Acts 5:34

5:34 But a Pharisee ¹  whose name was Gamaliel, ²  a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up ³  in the council ⁴  and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time.

Acts 15:5

15:5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees ⁵  who had believed stood up and said, “It is necessary ⁶  to circumcise the Gentiles ⁷  and to order them to observe ⁸  the law of Moses.”

Acts 21:20

21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁹  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ¹⁰  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ¹¹  of the law. ¹² 

Acts 24:14

24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship ¹³  the God of our ancestors ¹⁴  according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law ¹⁵  and that is written in the prophets.

¹ sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

² sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here in v. 34 and in Acts 22:3. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.

³ tn Grk “standing up in the council, ordered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁴ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

⁵ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

⁶ sn The Greek word used here (δεῖ, dei) is a strong term that expresses divine necessity. The claim is that God commanded the circumcision of Gentiles.

⁷ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the Gentiles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Or “keep.”

⁹ tn Or “glorified.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

¹¹ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

¹² sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

¹³ tn Or “serve.”

¹⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

¹⁵ sn That is, the law of Moses. Paul was claiming that he legitimately worshiped the God of Israel. He was arguing that this amounted to a religious dispute rather than a political one, so that the Roman authorities need not concern themselves with it.