Acts 12:3

12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, ¹  he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) ² 

Acts 25:9

25:9 But Festus, ³  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ⁴  before me there on these charges?” ⁵ 

Acts 25:14

25:14 While ⁶  they were staying there many days, Festus ⁷  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ⁸  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.

Exodus 23:2

23:2 “You must not follow a crowd ⁹  in doing evil things; ¹⁰  in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice, ¹¹ 

Proverbs 29:25

29:25 The fear of people ¹²  becomes ¹³  a snare, ¹⁴ 

but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. ¹⁵ 

Mark 15:15

15:15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, ¹⁶  after he had Jesus flogged, ¹⁷  he handed him over ¹⁸  to be crucified.

Luke 23:24-25

23:24 So ¹⁹  Pilate ²⁰  decided ²¹  that their demand should be granted. 23:25 He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over ²²  to their will. ²³ 

Galatians 1:10

1:10 Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, ²⁴  or of God? Or am I trying to please people? ²⁵  If I were still trying to please ²⁶  people, ²⁷  I would not be a slave ²⁸  of Christ!

[12:3]  ¹ tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.

[12:3]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[25:9]  ³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ⁴ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ⁵ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:14]  ⁶ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b states, “w. pres. or impf. while, when, as long as…Ac 1:10; 7:23; 9:23; 10:17; 13:25; 19:9; 21:27; 25:14.”

[25:14]  ⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king for consideration.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατίθημι 2 states, “otherw. only mid. to lay someth. before someone for consideration, declare, communicate, refer w. the added idea that the pers. to whom a thing is ref. is asked for his opinion lay someth. before someone for consideration…Ac 25:14.”

[23:2]  ⁹ tn The word רָבִּים (rabbim), here rendered “crowd,” is also used infrequently to refer to the “mighty,” people of importance in society (Job 35:9; cf. Lev 19:15).

[23:2]  ¹⁰ tn For any individual to join a group that is bent on acting wickedly would be a violation of the Law and would incur personal responsibility.

[23:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “you will not answer in a lawsuit to turn after the crowd to turn.” The form translated “agrees with” (Heb “to turn after”) is a Qal infinitive construct from נָטָה (natah); the same root is used at the end of the verse but as a Hiphil infinitive construct, “to pervert [justice].”

[29:25]  ¹² tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.

[29:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”

[29:25]  ¹⁴ sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap – there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.

[29:25]  ¹⁵ sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the Lord sets people free and gives them a sense of safety and security (e.g, Prov 10:27; 12:2).

[15:15]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:15]  ¹⁷ tn The Greek term φραγελλόω (fragellow) refers to flogging. BDAG 1064 s.v. states, “flog, scourge, a punishment inflicted on slaves and provincials after a sentence of death had been pronounced on them. So in the case of Jesus before the crucifixion…Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15.”

[15:15]  ¹⁸ tn Or “delivered him up.”

[23:24]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the crowd’s cries prevailing.

[23:24]  ²⁰ sn Finally Pilate gave in. He decided crucifying one Galilean teacher was better than facing a riot. Justice lost out in the process, because he did not follow his own verdict.

[23:24]  ²¹ tn Although some translations render ἐπέκρινεν (epekrinen) here as “passed sentence” or “gave his verdict,” the point in context is not that Pilate sentenced Jesus to death here, but that finally, although convinced of Jesus’ innocence, he gave in to the crowd’s incessant demand to crucify an innocent man.

[23:25]  ²² tn Or “delivered up.”

[23:25]  ²³ sn He handed Jesus over to their will. Here is where Luke places the major blame for Jesus’ death. It lies with the Jewish nation, especially the leadership, though in Acts 4:24-27 he will bring in the opposition of Herod, Pilate, and all people.

[1:10]  ²⁴ tn Grk “of men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") is used in a generic sense of both men and women.

[1:10]  ²⁵ tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is used in a generic sense of both men and women.

[1:10]  ²⁶ tn The imperfect verb has been translated conatively (ExSyn 550).

[1:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is used in a generic sense of both men and women.

[1:10]  ²⁸ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.