Acts 12:21

12:21 On a day determined in advance, Herod ¹  put on his royal robes, ²  sat down on the judgment seat, ³  and made a speech ⁴  to them.

Isaiah 3:3

3:3 captains of groups of fifty,

the respected citizens, ⁵ 

advisers and those skilled in magical arts, ⁶ 

and those who know incantations.

Isaiah 3:1

A Coming Leadership Crisis

3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies ⁷ 

is about to remove from Jerusalem ⁸  and Judah

every source of security, including ⁹ 

all the food and water, ¹⁰ 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ¹¹  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ¹² 

Colossians 2:4

2:4 I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments ¹³  that sound reasonable. ¹⁴ 

[12:21]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:21]  ² tn Or “apparel.” On Herod’s robes see Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.344), summarized in the note at the end of v. 23.

[12:21]  ³ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “speaker’s platform” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“rostrum,” NASB; “platform,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[12:21]  ⁴ tn Or “delivered a public address.”

[3:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “the ones lifted up with respect to the face.” For another example of the Hebrew idiom, see 2 Kgs 5:1.

[3:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the wise with respect to magic.” On the meaning of חֲרָשִׁים (kharashim, “magic”), see HALOT 358 s.v. III חרשׁ. Some understand here a homonym, meaning “craftsmen.” In this case, one could translate, “skilled craftsmen” (cf. NIV, NASB).

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “the master, the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].” On the title “the Lord who commands armies,” see the note at 1:9.

[3:1]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “support and support.” The masculine and feminine forms of the noun are placed side-by-side to emphasize completeness. See GKC 394 §122.v.

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all the support of food, and all the support of water.”

[2:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ¹² tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[2:4]  ¹³ tn BDAG 812 s.v. πιθανολογία states, “persuasive speech, art of persuasion (so Pla., Theaet. 162e) in an unfavorable sense in its only occurrence in our lit. ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ by specious arguments Col 2:4 (cp. PLips 40 III, 7 διὰ πιθανολογίας).”

[2:4]  ¹⁴ sn Paul’s point is that even though the arguments seem to make sense (sound reasonable), they are in the end false. Paul is not here arguing against the study of philosophy or serious thinking per se, but is arguing against the uncritical adoption of a philosophy that is at odds with a proper view of Christ and the ethics of the Christian life.