13:9 “You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over 2 to councils 3 and beaten in the synagogues. 4 You will stand before governors and kings 5 because of me, as a witness to them.
5:27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, 18 and the high priest questioned 19 them,
24:24 Some days later, when Felix 20 arrived with his wife Drusilla, 21 who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak 22 about faith in Christ Jesus. 23
1 sn These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of courts and synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to governors and kings suggests. Some fulfillment of Jewish persecution can be seen in Acts.
2 tn Grk “They will hand you over.” “They” is an indefinite plural, referring to people in general. The parallel in Matt 10:17 makes this explicit.
3 sn Councils in this context refers to local judicial bodies attached to the Jewish synagogue. This group would be responsible for meting out justice and discipline within the Jewish community.
4 sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.
5 sn These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of councils and synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to governors and kings suggests. Some fulfillment of Jewish persecution can be seen in Acts.
6 sn But before all this. Another note of timing is present, this one especially important in understanding the sequence in the discourse. Before the things noted in vv. 8-11 are the events of vv. 12-19.
7 tn Grk “will lay their hands on you.”
8 sn Some of the persecution is of Jewish origin (the synagogues). Some fulfillment of this can be seen in Acts. See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
9 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
10 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
11 sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.
12 tn Or “captain.”
13 tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
14 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.
15 tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.
17 tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.
18 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
19 tn Or “interrogated,” “asked.”
20 sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.
21 sn It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, Ant. 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141-144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.
22 tn The word “speak” is implied; BDAG 32 s.v. ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς…πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”
23 tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”