22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! 1
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!
40:9 I have told the great assembly 2 about your justice. 3
Look! I spare no words! 4
O Lord, you know this is true.
40:10 I have not failed to tell about your justice; 5
I spoke about your reliability and deliverance;
I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness. 6
28:17 After three days 12 Paul 13 called the local Jewish leaders 14 together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, 15 although I had done 16 nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, 17 from Jerusalem 18 I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. 19 28:18 When 20 they had heard my case, 21 they wanted to release me, 22 because there was no basis for a death sentence 23 against me. 28:19 But when the Jews objected, 24 I was forced to appeal to Caesar 25 – not that I had some charge to bring 26 against my own people. 27 28:20 So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you, for I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.” 28 28:21 They replied, 29 “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there 30 and reported or said anything bad about you. 28:22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know 31 that people 32 everywhere speak against 33 it.”
28:23 They set 34 a day to meet with him, 35 and they came to him where he was staying 36 in even greater numbers. 37 From morning until evening he explained things 38 to them, 39 testifying 40 about the kingdom of God 41 and trying to convince 42 them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced 43 by what he said, 44 but others refused 45 to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, 46 unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors 47 through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing, 48 but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking, 49 but will never perceive.
28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, 50
and their ears are hard of hearing, 51
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, 52 and I would heal them.”’ 53
28:28 “Therefore be advised 54 that this salvation from God 55 has been sent to the Gentiles; 56 they 57 will listen!”
28:29 [[EMPTY]] 581 tn Or “brothers,” but here the term does not carry a literal familial sense. It refers to the psalmist’s fellow members of the Israelite covenant community (see v. 23).
2 sn The great assembly is also mentioned in Pss 22:25 and 35:18.
3 tn Heb “I proclaim justice in the great assembly.” Though “justice” appears without a pronoun here, the
4 tn Heb “Look! My lips I do not restrain.”
5 tn Heb “your justice I have not hidden in the midst of my heart.”
6 tn Heb “I have not hidden your loyal love and reliability.”
7 tn Grk “Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out courageously and said.” The redundancy is removed in the translation and the verb “replied” is used in keeping with the logical sequence of events. The theme of boldness reappears: Acts 4:24-30; 9:27-28.
8 tn Grk “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken.” For smoothness and simplicity of English style, the passive construction has been converted to active voice in the translation.
9 tn Or “and consider yourselves unworthy.”
10 tn Grk “behold, we.” In this context ἰδού (idou) is not easily translated into English.
11 sn This turning to the Gentiles would be a shocking rebuke to 1st century Jews who thought they alone were the recipients of the promise.
12 tn Grk “It happened that after three days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”
15 tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.
16 tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
17 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
18 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
19 tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”
20 tn Grk “who when.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced by the personal pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.
21 tn Or “had questioned me”; or “had examined me.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 2 states, “to conduct a judicial hearing, hear a case, question.”
22 sn They wanted to release me. See Acts 25:23-27.
23 tn Grk “no basis for death,” but in this context a sentence of death is clearly indicated.
24 tn That is, objected to my release.
25 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
26 tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω, “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.’”
27 tn Or “my own nation.”
28 sn The hope of Israel. A reference to Israel’s messianic hope. Paul’s preaching was in continuity with this Jewish hope (Acts 1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25).
29 tn Grk “they said to him.”
30 tn Or “arrived”; Grk “come” (“from there” is implied). Grk “coming.” The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
31 tn Grk “regarding this sect it is known to us.” The passive construction “it is known to us” has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.
32 tn Grk “that everywhere it is spoken against.” To simplify the translation the passive construction “it is spoken against” has been converted to an active one with the subject “people” supplied.
33 tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.
34 tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
35 tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
36 tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”
37 tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”
38 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.
39 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.
40 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.”
41 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.
42 tn Or “persuade.”
43 tn Or “persuaded.”
44 tn Grk “by the things spoken.”
45 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).
46 tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
47 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
48 tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).
49 tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).
50 tn Or “insensitive.”
51 tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).
52 sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.
53 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.
54 tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”
55 tn Or “of God.”
56 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).
57 tn Grk “they also.”
58 tc Some later