1 Kings 18:21

18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? ¹  If the Lord is the true God, ²  then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.

1 Kings 18:24

18:24 Then you ³  will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” ⁴  All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” ⁵ 

John 5:35

5:35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, ⁶  and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time ⁷  in his light.

Acts 2:37

The Response to Peter’s Address

2:37 Now when they heard this, ⁸  they were acutely distressed ⁹  and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?”

Acts 4:16

4:16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For it is plain ¹⁰  to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign ¹¹  has come about through them, ¹²  and we cannot deny it.

[18:21]  ¹ tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.

[18:21]  ² tn Heb “the God.”

[18:24]  ³ tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.

[18:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “the God.”

[18:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “The matter [i.e., proposal] is good [i.e., acceptable].”

[5:35]  ⁶ sn He was a lamp that was burning and shining. Sir 48:1 states that the word of Elijah was “a flame like a torch.” Because of the connection of John the Baptist with Elijah (see John 1:21 and the note on John’s reply, “I am not”), it was natural for Jesus to apply this description to John.

[5:35]  ⁷ tn Grk “for an hour.”

[2:37]  ⁸ tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[2:37]  ⁹ tn Grk “they were pierced to the heart” (an idiom for acute emotional distress).

[4:16]  ¹⁰ tn Or “evident.”

[4:16]  ¹¹ tn Here σημεῖον (shmeion) has been translated as “miraculous sign” rather than simply “sign” or “miracle” since both components appear to be present in the context. It is clear that the healing of the lame man was a miracle, but for the Sanhedrin it was the value of the miraculous healing as a sign that concerned them because it gave attestation to the message of Peter and John. The sign “speaks” as Peter claimed in 3:11-16.

[4:16]  ¹² tn Or “has been done by them.”