Acts 12:8

12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ¹  and put on your sandals.” Peter ²  did so. Then the angel ³  said to him, “Put on your cloak ⁴  and follow me.”

Acts 21:3

21:3 After we sighted Cyprus ⁵  and left it behind on our port side, ⁶  we sailed on to Syria and put in ⁷  at Tyre, ⁸  because the ship was to unload its cargo there.

[12:8]  ¹ tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.

[12:8]  ² tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ⁴ tn Or “outer garment.”

[21:3]  ⁵ sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[21:3]  ⁶ sn The expression left it behind on our port side here means “sailed past to the south of it” since the ship was sailing east.

[21:3]  ⁷ tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[21:3]  ⁸ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia. From Patara to Tyre was about 400 mi (640 km). It required a large cargo ship over 100 ft (30 m) long, and was a four to five day voyage.