20:25 “And now 10 I know that none 11 of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom 12 will see me 13 again.
‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, 29
for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.
2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of joy with your presence.’ 37
1 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.
2 tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
3 tn Grk “at him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 sn His face was like the face of an angel. This narrative description of Stephen’s face adds to the mood of the passage. He had the appearance of a supernatural, heavenly messenger.
5 tn Grk “to whom I answered.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 16.
6 tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).
7 tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”
8 tn Grk “and receives.”
9 tn Or “indictment” (a legal technical term). BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 states, “legal t.t.…ἀπολογία περὶ τοῦ ἐ. defense against the accusation Ac 25:16.” L&N 56.6 defines ἔγκλημα (enklhma) as “(a technical, legal term) a formal indictment or accusation brought against someone – ‘indictment, accusation, case.’ …‘and might receive an opportunity for a defense against the indictment’ Ac 25:16.”
9 tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.
10 tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.
11 sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.
12 tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).
13 tn Or “pained.”
14 tn Grk “by the word that he had said.”
15 tn Grk “to see his face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).
16 tn BDAG 873 s.v. προπέμπω 1 has “they accompanied him to the ship Ac 20:38.”
17 sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).
18 tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”
19 tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”
20 tn BDAG 884-85 s.v. προστάσσω has “(οἱ) προστεταγμένοι καιροί (the) fixed times Ac 17:26” here, but since the following phrase is also translated “fixed limits,” this would seem redundant in English, so the word “set” has been used instead.
21 tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.
21 tn BDAG 181-82 s.v. βουλή 2.a, “β. τίθεσθαι (Judg 19:30; Ps 12:3) decide 27:12 (w. inf. foll.).”
22 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.”
23 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.
24 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.
25 sn Phoenix was a seaport on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 30 mi (48 km) further west.
26 tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”
25 tn Or “always before me.”
29 tn Grk “And.” 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 Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
31 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
32 tn Grk “In those days.”
33 tn Or “was forced off course.” Grk “The ship being caught in it.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle συναρπασθέντος (sunarpasqento") has been taken temporally; it could also be translated as causal (“Because the ship was caught in it”).
34 tn BDAG 91 s.v. ἀντοφθαλμέω states, “Metaph. of a ship τοῦ πλοίου μὴ δυναμένοι ἀ. τῷ ἀνέμῳ since the ship was not able to face the wind, i.e. with its bow headed against the forces of the waves Ac 27:15.”
35 sn Caught in the violent wind, the ship was driven along. They were now out of control, at the mercy of the wind and sea.
37 sn A quotation from Ps 16:8-11.
41 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Or “and prostrated himself.”
45 tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”
46 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).
47 tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).
48 tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
49 tn Grk “bonds.”
50 tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.
49 tn Or “masters.”
50 tn On this use of ἐργασία (ergasia), see BDAG 390 s.v. 4. It is often the case that destructive practices and commerce are closely tied together.
51 tn Grk “was gone, seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
52 tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.