Acts 6:7

6:7 The word of God continued to spread, ¹  the number of disciples in Jerusalem ²  increased greatly, and a large group ³  of priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 9:42

9:42 This became known throughout all ⁴  Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁵ 

Acts 12:24

12:24 But the word of God ⁶  kept on increasing ⁷  and multiplying.

Acts 19:10

19:10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, ⁸  both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. ⁹ 

Acts 19:26

19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded ¹⁰  and turned away ¹¹  a large crowd, ¹²  not only in Ephesus ¹³  but in practically all of the province of Asia, ¹⁴  by saying ¹⁵  that gods made by hands are not gods at all. ¹⁶ 

Philippians 1:13-14

1:13 The ¹⁷  whole imperial guard ¹⁸  and everyone else knows ¹⁹  that I am in prison ²⁰  for the sake of Christ, 1:14 and most of the brothers and sisters, ²¹  having confidence in the Lord ²²  because of my imprisonment, now more than ever ²³  dare to speak the word ²⁴  fearlessly.

¹ tn Grk “kept on spreading”; the verb has been translated as a progressive imperfect.

² map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

³ tn Grk “a great multitude.”

⁴ tn Or “known all over.” BDAG 511 s.v. κατά A.1.c. has “became known throughout all Joppa” for γνωστὸν γενέσθαι καθ᾿ ὅλης ᾿Ιόππης (gnwston genesqai kaq’ {olh" Iopph").

⁵ sn This became known…many believed in the Lord. This is a “sign” miracle that pictures how the Lord can give life.

⁶ sn A metonymy for the number of adherents to God’s word.

⁷ tn Or “spreading.”

⁸ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

⁹ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

¹⁰ tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹¹ tn Or “misled.”

¹² tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”

¹³ map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.

¹⁴ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

¹⁵ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.

¹⁶ tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

¹⁷ tn Grk “so that the whole imperial guard.” The ὥστε (Jwste) clause that begins v. 13 indicates two results of the spread of the gospel: Outsiders know why Paul is imprisoned (v. 13) and believers are emboldened by his imprisonment (v. 14).

¹⁸ sn The whole imperial guard (Grk “praetorium”) can refer to the elite troops stationed in Rome or the headquarters of administrators in the provinces (cf. Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33; 19:9; Acts 23:35). In either case a metonymy is involved, with the place (the praetorium) put for those (soldiers or government officials) who were connected with it or stationed in it.

¹⁹ tn Grk “it has become known by the whole imperial guard and all the rest.”

²⁰ tn Grk “my bonds [are].”

²¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

²² tn Or “most of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, having confidence.”

²³ tn Grk “even more so.”

²⁴ tc A number of significant mss have “of God” after “word.” Although τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) is amply supported in the Alexandrian and Western texts (א A B [D*] P Ψ 048^vid 075 0278 33 81 1175 al lat co), the omission is difficult to explain as either an intentional deletion or unintentional oversight. To be sure, the pedigree of the witnesses is not nearly as great for the shorter reading (Ì⁴⁶ D² 1739 1881 Ï), but it explains well the rise of the other reading. Further, it explains the rise of κυρίου (kuriou, “of the Lord”), the reading of F and G (for if these mss had followed a Vorlage with τοῦ θεοῦ, κυρίου would not have been expected). Further, τοῦ θεοῦ is in different locations among the mss; such dislocations are usually signs of scribal additions to the text. Thus, the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses here have the superior reading, and it should be accepted as the original.