26:24 As Paul 1 was saying these things in his defense, Festus 2 exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, 3 Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!”
9:16 If I summoned him, and he answered me, 4
I would not believe 5
that he would be listening to my voice –
1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.
3 tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”
4 sn The idea of “answer” in this line is that of responding to the summons, i.e., appearing in court. This preterite and the perfect before it have the nuance of hypothetical perfects since they are in conditional clauses (GKC 330 §111.x). D. J. A. Clines (Job [WBC], 219) translates literally, “If I should call and he should answer.”
5 tn The Hiphil imperfect in the apodosis of this conditional sentence expresses what would (not) happen if God answered the summons.
6 sn The term pure nonsense can describe idle talk or a tale. The point is important, since the disciples reacted with disbelief that a resurrection was possible. Sometimes it is thought the ancients were gullible enough to believe anything. But these disciples needed convincing about the resurrection.