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 6:1

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ⁴  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ⁵  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ⁶  against the native Hebraic Jews, ⁷  because their widows ⁸  were being overlooked ⁹  in the daily distribution of food. ¹⁰ 

Acts 6:9

6:9 But some men from the Synagogue ¹¹  of the Freedmen (as it was called), ¹²  both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, ¹³  stood up and argued with Stephen.

Acts 10:30

10:30 Cornelius ¹⁴  replied, ¹⁵  “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, ¹⁶  I was praying in my house, and suddenly ¹⁷  a man in shining clothing stood before me

Acts 11:5

11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, ¹⁸  an object something like a large sheet descending, ¹⁹  being let down from heaven ²⁰  by its four corners, and it came to me.

Acts 13:41

13:41 ‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! ²¹ 

For I am doing a work in your days,

a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’” ²² 

Acts 19:40

19:40 For ²³  we are in danger of being charged with rioting ²⁴  today, since there is no cause we can give to explain ²⁵  this disorderly gathering.” ²⁶ 

[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.

[6:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

[6:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “were multiplying.”

[6:1]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

[6:1]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Or “neglected.”

[6:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

[6:9]  ⁷ sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[6:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen.” The translation of the participle λεγομένης (legomenh") by the phrase “as it was called” is given by L&N 87.86. “Freedmen” would be slaves who had gained their freedom, or the descendants of such people (BDAG 594-95 s.v. Λιβερτῖνος).

[6:9]  ⁹ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[10:30]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And Cornelius.” 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.

[10:30]  ¹¹ tn Grk “said.”

[10:30]  ¹² tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.

[10:30]  ¹³ tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.

[11:5]  ¹³ tn This term describes a supernatural vision and reflects a clear distinction from something imagined (BDAG 718 s.v. ὅραμα 1). Peter repeated the story virtually word for word through v. 13. The repetition with this degree of detail shows the event’s importance.

[11:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “coming down.”

[11:5]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[13:41]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and die!”

[13:41]  ¹⁷ sn A quotation from Hab 1:5. The irony in the phrase even if someone tells you, of course, is that Paul has now told them. So the call in the warning is to believe or else face the peril of being scoffers whom God will judge. The parallel from Habakkuk is that the nation failed to see how Babylon’s rising to power meant perilous judgment for Israel.

[19:40]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “For indeed.” The ascensive force of καί (kai) would be awkward to translate here.

[19:40]  ²⁰ tn The term translated “rioting” refers to a revolt or uprising (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 2, 3). This would threaten Roman rule and invite Roman intervention.

[19:40]  ²¹ tn Or “to account for.” Grk “since there is no cause concerning which we can give account concerning this disorderly gathering.” The complexity of the Greek relative clause (“which”) and the multiple prepositions (“concerning”) have been simplified in the translation consistent with contemporary English style.

[19:40]  ²² tn Or “commotion.” BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 gives the meaning “a tumultuous gathering of people, disorderly/seditious gathering or commotion…Ac 19:40.”