Acts 1:5

1:5 For ¹  John baptized with water, but you ²  will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 15:28

15:28 For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us ³  not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules: ⁴ 

Acts 7:51

7:51 “You stubborn ⁵  people, with uncircumcised ⁶  hearts and ears! ⁷  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ⁸  did!

Acts 11:16

11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, ⁹  as he used to say, ¹⁰  ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹¹ 

Acts 10:38

10:38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, ¹²  that ¹³  God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He ¹⁴  went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, ¹⁵  because God was with him. ¹⁶ 

[1:5]  ¹ tn In the Greek text v. 5 is a continuation of the previous sentence, which is long and complicated. In keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:5]  ² tn The pronoun is plural in Greek.

[15:28]  ³ tn This is the same expression translated “decided” in Acts 15:22, 25. BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.b.β lists “decide” as a possible gloss for this verse, and this translation would be consistent with the translation of the same expression in Acts 15:22, 25. However, the unusually awkward “the Holy Spirit and we have decided” would result. Given this approach, it would be more natural in English to say “We and the Holy Spirit have decided,” but changing the order removes the emphasis the Greek text gives to the Holy Spirit. Thus, although the similarity to the phrases in 15:22, 25 is obscured, it is better to use the alternate translation “it seems best to me” (also given by BDAG): “it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us.” Again the scope of agreement is highlighted.

[15:28]  ⁴ tn L&N 71.39 translates “indispensable (rules)” while BDAG 358 s.v. ἐπάναγκες has “the necessary things.”

[7:51]  ⁵ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:16]  ⁷ 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; here and in Luke 22:61, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 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.

[11:16]  ⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) is taken as a customary imperfect.

[11:16]  ⁹ sn John…Spirit. This remark repeats Acts 1:5.

[10:38]  ⁹ sn The somewhat awkward naming of Jesus as from Nazareth here is actually emphatic. He is the key subject of these key events.

[10:38]  ¹⁰ tn Or “how.” The use of ὡς (Jws) as an equivalent to ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect or even direct discourse is well documented. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5 lists Acts 10:28 in this category.

[10:38]  ¹¹ tn Grk “power, 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, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[10:38]  ¹² tn The translation “healing all who were oppressed by the devil” is given in L&N 22.22.

[10:38]  ¹³ sn See Acts 7:9.