Acts 10:35

10:35 but in every nation ¹  the person who fears him ²  and does what is right ³  is welcomed before him.

Acts 16:38

16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ⁴  were Roman citizens ⁵ 

Acts 27:29

27:29 Because they were afraid ⁶  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ⁷  they threw out ⁸  four anchors from the stern and wished ⁹  for day to appear. ¹⁰ 

Acts 5:26

5:26 Then the commander ¹¹  of the temple guard ¹²  went with the officers ¹³  and brought the apostles ¹⁴  without the use of force ¹⁵  (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). ¹⁶ 

Acts 9:26

Saul Returns to Jerusalem

9:26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, ¹⁷  he attempted to associate ¹⁸  with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe ¹⁹  that he was a disciple.

Acts 10:2

10:2 He ²⁰  was a devout, God-fearing man, ²¹  as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people ²²  and prayed to God regularly.

Acts 13:16

13:16 So Paul stood up, ²³  gestured ²⁴  with his hand and said,

“Men of Israel, ²⁵  and you Gentiles who fear God, ²⁶  listen:

Acts 13:26

13:26 Brothers, ²⁷  descendants ²⁸  of Abraham’s family, ²⁹  and those Gentiles among you who fear God, ³⁰  the message ³¹  of this salvation has been sent to us.

Acts 18:9

18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ³²  in the night, ³³  “Do not be afraid, ³⁴  but speak and do not be silent,

Acts 27:17

27:17 After the crew ³⁵  had hoisted it aboard, ³⁶  they used supports ³⁷  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ³⁸  on the Syrtis, ³⁹  they lowered the sea anchor, ⁴⁰  thus letting themselves be driven along.

Acts 27:24

27:24 and said, ⁴¹  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ⁴²  Caesar, ⁴³  and God has graciously granted you the safety ⁴⁴  of all who are sailing with you.’

Acts 22:29

22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ⁴⁵  from him, and the commanding officer ⁴⁶  was frightened when he realized that Paul ⁴⁷  was ⁴⁸  a Roman citizen ⁴⁹  and that he had had him tied up. ⁵⁰ 

Acts 23:10

23:10 When the argument became ⁵¹  so great the commanding officer ⁵²  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ⁵³  he ordered the detachment ⁵⁴  to go down, take him away from them by force, ⁵⁵  and bring him into the barracks. ⁵⁶ 

Acts 10:22

10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, ⁵⁷  a righteous ⁵⁸  and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, ⁵⁹  was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message ⁶⁰  from you.”

[10:35]  ¹ sn See Luke 24:47.

[10:35]  ² tn Or “shows reverence for him.”

[10:35]  ³ tn Grk “works righteousness”; the translation “does what is right” for this phrase in this verse is given by L&N 25.85.

[16:38]  ⁴ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ⁵ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

[27:29]  ⁷ tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ⁸ tn Grk “against a rough [rocky] place.” L&N 79.84 has “φοβούμενοί τε μή που κατὰ τραχεῖς τόποις ἐκπέσωμεν ‘we were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast’ Ac 27:29.”

[27:29]  ⁹ tn Grk “throwing out…they.” The participle ῥίψαντες (rJiyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:29]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 417 s.v. εὔχομαι 2 states, “wish…τὶ for someth.…Foll. by acc. and inf….Ac 27:29.” The other possible meaning for this term, “pray,” is given in BDAG 417 s.v. 1 and employed by a number of translations (NAB, NRSV, NIV). If this meaning is adopted here, then “prayed for day to come” must be understood metaphorically to mean “prayed that they would live to see the day,” or “prayed that it would soon be day.”

[27:29]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[5:26]  ¹⁰ tn Or “captain.”

[5:26]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[5:26]  ¹² tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.

[5:26]  ¹³ tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:26]  ¹⁴ tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.

[5:26]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.

[9:26]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:26]  ¹⁴ tn Or “join.”

[9:26]  ¹⁵ tn The participle πιστεύοντες (pisteuonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[10:2]  ¹⁶ tn In the Greek text this represents a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[10:2]  ¹⁷ sn The description of Cornelius as a devout, God-fearing man probably means that he belonged to the category called “God-fearers,” Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 43-44, and Sir 11:17; 27:11; 39:27.

[10:2]  ¹⁸ tn Or “gave many gifts to the poor.” This was known as “giving alms,” or acts of mercy (Sir 7:10; BDAG 315-16 s.v. ἐλεημοσύνη).

[13:16]  ¹⁹ tn This participle, ἀναστάς (anasta"), and the following one, κατασείσας (kataseisa"), are both translated as adverbial participles of attendant circumstance.

[13:16]  ²⁰ tn Or “motioned.”

[13:16]  ²¹ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context involving an address to a synagogue gathering, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Paul’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[13:16]  ²² tn Grk “and those who fear God,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44.

[13:26]  ²² tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[13:26]  ²³ tn Grk “sons”

[13:26]  ²⁴ tn Or “race.”

[13:26]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and those among you who fear God,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44. Note how Paul includes God-fearing Gentiles as recipients of this promise.

[13:26]  ²⁶ tn Grk “word.”

[18:9]  ²⁵ sn Frequently in Acts such a vision will tell the reader where events are headed. See Acts 10:9-16 and 16:9-10 for other accounts of visions.

[18:9]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ²⁷ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[27:17]  ²⁸ tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ²⁹ tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ³⁰ tn Possibly “ropes” or “cables”; Grk “helps” (a word of uncertain meaning; probably a nautical technical term, BDAG 180 s.v. βοήθεια 2).

[27:17]  ³¹ tn BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 2 states, “drift off course, run aground, nautical term εἴς τι on someth….on the Syrtis 27:17.”

[27:17]  ³² tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  ³³ tn Or perhaps “mainsail.” The meaning of this word is uncertain. BDAG 927 s.v. σκεῦος 1 has “τὸ σκεῦος Ac 27:17 seems to be the kedge or driving anchor” while C. Maurer (TDNT 7:362) notes, “The meaning in Ac. 27:17: χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦος, is uncertain. Prob. the ref. is not so much to taking down the sails as to throwing the draganchor overboard to lessen the speed of the ship.” In spite of this L&N 6.1 states, “In Ac 27:17, for example, the reference of σκεῦος is generally understood to be the mainsail.” A reference to the sail is highly unlikely because in a storm of the force described in Ac 27:14, the sail would have been taken down and reefed immediately, to prevent its being ripped to shreds or torn away by the gale.

[27:24]  ³¹ tn Grk “came to me saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:24]  ³² tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “Also as a t.t. of legal usage appear before, come before…Καίσαρι σε δεῖ παραστῆναι you must stand before the Emperor (as judge) Ac 27:24.” See Acts 23:11. Luke uses the verb δεῖ (dei) to describe what must occur.

[27:24]  ³³ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ³⁴ tn Grk “God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.” The words “the safety of” have been supplied to clarify the meaning of the verb κεχάρισται (kecaristai) in this context.

[22:29]  ³⁴ tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.

[22:29]  ³⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ³⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ³⁷ tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29]  ³⁸ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ³⁹ sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.

[23:10]  ³⁷ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ³⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[23:10]  ³⁹ tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.

[23:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:10]  ⁴¹ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ⁴² tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[10:22]  ⁴⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[10:22]  ⁴¹ tn Or “just.”

[10:22]  ⁴² tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.

[10:22]  ⁴³ tn Grk “hear words.”