17:8 If a matter is too difficult for you to judge – bloodshed, 8 legal claim, 9 or assault 10 – matters of controversy in your villages 11 – you must leave there and go up to the place the Lord your God chooses. 12 17:9 You will go to the Levitical priests and the judge in office in those days and seek a solution; they will render a verdict. 17:10 You must then do as they have determined at that place the Lord chooses. Be careful to do just as you are taught. 17:11 You must do what you are instructed, and the verdict they pronounce to you, without fail. Do not deviate right or left from what they tell you. 17:12 The person who pays no attention 13 to the priest currently serving the Lord your God there, or to the verdict – that person must die, so that you may purge evil from Israel.
31:13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants
or my female servants
when they disputed 17 with me,
18:1 After this 25 Paul 26 departed from 27 Athens 28 and went to Corinth. 29
1:1 From Paul, 30 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1 tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”
2 tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.
3 tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).
4 sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.
5 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh) calls attention to the presence of Aaron and Hur to answer the difficult cases that might come up.
6 tn Or “issues to resolve.” The term is simply דְּבָרִים (dÿvarim, “words, things, matters”).
7 tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of potential imperfect. In the absence of Moses and Joshua, Aaron and Hur will be available.
8 tn Heb “between blood and blood.”
9 tn Heb “between claim and claim.”
10 tn Heb “between blow and blow.”
11 tn Heb “gates.”
12 tc Several Greek recensions add “to place his name there,” thus completing the usual formula to describe the central sanctuary (cf. Deut 12:5, 11, 14, 18; 16:6). However, the context suggests that the local Levitical towns, and not the central sanctuary, are in mind.
13 tn Heb “who acts presumptuously not to listen” (cf. NASB).
14 tn Heb “gates.”
15 tn Heb “does the evil in the eyes of the
16 tn Heb “your brother.”
17 tn This construction is an adverbial clause using the temporal preposition, the infinitive from רִיב (riv, “contend”), and the suffix which is the subjective genitive.
18 tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).
19 tn BDAG 902 s.v. ῥᾳδιούργημα states, “From the sense ‘prank, knavery, roguish trick, slick deed’ it is but a short step to that of a serious misdeed, crime, villainy…a serious piece of villainy Ac 18:14 (w. ἀδίκημα).”
20 tn According to BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνέχω 3 this is a legal technical term: “Legal t.t. κατὰ λόγον ἂν ἀνεσχόμην ὑμῶν I would have been justified in accepting your complaint Ac 18:14.”
21 tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”
22 tn Or “dispute.”
23 tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).
24 tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.
25 tn Grk “After these things.”
26 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Or “Paul left.”
28 map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.
29 sn Corinth was the capital city of the senatorial province of Achaia and the seat of the Roman proconsul. It was located 55 mi (88 km) west of Athens. Corinth was a major rival to Athens and was the largest city in Greece at the time.
30 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.