Acts 15:24

15:24 Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from us and have confused ¹  you, upsetting ²  your minds ³  by what they said, ⁴ 

Acts 17:34

17:34 But some people ⁵  joined him ⁶  and believed. Among them ⁷  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ⁸  a woman ⁹  named Damaris, and others with them.

Acts 20:25

20:25 “And now ¹⁰  I know that none ¹¹  of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom ¹²  will see me ¹³  again.

[15:24]  ¹ tn Here BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2 states, “Of mental confusion caused by false teachings ταρ. τινά Ac 15:24 (w. λόγοις foll.).”

[15:24]  ² tn BDAG 71 s.v. ἀνασκευάζω describes this verb with a figurative meaning: “to cause inward distress, upset, unsettle.”

[15:24]  ³ tn Grk “souls.”

[15:24]  ⁴ tn Grk “by words”; L&N 25.231 translates the phrase “they troubled and upset you by what they said.”

[17:34]  ⁵ tn Although the Greek word here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which normally refers to males, husbands, etc., in this particular context it must have a generic force similar to that of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), since “a woman named Damaris” is mentioned specifically as being part of this group (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).

[17:34]  ⁶ tn Grk “joining him, believed.” The participle κολληθέντες (kollhqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the use of this verb in Acts, see 5:13; 8:29; 9:26; 10:28.

[17:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “among whom.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been translated as a third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[17:34]  ⁸ tn Grk “the Areopagite” (a member of the council of the Areopagus). The noun “Areopagite” is not in common usage today in English. It is clearer to use a descriptive phrase “a member of the Areopagus” (L&N 11.82). However, this phrase alone can be misleading in English: “Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris” could be understood to refer to three people (Dionysius, an unnamed member of the Areopagus, and Damaris) rather than only two. Converting the descriptive phrase to a relative clause in English (“who was a member of the Areopagus”) removes the ambiguity.

[17:34]  ⁹ tn Grk “and a woman”; but this καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[20:25]  ⁹ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25]  ¹¹ sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.

[20:25]  ¹² tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).