Acts 5:17

Further Trouble for the Apostles

5:17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees ¹ ), ²  and they were filled with jealousy. ³ 

Acts 5:24

5:24 Now when the commander ⁴  of the temple guard ⁵  and the chief priests heard this report, ⁶  they were greatly puzzled concerning it, ⁷  wondering what this could ⁸  be.

¹ sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

³ sn Filled with jealousy. In Acts, the term “jealousy” (ζήλος, zhlos) occurs only here and in Acts 13:45. It is a key term in Judaism for religiously motivated rage (1 Macc 2:24; 1QH 14:13-15; m. Sanhedrin 9:5). It was a zeal motivated by a desire to maintain the purity of the faith.

⁴ tn Or “captain.”

⁵ tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

⁶ tn Grk “heard these words.”

⁷ tn Grk “concerning them,” agreeing with the plural antecedent “these words.” Since the phrase “these words” was translated as the singular “this report,” the singular “concerning it” is used here.

⁸ tn The optative verb here expresses confused uncertainty.