22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense 3 that I now 4 make to you.”
7:51 “You stubborn 13 people, with uncircumcised 14 hearts and ears! 15 You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors 16 did!
1 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
2 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
3 sn Listen to my defense. This is the first of several speeches Paul would make in his own defense: Acts 24:10ff.; 25:8, 16; and 26:1ff. For the use of such a speech (“apologia”) in Greek, see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.15 [2.147]; Wis 6:10.
4 tn The adverb νυνί (nuni, “now”) is connected with the phrase τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας (th" pro" Juma" nuni apologia") rather than the verb ἀκούσατε (akousate), and the entire construction (prepositional phrase plus adverb) is in first attributive position and thus translated into English by a relative clause.
5 tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”
6 tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.
7 sn Our. Stephen spoke of “our” ancestors (Grk “fathers”) in an inclusive sense throughout the speech until his rebuke in v. 51, where the nation does what “your” ancestors did, at which point an exclusive pronoun is used. This serves to emphasize the rebuke.
8 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
7 tn Grk “whom our.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.
8 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
9 sn To obey. Again the theme of the speech is noted. The nation disobeyed the way of God and opted for Egypt over the promised land.
10 sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).
9 sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.
10 tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.
11 tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)
12 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
11 tn According to BDAG 793 s.v. πειράζω 2.c, “In Ac 15:10 the πειράζειν τὸν θεόν consists in the fact that after God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (v. 8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative.” All testing of God in Luke is negative: Luke 4:2; 11:16.
12 sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restriction that some in the early church wanted to place on Gentile converts to Christianity of observing the law of Moses and having males circumcised. The yoke is a decidedly negative image: Matt 23:4, but cf. Matt 11:29-30.
13 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
13 tn Grk “said.”
14 tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
15 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.
16 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
17 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
18 tn Grk “In those days.”
17 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
18 sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.
19 tn Grk “And they.” 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.
20 sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.
21 sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).