From the apostles 20 and elders, your brothers, 21 to the Gentile brothers and sisters 22 in Antioch, 23 Syria, 24 and Cilicia, greetings!
1 tn Grk “writing.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation, supplying “he” (referring to the commanding officer, Claudius Lysias) as subject. The participle γράψας (grayas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
2 tn Grk “having this form,” “having this content.” L&N 33.48 has “γράψσς ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὸν τύπον τοῦτον ‘then he wrote a letter that went like this’ Ac 23:25. It is also possible to understand ἐπιστολή in Ac 23:25 not as a content or message, but as an object (see 6.63).”
3 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.
4 sn The term agree means “match” or “harmonize with.” James’ point in the introduction argues that many of the OT prophets taught this. He gives one example (which follows).
5 sn There is irony here. How can Festus write anything definite about Paul, if he is guilty of nothing.
6 sn To my lord means “to His Majesty the Emperor.”
7 tn Grk “about whom I have nothing definite…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 26.
8 sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.
9 tn Or “investigation.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνάκρισις has “a judicial hearing, investigation, hearing, esp. preliminary hearing…τῆς ἀ. γενομένης Ac 25:26.” This is technical legal language.
7 tn Or “carried out.”
8 sn That is, everything that was written in OT scripture.
9 tn Grk “taking him down from the cross, they placed him.” The participle καθελόντες (kaqelonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
10 tn Grk “tree,” but frequently figurative for a cross. The allusion is to Deut 21:23. See Acts 5:30; 10:39.
11 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.
9 tn Grk “that this”; the referent (the promise mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Or “by resurrecting.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") is taken as instrumental here.
11 sn You are my Son. The key to how the quotation is used is the naming of Jesus as “Son” to the Father. The language is that of kingship, as Ps 2 indicates. Here is the promise about what the ultimate Davidic heir would be.
12 tn Grk “I have begotten you.” The traditional translation for γεγέννηκα (gegennhka, “begotten”) is misleading to the modern English reader because it is no longer in common use. Today one speaks of “fathering” a child in much the same way speakers of English formerly spoke of “begetting a child.”
11 tn Grk “writing by their hand” (an idiom for sending a letter).
12 tn Grk “The apostles.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
13 tn Grk “brothers,” but “your” is supplied to specify the relationship, since without it “brothers” could be understood as vocative in English.
14 tn Grk “to the brothers who are from the Gentiles.”
15 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).
16 tn Grk “and Syria,” 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.
13 tn Grk “said.”
14 tn Or “know.”
15 sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.
15 tn Or “uninhabited” or “empty.”
16 sn A quotation from Ps 69:25.
17 tn Or “Let another take his office.”
17 sn The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18-32.
18 tn Or “stars.”
19 tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).
20 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”
19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Apollos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 sn To cross over to Achaia. Achaia was organized by the Romans as a separate province in 27
21 tn Grk “encouraging [him], the brothers wrote.” The participle προτρεψάμενοι (protreyamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This was the typical letter of commendation from the Ephesians to the Achaeans.
22 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.
23 tn Grk “who, when he arrived.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced with the pronoun “he” and a new sentence begun in the translation.
21 tn Or “serve.”
22 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
23 sn That is, the law of Moses. Paul was claiming that he legitimately worshiped the God of Israel. He was arguing that this amounted to a religious dispute rather than a political one, so that the Roman authorities need not concern themselves with it.