ὑμῖν is a harder reading in this context, both because it is surrounded by first person pronouns and because Stephen perhaps “does not wish to disassociate himself from those who received God’s revelation in the past, but only from those who misinterpreted and disobeyed that revelation” (TCGNT 307). At the same time, Stephen does associate himself to some degree with his disobedient ancestors in v. 39, suggesting that the decisive break does not really come until v. 51 (where both his present audience and their ancestors are viewed as rebellious). Thus, both externally and internally ὑμῖν is the preferred reading.
453 tn Grk “whom our.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
454 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
455 sn To obey. Again the theme of the speech is noted. The nation disobeyed the way of God and opted for Egypt over the promised land.
456 sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).
457 tn Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.
458 sn A quotation from Exod 32:1, 23. Doubt (we do not know what has happened to him) expresses itself in unfaithful action. The act is in contrast to God’s promise in Exod 23:20.
459 tn Grk “And.” 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.
460 tn Grk “In those days.”
461 tn Or “a bull calf” (see Exod 32:4-6). The term μοσχοποιέω (moscopoiew) occurs only in Christian writings according to BDAG 660 s.v.
462 tn Grk “and brought,” but 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.
463 tn The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (eufrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See BDAG 414-15 s.v. εὐφραίνω 2.
464 tn Or “in what they had done.”
465 sn The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18-32.
466 tn Or “stars.”
467 tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).
468 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”
469 tn Or “tent.”
470 sn Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.
471 tc ‡ Most
472 sn Rephan (῾Ραιφάν, RJaifan) was a pagan deity. The term was a name for Saturn. It was variously spelled in the
473 tn Or “I will make you move.”
474 sn A quotation from Amos 5:25-27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.
475 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
476 tn Or “tent.”
477 tn Or “desert.”
478 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
479 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.
480 tn Grk “And.” 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.
481 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
482 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
483 tn Grk “In those days.”
484 tn Grk “David, who” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.
485 tn Or “grace.”
486 tn Grk “before,” “in the presence of.”
487 tn The words “that he could” are not in the Greek text, but are implied as the (understood) subject of the infinitive εὑρεῖν (Jeurein). This understands David’s request as asking that he might find the dwelling place. The other possibility would be to supply “that God” as the subject of the infinitive: “and asked that God find a dwelling place.” Unfortunately this problem is complicated by the extremely difficult problem with the Greek text in the following phrase (“house of Jacob” vs. “God of Jacob”).
488 tn On this term see BDAG 929 s.v. σκήνωμα a (Ps 132:5).
489 tc Some
490 sn See 1 Kgs 8:1-21.
491 sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).
492 sn The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mark 14:58; Acts 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, 24. It suggests “man-made” or “impermanent.” The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1 Kgs 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1 Chr 6:8; Jer 7:1-34).
493 sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.
494 tn Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.
495 tn The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply.
496 sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.
497 tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.
498 tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)
499 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
500 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
501 sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.
502 tn Grk “And they.” 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.
503 sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.
504 sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).
505 tn Grk “whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, who received the law” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “You” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.
506 tn Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so BDAG 291 s.v. εἰς 9, BDF §206. Thus the phrase literally means “received the law by the decrees [orders] of angels” with the genitive understood as a subjective genitive, that is, the angels gave the decrees.
507 tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.
508 tn Or “did not obey it.”
509 tn This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπρίω).
510 tn Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage (BDAG 184 s.v. βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.
511 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
512 tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.
513 tn Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
514 sn The picture of Jesus standing (rather than seated) probably indicates his rising to receive his child. By announcing his vision, Stephen thoroughly offended his audience, who believed no one could share God’s place in heaven. The phrase is a variation on Ps 110:1.
515 tn Grk “And he said, ‘Look!’” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
516 sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.
517 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
518 sn They began to stone him. The irony of the scene is that the people do exactly what the speech complains about in v. 52.
519 tn Or “outer garments.”
520 tn Grk “And they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
521 tn Grk “Then falling to his knees he cried out.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
522 sn The remarks Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and Lord, do not hold this sin against them recall statements Jesus made on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46).
523 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
524 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
525 tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).
526 tn Or “severe.”
527 tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”
528 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
529 sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.
530 tn Or “countryside.”
531 tn “Some” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
532 sn Made loud lamentation. For someone who was stoned to death, lamentation was normally not allowed (m. Sanhedrin 6:6). The remark points to an unjust death.
533 tn Or “mourned greatly for him.”
534 tn Or “began to harm [the church] severely.” If the nuance of this verb is “destroy,” then the imperfect verb ἐλυμαίνετο (elumaineto) is best translated as a conative imperfect as in the translation above. If instead the verb is taken to mean “injure severely” (as L&N 20.24), it should be translated in context as an ingressive imperfect (“began to harm the church severely”). Either option does not significantly alter the overall meaning, since it is clear from the stated actions of Saul in the second half of the verse that he intended to destroy or ravage the church.
535 tn The participle σύρων (surwn) has been translated as an finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
536 tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3.”
537 tn The word “main” is supplied in the translation to clarify that “Samaria” is not the name of the city (at least in NT times). See both BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, and L&N 93.568.
538 tn The imperfect ἐκήρυσσεν (ekhrussen) has been translated as an ingressive, since this is probably the first time such preaching took place.
539 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
540 tn Grk “to what was being said by Philip,” a passive construction that has been changed to active voice in the translation.
541 tn Here the following context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned. This term appears 13 times in Acts, but only twice more after Acts 8:13 (i.e., 14:3; 15:12).
542 sn The expression unclean spirits refers to evil supernatural spirits which were ceremonially unclean, and which caused the persons possessed by them to be ceremonially unclean.
543 tn Grk “For [in the case of] many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out, crying in a loud voice.”
544 tn Grk “and there came about,” but this is somewhat awkward in English.
545 sn Great joy. The reason for eschatological joy was that such events pointed to God’s decisive deliverance (Luke 7:22-23). Note how the acts of healing extend beyond the Twelve here.
546 tn On the idiom προϋπῆρχεν μαγεύων (prouphrcen mageuwn) meaning “had been practicing magic” see BDAG 889 s.v. προϋπάρχω.
547 tn Grk “all of them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
548 tn Or “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” The translation “what is called the Great Power of God” is given by BDAG 263 s.v. δύναμις 5, but the repetition of the article before καλουμένη μεγάλη (kaloumenh megalh) suggests the translation “the power of God that is called ‘Great.’”
549 sn The kingdom of God is also what Jesus preached: Acts 1:3. The term reappears in 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31.
550 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
551 tn The imperfect verb ἐβαπτίζοντο (ebaptizonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
552 tn Or “he kept close company with.”
553 sn He was amazed. Now Simon, the one who amazed others, is himself amazed, showing the superiority of Philip’s connection to God. Christ is better than anything the culture has to offer.
554 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
555 tn Or “message.”
556 sn They sent. The Jerusalem church with the apostles was overseeing the expansion of the church, as the distribution of the Spirit indicates in vv. 15-17.
557 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the phrase “these two” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.
558 tn Grk “For he”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
559 tn Or “fallen on.”
560 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
561 tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the Samaritans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
562 sn They received the Holy Spirit. It is likely this special distribution of the Spirit took place because a key ethnic boundary was being crossed. Here are some of “those far off” of Acts 2:38-40.
563 tc Most witnesses (Ì45,74 A* C D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï latt sy bo) here read “the Holy Spirit” (τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, to pneuma to {agion), while a few key
564 tn Or “ability”; Grk “authority.”
565 tn Grk “May your silver together with you be sent into destruction.” This is a strong curse. The gifts of God are sovereignly bestowed and cannot be purchased.
566 tn Or “obtain.”
567 tn The translation “share or part” is given by L&N 63.13.
568 tn Since the semantic range for λόγος (logos) is so broad, a number of different translations could be given for the prepositional phrase here. Something along the lines of “in this thing” would work well, but is too colloquial for the present translation.
569 tn Or “and implore the Lord.”
570 tn Grk “that if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in contemporary English and has thus been converted to an active construction in the translation.
571 tn Grk “in the gall of bitterness,” an idiom meaning to be particularly envious or resentful of someone. In this case Simon was jealous of the apostles’ power to bestow the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, and wanted that power for himself. The literal phrase does not convey this to the modern reader, and in fact some modern translations have simply rendered the phrase as involving bitterness, which misses the point of the envy on Simon’s part. See L&N 88.166. The OT images come from Deut 29:17-18 and Isa 58:6.
572 tn Grk “Simon answered and said.”
573 tn Grk “may come upon.”
574 tn Grk “after they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
575 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and could be taken to refer specifically to the warning given to Simon in the preceding verses. However, a more general reference is more likely, referring to parting exhortations from Peter and John to the entire group of believers.
576 sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
577 tn Grk “they were returning to Jerusalem and were proclaiming.” The first imperfect is taken ingressively and the second is viewed iteratively (“proclaiming…as they went”).
578 sn By proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages, the apostles now actively share in the broader ministry the Hellenists had started.
579 tn “As they went” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the imperfect tense (see tn above).
580 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
581 tn Grk “Lord spoke to Philip, saying.” The redundant participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated.
582 tn Or “Get up and go about noon.” The phrase κατὰ μεσημβρίαν (kata meshmbrian) can be translated either “about noon” (L&N 67.74) or “toward the south” (L&N 82.4). Since the angel’s command appears to call for immediate action (“Get up”) and would not therefore need a time indicator, a directional reference (“toward the south”) is more likely here.
583 map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
584 tn Or “wilderness.”
585 tn The words “This is a desert road” are probably best understood as a comment by the author of Acts, but it is possible they form part of the angel’s speech to Philip, in which case the verse would read: “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza – the desert road.”
586 tn Grk “And,” but καί (kai) carries something of a resultative force in this context because what follows describes Philip’s response to the angel’s command.
587 tn Grk “So getting up he went.” The aorist participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
588 tn Grk “And there.” 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.
589 tn Grk “and behold.” This expression is used to portray Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian in a vivid way. In the English translation this vividness is difficult to convey; it is necessary to supply the words “he met.”
590 sn The term eunuch normally referred to a man who had been castrated, but this was not always the case (see Gen 39:1 LXX, where Potiphar is called a eunuch). Such castrated individuals were preferred as court officials in the East, although Judaism opposed the practice. The Mosaic law excluded eunuchs from Israel (Deut 23:1), although God certainly accepted them (Isa 56:3-5; Wis 3:14). This individual was a high official, since he was said to be in charge of all her treasury. He may or may not have been a eunuch physically. He appears to be the first fully Gentile convert to Christianity, since the Samaritans mentioned previously (Acts 8:4-25) were regarded as half-breeds.
591 tn Or “the Candace” (the title of the queen of the Ethiopians). The term Κανδάκης (Kandakh") is much more likely a title rather than a proper name (like Pharaoh, which is a title); see L&N 37.77. A few, however, still take the word to be the name of the queen (L&N 93.209). BDAG 507 s.v. Κανδάκη, treats the term as a title and lists classical usage by Strabo (Geography 17.1.54) and others.
592 tn Grk “who was over all her treasury, who.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “he” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.
593 sn Since this man had come to Jerusalem to worship, he may have been a proselyte to Judaism. This event is a precursor to Acts 10.
594 tn Grk “and was sitting.” 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.
595 tn Grk “and was reading.” 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.
596 tn The participle προσδραμών (prosdramwn) is regarded as attendant circumstance.
597 tn The words “to it” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
598 tn Grk “heard him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
599 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
600 tn Grk “he said”; but since what follows is a question, it is better English style to translate the introduction to the question “he asked him.”
601 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
602 tn Grk “How am I able, unless…” The translation is based on the force of the conjunction γάρ (gar) in this context. The translation “How in the world can I?” is given in BDAG 189 s.v. γάρ 1.f.
603 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
604 tn Grk “does.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the first line of the quotation (“he was led like a sheep to slaughter”), which has an aorist passive verb normally translated as a past tense in English.
605 tc ‡ Most later
606 tn Or “justice was denied him”; Grk “his justice was taken away.”
607 tn Or “family; or “origin.” The meaning of γενεά (genea) in the quotation is uncertain; BDAG 192 s.v. γενεά 4 suggests “family history.”
608 tn Grk “is taken away.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the rest of the quotation.
609 sn A quotation from Isa 53:7-8.
610 tn Grk “answered and said.” The redundant participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqei") has not been translated.
611 tn Grk “I beg you,” “I ask you.”
612 sn About himself, or about someone else? It is likely in 1st century Judaism this would have been understood as either Israel or Isaiah.
613 tn Grk “opening his mouth” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
614 sn Beginning with this scripture. The discussion likely included many of the scriptures Acts has already noted for the reader in earlier speeches. At the least, readers of Acts would know what other scriptures might be meant.
615 tn Or “What prevents me.” The rhetorical question means, “I should get baptized, right?”
616 tc A few later
617 tn Grk “and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch.” Since this is somewhat redundant in English, it was simplified to “and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water.”
618 sn Philip baptized. Again, someone beyond the Twelve has ministered an ordinance of faith.
619 tn BDAG 189 s.v. γάρ 2 indicates that under certain circumstances γάρ (gar) has the same meaning as δέ (de).
620 sn Note that the response to the gospel is rejoicing (joy, cf. Acts 11:23; 13:48).
621 tn Or “appeared.”
622 sn Azotus was a city on the coast of southern Palestine, known as Ashdod in OT times.
623 tn The words “the area” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
624 tn Or “he preached the gospel.”
625 tn Or “cities.”
626 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.
627 tn Or “Saul, making dire threats.”
628 tn The expression “breathing out threats and murder” is an idiomatic expression for “making threats to murder” (see L&N 33.293). Although the two terms “threats” and “murder” are syntactically coordinate, the second is semantically subordinate to the first. In other words, the content of the threats is to murder the disciples.
629 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
630 sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).
631 tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.
632 sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.
633 tn Grk “As he was going along, it happened that when he was approaching.” The 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.
634 tn Or “shone” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαστράπτω). The light was more brilliant than the sun according to Acts 26:13.
635 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
636 tn The double vocative suggests emotion.
637 sn Persecuting me. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus.
638 tn Or “But arise.”
639 tn Literally a passive construction, “it will be told to you.” This has been converted to another form of passive construction in the translation.
640 tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which is used only rarely in a generic sense of both men and women. In the historical setting here, Paul’s traveling companions were almost certainly all males.
641 tn That is, unable to speak because of fear or amazement. See BDAG 335 s.v. ἐνεός.
642 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Acts 22:9 appears to indicate that they saw the light but did not hear a voice. They were “witnesses” that something happened.
643 tn Grk “his eyes being open,” a genitive absolute construction that has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
644 sn He could see nothing. This sign of blindness, which was temporary until v. 18, is like the sign of deafness experienced by Zechariah in Luke 1. It allowed some time for Saul (Paul) to reflect on what had happened without distractions.
645 tn Grk “they”; the referents (Saul’s companions) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
646 tn Grk “And for.” 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.
647 tn The word “anything” 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. The fasting might indicate an initial realization of Luke 5:33-39. Fasting was usually accompanied by reflective thought.
648 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.
649 sn The Lord is directing all the events leading to the expansion of the gospel as he works on both sides of the meeting between Paul and Ananias. “The Lord” here refers to Jesus (see v. 17).
650 tn Grk “behold, I,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).
651 sn The noting of the detail of the locale, ironically called ‘Straight’ Street, shows how directive and specific the Lord was.
652 tc ‡ The words ἐν ὀράματι (en oramati, “in a vision”) are not found in some of the earliest and best
653 sn Ananias replied. Past events might have suggested to Ananias that this was not good counsel, but like Peter in Acts 10, Ananias’ intuitions were wrong.
654 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
655 tn Grk “to bind.”
656 sn The expression “those who call on your name” is a frequent description of believers (Acts 2:21; 1 Cor 1:2; Rom 10:13).
657 tn Or “tool.”
658 tn Grk “the sons of Israel.” In Acts, Paul is a minister to all nations, including Israel (Rom 1:16-17).
659 tn Or “because of my name.” BDAG 1031 s.v. ὑπέρ 2 lists Acts 9:16 as an example of ὑπέρ (Juper) used to indicate “the moving cause or reason, because of, for the sake of, for.”
660 tn Grk “and placing his hands on Saul, he said.” The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the same reason καί (kai) has not been translated before the participle.
661 tn Grk “on him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
662 tn Grk “on the road in which you came,” but the relative clause makes for awkward English style, so it was translated as a temporal clause (“as you came here”).
663 sn Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Here someone who is not an apostle (Ananias) commissions another person with the Spirit.
664 tn Grk “And immediately.” 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.
665 tn The comparison to “scales” suggests a crusty covering which peeled away (cf. BDAG 592 s.v. λεπίς 2).
666 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence was started, with “and” placed before the final element of the previous clause as required by English style.
667 tn Grk “It happened that for several days.” 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.
668 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
669 tn The ὅτι (Joti) is understood to introduce direct (“This man is the Son of God”) rather than indirect discourse (“that this man is the Son of God”) because the pronoun οὗτος (Jouto") combined with the present tense verb ἐστιν (estin) suggests the contents of what was proclaimed are a direct (albeit summarized) quotation.
670 tn Grk “And all.” 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.
671 tn The Greek interrogative particle used in this verse (οὐχ, ouc) expects a positive reply. They all knew about Saul’s persecutions.
672 tn Normally, “destroying,” but compare 4 Macc 4:23; 11:4 and MM 529 s.v. πορθέω for examples from Koine papyri. See also BDAG 853 s.v. πορθέω.
673 tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.
674 tn Grk “was becoming stronger,” but this could be understood in a physical sense, while the text refers to Saul’s growing ability to demonstrate to fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. The translation “to become capable” for ἐνδυναμόω (endunamow) is given in L&N 74.7, with this specific verse as an example.
675 tn Or “was confounding.” For the translation “to cause consternation” for συγχέω (suncew) see L&N 25.221.
676 tn Or “by showing for certain.”
677 tn Grk “that this one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
678 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Note again the variation in the titles used.
679 sn Fitting the pattern emphasized earlier with Stephen and his speech in Acts 7, some Jews plotted to kill God’s messenger (cf. Luke 11:53-54).
680 tn The words “against him” are implied, as suggested by L&N 30.71.
681 tn Or “guarding.” This is a negative term in Luke-Acts (Luke 6:7; 14:1; 20:20).
682 tn The word πύλη (pulh) may refer to a house door or gate, or to the large gates used in a palace, temple, or city wall. Here the context clearly indicates a reference to the latter, so the translation “city gates” is used.
683 tn The opening in the wall is not specifically mentioned here, but the parallel account in 2 Cor 11:33 mentions a “window” or “opening” (θυρίς, quris) in the city wall through which Paul was lowered. One alternative to introducing mention of the opening is to translate Acts 9:25 “they let him down over the wall,” as suggested in L&N 7.61. This option is not employed by many translations, however, because for the English reader it creates an (apparent) contradiction between Acts 9:25 and 2 Cor 11:33. In reality the account here is simply more general, omitting the detail about the window.
684 tn On the term for “basket” used here, see BDAG 940 s.v. σπυρίς.
685 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
686 tn Or “join.”
687 tn The participle πιστεύοντες (pisteuonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
688 tn Grk “taking Saul, brought him.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενος (epilabomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
689 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
690 tn Grk “and brought,” but 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.
691 tn Grk “and that,” but 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.
692 tn On this verb which is used 7 times in Acts, see BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1. See also v. 28.
693 tn Grk “he was with them going in and going out in Jerusalem.” The expression “going in and going out” is probably best taken as an idiom for association without hindrance. Some modern translations (NASB, NIV) translate the phrase “moving about freely in Jerusalem,” although the NRSV retains the literal “he went in and out among them in Jerusalem.”
694 tn Or “arguing.” BDAG 954 s.v. συζητέω 2 gives “dispute, debate, argue…τινί ‘w. someone’” for συνεζήτει (sunezhtei).
695 tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.
696 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.
697 tn Or “Therefore.” This verse is another summary text in Acts (cf. 2:41-47; 4:32-37; 5:12-16; 6:7).
698 tn Grk “and Galilee,” but 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.
699 tn Grk “had.”
700 tn Or “Built up.” The participle οἰκοδομουμένη (oikodomoumenh) has been translated as a participle of result related to εἶχεν (eicen). It could also be understood as adverbial to ἐπληθύνετο (eplhquneto): “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace. Strengthened and living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” Although some scholars do not regard the participle of result as a legitimate category, it is actually fairly common (see ExSyn 637-39).
701 tn Grk “And living.” 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.
702 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the church) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
703 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.
704 tn Grk “As Peter was going through all [the places],” which is somewhat awkward in English. The meaning is best expressed by a phrase like “going around from place to place” or “traveling around from place to place.”
705 sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa. It was about 10.5 miles (17 km) southeast of Joppa.
706 tn Since the participle κατακείμενον (katakeimenon), an adjectival participle modifying Αἰνέαν (Ainean), has been translated into English as a relative clause (“who had been confined to a mattress”), it would be awkward to follow with a second relative clause (Grk “who was paralyzed”). Furthermore, the relative pronoun here has virtually a causal force, giving the reason for confinement to the mattress, so it is best translated “because.”
707 tn Grk “And Peter.” 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.
708 tc ‡ Several variants occur at this juncture. Some of the earliest and best witnesses (Ì74 א B* C Ψ 33vid Didpt) read “Jesus Christ” (᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, Ihsou" Cristo"); others ([A] 36 1175 it) have “the Lord Jesus Christ” (ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, Jo kurio" Ihsou" Cristo"); a few read simply ὁ Χριστός (614 1241 1505); the majority of
709 tn The translation “make your own bed” for στρῶσον σεαυτῷ (strwson seautw) is given by BDAG 949 s.v. στρωννύω 1. Naturally this involves some adaptation, since a pallet or mat would not be ‘made up’ in the sense that a modern bed would be. The idea may be closer to “straighten” or “rearrange,” and the NIV’s “take care of your mat” attempts to reflect this, although this too probably conveys a slightly different idea to the modern English reader.
710 tn Grk “And all.” 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.
711 sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa.
712 sn Sharon refers to the plain of Sharon, a region along the coast of Palestine.
713 tn Repetition of the pronoun “they” as subject of ἐπέστρεψαν (epestreyan) is not strictly necessary in English, but emphasizes slightly the resultative nature of the final clause: They turned to the Lord as a result of seeing Aeneas after he was healed.
714 sn They turned. To “turn” is a good summary term for the response to the gospel.
715 sn Joppa was a seaport on the Philistine coast, in the same location as modern Jaffa. “Though Joppa never became a major seaport, it was of some importance as a logistical base and an outlet to the Mediterranean” (A. F. Rainey, ISBE 2:1118-19).
716 tn Grk “which being translated is called.” In English this would normally be expressed “which is translated as” or “which in translation means.” The second option is given by L&N 33.145.
717 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Dorcas is the Greek translation of the Aramaic name Tabitha. Dorcas in Greek means “gazelle” or “deer.”
718 tn Or “and helping the poor.” Grk “She was full of good deeds and acts of charity which she was continually doing.” Since it is somewhat redundant in English to say “she was full of good deeds…which she was continually doing,” the translation has been simplified to “she was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity.” The imperfect verb ἐποίει (epoiei) has been translated as a progressive imperfect (“was continually doing”).
719 tn Grk “It happened that in those days.” 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.
720 tn Grk “becoming sick, she died.” The participle ἀσθενήσασαν (asqenhsasan) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
721 tn The participle λούσαντες (lousante") is taken temporally.
722 tn Grk “washed her,” but the reference is to her corpse.
723 sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa.
724 tn Grk “Do not delay to come to us.” It is somewhat smoother to say in English, “Come to us without delay.”
725 tn Grk “who.” The relative clause makes for awkward English style here, so the following clause was made coordinate with the conjunction “and” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun.
726 tn The participle παραγενόμενον (paragenomenon) is taken temporally.
727 tn Grk “and all.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
728 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.
729 tn Or “shirts” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.
730 tn Grk “and garments,” referring here to other types of clothing besides the tunics just mentioned.
731 tn The verb ἐποίει (epoiei) has been translated as a customary imperfect.
732 tn Grk “Peter, sending them all outside, knelt down.” The participle ἐκβαλών (ekbalwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
733 tn Grk “and kneeling down,” but 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. Instead the “and” is placed before the verb προσηύξατο (proshuxato, “and prayed”). The participle θείς (qeis) is taken as a participle of attendant circumstance.
734 tn Grk “and turning.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
735 sn She sat up. This event is told much like Luke 8:49-56 and Mark 5:35-43. Peter’s ministry mirrored that of Jesus.
736 tn Grk “Giving her his hand, he helped her.” The participle δούς (dous) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
737 tn Grk “Then calling the saints…he presented her.” The participle φωνήσας (fwnhsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style; it could also be taken temporally (“After he called”).
738 tn Or “known all over.” BDAG 511 s.v. κατά A.1.c. has “became known throughout all Joppa” for γνωστὸν γενέσθαι καθ᾿ ὅλης ᾿Ιόππης (gnwston genesqai kaq’ {olh" Iopph").
739 sn This became known…many believed in the Lord. This is a “sign” miracle that pictures how the Lord can give life.
740 tn Grk “So 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.
741 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
742 tn Grk “with a certain Simon.”
743 tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname. See also MM 118.
744 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). It was known as “Caesarea by the sea” (BDAG 499 s.v. Καισάρεια 2). Largely Gentile, it was a center of Roman administration and the location of many of Herod the Great’s building projects (Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 [15.331-341]).
745 sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like Paul.
746 sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion (BDAG 936 s.v. σπεῖρα). The Italian Cohort has been identified as cohors II Italica which is known to have been stationed in Syria in
747 tn In the Greek text this represents a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
748 sn The description of Cornelius as a devout, God-fearing man probably means that he belonged to 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, 43-44, and Sir 11:17; 27:11; 39:27.
749 tn Or “gave many gifts to the poor.” This was known as “giving alms,” or acts of mercy (Sir 7:10; BDAG 315-16 s.v. ἐλεημοσύνη).
750 tn Grk “at about the ninth hour of the day.” This would be the time for afternoon prayer.
751 tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.
752 tn The participles εἰσελθόντα (eiselqonta) and εἰπόντα (eiponta) are accusative, and thus best taken as adjectival participles modifying ἄγγελον (angelon): “an angel who came in and said.”
753 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Cornelius) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
754 tn Grk “said,” but in response to the angel’s address, “replied” is better English style.
755 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
756 tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”
757 sn The language used in the expression gone up as a memorial before God parallels what one would say of acceptable sacrifices (Ps 141:2; Sir 35:6; 50:16).
758 tn Grk “And now.” 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.
759 sn Joppa was a seaport on the Philistine coast, in the same location as modern Jaffa.
760 tn Grk “a certain Simon.”
761 tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname. See also MM 118.
762 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Cornelius) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
763 tn Or “domestic servants.” The Greek word here is οἰκέτης (oiketh"), which technically refers to a member of the household, but usually means a household servant (slave) or personal servant rather than a field laborer.
764 tn The meaning of the genitive participle προσκαρτερούντων (proskarterountwn) could either be “a soldier from the ranks of those who served him” (referring to his entire command) or “a soldier from among his personal staff” (referring to a group of soldiers who were his personal attendants). The translation “from among those who served him” is general enough to cover either possibility.
765 tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”
766 tn The participles ὁδοιπορούντων (Jodoiporountwn, “while they were on their way”) and ἐγγιζόντων (engizontwn, “approaching”) have been translated as temporal participles.
767 sn Went up on the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
768 tn The traditional translation, “he fell into a trance,” is somewhat idiomatic; it is based on the textual variant ἐπέπεσεν (epepesen, “he fell”) found in the Byzantine text but almost certainly not original.
769 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
770 tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
771 tn On the heavens “opening,” see Matt 3:16; Luke 3:21; Rev 19:11 (cf. BDAG 84 s.v. ἀνοίγω 2). This is the language of a vision or a revelatory act of God.
772 tn Or “a large linen cloth” (the term was used for the sail of a ship; BDAG 693 s.v. ὀθόνη).
773 tn Or “coming down.”
774 tn Or “to the ground.”
775 tn Grk “in which.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.
776 tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate. See also Gen 6:20, as well as the law making such creatures unclean food in Lev 11:2-47.
777 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
778 tn Grk “And there came.” 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.
779 tn Grk “a voice to him”; the word “said” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
780 tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.
781 tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqarto") here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.
782 tn Grk “And the voice.” 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.
783 tn Or “declare.”
784 sn For the significance of this vision see Mark 7:14-23; Rom 14:14; Eph 2:11-22. God directed this change in practice.
785 tn Or “into the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
786 tn Or “was greatly confused over.” The term means to be perplexed or at a loss (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπορέω).
787 tn Grk “having learned.” The participle διερωτήσαντες (dierwthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
788 tn BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1 has “ἐπί τι approach or stand by someth. (Sir 41:24) Ac 10:17.”
789 tn Grk “and.” 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 pronoun “they” as the subject of the following verb.
790 tn Grk “Simon, the one called Peter.” This qualification was necessary because the owner of the house was also named Simon (Acts 9:43).
791 tn The translation “think seriously about” for διενθυμέομαι (dienqumeomai) is given in L&N 30.2. Peter was “pondering” the vision (BDAG 244 s.v.).
792 tn Grk “But getting up, go down.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
793 tn The term means “without doubting” or “without deliberation.” It is a term of conscience and discernment. In effect, Peter is to listen to them rather than hesitate (BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 6).
794 tn Grk “Peter going down to the men, said.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
795 tn Grk “Behold, it is I whom you seek,” or “Behold, I am the one you seek.” “Here I am” is used to translate ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι (idou egw eimi).
796 sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.
797 tn Or “just.”
798 tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.
799 tn Grk “hear words.”
800 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
801 tn Or “went forth.”
802 sn Some of the brothers from Joppa. As v. 45 makes clear, there were Jewish Christians in this group of witnesses.
803 tn Grk “On the next day,” but since this phrase has already occurred in v. 23, it would be redundant in English to use it again here.
804 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi).
805 tn Normally προσδοκάω (prosdokaw) means “to wait with apprehension or anxiety for something,” often with the implication of impending danger or trouble (L&N 25.228), but in this context the anxiety Cornelius would have felt came from the importance of the forthcoming message as announced by the angel.
806 tn Grk “So it happened that when.” 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.
807 tn Grk “meeting him.” The participle συναντήσας (sunanthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
808 tn Grk “falling at his feet, worshiped.” The participle πεσών (peswn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
809 sn When Cornelius worshiped Peter, it showed his piety and his respect for Peter, but it was an act based on ignorance, as Peter’s remark in v. 26 indicates.
810 tn BDAG 271 s.v. ἐγείρω 3 has “raise, help to rise….Stretched out Ac 10:26.”
811 tn Although it is certainly true that Peter was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") has been translated as “mere mortal” because the emphasis in context is not on Peter’s maleness, but his humanity. Contrary to what Cornelius thought, Peter was not a god or an angelic being, but a mere mortal.
812 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 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.
813 tn Or “many people assembled.”
814 tn Here ὡς (Jws) is used like ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect discourse (cf. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5).
815 tn This term is used of wanton or callously lawless acts (BDAG 24 s.v. ἀθέμιτος).
816 tn Grk “a Jewish man” (ἀνδρὶ ᾿Ιουδαίῳ, andri Ioudaiw).
817 tn Grk “a foreigner,” but in this context, “a non-Jew,” that is, a Gentile. This term speaks of intimate association (BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.b.α). On this Jewish view, see John 18:28, where a visit to a Gentile residence makes a Jewish person unclean.
818 tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").
819 tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.
820 tn Grk “Therefore when I was sent for.” The passive participle μεταπεμφθείς (metapemfqei") has been taken temporally and converted to an active construction which is less awkward in English.
821 tn Grk “ask for what reason.”
822 tn Grk “And Cornelius.” 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.
823 tn Grk “said.”
824 tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.
825 tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.
826 tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”
827 sn This statement is a paraphrase rather than an exact quotation of Acts 10:4.
828 tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname.
829 tn Grk “you have done well by coming.” The idiom καλῶς ποιεῖν (kalw" poiein) is translated “be kind enough to do someth.” by BDAG 505-6 s.v. καλῶς 4.a. The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as an English infinitive due to the nature of the English idiom (“kind enough to” + infinitive).
830 tn The translation “we are here in the presence of God” for ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ πάρεσμεν (enwpion tou qeou paresmen) is given by BDAG 773 s.v. πάρειμι 1.a.
831 tn Or “to hear everything.”
832 tn The words “to say to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Cornelius knows Peter is God’s representative, bringing God’s message.
833 tn Grk “Opening his mouth Peter said” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
834 tn Grk “God is not one who is a respecter of persons,” that is, “God is not one to show partiality” (cf. BDAG 887 s.v. προσωπολήμπτης). L&N 88.239 translates this verse “I realize that God does not show favoritism (in dealing with people).” The underlying Hebrew idiom includes the personal element (“respecter of persons”) so the phrase “in dealing with people” is included in the present translation. It fits very well with the following context and serves to emphasize the relational component of God’s lack of partiality. The latter is a major theme in the NT: Rom 2:11; Eph 2:11-22; Col 3:25; Jas 2:1; 1 Pet 1:17. This was the lesson of Peter’s vision.
835 sn See Luke 24:47.
836 tn Or “shows reverence for him.”
837 tn Grk “works righteousness”; the translation “does what is right” for this phrase in this verse is given by L&N 25.85.
838 tn The subject and verb (“you know”) do not actually occur until the following verse, but have been repeated here because of the requirements of English word order.
839 tn Grk “the word.”
840 tn Grk “to the sons.”
841 sn Peace is a key OT concept: Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15; also for Luke: Luke 1:79; 2:14; Acts 9:31. See also the similar phrase in Eph 2:17.
842 tn Or “by.”
843 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
844 sn He is Lord of all. Though a parenthetical remark, this is the theological key to the speech. Jesus is Lord of all, so the gospel can go to all. The rest of the speech proclaims Jesus’ authority.
845 tn Or “proclaimed.”
846 sn The somewhat awkward naming of Jesus as from Nazareth here is actually emphatic. He is the key subject of these key events.
847 tn Or “how.” The use of ὡς (Jws) as an equivalent to ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect or even direct discourse is well documented. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5 lists Acts 10:28 in this category.
848 tn Grk “power, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
849 tn The translation “healing all who were oppressed by the devil” is given in L&N 22.22.
850 sn See Acts 7:9.
851 tn Grk “And we.” 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.
852 tn Grk “the land of the Jews,” but this is similar to the phrase used as the name of the province of Judea in 1 Macc 8:3 (see BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b).
853 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
854 tn Grk “in Jerusalem, whom they killed.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “him” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
855 tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the 1st century an idiom for crucifixion). The allusion is to the judgment against Jesus as a rebellious figure, appealing to the language of Deut 21:23. The Jewish leadership has badly “misjudged” Jesus.
856 tn The conjunction “but” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied in the context. This is technically asyndeton, or lack of a connective, in Greek.
857 tn Grk “and granted that he should become visible.” The literal Greek idiom is somewhat awkward in English. L&N 24.22 offers the translation “caused him to be seen” for this verse.
858 tn Or “the witnesses God had previously chosen.” See Acts 1:8.
859 sn Ate and drank. See Luke 24:35-49.
860 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.
861 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and such a meaning is highly probable in this context where a reference to the judgment of both the living and the dead is present. The more general meaning “to testify solemnly” does not capture this nuance.
862 tn The word “them” 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.
863 tn Grk “that this one is the one,” but this is awkward in English and has been simplified to “that he is the one.”
864 tn Or “designated.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “the one appointed by God as judge” for this phrase.
865 sn Jesus has divine authority as judge over the living and the dead: Acts 17:26-31; Rom 14:9; 1 Thess 5:9-10; 1 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5.
866 tn Or “All the prophets testify about him.” Although modern English translations tend to place “about him” after “testify” (so NIV, NRSV) the phrase “about him” has been left at the beginning of v. 43 for emphatic reasons.
867 sn Forgiveness of sins. See Luke 24:47; also Acts 14:23; 19:4; 9:42; 11:17; 16:31. The gospel is present in the prophetic promise, Rom 1:1-7. The message is in continuity with the ancient hope.
868 tn Or “came down on.” God now acted to confirm the point of Peter’s speech.
869 tn Or “word.”
870 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.
871 tn Or “The Jewish Christians”; Grk “The believers from the circumcision.”
872 sn The Jewish Christians who were with Peter were greatly astonished because they thought the promise of the Spirit would be limited only to those of Israel. God’s plan was taking on fresh dimensions even as it was a reflection of what the prophets had promised.
873 tn Or “because.”
874 tn That is, the gift consisting of the Holy Spirit. Here τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Spirit.
875 sn The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out. Compare the account in Acts 2, especially 2:33. Note also Joel 2:17-21 and Acts 11:15-18.
876 tn Or “extolling,” “magnifying.”
877 tn Grk “just as also we.” The auxiliary verb in English must be supplied. This could be either “have” (NIV, NRSV) or “did” (NASB). “Did” is preferred here because the comparison Peter is making concerns not just the fact of the present possession of the Spirit (“they received the Spirit we now possess”), but the manner in which the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house received the Spirit (“they received the Spirit in the same manner we did [on the day of Pentecost]”).
878 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “can he?” The question is rhetorical. Peter was saying these Gentiles should be baptized since God had confirmed they were his.
879 tn The Greek construction (passive infinitive with accusative subject) could be translated either “he ordered them to be baptized” or “he ordered that they be baptized,” but the implication in English in either case is that Peter was giving orders to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house, telling them to get baptized. It is much more likely in the context that Peter was ordering those Jewish Christians who accompanied him to baptize the new Gentile converts. They would doubtless have still had misgivings even after witnessing the outpouring of the Spirit and hearing the tongues. It took Peter’s apostolic authority (“ordered”) to convince them to perform the baptisms.
880 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Jesus’ right to judge as the provider of forgiveness is highlighted here.
881 tn See BDAG 221 s.v. δέχομαι 5 for this translation of ἐδέξαντο (edexanto) here.
882 tn Here the phrase “word of God” is another way to describe the gospel (note the preceding verb ἐδέξαντο, edexanto, “accepted”). The phrase could also be translated “the word [message] from God.”
883 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
884 tn Or “the Jewish Christians”; Grk “those of the circumcision.” Within the larger group of Christians were some whose loyalties ran along ethnic-religious lines.
885 tn Or “believers disputed with,” “believers criticized” (BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 5.b).
886 tn Or “You were a guest in the home of” (according to L&N 23.12).
887 tn Or “and ate with.” It was table fellowship and the possibility of eating unclean food that disturbed them.
888 tn Or “to them in logical sequence,” “to them in order.” BDAG 490 s.v. καθεξῆς has “explain to someone point by point” for this phrase. This is the same term used in Luke 1:3.
889 tn This term describes a supernatural vision and reflects a clear distinction from something imagined (BDAG 718 s.v. ὅραμα 1). Peter repeated the story virtually word for word through v. 13. The repetition with this degree of detail shows the event’s importance.
890 tn Or “coming down.”
891 tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
892 tn Grk “Staring I looked into it.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
893 tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate.
894 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
895 tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.
896 tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts. The sentiment Peter expressed is like Ezek 4:14.
897 tn Or “declare.” The wording matches Acts 10:15.
898 tn Grk “And behold.”
899 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.
900 tn See BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1 for this meaning for ἐπέστησαν (epesthsan) here.
901 tn The word “staying” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
902 sn Six witnesses is three times more than what would normally be required. They could confirm the events were not misrepresented by Peter.
903 tn Grk “words” (ῥήματα, rJhmata), but in this context the overall message is meant rather than the individual words.
904 tn Or “came down on.”
905 tn The words “he did” are not in the Greek text but are implied. They form an ellipsis which must be supplied for the modern English reader. Some modern translations supply “it” rather than “he” because the gender of πνεῦμα (pneuma) in Greek is neuter, but there are sufficient NT contexts that use masculine pronouns to refer to the Spirit to justify the use of a masculine pronoun here in the translation.
906 sn At the beginning is an allusion to Acts 2 and Pentecost. The beginning is a way to refer to the start of the period of the realization of Jesus’ promise in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. Peter was arguing that God gave Gentiles the same benefits he gave the Jews at the start of their mission.
907 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; here and in Luke 22:61, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
908 tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) is taken as a customary imperfect.
909 sn John…Spirit. This remark repeats Acts 1:5.
910 tc Codex Bezae (D) and {a few other Western witnesses} here lack ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”), perhaps because these scribes considered the Holy Spirit to be the gift of Christ rather than the gift of God; thus leaving the subject implicit would naturally draw the reader back to v. 16 to see the Lord Jesus as the bestower of the Spirit.
911 sn That is, the same gift of the Holy Spirit.
912 tn Or “gave us when we believed”; or “gave us after we believed”; or “gave us who believed”; or “gave them when they believed the same gift as he also gave us.” The aorist dative plural participle πιστεύσασιν (pisteusasin) can be understood in several different ways: (1) It could modify ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “us”) or αὐτοῖς (autois, “them”). Proximity (it immediately follows ἡμῖν) would suggest that it belongs with ἡμῖν, so the last option (“gave them when they believed the same gift he also gave us”) is less likely. (2) The participle could be either adverbial or adjectival, modifying ἡμῖν. This decision is primarily a contextual one. The point Peter made is not whether or not the Gentiles believed, since both groups (“us” and “they”) had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The point was whether or not the Gentiles received the Spirit when they believed, just as Jewish Christians had received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost when they believed. Translated as an adjectival participle, πιστεύσασιν only affirms the fact of belief, however, and raises somewhat of a theological problem if one realizes, “Would God have given the Gentiles the Spirit if they had not believed?” (In other words, belief in itself is a theological prerequisite for receiving the Spirit. As such, in the case of the Gentiles, it is assumed.) Thus in context it makes more sense to understand the participle πιστεύσασιν as adverbial, related to the time of belief in connection with the giving of the Spirit. (3) The participle πιστεύσασιν as a temporal participle can refer to action antecedent to the action of the main verb ἔδωκεν (edwken) or contemporaneous with it. Logically, at least, the gift of the Spirit followed belief in the case of the original Christians, who had believed before the day of Pentecost. In the case of Cornelius and his household, belief and the reception of the Spirit were virtually simultaneous. One can argue that Peter is “summarizing” the experience of Jewish Christians, and therefore the actions of belief and reception of the Spirit, while historically separate, have been “telescoped” into one (“gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed”), but to be technically accurate the participle πιστεύσασιν should be translated “gave them the same gift as he also gave us after we believed.” A number of these problems can be avoided, however, by using a translation in English that maintains some of the ambiguity of the Greek original. Thus “if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing” is used, where the phrase “after believing” can refer either to “them” or to “us,” or both.
913 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
914 tn Or “prevent,” “forbid” (BDAG 580 s.v. κωλύω 1.a). Peter’s point is that he will not stand in the way of God.
915 tn Grk “these things.”
916 tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.
917 tn Or “glorified.”
918 sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).
919 sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.
920 sn The phrase over Stephen means in connection with Stephen’s death. See Acts 8:1b-3.
921 tn Or “finally reached.” The translations “went as far as” and “finally reached” for διῆλθον (dihlqon) in this verse are given in L&N 15.17.
922 sn Phoenicia was an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.
923 tn Grk “and Cyprus,” but 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.
924 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). This was probably the third largest city in the Greco-Roman world (Alexandria in Egypt was the second largest, and Rome the largest) and was the seat of government in Syria. Five miles away was a major temple to Artemis, Apollo, and Astarte, major pagan deities.
925 tn Grk “word.”
926 sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.
927 sn Cyrene was a city on the northern African coast west of Egypt.
928 tn Grk “among them, coming to Antioch began to speak.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
929 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
930 sn The statement that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene…began to speak to the Greeks shows that Peter’s experience of reaching out to the Gentiles was not unique.
931 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.
932 tn The participle πιστεύσας (pisteusa") is articular and thus cannot be adverbial. It is adjectival, modifying ἀριθμός (ariqmo"), but has been translated into English as a relative clause (“who believed”).
933 sn Again, the expression turned is a summary term for responding to the gospel.
934 tn Grk “Word.”
935 tn Grk “was heard in the ears,” an idiom. L&N 24.67 states that the idiom means “to hear in secret” (which it certainly does in Matt 10:27), but secrecy does not seem to be part of the context here, and there is no particular reason to suggest the report was made in secret.
936 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
937 tc ‡ Most
938 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19. Again the Jerusalem church exercised an oversight role.
939 tn Grk “Antioch, who when.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
940 tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσμένω 1.a.β has “remain true to the Lord” for προσμένειν (prosmenein) in this verse.
941 tn Grk “with purpose of heart”; BDAG 869 s.v. πρόθεσις 2.a translates this phrase “purpose of heart, i.e. devotion” here.
942 tn Grk “a significant crowd.”
943 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
944 tn Grk “So 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.
945 tn Grk “year they”; the referents (Barnabas and Saul) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
946 tn Grk “a significant crowd.”
947 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
948 sn The term Christians appears only here, in Acts 26:28, and 1 Pet 4:16 in the NT.
949 tn Grk “In these days,” but the dative generally indicates a specific time.
950 tn The word “some” is not in the Greek text, but is usually used in English when an unspecified number is mentioned.
951 sn Prophets are mentioned only here and in 13:1 and 21:10 in Acts.
952 sn Came down from Jerusalem. 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).
953 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
954 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
955 tn Grk “getting up, predicted.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
956 tn Or “made clear”; Grk “indicated beforehand” (BDAG 920 s.v. σημαίνω 2).
957 tn Grk “great.”
958 sn This famine is one of the firmly fixed dates in Acts. It took place from
959 tn Or “whole Roman Empire.” While the word οἰκουμένη (oikoumenh) does occasionally refer specifically to the Roman Empire, BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουνένη 2 does not list this passage (only Acts 24:5 and 17:6).
960 tn Grk “world, which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the demonstrative pronoun “this” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
961 sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Claudius was the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from
962 tn So BDAG 410 s.v. εὐπορέω.
963 tn Or “determined,” “resolved.”
964 tn Grk “to send [something] for a ministry,” but today it is common to speak of sending relief for victims of natural disasters.
965 tn Grk “Judea, which they did.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
966 tn The words “their financial aid” 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.
967 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great). His mediocre career is summarized in Josephus, Ant. 18-19. This event took place in
968 tn Or “King Herod had some from the church arrested.”
969 tn Or “to cause them injury.”
970 sn The expression executed with a sword probably refers to a beheading. James was the first known apostolic martyr (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1-3). On James, not the Lord’s brother, see Luke 5:10; 6:14. This death ended a short period of peace noted in Acts 9:31 after the persecution mentioned in 8:1-3.
971 tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.
972 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
973 sn Four squads of soldiers. Each squad was a detachment of four soldiers.
974 tn Grk “guard him, planning to bring him out.” The Greek construction continues with a participle (βουλόμενος, boulomeno") and an infinitive (ἀναγαγεῖν, anagagein), but this creates an awkward and lengthy sentence in English. Thus a reference to Herod was introduced as subject and the participle translated as a finite verb (“Herod planned”).
975 tn Or “intended”; Grk “wanted.”
976 tn Grk “to bring him out to the people,” but in this context a public trial (with certain condemnation as the result) is doubtless what Herod planned. L&N 15.176 translates this phrase “planning to bring him up for a public trial after the Passover.”
977 tn Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:14 and Acts 26:7.
978 tn Grk “but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God for him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to follow English style, and the somewhat awkward passive “prayer was being made” has been changed to the simpler active verb “were praying.” Luke portrays what follows as an answer to prayer.
979 tn Grk “was going to bring him out,” but the upcoming trial is implied. See Acts 12:4.
980 tn Grk “two chains, and.” Logically it makes better sense to translate this as a temporal clause, although technically it is a coordinate clause in Greek.
981 tn Or “were guarding.”
982 tn Grk “And behold.” 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 interjection ἰδού (idou), often difficult to translate into English, expresses the suddenness of the angel’s appearance.
983 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
984 tn Grk “striking the side of Peter, he awoke him saying.” The term refers to a push or a light tap (BDAG 786 s.v. πατάσσω 1.a). The participle πατάξας (pataxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
985 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
986 tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.
987 tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.
988 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
989 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
990 tn Or “outer garment.”
991 tn Grk “And going out he followed.”
992 tn Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
993 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
994 tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).
995 tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”
996 sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).
997 tn Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
998 tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).
999 tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).
1000 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.
1001 tn Or “delivered.”
1002 sn Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.
1003 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
1004 sn Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).
1005 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1006 tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”
1007 tn Or “responded.”
1008 tn Or “informed.”
1009 tn The word “them” 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.
1010 sn “You’ve lost your mind!” Such a response to the miraculous is not unusual in Luke-Acts. See Luke 24:11; Acts 26:25. The term μαίνομαι (mainomai) can have the idea of being “raving mad” or “totally irrational” (BDAG 610 s.v.). It is a strong expression.
1011 tn Grk “she kept insisting that the situation was thus” (cf. BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a). Most translations supply a less awkward English phrase like “it was so”; the force of her insistence, however, is that “it was Peter,” which was the point under dispute.
1012 tn The two imperfect tense verbs, διϊσχυρίζετο (diiscurizeto) and ἔλεγον (elegon), are both taken iteratively. The picture is thus virtually a shouting match between Rhoda and the rest of the believers.
1013 sn The assumption made by those inside, “It is his angel,” seems to allude to the idea of an attending angel (cf. Gen 48:16 LXX; Matt 18:10; Test. Jacob 1:10).
1014 tn The words “the door” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see Acts 12:13).
1015 sn That they were greatly astonished is a common response in Luke-Acts to God’s work (Luke 8:56; Acts 2:7, 12; 8:13; 9:21; 10:45).
1016 tn Or “He gave them a signal.” Grk “Giving them a signal…he related to them.” The participle κατασείσας (kataseisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
1017 tc ‡ Most
1018 tn Or “led.”
1019 sn He…went to another place. This is Peter’s last appearance in Acts with the exception of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.
1020 tn BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a has “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse.
1021 tn Grk “no little consternation.” The translation given for τάραχος (taraco") in this verse by BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 1 is “mental agitation.” The situation indicated by the Greek word is described in L&N 25.243 as “a state of acute distress and great anxiety, with the additional possible implications of dismay and confusion – ‘great distress, extreme anxiety.’” The English word “consternation” is preferred here because it conveys precisely such a situation of anxiety mixed with fear. The reason for this anxiety is explained in the following verse.
1022 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
1023 tn Or “had instigated a search” (Herod would have ordered the search rather than conducting it himself).
1024 tn “Questioned” is used to translate ἀνακρίνας (anakrina") here because a possible translation offered by BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω for this verse is “examined,” which could be understood to mean Herod inspected the guards rather than questioned them. The translation used by the NIV, “cross-examined,” also avoids this possible misunderstanding.
1025 tn The meaning “led away to execution” for ἀπαχθῆναι (apacqhnai) in this verse is given by BDAG 95 s.v. ἀπάγω 2.c. Although an explicit reference to execution is lacking here, it is what would usually occur in such a case (Acts 16:27; 27:42; Code of Justinian 9.4.4). “Led away to torture” is a less likely option (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10, 96, 8).
1026 tn Grk “and,” but the sequence of events is better expressed in English by “then.” A new sentence is begun in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek, which exceeds normal English sentence length.
1027 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Since Herod has been the subject of the preceding material, and the circumstances of his death are the subject of the following verses (20-23), it is best to understand Herod as the subject here. This is especially true since according to Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 [19.343-352], Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in
1028 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.
1029 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1030 tn Or “was extremely angry.” L&N 33.453 gives the meaning “be angry and quarrel, quarrel angrily” here. However, in L&N 88.180 the alternative “to be violently angry, to be furious” is given. The term is used only once in the NT (BDAG 461 s.v. θυμομαχέω).
1031 sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.
1032 sn Sidon was an ancient Phoenician royal city on the coast between Berytus (Beirut) and Tyre (BDAG 923 s.v. Σιδών).
1033 tn Or “with one accord.”
1034 tn Or “persuading.”
1035 tn On the term translated “personal assistant” BDAG 554 s.v. κοιτῶν states, “used as part of a title: ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος the one in charge of the bed-chamber, the chamberlain.” This individual was not just a domestic servant or butler, but a highly respected person who had considerable responsibility for the king’s living quarters and personal affairs. The English word “chamberlain” corresponds very closely to this meaning but is not in common use today. The term “personal assistant,” while it might convey more business associations than management of personal affairs, nevertheless communicates the concept well in contemporary English.
1036 tn The words “to help them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
1037 tn Or “for a reconciliation.” There were grave political risks in having Herod angry at them. The detail shows the ruler’s power.
1038 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1039 tn Or “apparel.” On Herod’s robes see Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.344), summarized in the note at the end of v. 23.
1040 tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “speaker’s platform” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“rostrum,” NASB; “platform,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.
1041 tn Or “delivered a public address.”
1042 tn The translation “crowd” is given by BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος; the word often means a gathering of citizens to conduct public business. Here it is simply the group of people gathered to hear the king’s speech.
1043 tn The imperfect verb ἐπεφώνει (epefwnei) is taken ingressively in the sequence of events. Presumably the king had started his speech when the crowd began shouting.
1044 sn The voice of a god. Contrast the response of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:13-15.
1045 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
1046 sn On being struck…down by an angel, see Acts 23:3; 1 Sam 25:28; 2 Sam 12:15; 2 Kgs 19:35; 2 Chr 13:20; 2 Macc 9:5.
1047 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1048 sn He was eaten by worms and died. Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.343-352), states that Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in
1049 sn A metonymy for the number of adherents to God’s word.
1050 tn Or “spreading.”