‘Why do the nations 3 rage, 4
and the peoples plot foolish 5 things?
27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous 43 because the fast 44 was already over, 45 Paul advised them, 46
1 tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).
2 tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
3 tn Or “Gentiles.”
4 sn The Greek word translated rage includes not only anger but opposition, both verbal and nonverbal. See L&N 88.185.
5 tn Or “futile”; traditionally, “vain.”
6 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.
7 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.
8 tn Grk “approaching, they seized him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). Stephen suffers just as Peter and John did.
11 sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa.
12 tn Grk “Do not delay to come to us.” It is somewhat smoother to say in English, “Come to us without delay.”
16 tn Grk “And going out he followed.”
17 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.
18 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.
19 tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).
21 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
22 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.
23 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 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
26 tn According to BDAG 793 s.v. πειράζω 2.c, “In Ac 15:10 the πειράζειν τὸν θεόν consists in the fact that after God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (v. 8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative.” All testing of God in Luke is negative: Luke 4:2; 11:16.
27 sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restriction that some in the early church wanted to place on Gentile converts to Christianity of observing the law of Moses and having males circumcised. The yoke is a decidedly negative image: Matt 23:4, but cf. Matt 11:29-30.
28 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
31 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.
36 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.
37 tn L&N 39.43 has “‘the uproar spread throughout the whole city’ (literally ‘the city was filled with uproar’) Ac 19:29.” BDAG 954 s.v. σύγχυσις has “confusion, tumult.”
38 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 sn To the theater. This location made the event a public spectacle. The Grand Theater in Ephesus (still standing today) stood facing down the main thoroughfare of the city toward the docks. It had a seating capacity of 25,000.
40 tn Grk “to the theater with one accord.”
41 tn Or “had assembled.”
46 tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”
47 tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”
48 sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).
49 tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”
50 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.
51 tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”
52 sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
51 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
52 tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
53 tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
56 tn Or “be watchful.”
57 tn Or “admonishing.”
61 tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.
62 sn The fast refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It was now into October and the dangerous winter winds would soon occur (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18; Josephus, J. W. 1.14.2-3 [1.279-281]).
63 tn The accusative articular infinitive παρεληλυθέναι (parelhluqenai) after the preposition διά (dia) is causal. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 2 has “διὰ τὸ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι because the fast was already over Ac 27:9.”
64 tn Grk “Paul advised, saying to them.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated. On the term translated “advised,” see BDAG 764 s.v. παραινέω, which usually refers to recommendations.
66 tn Or “necessary.” BDAG 873-74 s.v. πρός 1 has “πρ. τῆς σωτηρίας in the interest of safety Ac 27:34”; L&N 27.18 has “‘therefore, I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your deliverance’ or ‘…for your survival’ Ac 27:34.”
67 tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).