Acts 11:18

11:18 When they heard this, ¹  they ceased their objections ²  and praised ³  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ⁴  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ⁵ 

Acts 13:46-47

13:46 Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, ⁶  “It was necessary to speak the word of God ⁷  to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy ⁸  of eternal life, we ⁹  are turning to the Gentiles. ¹⁰  13:47 For this ¹¹  is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed ¹²  you to be a light ¹³  for the Gentiles, to bring salvation ¹⁴  to the ends of the earth.’” ¹⁵ 

Acts 14:27

14:27 When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported ¹⁶  all the things God ¹⁷  had done with them, and that he had opened a door ¹⁸  of faith for the Gentiles.

Acts 15:14

15:14 Simeon ¹⁹  has explained ²⁰  how God first concerned himself ²¹  to select ²²  from among the Gentiles ²³  a people for his name.

Acts 15:17

15:17 so that the rest of humanity ²⁴  may seek the Lord,

namely, ²⁵  all the Gentiles ²⁶  I have called to be my own,’ ²⁷  says the Lord, ²⁸  who makes these things

Acts 18:6

18:6 When they opposed him ²⁹  and reviled him, ³⁰  he protested by shaking out his clothes ³¹  and said to them, “Your blood ³²  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ³³  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!”

Acts 22:21

22:21 Then ³⁴  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Acts 26:17-18

26:17 I will rescue ³⁵  you from your own people ³⁶  and from the Gentiles, to whom ³⁷  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ³⁸  from darkness to light and from the power ³⁹  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁴⁰  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Matthew 21:41-43

21:41 They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”

21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ⁴¹ 

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ⁴² 

21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people ⁴³  who will produce its fruit.

Romans 3:29-30

3:29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 3:30 Since God is one, ⁴⁴  he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Romans 4:11

4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, ⁴⁵  so that he would become ⁴⁶  the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, ⁴⁷  that they too could have righteousness credited to them.

Romans 11:11

11:11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, ⁴⁸  did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel ⁴⁹  jealous.

Romans 15:8-16

15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised ⁵⁰  on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ⁵¹  15:9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. ⁵²  As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.” ⁵³  15:10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” ⁵⁴  15:11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” ⁵⁵  15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” ⁵⁶  15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, ⁵⁷  so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s Motivation for Writing the Letter

15:14 But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, ⁵⁸  that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15:15 But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you, because of the grace given to me by God 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve ⁵⁹  the gospel of God ⁶⁰  like a priest, so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering, ⁶¹  sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

[11:18]  ¹ tn Grk “these things.”

[11:18]  ² tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.

[11:18]  ³ tn Or “glorified.”

[11:18]  ⁴ sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).

[11:18]  ⁵ sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.

[13:46]  ⁶ tn Grk “Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out courageously and said.” The redundancy is removed in the translation and the verb “replied” is used in keeping with the logical sequence of events. The theme of boldness reappears: Acts 4:24-30; 9:27-28.

[13:46]  ⁷ tn Grk “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken.” For smoothness and simplicity of English style, the passive construction has been converted to active voice in the translation.

[13:46]  ⁸ tn Or “and consider yourselves unworthy.”

[13:46]  ⁹ tn Grk “behold, we.” In this context ἰδού (idou) is not easily translated into English.

[13:46]  ¹⁰ sn This turning to the Gentiles would be a shocking rebuke to 1st century Jews who thought they alone were the recipients of the promise.

[13:47]  ¹¹ tn Here οὕτως (Joutws) is taken to refer to what follows, the content of the quotation, as given for this verse by BDAG 742 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως 2.

[13:47]  ¹² tn BDAG 1004 s.v. τίθημι 3.a has “τιθέναι τινὰ εἴς τι place/appoint someone to or for (to function as) someth….Ac 13:47.” This is a double accusative construction of object (“you”) and complement (“a light”).

[13:47]  ¹³ sn Paul alludes here to the language of the Servant in Isaiah, pointing to Isa 42:6; 49:6. He and Barnabas do the work of the Servant in Isaiah.

[13:47]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “that you should be for salvation,” but more simply “to bring salvation.”

[13:47]  ¹⁵ sn An allusion to Isa 42:6 and 49:6. The expression the ends of the earth recalls Luke 3:6 and Acts 1:8. Paul sees himself and Barnabas as carrying out the commission of Luke 24:27. (See 2 Cor 6:2, where servant imagery also appears concerning Paul’s message.)

[14:27]  ¹⁶ tn Or “announced.”

[14:27]  ¹⁷ sn Note that God is the subject of the activity. The outcome of this mission is seen as a confirmation of the mission to the Gentiles.

[14:27]  ¹⁸ sn On the image of opening, or of the door, see 1 Cor 16:9; 2 Cor 2:12; Col 4:3.

[15:14]  ¹⁹ sn Simeon is a form of the apostle Peter’s Aramaic name. James uses Peter’s “Jewish” name here.

[15:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “reported,” “described.”

[15:14]  ²¹ tn BDAG 378 s.v. ἐπισκέπτομαι 3 translates this phrase in Acts 15:14, “God concerned himself about winning a people fr. among the nations.”

[15:14]  ²² tn Grk “to take,” but in the sense of selecting or choosing (accompanied by the preposition ἐκ [ek] plus a genitive specifying the group selected from) see Heb 5:1; also BDAG 584 s.v. λαμβάνω 6.

[15:14]  ²³ sn In the Greek text the expression “from among the Gentiles” is in emphatic position.

[15:17]  ²⁴ tn Or “so that all other people.” The use of this term follows Amos 9:11 LXX.

[15:17]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) introduces an explanatory clause that explains the preceding phrase “the rest of humanity.” The clause introduced by καί (kai) could also be punctuated in English as a parenthesis.

[15:17]  ²⁶ tn Or “all the nations” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same).

[15:17]  ²⁷ tn Grk “all the Gentiles on whom my name has been called.” Based on well-attested OT usage, the passive of ἐπικαλέω (epikalew) here indicates God’s ownership (“all the Gentiles who belong to me”) or calling (“all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own”). See L&N 11.28.

[15:17]  ²⁸ sn A quotation from Amos 9:11-12 LXX. James demonstrated a high degree of cultural sensitivity when he cited a version of the text (the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament) that Gentiles would use.

[18:6]  ²⁹ 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.

[18:6]  ³⁰ tn The participle βλασφημούντων (blasfhmountwn) has been taken temporally. The direct object (“him”) is implied rather than expressed and could be impersonal (“it,” referring to what Paul was saying rather than Paul himself), but the verb occurs more often in contexts involving defamation or slander against personal beings (not always God). For a very similar context to this one, compare Acts 13:45. The translation “blaspheme” is not used because in contemporary English its meaning is more narrowly defined and normally refers to blasphemy against God (not what Paul’s opponents were doing here). What they were doing was more like slander or defamation of character.

[18:6]  ³¹ tn Grk “shaking out his clothes, he said to them.” L&N 16:8 translates Acts 18:6 “when they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes.” The addition of the verb “protested by” in the translation is necessary to clarify for the modern reader that this is a symbolic action. It is similar but not identical to the phrase in Acts 13:51, where the dust from the feet is shaken off. The participle ἐκτιναξάμενος (ektinaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:6]  ³² sn Your blood be on your own heads! By invoking this epithet Paul declared himself not responsible for their actions in rejecting Jesus whom Paul preached (cf. Ezek 33:4; 3:6-21; Matt 23:35; 27:25).

[18:6]  ³³ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

[22:21]  ³⁴ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[26:17]  ³⁵ tn Grk “rescuing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ἐξαιρούμενος (exairoumeno") has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 17.

[26:17]  ³⁶ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ³⁷ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is probably both the Jews (“your own people”) and the Gentiles, indicating the comprehensive commission Paul received.

[26:18]  ³⁸ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ³⁹ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[21:42]  ⁴¹ tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.

[21:42]  ⁴² sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.

[21:43]  ⁴³ tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).

[3:30]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “but if indeed God is one.”

[4:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “of the faith, the one [existing] in uncircumcision.”

[4:11]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “that he might be,” giving the purpose of v. 11a.

[4:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “through uncircumcision.”

[11:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “that they might fall.”

[11:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “them”; the referent (Israel, cf. 11:7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “of the circumcision”; that is, the Jews.

[15:8]  ⁵¹ tn Or “to the patriarchs.”

[15:9]  ⁵² tn There are two major syntactical alternatives which are both awkward: (1) One could make “glorify” dependent on “Christ has become a minister” and coordinate with “to confirm” and the result would be rendered “Christ has become a minister of circumcision to confirm the promises…and so that the Gentiles might glorify God.” (2) One could make “glorify” dependent on “I tell you” and coordinate with “Christ has become a minister” and the result would be rendered “I tell you that Christ has become a minister of circumcision…and that the Gentiles glorify God.” The second rendering is preferred.

[15:9]  ⁵³ sn A quotation from Ps 18:49.

[15:10]  ⁵⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 32:43.

[15:11]  ⁵⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 117:1.

[15:12]  ⁵⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 11:10.

[15:13]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “in the believing” or “as [you] believe,” with the object “him” supplied from the context. The referent could be God (15:13a) or Christ (15:12).

[15:14]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[15:16]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “serving.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but in keeping with contemporary English style, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[15:16]  ⁶⁰ tn The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ (to euangelion tou qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself.

[15:16]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “so that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable.” This could be understood to refer to an offering belonging to the Gentiles (a possessive genitive) or made by the Gentiles (subjective genitive), but more likely the phrase should be understood as an appositive genitive, with the Gentiles themselves consisting of the offering (so J. D. G. Dunn, Romans [WBC 38], 2:860). The latter view is reflected in the translation “so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering.”