Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin 3 – that is, the whole high council 4 of the Israelites 5 – and sent to the jail to have the apostles 6 brought before them. 7
23:6 Then when Paul noticed 43 that part of them were Sadducees 44 and the others Pharisees, 45 he shouted out in the council, 46 “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection 47 of the dead!”
28:17 After three days 54 Paul 55 called the local Jewish leaders 56 together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, 57 although I had done 58 nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, 59 from Jerusalem 60 I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. 61
1 tn Grk “the temple.” See the note on the same phrase in the preceding verse.
2 tn The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκον (edidaskon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
3 tn Or “the council” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
4 tn A hendiadys (two different terms referring to a single thing) is likely here (a reference to a single legislative body rather than two separate ones) because the term γερουσίαν (gerousian) is used in both 1 Macc 12:6 and Josephus, Ant. 13.5.8 (13.166) to refer to the Sanhedrin.
5 tn Grk “sons of Israel.”
6 tn Grk “have them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn The words “before them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
8 tn Grk “And he.” 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.
9 tn Grk “He did not give him an inheritance in it.” This could be understood to mean that God did not give something else to Abraham as an inheritance while he was living there. The point of the text is that God did not give any of the land to him as an inheritance, and the translation makes this clear.
10 tn Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).
11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 sn An allusion to Gen 12:7; 13:15; 15:2, 18; 17:8; 24:7; 48:4. On the theological importance of the promise and to his descendants after him, see Rom 4 and Gal 3.
13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 sn This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).
16 sn A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.
17 tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”
18 tn Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14-18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 LXX).
22 tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”
23 sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).
24 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.
25 tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).
26 tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).
29 tn Grk “And now.” 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.
30 tn Grk “upon,” but in a negative sense.
31 sn The term translated mistiness here appears in the writings of the physician Galen as a medical technical description of a person who is blind. The picture of judgment to darkness is symbolic as well. Whatever power Elymas had, it represented darkness. Magic will again be an issue in Acts 19:18-19. This judgment is like that of Ananias and his wife in Acts 5:1-11.
32 tn Grk “fell on.”
33 tn The noun χειραγωγός (ceiragwgo") is plural, so “people” is used rather than singular “someone.”
36 tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
37 tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
38 tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.
39 tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
40 tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
41 tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.
42 tn Grk “But they.”
43 sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.
43 tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders – a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”
44 tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
45 tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
46 tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.
47 tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.
48 tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”
49 tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”
50 tn BDAG 200 s.v. γινώσκω 4 has “to be aware of someth., perceive, notice, realize”; this is further clarified by section 4.c: “w. ὅτι foll….Ac 23:6.”
51 sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.
52 sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.
53 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
54 tn That is, concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected. Grk “concerning the hope and resurrection.” BDAG 320 s.v. ἐλπίς 1.b.α states, “Of Israel’s messianic hope Ac 23:6 (ἐ. καὶ ἀνάστασις for ἐ. τῆς ἀν. [obj. gen] as 2 Macc 3:29 ἐ. καὶ σωτηρία).” With an objective genitive construction, the resurrection of the dead would be the “object” of the hope.
57 tn BDAG 181-82 s.v. βουλή 2.a, “β. τίθεσθαι (Judg 19:30; Ps 12:3) decide 27:12 (w. inf. foll.).”
58 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”
59 tn Grk “from there, if somehow” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation and the introductory phrase “They hoped that” supplied (with the subject, “they,” repeated from the previous clause) to make a complete English sentence.
60 tn Grk “if somehow, reaching Phoenix, they could…” The participle καταντήσαντες (katanthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
61 sn Phoenix was a seaport on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 30 mi (48 km) further west.
62 tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”
64 tn Grk “It happened that after three days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
65 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
66 tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”
67 tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.
68 tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
69 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
70 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
71 tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”