Acts 19:33

19:33 Some of the crowd concluded ¹  it was about ²  Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. ³  Alexander, gesturing ⁴  with his hand, was wanting to make a defense ⁵  before the public assembly. ⁶ 

Acts 19:2

19:2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ⁷  They replied, ⁸  “No, we have not even ⁹  heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Acts 2:14

Peter’s Address on the Day of Pentecost

2:14 But Peter stood up ¹⁰  with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “You men of Judea ¹¹  and all you who live in Jerusalem, ¹²  know this ¹³  and listen carefully to what I say.

Acts 4:14-15

4:14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this. ¹⁴  4:15 But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, ¹⁵  they began to confer with one another,

[19:33]  ¹ tn Or “Some of the crowd gave instructions to.”

[19:33]  ² tn The words “it was about” are not in the Greek text but are implied; ᾿Αλέξανδρον (Alexandron) is taken to be an accusative of general reference.

[19:33]  ³ tn BDAG 865 s.v. προβάλλω 1 has “to cause to come forward, put forward…τινά someone…push someone forward to speak in the theater…Ac 19:33.”

[19:33]  ⁴ tn Or “motioning.”

[19:33]  ⁵ sn The nature of Alexander’s defense is not clear. It appears he was going to explain, as a Jew, that the problem was not caused by Jews, but by those of “the Way.” However, he never got a chance to speak.

[19:33]  ⁶ tn Or “before the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ δ. make a defense before the assembly vs. 33.”

[19:2]  ⁷ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") is taken temporally.

[19:2]  ⁸ tn Grk “they [said] to him” (the word “said” is implied in the Greek text).

[19:2]  ⁹ tn This use of ἀλλά (alla) is ascensive and involves an ellipsis (BDAG 45 s.v. ἀλλά 3): “No, [not only did we not receive the Spirit,] but also we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” However, this is lengthy and somewhat awkward in English, and the ascensive meaning can be much more easily represented by including the word “even” after the negation. Apparently these disciples were unaware of the provision of the Spirit that is represented in baptism. The language sounds like they did not know about a Holy Spirit, but this seems to be only linguistic shorthand for not knowing about the Spirit’s presence (Luke 3:15-18). The situation is parallel to that of Apollos. Apollos and these disciples represent those who “complete” their transition to messianic faith as Jews.

[2:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle σταθείς (staqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[2:14]  ¹¹ tn Or “You Jewish men.” “Judea” is preferred here because it is paired with “Jerusalem,” a location. This suggests locality rather than ethnic background is the primary emphasis in the context. As for “men,” the Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, where “all” who live in Jerusalem are addressed, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Peter’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[2:14]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:14]  ¹³ tn Grk “let this be known to you.” The passive construction has been translated as an active for stylistic reasons.

[4:14]  ¹⁴ tn Or “nothing to say in opposition.”

[4:15]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).