Acts 28:15

28:15 The brothers from there, ¹  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ²  and Three Taverns ³  to meet us. When he saw them, ⁴  Paul thanked God and took courage.

Acts 12:10

12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ⁵  they came to the iron ⁶  gate leading into the city. It ⁷  opened for them by itself, ⁸  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ⁹  when at once the angel left him.

¹ sn Mention of Christian brothers from there (Rome) shows that God’s message had already spread as far as Italy and the capital of the empire.

² sn The Forum of Appius was a small traveler’s stop on the Appian Way about 43 mi (71 km) south of Rome (BDAG 125 s.v. ᾿Αππίου φόρον). It was described by Horace as “crammed with boatmen and stingy tavernkeepers” (Satires 1.5.3).

³ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

⁴ tn Grk “whom, when he saw [them], Paul.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

⁵ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

⁶ sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

⁹ tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).