Acts 1:3

1:3 To the same apostles ¹  also, after his suffering, ²  he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period ³  and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:8

1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts ⁴  of the earth.”

Acts 3:16

3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ⁵  name, ⁶  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ⁷  faith that is through Jesus ⁸  has given him this complete health in the presence ⁹  of you all.

Acts 6:1

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ¹⁰  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ¹¹  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ¹²  against the native Hebraic Jews, ¹³  because their widows ¹⁴  were being overlooked ¹⁵  in the daily distribution of food. ¹⁶ 

Acts 9:40

9:40 But Peter sent them all outside, ¹⁷  knelt down, ¹⁸  and prayed. Turning ¹⁹  to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ²⁰ 

Acts 12:19

12:19 When Herod ²¹  had searched ²²  for him and did not find him, he questioned ²³  the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. ²⁴  Then ²⁵  Herod ²⁶  went down from Judea to Caesarea ²⁷  and stayed there.

Acts 13:25

13:25 But while John was completing his mission, ²⁸  he said repeatedly, ²⁹  ‘What do you think I am? I am not he. But look, one is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet!’ ³⁰ 

Acts 16:1

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16:1 He also came to Derbe ³¹  and to Lystra. ³²  A disciple ³³  named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, ³⁴  but whose father was a Greek. ³⁵ 

Acts 16:18

16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, ³⁶  and turned ³⁷  and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ ³⁸  to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. ³⁹ 

Acts 17:23

17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ⁴⁰  I even found an altar with this inscription: ⁴¹  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ⁴²  this I proclaim to you.

Acts 19:19

19:19 Large numbers ⁴³  of those who had practiced magic ⁴⁴  collected their books ⁴⁵  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ⁴⁶  When ⁴⁷  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁴⁸ 

Acts 19:21

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ⁴⁹  Paul resolved ⁵⁰  to go to Jerusalem, ⁵¹  passing through Macedonia ⁵²  and Achaia. ⁵³  He said, ⁵⁴  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁵⁵ 

Acts 20:28

20:28 Watch out for ⁵⁶  yourselves and for all the flock of which ⁵⁷  the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, ⁵⁸  to shepherd the church of God ⁵⁹  that he obtained ⁶⁰  with the blood of his own Son. ⁶¹ 

Acts 21:26

21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ⁶²  and after he had purified himself ⁶³  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ⁶⁴  of the completion of the days of purification, ⁶⁵  when ⁶⁶  the sacrifice would be offered for each ⁶⁷  of them.

Acts 27:33

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ⁶⁸  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ⁶⁹  and have gone ⁷⁰  without food; you have eaten nothing. ⁷¹ 

[1:3]  ¹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:3]  ² sn After his suffering is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and the abuse which preceded it.

[1:3]  ³ tn Grk “during forty days.” The phrase “over a forty-day period” is used rather than “during forty days” because (as the other NT accounts of Jesus’ appearances make clear) Jesus was not continually visible to the apostles during the forty days, but appeared to them on various occasions.

[1:8]  ⁴ tn Or “to the ends.”

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ¹¹ tn Or “in full view.”

[6:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

[6:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “were multiplying.”

[6:1]  ¹² tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[6:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

[6:1]  ¹⁴ sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

[6:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “neglected.”

[6:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

[9:40]  ¹³ tn Grk “Peter, sending them all outside, knelt down.” The participle ἐκβαλών (ekbalwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:40]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and kneeling down,” but 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. Instead the “and” is placed before the verb προσηύξατο (proshuxato, “and prayed”). The participle θείς (qeis) is taken as a participle of attendant circumstance.

[9:40]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and turning.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:40]  ¹⁶ sn She sat up. This event is told much like Luke 8:49-56 and Mark 5:35-43. Peter’s ministry mirrored that of Jesus.

[12:19]  ¹⁶ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:19]  ¹⁷ tn Or “had instigated a search” (Herod would have ordered the search rather than conducting it himself).

[12:19]  ¹⁸ tn “Questioned” is used to translate ἀνακρίνας (anakrina") here because a possible translation offered by BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω for this verse is “examined,” which could be understood to mean Herod inspected the guards rather than questioned them. The translation used by the NIV, “cross-examined,” also avoids this possible misunderstanding.

[12:19]  ¹⁹ tn The meaning “led away to execution” for ἀπαχθῆναι (apacqhnai) in this verse is given by BDAG 95 s.v. ἀπάγω 2.c. Although an explicit reference to execution is lacking here, it is what would usually occur in such a case (Acts 16:27; 27:42; Code of Justinian 9.4.4). “Led away to torture” is a less likely option (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10, 96, 8).

[12:19]  ²⁰ tn Grk “and,” but the sequence of events is better expressed in English by “then.” A new sentence is begun in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek, which exceeds normal English sentence length.

[12:19]  ²¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Since Herod has been the subject of the preceding material, and the circumstances of his death are the subject of the following verses (20-23), it is best to understand Herod as the subject here. This is especially true since according to Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 [19.343-352], Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in a.d. 44, and vv. 20-23 here describe his death. Thus the end of v. 19 provides Luke’s transition to explain how Herod got from Jerusalem to Caesarea where he died. In spite of all this evidence, the NRSV translates this phrase “Then Peter went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there,” understanding the referent to be Peter rather than Herod Agrippa I.

[12:19]  ²² sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[13:25]  ¹⁹ tn Or “task.”

[13:25]  ²⁰ tn The verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) has been translated as an iterative imperfect, since John undoubtedly said this or something similar on numerous occasions.

[13:25]  ²¹ tn Literally a relative clause, “of whom I am not worthy to untie the sandals of his feet.” Because of the awkwardness of this construction in English, a new sentence was begun here.

[16:1]  ²² sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra. It was about 90 mi (145 km) from Tarsus.

[16:1]  ²³ sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

[16:1]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And behold, a disciple.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[16:1]  ²⁵ tn L&N 31.103 translates this phrase “the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.”

[16:1]  ²⁶ sn His father was a Greek. Timothy was the offspring of a mixed marriage between a Jewish woman (see 2 Tim 1:5) and a Gentile man. On mixed marriages in Judaism, see Neh 13:23-27; Ezra 9:1-10:44; Mal 2:10-16; Jub. 30:7-17; m. Qiddushin 3.12; m. Yevamot 7.5.

[16:18]  ²⁵ tn Grk “becoming greatly annoyed.” The participle διαπονηθείς (diaponhqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The aorist has been translated as an ingressive aorist (entry into a state or condition). See BDAG 235 s.v. διαπονέομαι.

[16:18]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and turning.” The participle ἐπιστρέψας (epistreya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:18]  ²⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[16:18]  ²⁸ tn BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c has “at that very time, at once, instantly” for the usage in this verse.

[17:23]  ²⁸ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ²⁹ tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).

[17:23]  ³⁰ tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.

[19:19]  ³¹ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (Jikanoi) in this verse.

[19:19]  ³² tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.

[19:19]  ³³ tn Or “scrolls.”

[19:19]  ³⁴ tn Or “burned them up publicly.” L&N 14.66 has “‘they brought their books together and burned them up in the presence of everyone’ Ac 19:19.”

[19:19]  ³⁵ tn Grk “and when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[19:19]  ³⁶ tn Or “fifty thousand silver drachmas” (about $10,000 US dollars). BDAG 128 s.v. ἀργύριον 2.c states, “ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε 50,000 (Attic silver) drachmas Ac 19:19.” Another way to express the value would be in sheep: One drachma could buy one sheep. So this many drachmas could purchase a huge flock of sheep. A drachma also equals a denarius, or a day’s wage for the average worker. So this amount would be equal to 50,000 work days or in excess of 8,300 weeks of labor (the weeks are calculated at six working days because of the Jewish cultural context). The impact of Christianity on the Ephesian economy was considerable (note in regard to this the concerns expressed in 19:26-27).

[19:21]  ³⁴ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

[19:21]  ³⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ³⁷ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ³⁸ sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ³⁹ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[19:21]  ⁴⁰ sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.

[20:28]  ³⁷ tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28]  ³⁸ tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28]  ³⁹ tn Or “guardians.” BDAG 379-80 s.v. ἐπίσκοπος 2 states, “The term was taken over in Christian communities in ref. to one who served as overseer or supervisor, with special interest in guarding the apostolic tradition…Ac 20:28.” This functional term describes the role of the elders (see v. 17). They were to guard and shepherd the congregation.

[20:28]  ⁴⁰ tc The reading “of God” (τοῦ θεοῦ, tou qeou) is found in א B 614 1175 1505 al vg sy; other witnesses have “of the Lord” (τοῦ κυρίου, tou kuriou) here (so Ì⁷⁴ A C* D E Ψ 33 1739 al co), while the majority of the later minuscule mss conflate these two into “of the Lord and God” (τοῦ κυρίου καὶ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, tou kuriou kai [tou] qeou). Although the evidence is evenly balanced between the first two readings, τοῦ θεοῦ is decidedly superior on internal grounds. The final prepositional phrase of this verse, διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου (dia tou {aimato" tou idiou), could be rendered “through his own blood” or “through the blood of his own.” In the latter translation, the object that “own” modifies must be supplied (see tn below for discussion). But this would not be entirely clear to scribes; those who supposed that ἰδίου modified αἵματος would be prone to alter “God” to “Lord” to avoid the inference that God had blood. In a similar way, later scribes would be prone to conflate the two titles, thereby affirming the deity (with the construction τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ following the Granville Sharp rule and referring to a single person [see ExSyn 272, 276-77, 290]) and substitutionary atonement of Christ. For these reasons, τοῦ θεοῦ best explains the rise of the other readings and should be considered authentic.

[20:28]  ⁴¹ tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28]  ⁴² tn Or “with his own blood”; Grk “with the blood of his own.” The genitive construction could be taken in two ways: (1) as an attributive genitive (second attributive position) meaning “his own blood”; or (2) as a possessive genitive, “with the blood of his own.” In this case the referent is the Son, and the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. See further C. F. DeVine, “The Blood of God,” CBQ 9 (1947): 381-408.

[21:26]  ⁴⁰ tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 11.b.β has “temporal, to be next, immediately following…τῇ ἐχομένῃ…on the next day Lk 13:33…Ac 20:15; w. ἡμέρᾳ added…21:26.”

[21:26]  ⁴¹ tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ⁴² tn Grk “entered the temple, giving notice.” The participle διαγγέλλων (diangellwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:26]  ⁴³ sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “until” (BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.β.א), but since in English it is somewhat awkward to say “the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice would be offered,” the temporal clause was translated “when the sacrifice would be offered.” The point is that the sacrifice would be offered when the days were completed. Paul honored the request of the Jewish Christian leadership completely. As the following verse makes clear, the vow was made for seven days.

[21:26]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “for each one.”

[27:33]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.b.α has “ἄ. οὗ ἡμέρα ἤμελλεν γίνεσθαι until the day began to dawn 27:33.”

[27:33]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “have waited anxiously.” Grk “waiting anxiously.” The participle προσδοκῶντες (prosdokwnte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:33]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “having eaten nothing.” The participle προσλαβόμενοι (proslabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb (with subject “you” supplied) due to requirements of contemporary English style.