Acts 12:20

12:20 Now Herod ¹  was having an angry quarrel ²  with the people of Tyre ³  and Sidon. ⁴  So they joined together ⁵  and presented themselves before him. And after convincing ⁶  Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, ⁷  to help them, ⁸  they asked for peace, ⁹  because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country.

Acts 15:7

15:7 After there had been much debate, ¹⁰  Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago ¹¹  God chose ¹²  me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message ¹³  of the gospel ¹⁴  and believe. ¹⁵ 

Acts 17:5

17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ¹⁶  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ¹⁷  they formed a mob ¹⁸  and set the city in an uproar. ¹⁹  They attacked Jason’s house, ²⁰  trying to find Paul and Silas ²¹  to bring them out to the assembly. ²² 

Acts 23:15

23:15 So now you and the council ²³  request the commanding officer ²⁴  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ²⁵  his case ²⁶  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ²⁷  We are ready to kill him ²⁸  before he comes near this place.” ²⁹ 

Acts 28:23

28:23 They set ³⁰  a day to meet with him, ³¹  and they came to him where he was staying ³²  in even greater numbers. ³³  From morning until evening he explained things ³⁴  to them, ³⁵  testifying ³⁶  about the kingdom of God ³⁷  and trying to convince ³⁸  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.

[12:20]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:20]  ² tn Or “was extremely angry.” L&N 33.453 gives the meaning “be angry and quarrel, quarrel angrily” here. However, in L&N 88.180 the alternative “to be violently angry, to be furious” is given. The term is used only once in the NT (BDAG 461 s.v. θυμομαχέω).

[12:20]  ³ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[12:20]  ⁴ sn Sidon was an ancient Phoenician royal city on the coast between Berytus (Beirut) and Tyre (BDAG 923 s.v. Σιδών).

[12:20]  ⁵ tn Or “with one accord.”

[12:20]  ⁶ tn Or “persuading.”

[12:20]  ⁷ tn On the term translated “personal assistant” BDAG 554 s.v. κοιτῶν states, “used as part of a title: ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος the one in charge of the bed-chamber, the chamberlain.” This individual was not just a domestic servant or butler, but a highly respected person who had considerable responsibility for the king’s living quarters and personal affairs. The English word “chamberlain” corresponds very closely to this meaning but is not in common use today. The term “personal assistant,” while it might convey more business associations than management of personal affairs, nevertheless communicates the concept well in contemporary English.

[12:20]  ⁸ tn The words “to help them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:20]  ⁹ tn Or “for a reconciliation.” There were grave political risks in having Herod angry at them. The detail shows the ruler’s power.

[15:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “discussion.” This term is repeated from v. 2.

[15:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “long ago” (an idiom, literally “from ancient days”). According to L&N 67.26, “this reference to Peter having been chosen by God sometime before to bring the gospel to the Gentiles can hardly be regarded as a reference to ancient times, though some persons understand this to mean that God’s decision was made at the beginning of time. The usage of ἀφ᾿ ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων is probably designed to emphasize the established nature of God’s decision for Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles beginning with the centurion Cornelius. The fact that this was relatively early in the development of the church may also serve to explain the use of the idiom.”

[15:7]  ¹² sn God chose. The theme of God’s sovereign choice is an important point, because 1st century Jews believed Israel’s unique position and customs were a reflection of God’s choice.

[15:7]  ¹³ tn Or “word.”

[15:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or “of the good news.”

[15:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “God chose among you from my mouth the Gentiles to hear the message of the gospel and to believe.” The sense of this sentence in Greek is difficult to render in English. The Greek verb ἐκλέγομαι (eklegomai, “choose”) normally takes a person or thing as a direct object; in this verse the verb has neither clearly stated. The translation understands the phrase “from my mouth,” referring to Peter, as a description of both who God chose and the task to be done. This coupled with the following statement about Gentiles hearing the message of the gospel leads to the more dynamic rendering in the translation.

[17:5]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).

[17:5]  ²⁰ tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”

[17:5]  ²¹ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ²² tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.

[17:5]  ²³ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ²⁴ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ²⁵ tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”

[23:15]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ³⁰ tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”

[23:15]  ³¹ tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ³² tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ³³ sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.

[23:15]  ³⁴ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ³⁹ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ⁴⁰ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ⁴¹ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[28:23]  ⁴² tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:23]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”

[28:23]  ⁴⁴ sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.

[28:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “persuade.”