Acts 12:17

12:17 He motioned to them ¹  with his hand to be quiet and then related ²  how the Lord had brought ³  him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. ⁴ 

Acts 15:17

15:17 so that the rest of humanity ⁵  may seek the Lord,

namely, ⁶  all the Gentiles ⁷  I have called to be my own,’ ⁸  says the Lord, ⁹  who makes these things

Acts 17:11

17:11 These Jews ¹⁰  were more open-minded ¹¹  than those in Thessalonica, ¹²  for they eagerly ¹³  received ¹⁴  the message, examining ¹⁵  the scriptures carefully every day ¹⁶  to see if these things were so.

Acts 19:21

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ¹⁷  Paul resolved ¹⁸  to go to Jerusalem, ¹⁹  passing through Macedonia ²⁰  and Achaia. ²¹  He said, ²²  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²³ 

[12:17]  ¹ tn Or “He gave them a signal.” Grk “Giving them a signal…he related to them.” The participle κατασείσας (kataseisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:17]  ² tc ‡ Most mss, including some of the most important ones (B D E Ψ Ï sy), read αὐτοῖς (autoi", “to them”) here, while some excellent and early witnesses (Ì^45vid,74vid א A 33 81 945 1739 pc) lack the pronoun. Although it is possible that the pronoun was deleted because it was seen as superfluous, it is also possible that it was added as a natural expansion on the text, strengthening the connection between Peter and his listeners. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[12:17]  ³ tn Or “led.”

[12:17]  ⁴ sn He…went to another place. This is Peter’s last appearance in Acts with the exception of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.

[15:17]  ⁵ tn Or “so that all other people.” The use of this term follows Amos 9:11 LXX.

[15:17]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Or “all the nations” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same).

[15:17]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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.

[17:11]  ⁹ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ¹¹ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  ¹² tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ¹³ tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ¹⁴ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ¹⁵ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[19:21]  ¹³ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

[19:21]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ¹⁶ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ¹⁷ sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[19:21]  ¹⁹ sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.