Acts 11:20-21

11:20 But there were some men from Cyprus ¹  and Cyrene ²  among them who came ³  to Antioch ⁴  and began to speak to the Greeks ⁵  too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 11:21 The ⁶  hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed ⁷  turned ⁸  to the Lord.

[11:20]  ¹ sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[11:20]  ² sn Cyrene was a city on the northern African coast west of Egypt.

[11:20]  ³ tn Grk “among them, coming to Antioch began to speak.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[11:20]  ⁴ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:20]  ⁵ sn The statement that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene…began to speak to the Greeks shows that Peter’s experience of reaching out to the Gentiles was not unique.

[11:21]  ⁶ 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.

[11:21]  ⁷ tn The participle πιστεύσας (pisteusa") is articular and thus cannot be adverbial. It is adjectival, modifying ἀριθμός (ariqmo"), but has been translated into English as a relative clause (“who believed”).

[11:21]  ⁸ sn Again, the expression turned is a summary term for responding to the gospel.