20:25 “And now 9 I know that none 10 of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom 11 will see me 12 again.
28:23 They set 13 a day to meet with him, 14 and they came to him where he was staying 15 in even greater numbers. 16 From morning until evening he explained things 17 to them, 18 testifying 19 about the kingdom of God 20 and trying to convince 21 them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced 22 by what he said, 23 but others refused 24 to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, 25 unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors 26 through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing, 27 but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking, 28 but will never perceive.
28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, 29
and their ears are hard of hearing, 30
and they have closed their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, 31 and I would heal them.”’ 32
28:28 “Therefore be advised 33 that this salvation from God 34 has been sent to the Gentiles; 35 they 36 will listen!”
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
4 tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.
5 tn Or “city.”
6 sn See Luke 9:5, where the verb is different but the meaning is the same. This was a sign of rejection.
7 tn Here ὑμῖν (Jumin) has been translated as a dative of disadvantage.
8 tn Or “has come near.” As in v. 9 (see above), the combination of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) is decisive in showing that the sense is “has come” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2, and W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91).
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 Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
14 tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
15 tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”
16 tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”
17 tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
18 tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.
19 tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”
20 sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.
21 tn Or “persuade.”
22 tn Or “persuaded.”
23 tn Grk “by the things spoken.”
24 sn Some were convinced…but others refused to believe. Once again the gospel caused division among Jews, as in earlier chapters of Acts (13:46; 18:6).
25 tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
26 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
27 tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).
28 tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).
29 tn Or “insensitive.”
30 tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).
31 sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.
32 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.
33 tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”
34 tn Or “of God.”
35 sn The term Gentiles is in emphatic position in the Greek text of this clause. Once again there is the pattern: Jewish rejection of the gospel leads to an emphasis on Gentile inclusion (Acts 13:44-47).
36 tn Grk “they also.”
37 tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”
38 tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”
39 tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”
40 tn In the Greek text v. 5 is a continuation of the previous sentence, which is long and complicated. In keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
41 tn The pronoun is plural in Greek.