Acts 13:16

13:16 So Paul stood up, ¹  gestured ²  with his hand and said,

“Men of Israel, ³  and you Gentiles who fear God, ⁴  listen:

Acts 13:43

13:43 When the meeting of the synagogue ⁵  had broken up, ⁶  many of the Jews and God-fearing proselytes ⁷  followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and were persuading ⁸  them ⁹  to continue ¹⁰  in the grace of God.

Acts 10:35

10:35 but in every nation ¹¹  the person who fears him ¹²  and does what is right ¹³  is welcomed before him.

[13:16]  ¹ tn This participle, ἀναστάς (anasta"), and the following one, κατασείσας (kataseisa"), are both translated as adverbial participles of attendant circumstance.

[13:16]  ² tn Or “motioned.”

[13:16]  ³ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context involving an address to a synagogue gathering, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Paul’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[13:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “and those who fear God,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44.

[13:43]  ⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[13:43]  ⁶ tn BDAG 607 s.v. λύω 3 has “λυθείσης τ. συναγωγῆς when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up Ac 13:43.”

[13:43]  ⁷ tn Normally the phrase σεβόμενοι τὸν θεόν (sebomenoi ton qeon) refers to Gentiles (“God-fearers”) who believed in God, attended the synagogue, and followed the Mosaic law to some extent, but stopped short of undergoing circumcision. BDAG 918 s.v. σέβω 1.b lists in this category references in Acts 16:14; 18:7; with σεβόμενοι alone, Acts 13:50; 17:4, 17; the phrase is also found in Josephus, Ant. 14.7.2 (14.110). Unique to this particular verse is the combination σεβόμενοι προσηλύτων (sebomenoi proshlutwn). Later rabbinic discussion suggests that to be regarded as a proper proselyte, a Gentile male had to submit to circumcision. If that is the case here, these Gentiles in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch should be regarded as full proselytes who had converted completely to Judaism and undergone circumcision. It is probably more likely, however, that προσηλύτων is used here in a somewhat looser sense (note the use of σεβομένας [sebomena"] alone to refer to women in Acts 13:50) and that these Gentiles were still in the category commonly called “God-fearers” without being full, technical proselytes to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44. Regardless, the point is that many Gentiles, as well as Jews, came to faith.

[13:43]  ⁸ tn This is the meaning given for ἔπειθον (epeiqon) in this verse by BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b.

[13:43]  ⁹ tn Grk “who, as they were speaking with them, were persuading them.”

[13:43]  ¹⁰ tn The verb προμένειν (promenein) is similar in force to the use of μένω (menw, “to reside/remain”) in the Gospel and Epistles of John.

[10:35]  ¹¹ sn See Luke 24:47.

[10:35]  ¹² tn Or “shows reverence for him.”

[10:35]  ¹³ tn Grk “works righteousness”; the translation “does what is right” for this phrase in this verse is given by L&N 25.85.