Acts 3:6-11

3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, ¹  but what I do have I give you. In the name ²  of Jesus Christ ³  the Nazarene, stand up and ⁴  walk!” 3:7 Then ⁵  Peter ⁶  took hold ⁷  of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s ⁸  feet and ankles were made strong. ⁹  3:8 He ¹⁰  jumped up, ¹¹  stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts ¹²  with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 3:9 All ¹³  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 ¹⁴  at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement ¹⁵  at what had happened to him.

Peter Addresses the Crowd

3:11 While the man ¹⁶  was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway ¹⁷  called Solomon’s Portico. ¹⁸ 

Acts 3:16

3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ¹⁹  name, ²⁰  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ²¹  faith that is through Jesus ²²  has given him this complete health in the presence ²³  of you all.

¹ 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.”

² 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).

³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

⁴ tc The words “stand up and” (ἔγειρε καί, egeire kai) are not in a few mss (א B D sa), but are included in A C E Ψ 095 33 1739 Ï lat sy mae bo. The external testimony is thus fairly evenly divided, with few but important representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes supporting the shorter reading. Internally, the words look like a standard scribal emendation, and may have been motivated by other healing passages where Jesus gave a similar double command (cf. Matt 9:5; Mark 2:9, [11]; Luke 5:23; [6:8]; John 5:8). On the other hand, there is some motivation for deleting ἔγειρε καί here, namely, unlike Jesus’ healing miracles, Peter raises (ἤγειρεν, hgeiren) the man to his feet (v. 7) rather than the man rising on his own. In light of the scribal tendency to harmonize, especially in immediate context, the longer reading is slightly preferred.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the sequence of events.

⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ 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.

¹² tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

¹³ 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.

¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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).

¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰ sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.

²¹ 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.

²² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²³ tn Or “in full view.”