29:25 The fear of people 1 becomes 2 a snare, 3
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. 4
57:11 Rise up 5 above the sky, O God!
May your splendor cover the whole earth! 6
19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. 15
So they took Jesus,
1 tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.
2 tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”
3 sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap – there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.
4 sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the
5 tn Or “be exalted.”
6 tn Heb “over all the earth [be] your splendor.” Though no verb appears, the tone of the statement is a prayer or wish. (Note the imperative form in the preceding line.)
9 tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”
10 tn Or “delivered him up.”
11 sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the crowd’s cries prevailing.
14 sn Finally Pilate gave in. He decided crucifying one Galilean teacher was better than facing a riot. Justice lost out in the process, because he did not follow his own verdict.
15 tn Although some translations render ἐπέκρινεν (epekrinen) here as “passed sentence” or “gave his verdict,” the point in context is not that Pilate sentenced Jesus to death here, but that finally, although convinced of Jesus’ innocence, he gave in to the crowd’s incessant demand to crucify an innocent man.
17 tn Or “delivered up.”
18 sn He handed Jesus over to their will. Here is where Luke places the major blame for Jesus’ death. It lies with the Jewish nation, especially the leadership, though in Acts 4:24-27 he will bring in the opposition of Herod, Pilate, and all people.
21 tn Or “had him flogged,” or (traditional), “scourged him.” The verb should be read as causative. Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged. A Roman governor would not carry out such a sentence in person. BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1. states, “If J refers to the ‘verberatio’ given those condemned to death (TMommsen, Röm. Strafrecht 1899, 938f; Jos., Bell. 2, 308; 5, 449), it is odd that Pilate subsequently claims no cause for action (vs. 6); but if the latter statement refers only to the penalty of crucifixion, μ. vs. 1 may be equivalent to παιδεύω (q.v. 2bγ) in Lk 23:16, 22 (for μ. of a non-capital offense PFlor I, 61, 61 [85ad]=Mitt-Wilck. II/2, 80 II, 61).”
25 tn Grk “Then he”; the referent (Pilate) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Or “delivered him over.”
29 tn Grk “After a two-year period.”
30 sn Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in
31 tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”
32 tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”
33 sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.
34 tn Or “stand trial.”
35 tn Grk “concerning these things.”
37 tn Grk “But another of the apostles I did not see, except…” with “another” in emphatic position in the Greek text. Paul is determined to make the point that his contacts with the original twelve apostles and other leaders of the Jerusalem church were limited, thus asserting his independence from them.