Acts 1:1

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ¹  the former ²  account, ³  Theophilus, ⁴  about all that Jesus began to do and teach

Acts 7:1--8:40

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ⁵  7:2 So he replied, ⁶  “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather ⁷  Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 7:3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ ⁸  7:4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God ⁹  made him move ¹⁰  to this country where you now live. 7:5 He ¹¹  did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, ¹²  not even a foot of ground, ¹³  yet God ¹⁴  promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, ¹⁵  even though Abraham ¹⁶  as yet had no child. 7:6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Your ¹⁷  descendants will be foreigners ¹⁸  in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. ¹⁹  7:7 But I will punish ²⁰  the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there ²¹  and worship ²²  me in this place.’ ²³  7:8 Then God ²⁴  gave Abraham ²⁵  the covenant ²⁶  of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, ²⁷  and Isaac became the father of ²⁸  Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ²⁹  7:9 The ³⁰  patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold ³¹  him into Egypt. But ³²  God was with him, 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made ³³  him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 7:11 Then a famine occurred throughout ³⁴  Egypt and Canaan, causing ³⁵  great suffering, and our ³⁶  ancestors ³⁷  could not find food. 7:12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain ³⁸  in Egypt, he sent our ancestors ³⁹  there ⁴⁰  the first time. 7:13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family ⁴¹  became known to Pharaoh. 7:14 So Joseph sent a message ⁴²  and invited ⁴³  his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people ⁴⁴  in all. 7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, ⁴⁵  along with our ancestors, ⁴⁶  7:16 and their bones ⁴⁷  were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money ⁴⁸  from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

7:17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, ⁴⁹  the people increased greatly in number ⁵⁰  in Egypt, 7:18 until another king who did not know about ⁵¹  Joseph ruled ⁵²  over Egypt. ⁵³  7:19 This was the one who exploited ⁵⁴  our people ⁵⁵  and was cruel to our ancestors, ⁵⁶  forcing them to abandon ⁵⁷  their infants so they would die. ⁵⁸  7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful ⁵⁹  to God. For ⁶⁰  three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, ⁶¹  Pharaoh’s daughter adopted ⁶²  him and brought him up ⁶³  as her own son. 7:22 So Moses was trained ⁶⁴  in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful ⁶⁵  in his words and deeds. 7:23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind ⁶⁶  to visit his fellow countrymen ⁶⁷  the Israelites. ⁶⁸  7:24 When ⁶⁹  he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, ⁷⁰  Moses ⁷¹  came to his defense ⁷²  and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. 7:25 He thought his own people ⁷³  would understand that God was delivering them ⁷⁴  through him, ⁷⁵  but they did not understand. ⁷⁶  7:26 The next day Moses ⁷⁷  saw two men ⁷⁸  fighting, and tried to make peace between ⁷⁹  them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ 7:27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed ⁸⁰  Moses ⁸¹  aside, saying, ‘Who made ⁸²  you a ruler and judge over us? 7:28 You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ ⁸³  7:29 When the man said this, ⁸⁴  Moses fled and became a foreigner ⁸⁵  in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

7:30 “After ⁸⁶  forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert ⁸⁷  of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ⁸⁸  7:31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord, 7:32 ‘I am the God of your forefathers, ⁸⁹  the God of Abraham, Isaac, ⁹⁰  and Jacob.’ ⁹¹  Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely. ⁹²  7:33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ⁹³  7:34 I have certainly seen the suffering ⁹⁴  of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. ⁹⁵  Now ⁹⁶  come, I will send you to Egypt.’ ⁹⁷  7:35 This same ⁹⁸  Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ ⁹⁹  God sent as both ruler and deliverer ¹⁰⁰  through the hand of the angel ¹⁰¹  who appeared to him in the bush. 7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs ¹⁰²  in the land of Egypt, ¹⁰³  at ¹⁰⁴  the Red Sea, and in the wilderness ¹⁰⁵  for forty years. 7:37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ¹⁰⁶  ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ¹⁰⁷  7:38 This is the man who was in the congregation ¹⁰⁸  in the wilderness ¹⁰⁹  with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, ¹¹⁰  and he ¹¹¹  received living oracles ¹¹²  to give to you. ¹¹³  7:39 Our ¹¹⁴  ancestors ¹¹⁵  were unwilling to obey ¹¹⁶  him, but pushed him aside ¹¹⁷  and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 7:40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt ¹¹⁸  – we do not know what has happened to him!’ ¹¹⁹  7:41 At ¹²⁰  that time ¹²¹  they made an idol in the form of a calf, ¹²²  brought ¹²³  a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing ¹²⁴  in the works of their hands. ¹²⁵  7:42 But God turned away from them and gave them over ¹²⁶  to worship the host ¹²⁷  of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices ¹²⁸  forty years in the wilderness, was it, ¹²⁹  house of Israel? 7:43 But you took along the tabernacle ¹³⁰  of Moloch ¹³¹  and the star of the ¹³²  god Rephan, ¹³³  the images you made to worship, but I will deport ¹³⁴  you beyond Babylon.’ ¹³⁵  7:44 Our ancestors ¹³⁶  had the tabernacle ¹³⁷  of testimony in the wilderness, ¹³⁸  just as God ¹³⁹  who spoke to Moses ordered him ¹⁴⁰  to make it according to the design he had seen. 7:45 Our ¹⁴¹  ancestors ¹⁴²  received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, ¹⁴³  until the time ¹⁴⁴  of David. 7:46 He ¹⁴⁵  found favor ¹⁴⁶  with ¹⁴⁷  God and asked that he could ¹⁴⁸  find a dwelling place ¹⁴⁹  for the house ¹⁵⁰  of Jacob. 7:47 But Solomon built a house ¹⁵¹  for him. 7:48 Yet the Most High ¹⁵²  does not live in houses made by human hands, ¹⁵³  as the prophet says,

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? ¹⁵⁴ 

7:50 Did my hand ¹⁵⁵  not make all these things?’ ¹⁵⁶ 

7:51 “You stubborn ¹⁵⁷  people, with uncircumcised ¹⁵⁸  hearts and ears! ¹⁵⁹  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ¹⁶⁰  did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ¹⁶¹  not persecute? ¹⁶²  They ¹⁶³  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ¹⁶⁴  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ¹⁶⁵  7:53 You ¹⁶⁶  received the law by decrees given by angels, ¹⁶⁷  but you did not obey ¹⁶⁸  it.” ¹⁶⁹ 

Stephen is Killed

7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious ¹⁷⁰  and ground their teeth ¹⁷¹  at him. 7:55 But Stephen, ¹⁷²  full ¹⁷³  of the Holy Spirit, looked intently ¹⁷⁴  toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ¹⁷⁵  at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. ¹⁷⁶  “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, ¹⁷⁷  shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 7:58 When ¹⁷⁸  they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, ¹⁷⁹  and the witnesses laid their cloaks ¹⁸⁰  at the feet of a young man named Saul. 7:59 They ¹⁸¹  continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 7:60 Then he fell ¹⁸²  to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” ¹⁸³  When ¹⁸⁴  he had said this, he died. ¹⁸⁵  8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ¹⁸⁶  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ¹⁸⁷  persecution began ¹⁸⁸  against the church in Jerusalem, ¹⁸⁹  and all ¹⁹⁰  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ¹⁹¹  of Judea and Samaria. 8:2 Some ¹⁹²  devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation ¹⁹³  over him. ¹⁹⁴  8:3 But Saul was trying to destroy ¹⁹⁵  the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off ¹⁹⁶  both men and women and put them in prison. ¹⁹⁷ 

Philip Preaches in Samaria

8:4 Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word. 8:5 Philip went down to the main city of Samaria ¹⁹⁸  and began proclaiming ¹⁹⁹  the Christ ²⁰⁰  to them. 8:6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, ²⁰¹  as they heard and saw the miraculous signs ²⁰²  he was performing. 8:7 For unclean spirits, ²⁰³  crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, ²⁰⁴  and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8:8 So there was ²⁰⁵  great joy ²⁰⁶  in that city.

8:9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic ²⁰⁷  and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 8:10 All the people, ²⁰⁸  from the least to the greatest, paid close attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” ²⁰⁹  8:11 And they paid close attention to him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God ²¹⁰  and the name of Jesus Christ, ²¹¹  they began to be baptized, ²¹²  both men and women. 8:13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to ²¹³  Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. ²¹⁴ 

8:14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem ²¹⁵  heard that Samaria had accepted the word ²¹⁶  of God, they sent ²¹⁷  Peter and John to them. 8:15 These two ²¹⁸  went down and prayed for them so that they would receive the Holy Spirit. 8:16 (For the Spirit ²¹⁹  had not yet come upon ²²⁰  any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) ²²¹  8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, ²²²  and they received the Holy Spirit. ²²³ 

8:18 Now Simon, when he saw that the Spirit ²²⁴  was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them money, 8:19 saying, “Give me this power ²²⁵  too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.” 8:20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, ²²⁶  because you thought you could acquire ²²⁷  God’s gift with money! 8:21 You have no share or part ²²⁸  in this matter ²²⁹  because your heart is not right before God! 8:22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord ²³⁰  that he may perhaps forgive you for the intent of your heart. ²³¹  8:23 For I see that you are bitterly envious ²³²  and in bondage to sin.” 8:24 But Simon replied, ²³³  “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to ²³⁴  me.”

8:25 So after Peter and John ²³⁵  had solemnly testified ²³⁶  and spoken the word of the Lord, ²³⁷  they started back to Jerusalem, proclaiming ²³⁸  the good news to many Samaritan villages ²³⁹  as they went. ²⁴⁰ 

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

8:26 Then an angel of the Lord ²⁴¹  said to Philip, ²⁴²  “Get up and go south ²⁴³  on the road that goes down from Jerusalem ²⁴⁴  to Gaza.” (This is a desert ²⁴⁵  road.) ²⁴⁶  8:27 So ²⁴⁷  he got up ²⁴⁸  and went. There ²⁴⁹  he met ²⁵⁰  an Ethiopian eunuch, ²⁵¹  a court official of Candace, ²⁵²  queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He ²⁵³  had come to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁵⁴  8:28 and was returning home, sitting ²⁵⁵  in his chariot, reading ²⁵⁶  the prophet Isaiah. 8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 8:30 So Philip ran up ²⁵⁷  to it ²⁵⁸  and heard the man ²⁵⁹  reading Isaiah the prophet. He ²⁶⁰  asked him, ²⁶¹  “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 8:31 The man ²⁶²  replied, “How in the world can I, ²⁶³  unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 8:32 Now the passage of scripture the man ²⁶⁴  was reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,

and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he did ²⁶⁵  not open his mouth.

8:33 In humiliation ²⁶⁶  justice was taken from him. ²⁶⁷ 

Who can describe his posterity? ²⁶⁸ 

For his life was taken away ²⁶⁹  from the earth.” ²⁷⁰ 

8:34 Then the eunuch said ²⁷¹  to Philip, “Please tell me, ²⁷²  who is the prophet saying this about – himself or someone else?” ²⁷³  8:35 So Philip started speaking, ²⁷⁴  and beginning with this scripture ²⁷⁵  proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 8:36 Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water! What is to stop me ²⁷⁶  from being baptized?” 8:37 [[EMPTY]] ²⁷⁷  8:38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, ²⁷⁸  and Philip baptized ²⁷⁹  him. 8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but ²⁸⁰  went on his way rejoicing. ²⁸¹  8:40 Philip, however, found himself ²⁸²  at Azotus, ²⁸³  and as he passed through the area, ²⁸⁴  he proclaimed the good news ²⁸⁵  to all the towns ²⁸⁶  until he came to Caesarea. ²⁸⁷ 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ² tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

[1:1]  ³ tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

[7:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[7:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[7:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[7:3]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Gen 12:1.

[7:4]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ¹⁸ tn The translation “made him move” for the verb μετοικίζω (metoikizw) is given by L&N 85.83. The verb has the idea of “resettling” someone (BDAG 643 s.v.); see v. 43, where it reappears.

[7:5]  ²¹ tn Grk “And he.” 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.

[7:5]  ²² tn Grk “He did not give him an inheritance in it.” This could be understood to mean that God did not give something else to Abraham as an inheritance while he was living there. The point of the text is that God did not give any of the land to him as an inheritance, and the translation makes this clear.

[7:5]  ²³ tn Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).

[7:5]  ²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:5]  ²⁵ sn An allusion to Gen 12:7; 13:15; 15:2, 18; 17:8; 24:7; 48:4. On the theological importance of the promise and to his descendants after him, see Rom 4 and Gal 3.

[7:5]  ²⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “that his”; the discourse switches from indirect to direct with the following verbs. For consistency the entire quotation is treated as second person direct discourse in the translation.

[7:6]  ²⁶ tn Or “will be strangers,” that is, one who lives as a noncitizen of a foreign country.

[7:6]  ²⁷ sn A quotation from Gen 15:13. Exod 12:40 specifies the sojourn as 430 years.

[7:7]  ²⁹ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α states, “Oft. the emphasis is unmistakably laid upon that which follows the Divine Judge’s verdict, upon the condemnation or punishment: condemn, punish …Ac 7:7 (Gen 15:14).”

[7:7]  ³⁰ tn The words “of there” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:7]  ³¹ tn Or “and serve,” but with religious/cultic overtones (BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω).

[7:7]  ³² sn An allusion to Exod 3:12.

[7:8]  ³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ³⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ³⁵ sn God gave…the covenant. Note how the covenant of promise came before Abraham’s entry into the land and before the building of the temple.

[7:8]  ³⁶ tn Grk “circumcised him on the eighth day,” but many modern readers will not understand that this procedure was done on the eighth day after birth. The temporal clause “when he was eight days old” conveys this idea more clearly. See Gen 17:11-12.

[7:8]  ³⁷ tn The words “became the father of” are not in the Greek text due to an ellipsis, but must be supplied for the English translation. The ellipsis picks up the verb from the previous clause describing how Abraham fathered Isaac.

[7:8]  ³⁸ sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).

[7:9]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And the.” 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.

[7:9]  ³⁸ tn The meaning “sell” for the middle voice of ἀποδίδωμι (apodidwmi) is given by BDAG 110 s.v. 5.a. See Gen 37:12-36, esp. v. 28.

[7:9]  ³⁹ tn Though the Greek term here is καί (kai), in context this remark is clearly contrastive: Despite the malicious act, God was present and protected Joseph.

[7:10]  ⁴¹ tn Or “appointed.” See Gen 41:41-43.

[7:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”

[7:11]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.

[7:11]  ⁴⁷ sn Our. Stephen spoke of “our” ancestors (Grk “fathers”) in an inclusive sense throughout the speech until his rebuke in v. 51, where the nation does what “your” ancestors did, at which point an exclusive pronoun is used. This serves to emphasize the rebuke.

[7:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:12]  ⁴⁹ tn Or possibly “food,” since in a number of extrabiblical contexts the phrase σιτία καὶ ποτά (sitia kai pota) means “food and drink,” where solid food is contrasted with liquid nourishment (L&N 3.42).

[7:12]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:12]  ⁵¹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[7:13]  ⁵³ tn BDAG 194 s.v. γένος 2. gives “family, relatives” here; another alternative is “race” (see v. 19).

[7:14]  ⁵⁷ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:14]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “Joseph had his father summoned” (BDAG 121 s.v. ἀποστέλλω 2.b).

[7:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).

[7:15]  ⁶¹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[7:15]  ⁶² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:16]  ⁶⁵ tn “and they.”

[7:16]  ⁶⁶ sn See Gen 49:29-32.

[7:17]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “But as the time for the fulfillment of the promise drew near that God had declared to Abraham.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to improve English style. See vv. 6-7 above.

[7:17]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”

[7:18]  ⁷³ tn Or simply “did not know.” However, in this context the point is that the new king knew nothing about Joseph, not whether he had known him personally (which is the way “did not know Joseph” could be understood).

[7:18]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.

[7:18]  ⁷⁵ sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.

[7:19]  ⁷⁷ tn According to L&N 88.147 it is also possible to translate κατασοφισάμενος (katasofisameno") as “took advantage by clever words” or “persuaded by sweet talk.”

[7:19]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “race.”

[7:19]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:19]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).

[7:19]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “so that they could not be kept alive,” but in this context the phrase may be translated either “so that they would not continue to live,” or “so that they would die” (L&N 23.89).

[7:20]  ⁸¹ tn Or “was well-formed before God,” or “was well-pleasing to God” (BDAG 145 s.v. ἀστεῖος suggests the meaning is more like “well-bred” as far as God was concerned; see Exod 2:2).

[7:20]  ⁸² tn Grk “who was brought up for three months.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation by changing the relative pronoun to a regular pronoun (“he”).

[7:21]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).

[7:21]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “Pharaoh’s daughter took him up for herself.” According to BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω, “The pap. exx. involve exposed children taken up and reared as slaves…The rendering ‘adopt’ lacks philological precision and can be used only in a loose sense (as NRSV), esp. when Gr-Rom. terminology relating to adoption procedures is taken into account.” In this instance both the immediate context and the OT account (Exod 2:3-10) do support the normal sense of the English word “adopt,” although it should not be understood to refer to a technical, legal event.

[7:21]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).

[7:22]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “instructed.”

[7:22]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).

[7:23]  ⁹³ tn Grk “heart.”

[7:23]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

[7:23]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”

[7:24]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[7:24]  ⁹⁸ tn “Hurt unfairly” conveys a better sense of the seriousness of the offense against the Israelite than “treated unfairly,” which can sometimes refer to slight offenses, or “wronged,” which can refer to offenses that do not involve personal violence, as this one probably did.

[7:24]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:24]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “he defended,” “he retaliated” (BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμύνομαι).

[7:25]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “his brothers.”

[7:25]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “was granting them deliverance.” The narrator explains that this act pictured what Moses could do for his people.

[7:25]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “by his hand,” where the hand is a metaphor for the entire person.

[7:25]  ¹⁰⁴ sn They did not understand. Here is the theme of the speech. The people did not understand what God was doing through those he chose. They made the same mistake with Joseph at first. See Acts 3:17; 13:27. There is good precedent for this kind of challenging review of history in the ancient scriptures: Ps 106:6-46; Ezek 20; and Neh 9:6-38.

[7:26]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:26]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).

[7:26]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).

[7:27]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “repudiated Moses,” “rejected Moses” (BDAG 126-27 s.v. ἀπωθέω 2).

[7:27]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:27]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “appointed.”

[7:28]  ¹¹³ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do you?”

[7:29]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “At this word,” which could be translated either “when the man said this” or “when Moses heard this.” Since λόγος (logos) refers to the remark made by the Israelite, this translation has followed the first option.

[7:29]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “resident alien.” Traditionally πάροικος (paroiko") has been translated “stranger” or “alien,” but the level of specificity employed with “foreigner” or “resident alien” is now necessary in contemporary English because a “stranger” is a person not acquainted with someone, while an “alien” can suggest science fiction imagery.

[7:30]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and contemporary English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:30]  ¹²² tn Or “wilderness.”

[7:30]  ¹²³ sn An allusion to Exod 3:2.

[7:32]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:32]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “and Isaac,” 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.

[7:32]  ¹²⁷ sn A quotation from Exod 3:6. The phrase suggests the God of promise, the God of the nation.

[7:32]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “to investigate,” “to contemplate” (BDAG 522 s.v. κατανοέω 2).

[7:33]  ¹²⁹ sn A quotation from Exod 3:5. The phrase holy ground points to the fact that God is not limited to a particular locale. The place where he is active in revealing himself is a holy place.

[7:34]  ¹³³ tn Or “mistreatment.”

[7:34]  ¹³⁴ tn Or “to set them free.”

[7:34]  ¹³⁵ 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]  ¹³⁶ sn A quotation from Exod 3:7-8, 10.

[7:35]  ¹³⁷ sn This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).

[7:35]  ¹³⁸ sn A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.

[7:35]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”

[7:35]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14-18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 LXX).

[7:36]  ¹⁴¹ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.

[7:36]  ¹⁴² tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:36]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “and at,” 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.

[7:36]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “desert.”

[7:37]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “to the sons of Israel.”

[7:37]  ¹⁴⁶ sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. This quotation sets up Jesus as the “leader-prophet” like Moses (Acts 3:22; Luke 9:35).

[7:38]  ¹⁴⁹ tn This term, ἐκκλησία (ekklhsia), is a secular use of the term that came to mean “church” in the epistles. Here a reference to an assembly is all that is intended.

[7:38]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “desert.”

[7:38]  ¹⁵¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:38]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “fathers, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new clause introduced by “and” was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[7:38]  ¹⁵³ tn Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.

[7:38]  ¹⁵⁴ tc ‡ The first person pronoun ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “to us”) is read by A C D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy, while the second person pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”) is read by Ì⁷⁴ א B 36 453 al co. The second person pronoun thus has significantly better external support. As well, ὑμῖν is a harder reading in this context, both because it is surrounded by first person pronouns and because Stephen perhaps “does not wish to disassociate himself from those who received God’s revelation in the past, but only from those who misinterpreted and disobeyed that revelation” (TCGNT 307). At the same time, Stephen does associate himself to some degree with his disobedient ancestors in v. 39, suggesting that the decisive break does not really come until v. 51 (where both his present audience and their ancestors are viewed as rebellious). Thus, both externally and internally ὑμῖν is the preferred reading.

[7:39]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “whom our.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.

[7:39]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:39]  ¹⁵⁵ sn To obey. Again the theme of the speech is noted. The nation disobeyed the way of God and opted for Egypt over the promised land.

[7:39]  ¹⁵⁶ sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).

[7:40]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:40]  ¹⁵⁸ sn A quotation from Exod 32:1, 23. Doubt (we do not know what has happened to him) expresses itself in unfaithful action. The act is in contrast to God’s promise in Exod 23:20.

[7:41]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “And.” 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.

[7:41]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “In those days.”

[7:41]  ¹⁶³ tn Or “a bull calf” (see Exod 32:4-6). The term μοσχοποιέω (moscopoiew) occurs only in Christian writings according to BDAG 660 s.v.

[7:41]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Grk “and brought,” 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.

[7:41]  ¹⁶⁵ tn The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (eufrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See BDAG 414-15 s.v. εὐφραίνω 2.

[7:41]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “in what they had done.”

[7:42]  ¹⁶⁵ sn The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18-32.

[7:42]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “stars.”

[7:42]  ¹⁶⁷ tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).

[7:42]  ¹⁶⁸ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”

[7:43]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Or “tent.”

[7:43]  ¹⁷⁰ sn Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.

[7:43]  ¹⁷¹ tc ‡ Most mss, including several important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א A C E Ψ 33 1739 Ï h p vg sy^h mae bo Cyr), have ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, in conformity with the LXX of Amos 5:26. But other significant and diverse witnesses lack the pronoun: The lack of ὑμῶν in B D 36 453 gig sy^p sa Ir^lat Or is difficult to explain if it is not the original wording here. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[7:43]  ¹⁷² sn Rephan (῾Ραιφάν, RJaifan) was a pagan deity. The term was a name for Saturn. It was variously spelled in the mss (BDAG 903 s.v. has Rompha as an alternate spelling). The references cover a range of deities and a history of unfaithfulness.

[7:43]  ¹⁷³ tn Or “I will make you move.”

[7:43]  ¹⁷⁴ sn A quotation from Amos 5:25-27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.

[7:44]  ¹⁷³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:44]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “tent.”

[7:44]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “desert.”

[7:44]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:44]  ¹⁷⁷ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[7:45]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “And.” 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.

[7:45]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:45]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:45]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “In those days.”

[7:46]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “David, who” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[7:46]  ¹⁸² tn Or “grace.”

[7:46]  ¹⁸³ tn Grk “before,” “in the presence of.”

[7:46]  ¹⁸⁴ tn The words “that he could” are not in the Greek text, but are implied as the (understood) subject of the infinitive εὑρεῖν (Jeurein). This understands David’s request as asking that he might find the dwelling place. The other possibility would be to supply “that God” as the subject of the infinitive: “and asked that God find a dwelling place.” Unfortunately this problem is complicated by the extremely difficult problem with the Greek text in the following phrase (“house of Jacob” vs. “God of Jacob”).

[7:46]  ¹⁸⁵ tn On this term see BDAG 929 s.v. σκήνωμα a (Ps 132:5).

[7:46]  ¹⁸⁶ tc Some mss read θεῷ (qew, “God”) here, a variant much easier to understand in the context. The reading “God” is supported by א² A C E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy co. The more difficult οἴκῳ (oikw, “house”) is supported by Ì⁷⁴ א* B D H 049 pc. Thus the second reading is preferred both externally because of better ms evidence and internally because it is hard to see how a copyist finding the reading “God” would change it to “house,” while it is easy to see how (given the LXX of Ps 132:5) a copyist might assimilate the reading and change “house” to “God.” However, some scholars think the reading “house” is so difficult as to be unacceptable. Others (like Lachmann and Hort) resorted to conjectural emendation at this point. Others (Ropes) sought an answer in an underlying Aramaic expression. Not everyone thinks the reading “house” is too difficult to be accepted as original (see Lake and Cadbury). A. F. J. Klijn, “Stephen’s Speech – Acts vii.2-53,” NTS 4 (1957): 25-31, compared the idea of a “house within the house of Israel” with the Manual of Discipline from Qumran, a possible parallel that seems to support the reading “house” as authentic. (For the more detailed discussion from which this note was derived, see TCGNT 308-9.)

[7:47]  ¹⁸⁵ sn See 1 Kgs 8:1-21.

[7:48]  ¹⁸⁹ sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).

[7:48]  ¹⁹⁰ sn The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mark 14:58; Acts 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, 24. It suggests “man-made” or “impermanent.” The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1 Kgs 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1 Chr 6:8; Jer 7:1-34).

[7:49]  ¹⁹³ sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.

[7:50]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.

[7:50]  ¹⁹⁸ tn The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply.

[7:51]  ²⁰¹ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ²⁰² tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

[7:51]  ²⁰³ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ²⁰⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ²⁰⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ²⁰⁶ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ²⁰⁷ tn Grk “And they.” 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.

[7:52]  ²⁰⁸ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ²⁰⁹ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:53]  ²⁰⁹ tn Grk “whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, who received the law” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “You” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[7:53]  ²¹⁰ tn Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so BDAG 291 s.v. εἰς 9, BDF §206. Thus the phrase literally means “received the law by the decrees [orders] of angels” with the genitive understood as a subjective genitive, that is, the angels gave the decrees.

[7:53]  ²¹¹ tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[7:53]  ²¹² tn Or “did not obey it.”

[7:54]  ²¹³ tn This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπρίω).

[7:54]  ²¹⁴ tn Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage (BDAG 184 s.v. βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.

[7:55]  ²¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:55]  ²¹⁸ tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.

[7:55]  ²¹⁹ tn Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:55]  ²²⁰ sn The picture of Jesus standing (rather than seated) probably indicates his rising to receive his child. By announcing his vision, Stephen thoroughly offended his audience, who believed no one could share God’s place in heaven. The phrase is a variation on Ps 110:1.

[7:56]  ²²¹ tn Grk “And he said, ‘Look!’” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:57]  ²²⁵ sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.

[7:58]  ²²⁹ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:58]  ²³⁰ sn They began to stone him. The irony of the scene is that the people do exactly what the speech complains about in v. 52.

[7:58]  ²³¹ tn Or “outer garments.”

[7:59]  ²³³ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:60]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “Then falling to his knees he cried out.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:60]  ²³⁸ sn The remarks Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and Lord, do not hold this sin against them recall statements Jesus made on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46).

[7:60]  ²³⁹ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:60]  ²⁴⁰ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

[8:1]  ²⁴¹ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ²⁴² tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ²⁴³ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ²⁴⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ²⁴⁵ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ²⁴⁶ tn Or “countryside.”

[8:2]  ²⁴⁵ tn “Some” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[8:2]  ²⁴⁶ sn Made loud lamentation. For someone who was stoned to death, lamentation was normally not allowed (m. Sanhedrin 6:6). The remark points to an unjust death.

[8:2]  ²⁴⁷ tn Or “mourned greatly for him.”

[8:3]  ²⁴⁹ tn Or “began to harm [the church] severely.” If the nuance of this verb is “destroy,” then the imperfect verb ἐλυμαίνετο (elumaineto) is best translated as a conative imperfect as in the translation above. If instead the verb is taken to mean “injure severely” (as L&N 20.24), it should be translated in context as an ingressive imperfect (“began to harm the church severely”). Either option does not significantly alter the overall meaning, since it is clear from the stated actions of Saul in the second half of the verse that he intended to destroy or ravage the church.

[8:3]  ²⁵⁰ tn The participle σύρων (surwn) has been translated as an finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:3]  ²⁵¹ tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3.”

[8:5]  ²⁵³ tn The word “main” is supplied in the translation to clarify that “Samaria” is not the name of the city (at least in NT times). See both BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, and L&N 93.568.

[8:5]  ²⁵⁴ tn The imperfect ἐκήρυσσεν (ekhrussen) has been translated as an ingressive, since this is probably the first time such preaching took place.

[8:5]  ²⁵⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[8:6]  ²⁵⁷ tn Grk “to what was being said by Philip,” a passive construction that has been changed to active voice in the translation.

[8:6]  ²⁵⁸ tn Here the following context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned. This term appears 13 times in Acts, but only twice more after Acts 8:13 (i.e., 14:3; 15:12).

[8:7]  ²⁶¹ sn The expression unclean spirits refers to evil supernatural spirits which were ceremonially unclean, and which caused the persons possessed by them to be ceremonially unclean.

[8:7]  ²⁶² tn Grk “For [in the case of] many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out, crying in a loud voice.”

[8:8]  ²⁶⁵ tn Grk “and there came about,” but this is somewhat awkward in English.

[8:8]  ²⁶⁶ sn Great joy. The reason for eschatological joy was that such events pointed to God’s decisive deliverance (Luke 7:22-23). Note how the acts of healing extend beyond the Twelve here.

[8:9]  ²⁶⁹ tn On the idiom προϋπῆρχεν μαγεύων (prouphrcen mageuwn) meaning “had been practicing magic” see BDAG 889 s.v. προϋπάρχω.

[8:10]  ²⁷³ tn Grk “all of them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:10]  ²⁷⁴ tn Or “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” The translation “what is called the Great Power of God” is given by BDAG 263 s.v. δύναμις 5, but the repetition of the article before καλουμένη μεγάλη (kaloumenh megalh) suggests the translation “the power of God that is called ‘Great.’”

[8:12]  ²⁷⁷ sn The kingdom of God is also what Jesus preached: Acts 1:3. The term reappears in 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31.

[8:12]  ²⁷⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[8:12]  ²⁷⁹ tn The imperfect verb ἐβαπτίζοντο (ebaptizonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[8:13]  ²⁸¹ tn Or “he kept close company with.”

[8:13]  ²⁸² sn He was amazed. Now Simon, the one who amazed others, is himself amazed, showing the superiority of Philip’s connection to God. Christ is better than anything the culture has to offer.

[8:14]  ²⁸⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:14]  ²⁸⁶ tn Or “message.”

[8:14]  ²⁸⁷ sn They sent. The Jerusalem church with the apostles was overseeing the expansion of the church, as the distribution of the Spirit indicates in vv. 15-17.

[8:15]  ²⁸⁹ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the phrase “these two” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[8:16]  ²⁹³ tn Grk “For he”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:16]  ²⁹⁴ tn Or “fallen on.”

[8:16]  ²⁹⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[8:17]  ²⁹⁷ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the Samaritans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:17]  ²⁹⁸ sn They received the Holy Spirit. It is likely this special distribution of the Spirit took place because a key ethnic boundary was being crossed. Here are some of “those far off” of Acts 2:38-40.

[8:18]  ³⁰¹ tc Most witnesses (Ì^45,74 A* C D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï latt sy bo) here read “the Holy Spirit” (τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, to pneuma to {agion), while a few key mss have simply τὸ πνεῦμα (א A^c B sa mae). Although it is possible that some scribes omitted τὸ ἅγιον because of its perceived superfluity (note vv. 15, 17, 19), it is far more likely that others added the adjective out of pious motives.

[8:19]  ³⁰⁵ tn Or “ability”; Grk “authority.”

[8:20]  ³⁰⁹ tn Grk “May your silver together with you be sent into destruction.” This is a strong curse. The gifts of God are sovereignly bestowed and cannot be purchased.

[8:20]  ³¹⁰ tn Or “obtain.”

[8:21]  ³¹³ tn The translation “share or part” is given by L&N 63.13.

[8:21]  ³¹⁴ tn Since the semantic range for λόγος (logos) is so broad, a number of different translations could be given for the prepositional phrase here. Something along the lines of “in this thing” would work well, but is too colloquial for the present translation.

[8:22]  ³¹⁷ tn Or “and implore the Lord.”

[8:22]  ³¹⁸ tn Grk “that if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in contemporary English and has thus been converted to an active construction in the translation.

[8:23]  ³²¹ tn Grk “in the gall of bitterness,” an idiom meaning to be particularly envious or resentful of someone. In this case Simon was jealous of the apostles’ power to bestow the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, and wanted that power for himself. The literal phrase does not convey this to the modern reader, and in fact some modern translations have simply rendered the phrase as involving bitterness, which misses the point of the envy on Simon’s part. See L&N 88.166. The OT images come from Deut 29:17-18 and Isa 58:6.

[8:24]  ³²⁵ tn Grk “Simon answered and said.”

[8:24]  ³²⁶ tn Grk “may come upon.”

[8:25]  ³²⁹ tn Grk “after they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:25]  ³³⁰ tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and could be taken to refer specifically to the warning given to Simon in the preceding verses. However, a more general reference is more likely, referring to parting exhortations from Peter and John to the entire group of believers.

[8:25]  ³³¹ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[8:25]  ³³² tn Grk “they were returning to Jerusalem and were proclaiming.” The first imperfect is taken ingressively and the second is viewed iteratively (“proclaiming…as they went”).

[8:25]  ³³³ sn By proclaiming the good news to many Samaritan villages, the apostles now actively share in the broader ministry the Hellenists had started.

[8:25]  ³³⁴ tn “As they went” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the imperfect tense (see tn above).

[8:26]  ³³³ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[8:26]  ³³⁴ tn Grk “Lord spoke to Philip, saying.” The redundant participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated.

[8:26]  ³³⁵ tn Or “Get up and go about noon.” The phrase κατὰ μεσημβρίαν (kata meshmbrian) can be translated either “about noon” (L&N 67.74) or “toward the south” (L&N 82.4). Since the angel’s command appears to call for immediate action (“Get up”) and would not therefore need a time indicator, a directional reference (“toward the south”) is more likely here.

[8:26]  ³³⁶ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:26]  ³³⁷ tn Or “wilderness.”

[8:26]  ³³⁸ tn The words “This is a desert road” are probably best understood as a comment by the author of Acts, but it is possible they form part of the angel’s speech to Philip, in which case the verse would read: “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza – the desert road.”

[8:27]  ³³⁷ tn Grk “And,” but καί (kai) carries something of a resultative force in this context because what follows describes Philip’s response to the angel’s command.

[8:27]  ³³⁸ tn Grk “So getting up he went.” The aorist participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:27]  ³³⁹ tn Grk “And there.” 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.

[8:27]  ³⁴⁰ tn Grk “and behold.” This expression is used to portray Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian in a vivid way. In the English translation this vividness is difficult to convey; it is necessary to supply the words “he met.”

[8:27]  ³⁴¹ sn The term eunuch normally referred to a man who had been castrated, but this was not always the case (see Gen 39:1 LXX, where Potiphar is called a eunuch). Such castrated individuals were preferred as court officials in the East, although Judaism opposed the practice. The Mosaic law excluded eunuchs from Israel (Deut 23:1), although God certainly accepted them (Isa 56:3-5; Wis 3:14). This individual was a high official, since he was said to be in charge of all her treasury. He may or may not have been a eunuch physically. He appears to be the first fully Gentile convert to Christianity, since the Samaritans mentioned previously (Acts 8:4-25) were regarded as half-breeds.

[8:27]  ³⁴² tn Or “the Candace” (the title of the queen of the Ethiopians). The term Κανδάκης (Kandakh") is much more likely a title rather than a proper name (like Pharaoh, which is a title); see L&N 37.77. A few, however, still take the word to be the name of the queen (L&N 93.209). BDAG 507 s.v. Κανδάκη, treats the term as a title and lists classical usage by Strabo (Geography 17.1.54) and others.

[8:27]  ³⁴³ tn Grk “who was over all her treasury, who.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “he” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[8:27]  ³⁴⁴ sn Since this man had come to Jerusalem to worship, he may have been a proselyte to Judaism. This event is a precursor to Acts 10.

[8:28]  ³⁴¹ tn Grk “and was sitting.” 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.

[8:28]  ³⁴² tn Grk “and was reading.” 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.

[8:30]  ³⁴⁵ tn The participle προσδραμών (prosdramwn) is regarded as attendant circumstance.

[8:30]  ³⁴⁶ tn The words “to it” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[8:30]  ³⁴⁷ tn Grk “heard him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:30]  ³⁴⁸ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[8:30]  ³⁴⁹ tn Grk “he said”; but since what follows is a question, it is better English style to translate the introduction to the question “he asked him.”

[8:31]  ³⁴⁹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:31]  ³⁵⁰ tn Grk “How am I able, unless…” The translation is based on the force of the conjunction γάρ (gar) in this context. The translation “How in the world can I?” is given in BDAG 189 s.v. γάρ 1.f.

[8:32]  ³⁵³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:32]  ³⁵⁴ tn Grk “does.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the first line of the quotation (“he was led like a sheep to slaughter”), which has an aorist passive verb normally translated as a past tense in English.

[8:33]  ³⁵⁷ tc ‡ Most later mss (C E Ψ 33^vid Ï sy) read “In his humiliation,” adding αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after ταπεινώσει (tapeinwsei, “humiliation”), while the earlier and better witnesses lack the pronoun (so Ì⁷⁴ א A B 1739 pc lat). However, the LXX of Isa 53:8 also lacks the pronoun, supplying motivation for scribes to omit it here. At the same time, scribes would also be motivated to add the pronoun both for clarity’s sake (note the similar impulse that led to the addition of δέ [de] by many of the same mss at the beginning of the next line) and to give balance to the lines (the pronoun is indisputably used five other times in vv. 32-33 in quoting Isa 53). On balance, the shorter reading is preferred.

[8:33]  ³⁵⁸ tn Or “justice was denied him”; Grk “his justice was taken away.”

[8:33]  ³⁵⁹ tn Or “family; or “origin.” The meaning of γενεά (genea) in the quotation is uncertain; BDAG 192 s.v. γενεά 4 suggests “family history.”

[8:33]  ³⁶⁰ tn Grk “is taken away.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the rest of the quotation.

[8:33]  ³⁶¹ sn A quotation from Isa 53:7-8.

[8:34]  ³⁶¹ tn Grk “answered and said.” The redundant participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqei") has not been translated.

[8:34]  ³⁶² tn Grk “I beg you,” “I ask you.”

[8:34]  ³⁶³ sn About himself, or about someone else? It is likely in 1st century Judaism this would have been understood as either Israel or Isaiah.

[8:35]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “opening his mouth” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:35]  ³⁶⁶ sn Beginning with this scripture. The discussion likely included many of the scriptures Acts has already noted for the reader in earlier speeches. At the least, readers of Acts would know what other scriptures might be meant.

[8:36]  ³⁶⁹ tn Or “What prevents me.” The rhetorical question means, “I should get baptized, right?”

[8:37]  ³⁷³ tc A few later mss (E 36 323 453 945 1739 1891 pc) add, with minor variations, 8:37 “He said to him, ‘If you believe with your whole heart, you may.’ He replied, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” Verse 37 is lacking in {Ì^45,74 א A B C 33 614 vg sy^p,h co}. It is clearly not a part of the original text of Acts. The variant is significant in showing how some in the early church viewed a confession of faith. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[8:38]  ³⁷⁷ tn Grk “and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch.” Since this is somewhat redundant in English, it was simplified to “and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water.”

[8:38]  ³⁷⁸ sn Philip baptized. Again, someone beyond the Twelve has ministered an ordinance of faith.

[8:39]  ³⁸¹ tn BDAG 189 s.v. γάρ 2 indicates that under certain circumstances γάρ (gar) has the same meaning as δέ (de).

[8:39]  ³⁸² sn Note that the response to the gospel is rejoicing (joy, cf. Acts 11:23; 13:48).

[8:40]  ³⁸⁵ tn Or “appeared.”

[8:40]  ³⁸⁶ sn Azotus was a city on the coast of southern Palestine, known as Ashdod in OT times.

[8:40]  ³⁸⁷ tn The words “the area” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[8:40]  ³⁸⁸ tn Or “he preached the gospel.”

[8:40]  ³⁸⁹ tn Or “cities.”

[8:40]  ³⁹⁰ 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.