Acts 9:16

9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ¹ 

Acts 16:24

16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ²  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ³ 

Acts 20:23

20:23 except ⁴  that the Holy Spirit warns ⁵  me in town after town ⁶  that ⁷  imprisonment ⁸  and persecutions ⁹  are waiting for me.

Acts 21:11

21:11 He came ¹⁰  to us, took ¹¹  Paul’s belt, ¹²  tied ¹³  his own hands and feet with it, ¹⁴  and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over ¹⁵  to the Gentiles.’”

Acts 24:26-27

24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ¹⁶  and for this reason he sent for Paul ¹⁷  as often as possible ¹⁸  and talked ¹⁹  with him. 24:27 After two years ²⁰  had passed, Porcius Festus ²¹  succeeded Felix, ²²  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ²³ 

Acts 25:14

25:14 While ²⁴  they were staying there many days, Festus ²⁵  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ²⁶  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.

Acts 27:1

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ²⁷  would sail to Italy, ²⁸  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ²⁹  of the Augustan Cohort ³⁰  named Julius.

Acts 28:16

28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ³¹  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Acts 28:30

28:30 Paul ³²  lived ³³  there two whole years in his own rented quarters ³⁴  and welcomed ³⁵  all who came to him,

Ephesians 3:1

Paul's Relationship to the Divine Mystery

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus ³⁶  for the sake of you Gentiles –

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ³⁷  urge you to live ³⁸  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ³⁹ 

Ephesians 6:20

6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.

Philippians 1:13

1:13 The ⁴⁰  whole imperial guard ⁴¹  and everyone else knows ⁴²  that I am in prison ⁴³  for the sake of Christ,

Philippians 1:2

1:2 Grace and peace to you ⁴⁴  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philippians 1:8

1:8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:16

1:16 The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel.

Philippians 2:9

2:9 As a result God exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

Philemon 1:9

1:9 I would rather appeal ⁴⁵  to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man ⁴⁶  and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus ⁴⁷  –

Hebrews 10:34

10:34 For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison, ⁴⁸  and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly ⁴⁹  had a better and lasting possession.

[9:16]  ¹ 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.”

[16:24]  ² tn Or “prison.”

[16:24]  ³ tn L&N 6.21 has “stocks” for εἰς τὸ ξύλον (ei" to xulon) here, as does BDAG 685 s.v. ξύλον 2.b. However, it is also possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied. Such a possibility is suggested by v. 26, where the “bonds” (“chains”?) of the prisoners loosened.

[20:23]  ⁴ tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23]  ⁵ tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).

[20:23]  ⁶ tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23]  ⁷ tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23]  ⁸ tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23]  ⁹ tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[21:11]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And coming.” 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. The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and taking.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. The participle ἄρας (aras) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ¹² sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).

[21:11]  ¹³ tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ¹⁴ tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[24:26]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he was hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.” To simplify the translation, the passive construction has been converted to an active one.

[24:26]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:26]  ¹⁸ tn “As often as possible” reflects the comparative form of the adjective πυκνός (puknos); see BDAG 897 s.v. πυκνός, which has “Neut. of the comp. πυκνότερον as adv. more often, more frequently and in an elative sense very often, quite frequently…also as often as possible…Ac 24:26.”

[24:26]  ¹⁹ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

[24:27]  ²⁰ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ²¹ sn Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in a.d. 57 or 58, and Festus was appointed to his vacant office in a.d. 57, 58, or 59. According to Josephus (Ant. 20.8.9-10 [20.182-188]; J. W. 2.14.1 [2.271-272]), his administration was better than that of his predecessor Felix or his successor Albinus, but Luke in Acts portrays him in a less favorable light: He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (v. 9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence. The one characteristic for which Festus was noted is that he dealt harshly with those who disturbed the peace.

[24:27]  ²² tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ²³ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[25:14]  ²⁴ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b states, “w. pres. or impf. while, when, as long as…Ac 1:10; 7:23; 9:23; 10:17; 13:25; 19:9; 21:27; 25:14.”

[25:14]  ²⁵ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king for consideration.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατίθημι 2 states, “otherw. only mid. to lay someth. before someone for consideration, declare, communicate, refer w. the added idea that the pers. to whom a thing is ref. is asked for his opinion lay someth. before someone for consideration…Ac 25:14.”

[27:1]  ²⁷ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ²⁸ sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1]  ²⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ³⁰ tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[28:16]  ³¹ tn Or “to stay.”

[28:30]  ³² tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:30]  ³³ tn Or “stayed.”

[28:30]  ³⁴ tn Or perhaps, “two whole years at his own expense.” BDAG 654 s.v. μίσθωμα states, “the customary act. mng. ‘contract price, rent’…is not found in our lit. (Ac) and the pass. what is rented, a rented house is a mng. not found outside it (even Ammonius Gramm. [100 ad] p. 93 Valck. knows nothing of it. Hence the transl. at his own expense [NRSV] merits attention) ἐν ἰδίῳ μισθώματι in his own rented lodgings Ac 28:30 (for the idea cp. Jos., Ant. 18, 235).”

[28:30]  ³⁵ tn Or “and received.”

[3:1]  ³⁶ tc Several early and important witnesses, chiefly of the Western text (א* D* F G [365]), lack ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) here, while most Alexandrian and Byzantine mss (Ì⁴⁶ א¹ A B [C] D¹ Ψ 33 1739 [1881] Ï lat sy bo) have the word. However, because of the Western text’s proclivities to add or delete to the text, seemingly at whim, serious doubts should be attached to the shorter reading. It is strengthened, however, by א’s support. Nevertheless, since both א and D were corrected with the addition of ᾿Ιησοῦ, their testimony might be questioned. Further, in uncial script the nomina sacra here could have led to missing a word by way of homoioteleuton (cMuiMu). At the same time, in light of the rarity of scribal omission of nomina sacra (see TCGNT 582, n. 1), a decision for inclusion of the word here must be tentative. NA²⁷ rightly places ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets.

[4:1]  ³⁷ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ³⁸ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ³⁹ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[1:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “so that the whole imperial guard.” The ὥστε (Jwste) clause that begins v. 13 indicates two results of the spread of the gospel: Outsiders know why Paul is imprisoned (v. 13) and believers are emboldened by his imprisonment (v. 14).

[1:13]  ⁴¹ sn The whole imperial guard (Grk “praetorium”) can refer to the elite troops stationed in Rome or the headquarters of administrators in the provinces (cf. Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33; 19:9; Acts 23:35). In either case a metonymy is involved, with the place (the praetorium) put for those (soldiers or government officials) who were connected with it or stationed in it.

[1:13]  ⁴² tn Grk “it has become known by the whole imperial guard and all the rest.”

[1:13]  ⁴³ tn Grk “my bonds [are].”

[1:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “encourage.”

[1:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Or perhaps “an ambassador” (so RSV, TEV), reading πρεσβευτής for πρεσβύτης (a conjecture proposed by Bentley, cf. BDAG 863 s.v. πρεσβύτης). NRSV reads “old man” and places “ambassador” in a note.

[1:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”

[10:34]  ⁴⁸ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א D² 1881 Ï), read δεσμοῖς μου (desmoi" mou, “my imprisonment”) here, a reading that is probably due to the widespread belief in the early Christian centuries that Paul was the author of Hebrews (cf. Phil 1:7; Col 4:18). It may have been generated by the reading δεσμοῖς without the μου (so Ì⁴⁶ Ψ 104 pc), the force of which is so ambiguous (lit., “you shared the sufferings with the bonds”) as to be virtually nonsensical. Most likely, δεσμοῖς resulted when a scribe made an error in copying δεσμίοις (desmioi"), a reading which makes excellent sense (“[of] those in prison”) and is strongly supported by early and significant witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (A D* H 6 33 81 1739 lat sy co). Thus, δεσμίοις best explains the rise of the other readings on both internal and external grounds and is strongly preferred.

[10:34]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “you yourselves.”