Matthew 13:54

13:54 Then ¹  he came to his hometown ²  and began to teach the people ³  in their synagogue. ⁴  They ⁵  were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?

Mark 6:2-3

6:2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. ⁶  Many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did he get these ideas? ⁷  And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his hands? 6:3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son ⁸  of Mary ⁹  and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And so they took offense at him.

Luke 4:22

4:22 All ¹⁰  were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They ¹¹  said, “Isn’t this ¹²  Joseph’s son?”

Acts 2:7-13

2:7 Completely baffled, they said, ¹³  “Aren’t ¹⁴  all these who are speaking Galileans? 2:8 And how is it that each one of us hears them ¹⁵  in our own native language? ¹⁶  2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, ¹⁷  2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, ¹⁸  and visitors from Rome, ¹⁹  2:11 both Jews and proselytes, ²⁰  Cretans and Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!” ²¹  2:12 All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 2:13 But others jeered at the speakers, ²²  saying, “They are drunk on new wine!” ²³ 

Acts 4:11-12

4:11 This Jesus ²⁴  is the stone that was rejected by you, ²⁵  the builders, that has become the cornerstone. ²⁶  4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people ²⁷  by which we must ²⁸  be saved.”

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”

² sn Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.

³ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.

⁵ tn Grk “synagogue, so that they.” Here ὥστε (Jwste) has not been translated. Instead a new sentence was started in the translation.

⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.

⁷ tn Or “this teaching”; Grk “these things.” The response of the people centers upon the content of Jesus’ teaching, so the phrase “these ideas” was supplied in the text to make this clear.

⁸ tc Evidently because of the possible offensiveness of designating Jesus a carpenter, several mss ([Ì^45vid] ˹³ 33^vid [565 579] 700 [2542] pc it vg^mss) harmonize the words “carpenter, the son” to the parallel passage in Matt 13:55, “the son of the carpenter.” Almost all the rest of the mss read “the carpenter, the son.” Since the explicit designation of Jesus as a carpenter is the more difficult reading, and is much better attested, it is most likely correct.

⁹ sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to him as the son of Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 6:42; 8:41; 9:29).

¹⁰ tn Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹¹ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹² sn The form of the question assumes a positive reply. It really amounts to an objection, as Jesus’ response in the next verses shows. Jesus spoke smoothly and impressively. He made a wonderful declaration, but could a local carpenter’s son make such an offer? That was their real question.

¹³ tn Grk “They were astounded and amazed, saying.” The two imperfect verbs, ἐξίσταντο (existanto) and ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon), show both the surprise and the confusion on the part of the hearers. The verb ἐξίσταντο (from ἐξίστημι, existhmi) often implies an illogical perception or response (BDAG 350 s.v. ἐξίστημι): “to be so astonished as to almost fail to comprehend what one has experienced” (L&N 25.218).

¹⁴ tn Grk “Behold, aren’t all these.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

¹⁵ tn Grk “we hear them, each one of us.”

¹⁶ tn Grk “in our own language in which we were born.”

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ tn According to BDAG 595 s.v. Λιβύη, the western part of Libya, Libya Cyrenaica, is referred to here (see also Josephus, Ant. 16.6.1 [16.160] for a similar phrase).

¹⁹ map For location see JP4-A1.

²⁰ sn Proselytes refers to Gentile (i.e., non-Jewish) converts to Judaism.

²¹ tn Or “God’s mighty works.” Here the genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a subjective genitive.

²² tn The words “the speakers” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

²³ tn Grk “They are full of new wine!”

²⁴ tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁵ tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.

²⁶ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.

²⁷ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

²⁸ sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.