24:4 The one whose deeds are blameless
and whose motives are pure, 1
who does not lie, 2
or make promises with no intention of keeping them. 3
24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, 4
and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 5
50:23 Whoever presents a thank-offering honors me. 6
To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.” 7
119:155 The wicked have no chance for deliverance, 8
for they do not seek your statutes.
46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;
I am bringing my salvation near, 9 it does not wait.
I will save Zion; 10
I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” 11
“Men of Israel, 31 and you Gentiles who fear God, 32 listen:
1 tn Heb “the innocent of hands and the pure of heart.” The “hands” allude to one’s actions, the “heart” to one’s thought life and motives.
2 tn Heb “who does not lift up for emptiness my life.” The first person pronoun on נַפְשִׁי (nafshiy, “my life”) makes little sense here; many medieval Hebrew
3 tn Heb “and does not swear an oath deceitfully.”
4 tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the
5 tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”
6 sn The reference to a thank-offering recalls the earlier statement made in v. 14. Gratitude characterizes genuine worship.
7 tn Heb “and [to one who] sets a way I will show the deliverance of God.” Elsewhere the phrase “set a way” simply means “to travel” (see Gen 30:36; cf. NRSV). The present translation assumes an emendation of וְשָׂם דֶּרֶךְ (vÿsam derekh) to וְשֹׁמֵר דְּרָכַּי (vÿshomer dÿrakhay, “and [the one who] keeps my ways” [i.e., commands, see Pss 18:21; 37:34). Another option is to read וְשֹׁמֵר דַּרְכּוֹ (vÿshomer darko, “and [the one who] guards his way,” i.e., “the one who is careful to follow a godly lifestyle”; see Ps 39:1).
8 tn Heb “far from the wicked [is] deliverance.”
9 tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).
10 tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”
11 tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”
12 sn A quotation from Deut 4:35.
13 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5.
14 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
15 tn Grk “his will.”
16 tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”
17 tn In the Greek text this represents a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
18 sn The description of Cornelius as a devout, God-fearing man probably means that he belonged to the category called “God-fearers,” Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 43-44, and Sir 11:17; 27:11; 39:27.
19 tn Or “gave many gifts to the poor.” This was known as “giving alms,” or acts of mercy (Sir 7:10; BDAG 315-16 s.v. ἐλεημοσύνη).
20 tn Grk “at about the ninth hour of the day.” This would be the time for afternoon prayer.
21 tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.
22 tn The participles εἰσελθόντα (eiselqonta) and εἰπόντα (eiponta) are accusative, and thus best taken as adjectival participles modifying ἄγγελον (angelon): “an angel who came in and said.”
23 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Cornelius) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Grk “said,” but in response to the angel’s address, “replied” is better English style.
25 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”
27 sn The language used in the expression gone up as a memorial before God parallels what one would say of acceptable sacrifices (Ps 141:2; Sir 35:6; 50:16).
28 tn Grk “words” (ῥήματα, rJhmata), but in this context the overall message is meant rather than the individual words.
29 tn This participle, ἀναστάς (anasta"), and the following one, κατασείσας (kataseisa"), are both translated as adverbial participles of attendant circumstance.
30 tn Or “motioned.”
31 tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context involving an address to a synagogue gathering, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Paul’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.
32 tn Grk “and those who fear God,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44.