Discovery BoxActs 14:1-12
Context14:1 The same thing happened in Iconium 1 when Paul and Barnabas 2 went into the Jewish synagogue 3 and spoke in such a way that a large group 4 of both Jews and Greeks believed. 14:2 But the Jews who refused to believe 5 stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds 6 against the brothers. 14:3 So they stayed there 7 for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified 8 to the message 9 of his grace, granting miraculous signs 10 and wonders to be performed through their hands. 14:4 But the population 11 of the city was divided; some 12 sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. 14:5 When both the Gentiles and the Jews (together with their rulers) made 13 an attempt to mistreat 14 them and stone them, 15 14:6 Paul and Barnabas 16 learned about it 17 and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra 18 and Derbe 19 and the surrounding region. 14:7 There 20 they continued to proclaim 21 the good news.
14:8 In 22 Lystra 23 sat a man who could not use his feet, 24 lame from birth, 25 who had never walked. 14:9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul 26 stared 27 intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed, 14:10 he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” 28 And the man 29 leaped up and began walking. 30 14:11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted 31 in the Lycaonian language, 32 “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 33 14:12 They began to call 34 Barnabas Zeus 35 and Paul Hermes, 36 because he was the chief speaker.
[14:1] 1 sn Iconium. See the note in 13:51.
[14:1] 2 tn Grk “they”; the referents (Paul and Barnabas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:1] 3 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
[14:1] 4 tn Or “that a large crowd.”
[14:2] 5 tn Or “who would not believe.”
[14:2] 6 tn Or “embittered their minds” (Grk “their souls”). BDAG 502 s.v. κακόω 2 has “make angry, embitter τὰς ψυχάς τινων κατά τινος poison the minds of some persons against another Ac 14:2.”
[14:3] 7 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[14:3] 8 sn The Lord testified to the message by granting the signs described in the following clause.
[14:3] 10 tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.
[14:4] 11 tn BDAG 825 s.v. πλῆθος 2.b.γ has this translation for πλῆθος (plhqo").
[14:4] 12 tn These clauses are a good example of the contrastive μὲν…δέ (men…de) construction: Some “on the one hand” sided with the Jews, but some “on the other hand” sided with the apostles.
[14:5] 13 tn Grk “So there came about an attempt” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[14:5] 14 tn On this verb see BDAG 1022 s.v. ὑβρίζω.
[14:5] 15 tn The direct object “them” is repeated after both verbs in the translation for stylistic reasons, although it occurs only after λιθοβολῆσαι (liqobolhsai) in the Greek text.
[14:6] 16 tn Grk “they”; the referents (Paul and Barnabas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:6] 17 tn Grk “learning about it, fled.” The participle συνιδόντες (sunidonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. It could also be taken temporally (“when they learned about it”) as long as opening clause of v. 5 is not translated as a temporal clause too, which results in a redundancy.
[14:6] 18 sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) south of Iconium, a Roman colony that was not on the main roads of Lycaonia. Because of its relative isolation, its local character was able to be preserved.
[14:6] 19 sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra.
[14:7] 20 tn Grk “region, and there.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated and a new sentence begun in the translation.
[14:7] 21 tn The periphrastic construction εὐαγγελιζόμενοι ἦσαν (euangelizomenoi hsan) has been translated as a progressive imperfect.
[14:8] 22 tn Grk “And in.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
[14:8] 23 sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) south of Iconium.
[14:8] 24 tn Grk “powerless in his feet,” meaning he was unable to use his feet to walk.
[14:8] 25 tn Grk “lame from his mother’s womb” (an idiom).
[14:9] 26 tn Grk “speaking, who.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the noun “Paul,” and a new sentence begun in the translation because an English relative clause would be very awkward here.
[14:10] 28 tn BDAG 722 s.v. ὀρθός 1.a has “stand upright on your feet.”
[14:10] 29 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:10] 30 tn This verb is imperfect tense in contrast to the previous verb, which is aorist. It has been translated ingressively, since the start of a sequence is in view here.
[14:11] 31 tn Grk “they lifted up their voice” (an idiom).
[14:11] 32 tn Grk “in Lycaonian, saying.” The word “language” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[14:11] 33 tn So BDAG 707 s.v. ὁμοιόω 1. However, L&N 64.4 takes the participle ὁμοιωθέντες (Jomoiwqente") as an adjectival participle modifying θεοί (qeoi): “the gods resembling men have come down to us.”
[14:12] 34 tn The imperfect verb ἐκάλουν (ekaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
[14:12] 35 sn Zeus was the chief Greek deity, worshiped throughout the Greco-Roman world (known to the Romans as Jupiter).
[14:12] 36 sn Hermes was a Greek god who (according to Greek mythology) was the messenger of the gods and the god of oratory (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury).
