Acts 1:4

1:4 While he was with them, ¹  he declared, ²  “Do not leave Jerusalem, ³  but wait there ⁴  for what my ⁵  Father promised, ⁶  which you heard about from me. ⁷ 

Acts 3:13

3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ⁸  the God of our forefathers, ⁹  has glorified ¹⁰  his servant ¹¹  Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected ¹²  in the presence of Pilate after he had decided ¹³  to release him.

Acts 3:25

3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, ¹⁴  saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants ¹⁵  all the nations ¹⁶  of the earth will be blessed.’ ¹⁷ 

Acts 7:34

7:34 I have certainly seen the suffering ¹⁸  of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. ¹⁹  Now ²⁰  come, I will send you to Egypt.’ ²¹ 

Acts 7:49

7:49 ‘Heaven is my throne,

and earth is the footstool for my feet.

What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,

or what is my resting place? ²² 

Acts 13:34

13:34 But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus ²³  from the dead, never ²⁴  again to be ²⁵  in a state of decay, God ²⁶  has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you ²⁷  the holy and trustworthy promises ²⁸  made to David.’ ²⁹ 

Acts 17:3

17:3 explaining and demonstrating ³⁰  that the Christ ³¹  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ³²  saying, ³³  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ³⁴ 

Acts 19:13

19:13 But some itinerant ³⁵  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ³⁶  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ³⁷  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ³⁸  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

Acts 20:28

20:28 Watch out for ³⁹  yourselves and for all the flock of which ⁴⁰  the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, ⁴¹  to shepherd the church of God ⁴²  that he obtained ⁴³  with the blood of his own Son. ⁴⁴ 

Acts 22:14

22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ⁴⁵  has already chosen ⁴⁶  you to know his will, to see ⁴⁷  the Righteous One, ⁴⁸  and to hear a command ⁴⁹  from his mouth,

Acts 22:25

22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ⁵⁰  Paul said to the centurion ⁵¹  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ⁵²  without a proper trial?” ⁵³ 

Acts 24:25

24:25 While Paul ⁵⁴  was discussing ⁵⁵  righteousness, self-control, ⁵⁶  and the coming judgment, Felix ⁵⁷  became ⁵⁸  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁵⁹  I will send for you.”

Acts 25:24

25:24 Then Festus ⁶⁰  said, “King Agrippa, ⁶¹  and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace ⁶²  petitioned ⁶³  me both in Jerusalem ⁶⁴  and here, ⁶⁵  shouting loudly ⁶⁶  that he ought not to live any longer.

[1:4]  ¹ tn Or “While he was assembling with them,” or “while he was sharing a meal with them.” There are three basic options for translating the verb συναλίζω (sunalizw): (1) “Eat (salt) with, share a meal with”; (2) “bring together, assemble”; (3) “spend the night with, stay with” (see BDAG 964 s.v.). The difficulty with the first option is that it does not fit the context, and this meaning is not found elsewhere. The second option is difficult because of the singular number and the present tense. The third option is based on a spelling variation of συναυλιζόμενος (sunaulizomeno"), which some minuscules actually read here. The difference in meaning between (2) and (3) is not great, but (3) seems to fit the context somewhat better here.

[1:4]  ² tn Grk “ordered them”; the command “Do not leave” is not in Greek but is an indirect quotation in the original (see note at end of the verse for explanation).

[1:4]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:4]  ⁴ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text (direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context).

[1:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[1:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “for the promise of the Father.” Jesus is referring to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (see the following verse).

[1:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “While he was with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for ‘what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.’” This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the entire quotation has been rendered as direct discourse in the translation.

[3:13]  ⁸ tc ‡ The repetition of ὁ θεός (Jo qeos, “God”) before the names of Isaac and Jacob is found in Ì⁷⁴ א C (A D without article) 36 104 1175 pc lat. The omission of the second and third ὁ θεός is supported by B E Ψ 33 1739 Ï pc. The other time that Exod 3:6 is quoted in Acts (7:32) the best witnesses also lack the repeated ὁ θεός, but the three other times this OT passage is quoted in the NT the full form, with the thrice-mentioned θεός, is used (Matt 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37). Scribes would be prone to conform the wording here to the LXX; the longer reading is thus most likely not authentic. NA²⁷ has the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[3:13]  ⁹ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:13]  ¹⁰ sn Has glorified. Jesus is alive, raised and active, as the healing illustrates so dramatically how God honors him.

[3:13]  ¹¹ sn His servant. The term servant has messianic connotations given the context of the promise, the note of suffering, and the titles and functions noted in vv. 14-15.

[3:13]  ¹² tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”

[3:13]  ¹³ tn This genitive absolute construction could be understood as temporal (“when he had decided”) or concessive (“although he had decided”).

[3:25]  ¹⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:25]  ¹⁶ tn Or “in your offspring”; Grk “in your seed.”

[3:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “families.” The Greek word πατριά (patria) can indicate persons of succeeding generations who are related by birth (“lineage,” “family”) but it can also indicate a relatively large unit of people who make up a sociopolitical group and who share a presumed biological descent. In many contexts πατριά is very similar to ἔθνος (eqnos) and λαός (laos). In light of the context of the OT quotation, it is better to translate πατριά as “nations” here.

[3:25]  ¹⁸ sn A quotation from Gen 22:18.

[7:34]  ²² tn Or “mistreatment.”

[7:34]  ²³ tn Or “to set them free.”

[7:34]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And now.” 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.

[7:34]  ²⁵ sn A quotation from Exod 3:7-8, 10.

[7:49]  ²⁹ sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.

[13:34]  ³⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:34]  ³⁷ tn Although μηκέτι (mhketi) can mean “no longer” or “no more,” the latter is more appropriate here, since to translate “no longer” in this context could give the reader the impression that Jesus did experience decay before his resurrection. Since the phrase “no more again to be” is somewhat awkward in English, the simpler phrase “never again to be” was used instead.

[13:34]  ³⁸ tn The translation “to be in again” for ὑποστρέφω (Jupostrefw) is given in L&N 13.24.

[13:34]  ³⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:34]  ⁴⁰ tn The pronoun “you” is plural here. The promises of David are offered to the people.

[13:34]  ⁴¹ tn Or “the trustworthy decrees made by God to David.” The phrase τὰ ὅσια Δαυὶδ τὰ πιστά (ta Josia Dauid ta pista) is “compressed,” that is, in a very compact or condensed form. It could be expanded in several different ways. BDAG 728 s.v. ὅσιος 3 understands it to refer to divine decrees: “I will grant you the sure decrees of God relating to David.” BDAG then states that this quotation from Isa 55:3 is intended to show that the following quotation from Ps 16:10 could not refer to David himself, but must refer to his messianic descendant (Jesus). L&N 33.290 render the phrase “I will give to you the divine promises made to David, promises that can be trusted,” although they also note that τὰ ὅσια in Acts 13:34 can mean “divine decrees” or “decrees made by God.” In contemporary English it is less awkward to translate πιστά as an adjective (“trustworthy”). The concept of “divine decrees,” not very understandable to the modern reader, has been replaced by “promises,” and since God is the implied speaker in the context, it is clear that these promises were made by God.

[13:34]  ⁴² sn A quotation from Isa 55:3. The point of this citation is to make clear that the promise of a Davidic line and blessings are made to the people as well.

[17:3]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

[17:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  ⁴⁵ sn The Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead. These two points (suffering and resurrection) would have been among the more controversial aspects of Paul’s messianic preaching. The term translated “had to” (δεῖ, dei) shows how divine design and scripture corresponded here.

[17:3]  ⁴⁶ tn The Greek words used here (καὶ ὅτι, kai {oti, “and that”) mark the switch from indirect to direct discourse. Contemporary English requires the use of an introductory verb of speaking or saying to make this transition.

[17:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[19:13]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ⁵² tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

[19:13]  ⁵³ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[20:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28]  ⁶² 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.

[22:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14]  ⁶⁵ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”

[22:14]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “and to see.” 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.

[22:14]  ⁶⁷ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (… = order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”

[22:25]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “for the thongs” (of which the lash was made). Although often translated as a dative of means (“with thongs”), referring to thongs used to tie the victim to the whipping post, BDAG 474-75 s.v. ἱμάς states that it “is better taken as a dat. of purpose for the thongs, in which case οἱ ἱμάντες = whips (Posidonius: 87 fgm. 5 Jac.; POxy. 1186, 2 τὴν διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων αἰκείαν. – Antiphanes 74, 8, Demosth. 19, 197 and Artem. 1, 70 use the sing. in this way).”

[22:25]  ⁷² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ⁷³ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[24:25]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “and self-control.” 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.

[24:25]  ⁸¹ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ⁸² tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ⁸³ tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”

[25:24]  ⁸⁵ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:24]  ⁸⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:24]  ⁸⁷ tn Probably best understood as rhetorical hyperbole. BDAG 825 s.v. πλῆθος 2.b.γ states, “people, populace, population…τὸ πλῆθος the populace…ἅπαν τὸ πλ. τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων Ac 25:24.” However, the actions of the leadership are seen by Luke as representing the actions of the entire nation, so the remark is not inaccurate.

[25:24]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “appealed to” (BDAG 341 s.v. ἐντυγχάνω 1.a).

[25:24]  ⁸⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:24]  ⁹⁰ sn Here means “here in Caesarea.”

[25:24]  ⁹¹ tn Or “screaming.”