Acts 2:36-41

2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt ¹  that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified ²  both Lord ³  and Christ.” ⁴ 

The Response to Peter’s Address

2:37 Now when they heard this, ⁵  they were acutely distressed ⁶  and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?” 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized ⁷  in the name of Jesus Christ ⁸  for ⁹  the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁰  2:39 For the promise ¹¹  is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 2:40 With many other words he testified ¹²  and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse ¹³  generation!” 2:41 So those who accepted ¹⁴  his message ¹⁵  were baptized, and that day about three thousand people ¹⁶  were added. ¹⁷ 

Acts 3:15-19

3:15 You killed ¹⁸  the Originator ¹⁹  of life, whom God raised ²⁰  from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! ²¹  3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ²²  name, ²³  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ²⁴  faith that is through Jesus ²⁵  has given him this complete health in the presence ²⁶  of you all. 3:17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, ²⁷  as your rulers did too. 3:18 But the things God foretold ²⁸  long ago through ²⁹  all the prophets – that his Christ ³⁰  would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way. 3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

Acts 6:7

6:7 The word of God continued to spread, ³¹  the number of disciples in Jerusalem ³²  increased greatly, and a large group ³³  of priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 9:1-20

The Conversion of Saul

9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats ³⁴  to murder ³⁵  the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ³⁶  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ³⁷  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ³⁸  to Jerusalem. ³⁹  9:3 As he was going along, approaching ⁴⁰  Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed ⁴¹  around him. 9:4 He ⁴²  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, ⁴³  why are you persecuting me?” ⁴⁴  9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 9:6 But stand up ⁴⁵  and enter the city and you will be told ⁴⁶  what you must do.” 9:7 (Now the men ⁴⁷  who were traveling with him stood there speechless, ⁴⁸  because they heard the voice but saw no one.) ⁴⁹  9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, ⁵⁰  he could see nothing. ⁵¹  Leading him by the hand, his companions ⁵²  brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For ⁵³  three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. ⁵⁴ 

9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The ⁵⁵  Lord ⁵⁶  said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, ⁵⁷  Lord.” 9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ ⁵⁸  and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 9:12 and he has seen in a vision ⁵⁹  a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 9:13 But Ananias replied, ⁶⁰  “Lord, I have heard from many people ⁶¹  about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison ⁶²  all who call on your name!” ⁶³  9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument ⁶⁴  to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. ⁶⁵  9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ⁶⁶  9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed ⁶⁷  his hands on Saul ⁶⁸  and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, ⁶⁹  has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ⁷⁰  9:18 Immediately ⁷¹  something like scales ⁷²  fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He ⁷³  got up and was baptized, 9:19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.

For several days ⁷⁴  he was with the disciples in Damascus, 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, ⁷⁵  saying, “This man is the Son of God.” ⁷⁶ 

[2:36]  ¹ tn Or “know for certain.” This term is in an emphatic position in the clause.

[2:36]  ² tn Grk “has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The clause has been simplified in the translation by replacing the pronoun “him” with the explanatory clause “this Jesus whom you crucified” which comes at the end of the sentence.

[2:36]  ³ sn Lord. This looks back to the quotation of Ps 110:1 and the mention of “calling on the Lord” in 2:21. Peter’s point is that the Lord on whom one calls for salvation is Jesus, because he is the one mediating God’s blessing of the Spirit as a sign of the presence of salvation and the last days.

[2:36]  ⁴ tn Or “and Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:37]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Grk “they were pierced to the heart” (an idiom for acute emotional distress).

[2:38]  ⁷ tn The verb is a third person imperative, but the common translation “let each of you be baptized” obscures the imperative force in English, since it sounds more like a permissive (“each of you may be baptized”) to the average English reader.

[2:38]  ⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:38]  ⁹ tn There is debate over the meaning of εἰς in the prepositional phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis afesin twn Jamartiwn Jumwn, “for/because of/with reference to the forgiveness of your sins”). Although a causal sense has been argued, it is difficult to maintain here. ExSyn 369-71 discusses at least four other ways of dealing with the passage: (1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and εἰς has the meaning of “for” or “unto.” Such a view suggests that salvation is based on works – an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance often precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v. 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18); (2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of “baptism” in Acts – especially in this text (cf. 2:41); (3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. The idea then would be, “Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized…” Such a view is an acceptable way of handling εἰς, but its subtlety and awkwardness count against it; (4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. That Peter connects both closely in his thinking is clear from other passages such as Acts 10:47 and 11:15-16. If this interpretation is correct, then Acts 2:38 is saying very little about the specific theological relationship between the symbol and the reality, only that historically they were viewed together. One must look in other places for a theological analysis. For further discussion see R. N. Longenecker, “Acts,” EBC 9:283-85; B. Witherington, Acts, 154-55; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 129-30; BDAG 290 s.v. εἰς 4.f.

[2:38]  ¹⁰ tn Here the genitive τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (tou Jagiou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Holy Spirit.

[2:39]  ¹¹ sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.

[2:40]  ¹² tn Or “warned.”

[2:40]  ¹³ tn Or “crooked” (in a moral or ethical sense). See Luke 3:5.

[2:41]  ¹⁴ tn Or “who acknowledged the truth of.”

[2:41]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “word.”

[2:41]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).

[2:41]  ¹⁷ tn Or “were won over.”

[3:15]  ¹⁸ tn Or “You put to death.”

[3:15]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Founder,” “founding Leader.”

[3:15]  ²⁰ sn Whom God raised. God is the main actor here, as he testifies to Jesus and vindicates him.

[3:15]  ²¹ tn Grk “whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the words “to this fact” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[3:16]  ²² tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ²³ sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.

[3:16]  ²⁴ tn Grk “see and know, and the faith.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated.

[3:16]  ²⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ²⁶ tn Or “in full view.”

[3:17]  ²⁷ sn The ignorance Peter mentions here does not excuse them from culpability. It was simply a way to say “you did not realize the great mistake you made.”

[3:18]  ²⁸ sn God foretold. Peter’s topic is the working out of God’s plan and promise through events the scriptures also note.

[3:18]  ²⁹ tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).

[3:18]  ³⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[6:7]  ³¹ tn Grk “kept on spreading”; the verb has been translated as a progressive imperfect.

[6:7]  ³² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:7]  ³³ tn Grk “a great multitude.”

[9:1]  ³⁴ tn Or “Saul, making dire threats.”

[9:1]  ³⁵ tn The expression “breathing out threats and murder” is an idiomatic expression for “making threats to murder” (see L&N 33.293). Although the two terms “threats” and “murder” are syntactically coordinate, the second is semantically subordinate to the first. In other words, the content of the threats is to murder the disciples.

[9:2]  ³⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:2]  ³⁷ sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).

[9:2]  ³⁸ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:2]  ³⁹ sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.

[9:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “As he was going along, it happened that when he was approaching.” The 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.

[9:3]  ⁴¹ tn Or “shone” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαστράπτω). The light was more brilliant than the sun according to Acts 26:13.

[9:4]  ⁴² tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:4]  ⁴³ tn The double vocative suggests emotion.

[9:4]  ⁴⁴ sn Persecuting me. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus.

[9:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “But arise.”

[9:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Literally a passive construction, “it will be told to you.” This has been converted to another form of passive construction in the translation.

[9:7]  ⁴⁷ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which is used only rarely in a generic sense of both men and women. In the historical setting here, Paul’s traveling companions were almost certainly all males.

[9:7]  ⁴⁸ tn That is, unable to speak because of fear or amazement. See BDAG 335 s.v. ἐνεός.

[9:7]  ⁴⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Acts 22:9 appears to indicate that they saw the light but did not hear a voice. They were “witnesses” that something happened.

[9:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “his eyes being open,” a genitive absolute construction that has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[9:8]  ⁵¹ sn He could see nothing. This sign of blindness, which was temporary until v. 18, is like the sign of deafness experienced by Zechariah in Luke 1. It allowed some time for Saul (Paul) to reflect on what had happened without distractions.

[9:8]  ⁵² tn Grk “they”; the referents (Saul’s companions) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:9]  ⁵³ tn Grk “And for.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:9]  ⁵⁴ tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader. The fasting might indicate an initial realization of Luke 5:33-39. Fasting was usually accompanied by reflective thought.

[9:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:10]  ⁵⁶ sn The Lord is directing all the events leading to the expansion of the gospel as he works on both sides of the meeting between Paul and Ananias. “The Lord” here refers to Jesus (see v. 17).

[9:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “behold, I,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).

[9:11]  ⁵⁸ sn The noting of the detail of the locale, ironically called ‘Straight’ Street, shows how directive and specific the Lord was.

[9:12]  ⁵⁹ tc ‡ The words ἐν ὀράματι (en oramati, “in a vision”) are not found in some of the earliest and best mss (Ì⁷⁴ א A 81 pc lat sa bo), but are implied from the context. The phrase is included, although sometimes in a different order with ἄνδρα (andra, “man”) or omitting ἄνδρα altogether, by B C E Ψ 33 1175 1739 Ï. The order of words in NA²⁷, ἄνδρα ἐν ὁράματι, is supported only by B C 1175. Generally speaking, when there are three or more variants, with one an omission and the others involving rearrangements, the longer readings are later scribal additions. Further, the reading looks like a clarifying note, for an earlier vision is explicitly mentioned in v. 10. On the other hand, it is possible that some scribes deleted the words because of perceived repetition, though this is unlikely since it is a different vision two verses back. It is also possible that some scribes could have confused ὁράματι with ὀνόματι (onomati, “name”); TCGNT 319 notes that several mss place ονόματι before ᾿Ανανίαν (Ananian, “Ananias”) while a few others drop ὀνόματι altogether. The Sahidic mss are among those that drop the word, however, and they also lack ἐν ὁράματι; all that is left is one version and father that drops ὀνόματι. Perhaps the best argument for the authenticity of the phrase is that B C 1175 preserve a rare, distinctively Lukan word order, but this is not nearly as harsh or unusual as what Luke does elsewhere. A decision is difficult in this case, but on balance the omission of the phrase seems to be authentic. The words are nevertheless added in the translation because of contextual considerations. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[9:13]  ⁶⁰ sn Ananias replied. Past events might have suggested to Ananias that this was not good counsel, but like Peter in Acts 10, Ananias’ intuitions were wrong.

[9:13]  ⁶¹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[9:14]  ⁶² tn Grk “to bind.”

[9:14]  ⁶³ sn The expression “those who call on your name” is a frequent description of believers (Acts 2:21; 1 Cor 1:2; Rom 10:13).

[9:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “tool.”

[9:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the sons of Israel.” In Acts, Paul is a minister to all nations, including Israel (Rom 1:16-17).

[9:16]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “because of my name.” BDAG 1031 s.v. ὑπέρ 2 lists Acts 9:16 as an example of ὑπέρ (Juper) used to indicate “the moving cause or reason, because of, for the sake of, for.”

[9:17]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “and placing his hands on Saul, he said.” The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the same reason καί (kai) has not been translated before the participle.

[9:17]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “on him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:17]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “on the road in which you came,” but the relative clause makes for awkward English style, so it was translated as a temporal clause (“as you came here”).

[9:17]  ⁷⁰ sn Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Here someone who is not an apostle (Ananias) commissions another person with the Spirit.

[9:18]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “And immediately.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:18]  ⁷² tn The comparison to “scales” suggests a crusty covering which peeled away (cf. BDAG 592 s.v. λεπίς 2).

[9:18]  ⁷³ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence was started, with “and” placed before the final element of the previous clause as required by English style.

[9:19]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “It happened that for several 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.

[9:20]  ⁷⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:20]  ⁷⁶ tn The ὅτι (Joti) is understood to introduce direct (“This man is the Son of God”) rather than indirect discourse (“that this man is the Son of God”) because the pronoun οὗτος (Jouto") combined with the present tense verb ἐστιν (estin) suggests the contents of what was proclaimed are a direct (albeit summarized) quotation.