Discovery BoxActs 17:4-10
Context17:4 Some of them were persuaded 1 and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group 2 of God-fearing Greeks 3 and quite a few 4 prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, 5 and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, 6 they formed a mob 7 and set the city in an uproar. 8 They attacked Jason’s house, 9 trying to find Paul and Silas 10 to bring them out to the assembly. 11 17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged 12 Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, 13 screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble 14 throughout the world 15 have come here too, 17:7 and 16 Jason has welcomed them as guests! They 17 are all acting against Caesar’s 18 decrees, saying there is another king named 19 Jesus!” 20 17:8 They caused confusion among 21 the crowd and the city officials 22 who heard these things. 17:9 After 23 the city officials 24 had received bail 25 from Jason and the others, they released them.
17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea 26 at once, during the night. When they arrived, 27 they went to the Jewish synagogue. 28
[17:4] 2 tn Or “a large crowd.”
[17:4] 3 tn Or “of devout Greeks,” 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. Luke frequently mentions such people (Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7).
[17:4] 4 tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).
[17:5] 5 tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).
[17:5] 6 tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”
[17:5] 7 tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.
[17:5] 8 tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.
[17:5] 9 sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.
[17:5] 10 tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:5] 11 tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”
[17:6] 12 tn See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19).
[17:6] 13 tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).
[17:6] 14 tn Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “disturb, trouble, upset,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.
[17:6] 15 tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).
[17:7] 16 tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.
[17:7] 17 tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
[17:7] 18 tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
[17:7] 19 tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.
[17:7] 20 sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.
[17:8] 21 tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.
[17:8] 22 tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”
[17:9] 23 tn Grk “And after.” 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.
[17:9] 24 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:9] 25 tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.
[17:10] 26 sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.
[17:10] 27 tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.
