Acts 15:1--18:28

The Jerusalem Council

15:1 Now some men came down from Judea ¹  and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised ²  according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 15:2 When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate ³  with them, the church ⁴  appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with ⁵  the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ⁶  about this point of disagreement. ⁷  15:3 So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia ⁸  and Samaria, they were relating at length ⁹  the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy ¹⁰  to all the brothers. 15:4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received ¹¹  by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported ¹²  all the things God had done with them. ¹³  15:5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees ¹⁴  who had believed stood up and said, “It is necessary ¹⁵  to circumcise the Gentiles ¹⁶  and to order them to observe ¹⁷  the law of Moses.”

15:6 Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate ¹⁸  about this matter. 15:7 After there had been much debate, ¹⁹  Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago ²⁰  God chose ²¹  me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message ²²  of the gospel ²³  and believe. ²⁴  15:8 And God, who knows the heart, ²⁵  has testified ²⁶  to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ²⁷  15:9 and he made no distinction ²⁸  between them and us, cleansing ²⁹  their hearts by faith. 15:10 So now why are you putting God to the test ³⁰  by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke ³¹  that neither our ancestors ³²  nor we have been able to bear? 15:11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through ³³  the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are.” ³⁴ 

15:12 The whole group kept quiet ³⁵  and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs ³⁶  and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 15:13 After they stopped speaking, ³⁷  James replied, ³⁸  “Brothers, listen to me. 15:14 Simeon ³⁹  has explained ⁴⁰  how God first concerned himself ⁴¹  to select ⁴²  from among the Gentiles ⁴³  a people for his name. 15:15 The ⁴⁴  words of the prophets agree ⁴⁵  with this, as it is written,

15:16 ‘After this ⁴⁶  I ⁴⁷  will return,

and I will rebuild the fallen tent ⁴⁸  of David;

I will rebuild its ruins and restore ⁴⁹  it,

15:17 so that the rest of humanity ⁵⁰  may seek the Lord,

namely, ⁵¹  all the Gentiles ⁵²  I have called to be my own,’ ⁵³  says the Lord, ⁵⁴  who makes these things 15:18 known ⁵⁵  from long ago. ⁵⁶ 

15:19 “Therefore I conclude ⁵⁷  that we should not cause extra difficulty ⁵⁸  for those among the Gentiles ⁵⁹  who are turning to God, 15:20 but that we should write them a letter ⁶⁰  telling them to abstain ⁶¹  from things defiled ⁶²  by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled ⁶³  and from blood. 15:21 For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times, ⁶⁴  because he is read aloud ⁶⁵  in the synagogues ⁶⁶  every Sabbath.”

15:22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided ⁶⁷  to send men chosen from among them, Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, ⁶⁸  leaders among the brothers, to Antioch ⁶⁹  with Paul and Barnabas. 15:23 They sent this letter with them: ⁷⁰ 

From the apostles ⁷¹  and elders, your brothers, ⁷²  to the Gentile brothers and sisters ⁷³  in Antioch, ⁷⁴  Syria, ⁷⁵  and Cilicia, greetings! 15:24 Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from us and have confused ⁷⁶  you, upsetting ⁷⁷  your minds ⁷⁸  by what they said, ⁷⁹  15:25 we have unanimously ⁸⁰  decided ⁸¹  to choose men to send to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul, 15:26 who ⁸²  have risked their lives ⁸³  for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸⁴  15:27 Therefore we are sending ⁸⁵  Judas and Silas ⁸⁶  who will tell you these things themselves in person. ⁸⁷  15:28 For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us ⁸⁸  not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules: ⁸⁹  15:29 that you abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols ⁹⁰  and from blood and from what has been strangled ⁹¹  and from sexual immorality. ⁹²  If you keep yourselves from doing these things, ⁹³  you will do well. Farewell. ⁹⁴ 

15:30 So when they were dismissed, ⁹⁵  they went down to Antioch, ⁹⁶  and after gathering the entire group ⁹⁷  together, they delivered the letter. 15:31 When they read it aloud, ⁹⁸  the people ⁹⁹  rejoiced at its encouragement. ¹⁰⁰  15:32 Both Judas and Silas, who were prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with a long speech. ¹⁰¹  15:33 After ¹⁰²  they had spent some time there, ¹⁰³  they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 15:34 [[EMPTY]] ¹⁰⁴  15:35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, ¹⁰⁵  teaching and proclaiming (along with many others) ¹⁰⁶  the word of the Lord. ¹⁰⁷ 

Paul and Barnabas Part Company

15:36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return ¹⁰⁸  and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord ¹⁰⁹  to see how they are doing.” ¹¹⁰  15:37 Barnabas wanted to bring John called Mark along with them too, 15:38 but Paul insisted ¹¹¹  that they should not take along this one who had left them in Pamphylia ¹¹²  and had not accompanied them in the work. 15:39 They had ¹¹³  a sharp disagreement, ¹¹⁴  so that they parted company. Barnabas took along ¹¹⁵  Mark and sailed away to Cyprus, ¹¹⁶  15:40 but Paul chose Silas and set out, commended ¹¹⁷  to the grace of the Lord by the brothers and sisters. ¹¹⁸  15:41 He passed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening ¹¹⁹  the churches.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16:1 He also came to Derbe ¹²⁰  and to Lystra. ¹²¹  A disciple ¹²²  named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, ¹²³  but whose father was a Greek. ¹²⁴  16:2 The brothers in Lystra ¹²⁵  and Iconium ¹²⁶  spoke well ¹²⁷  of him. ¹²⁸  16:3 Paul wanted Timothy ¹²⁹  to accompany him, and he took ¹³⁰  him and circumcised ¹³¹  him because of the Jews who were in those places, ¹³²  for they all knew that his father was Greek. ¹³³  16:4 As they went through the towns, ¹³⁴  they passed on ¹³⁵  the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ¹³⁶  for the Gentile believers ¹³⁷  to obey. ¹³⁸  16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day. ¹³⁹ 

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man

16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia ¹⁴⁰  and Galatia, ¹⁴¹  having been prevented ¹⁴²  by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message ¹⁴³  in the province of Asia. ¹⁴⁴  16:7 When they came to ¹⁴⁵  Mysia, ¹⁴⁶  they attempted to go into Bithynia, ¹⁴⁷  but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow ¹⁴⁸  them to do this, ¹⁴⁹  16:8 so they passed through ¹⁵⁰  Mysia ¹⁵¹  and went down to Troas. ¹⁵²  16:9 A ¹⁵³  vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there ¹⁵⁴  urging him, ¹⁵⁵  “Come over ¹⁵⁶  to Macedonia ¹⁵⁷  and help us!” 16:10 After Paul ¹⁵⁸  saw the vision, we attempted ¹⁵⁹  immediately to go over to Macedonia, ¹⁶⁰  concluding that God had called ¹⁶¹  us to proclaim the good news to them.

Arrival at Philippi

16:11 We put out to sea ¹⁶²  from Troas ¹⁶³  and sailed a straight course ¹⁶⁴  to Samothrace, ¹⁶⁵  the next day to Neapolis, ¹⁶⁶  16:12 and from there to Philippi, ¹⁶⁷  which is a leading city of that district ¹⁶⁸  of Macedonia, ¹⁶⁹  a Roman colony. ¹⁷⁰  We stayed in this city for some days. 16:13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down ¹⁷¹  and began to speak ¹⁷²  to the women ¹⁷³  who had assembled there. ¹⁷⁴  16:14 A ¹⁷⁵  woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth ¹⁷⁶  from the city of Thyatira, ¹⁷⁷  a God-fearing woman, listened to us. ¹⁷⁸  The Lord opened her heart to respond ¹⁷⁹  to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, ¹⁸⁰  “If ¹⁸¹  you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, ¹⁸²  come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded ¹⁸³  us.

Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

16:16 Now ¹⁸⁴  as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. ¹⁸⁵  She ¹⁸⁶  brought her owners ¹⁸⁷  a great profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁸⁸  16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, ¹⁸⁹  “These men are servants ¹⁹⁰  of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way ¹⁹¹  of salvation.” ¹⁹²  16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, ¹⁹³  and turned ¹⁹⁴  and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ ¹⁹⁵  to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. ¹⁹⁶  16:19 But when her owners ¹⁹⁷  saw their hope of profit ¹⁹⁸  was gone, they seized ¹⁹⁹  Paul and Silas and dragged ²⁰⁰  them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When ²⁰¹  they had brought them ²⁰²  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ²⁰³  They are ²⁰⁴  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ²⁰⁵  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ²⁰⁶  or practice, ²⁰⁷  since we are ²⁰⁸  Romans.”

16:22 The crowd joined the attack ²⁰⁹  against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes ²¹⁰  off Paul and Silas ²¹¹  and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²¹²  16:23 After they had beaten them severely, ²¹³  they threw them into prison and commanded ²¹⁴  the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ²¹⁵  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²¹⁶ 

16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying ²¹⁷  and singing hymns to God, ²¹⁸  and the rest of ²¹⁹  the prisoners were listening to them. 16:26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds ²²⁰  of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up ²²¹  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ²²²  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ²²³  because he assumed ²²⁴  the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, ²²⁵  “Do not harm yourself, ²²⁶  for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer ²²⁷  rushed in and fell down ²²⁸  trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside ²²⁹  and asked, “Sirs, what must ²³⁰  I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, ²³¹  “Believe ²³²  in the Lord Jesus ²³³  and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then ²³⁴  they spoke the word of the Lord ²³⁵  to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At ²³⁶  that hour of the night he took them ²³⁷  and washed their wounds; ²³⁸  then ²³⁹  he and all his family ²⁴⁰  were baptized right away. ²⁴¹  16:34 The jailer ²⁴²  brought them into his house and set food ²⁴³  before them, and he rejoiced greatly ²⁴⁴  that he had come to believe ²⁴⁵  in God, together with his entire household. ²⁴⁶  16:35 At daybreak ²⁴⁷  the magistrates ²⁴⁸  sent their police officers, ²⁴⁹  saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ²⁵⁰  “The magistrates have sent orders ²⁵¹  to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” ²⁵²  16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ²⁵³  “They had us beaten in public ²⁵⁴  without a proper trial ²⁵⁵  – even though we are Roman citizens ²⁵⁶  – and they threw us ²⁵⁷  in prison. And now they want to send us away ²⁵⁸  secretly? Absolutely not! They ²⁵⁹  themselves must come and escort us out!” ²⁶⁰  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ²⁶¹  were Roman citizens ²⁶²  16:39 and came ²⁶³  and apologized to them. After ²⁶⁴  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ²⁶⁵  to leave the city. 16:40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then ²⁶⁶  departed.

Paul and Silas at Thessalonica

17:1 After they traveled through ²⁶⁷  Amphipolis ²⁶⁸  and Apollonia, ²⁶⁹  they came to Thessalonica, ²⁷⁰  where there was a Jewish synagogue. ²⁷¹  17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ²⁷²  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ²⁷³  them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating ²⁷⁴  that the Christ ²⁷⁵  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ²⁷⁶  saying, ²⁷⁷  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ²⁷⁸  17:4 Some of them were persuaded ²⁷⁹  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ²⁸⁰  of God-fearing Greeks ²⁸¹  and quite a few ²⁸²  prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ²⁸³  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ²⁸⁴  they formed a mob ²⁸⁵  and set the city in an uproar. ²⁸⁶  They attacked Jason’s house, ²⁸⁷  trying to find Paul and Silas ²⁸⁸  to bring them out to the assembly. ²⁸⁹  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ²⁹⁰  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ²⁹¹  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ²⁹²  throughout the world ²⁹³  have come here too, 17:7 and ²⁹⁴  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ²⁹⁵  are all acting against Caesar’s ²⁹⁶  decrees, saying there is another king named ²⁹⁷  Jesus!” ²⁹⁸  17:8 They caused confusion among ²⁹⁹  the crowd and the city officials ³⁰⁰  who heard these things. 17:9 After ³⁰¹  the city officials ³⁰²  had received bail ³⁰³  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ³⁰⁴  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ³⁰⁵  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ³⁰⁶  17:11 These Jews ³⁰⁷  were more open-minded ³⁰⁸  than those in Thessalonica, ³⁰⁹  for they eagerly ³¹⁰  received ³¹¹  the message, examining ³¹²  the scriptures carefully every day ³¹³  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ³¹⁴  prominent ³¹⁵  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ³¹⁶  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ³¹⁷  in Berea, ³¹⁸  they came there too, inciting ³¹⁹  and disturbing ³²⁰  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ³²¹  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ³²²  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ³²³  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ³²⁴ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ³²⁵  his spirit was greatly upset ³²⁶  because he saw ³²⁷  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ³²⁸  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ³²⁹  in the synagogue, ³³⁰  and in the marketplace every day ³³¹  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ³³²  and Stoic ³³³  philosophers were conversing ³³⁴  with him, and some were asking, ³³⁵  “What does this foolish babbler ³³⁶  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ³³⁷  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ³³⁸  17:19 So they took Paul and ³³⁹  brought him to the Areopagus, ³⁴⁰  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ³⁴¹  to our ears, so we want to know what they ³⁴²  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ³⁴³  in nothing else than telling ³⁴⁴  or listening to something new.) ³⁴⁵ 

17:22 So Paul stood ³⁴⁶  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ³⁴⁷  in all respects. ³⁴⁸  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ³⁴⁹  I even found an altar with this inscription: ³⁵⁰  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ³⁵¹  this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ³⁵²  who is ³⁵³  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ³⁵⁴  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ³⁵⁵  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ³⁵⁶  17:26 From one man ³⁵⁷  he made every nation of the human race ³⁵⁸  to inhabit the entire earth, ³⁵⁹  determining their set times ³⁶⁰  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ³⁶¹  17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ³⁶²  for him and find him, ³⁶³  though he is ³⁶⁴  not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about ³⁶⁵  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ³⁶⁶  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ³⁶⁷  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ³⁶⁸  made by human ³⁶⁹  skill ³⁷⁰  and imagination. ³⁷¹  17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ³⁷²  such times of ignorance, ³⁷³  he now commands all people ³⁷⁴  everywhere to repent, ³⁷⁵  17:31 because he has set ³⁷⁶  a day on which he is going to judge the world ³⁷⁷  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ³⁷⁸  having provided proof to everyone by raising ³⁷⁹  him from the dead.”

17:32 Now when they heard about ³⁸⁰  the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, ³⁸¹  but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 17:33 So Paul left the Areopagus. ³⁸²  17:34 But some people ³⁸³  joined him ³⁸⁴  and believed. Among them ³⁸⁵  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ³⁸⁶  a woman ³⁸⁷  named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

18:1 After this ³⁸⁸  Paul ³⁸⁹  departed from ³⁹⁰  Athens ³⁹¹  and went to Corinth. ³⁹²  18:2 There he ³⁹³  found ³⁹⁴  a Jew named Aquila, ³⁹⁵  a native of Pontus, ³⁹⁶  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ³⁹⁷  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ³⁹⁸  Rome. ³⁹⁹  Paul approached ⁴⁰⁰  them, 18:3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them ⁴⁰¹  (for they were tentmakers ⁴⁰²  by trade). ⁴⁰³  18:4 He addressed ⁴⁰⁴  both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue ⁴⁰⁵  every Sabbath, attempting to persuade ⁴⁰⁶  them.

18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived ⁴⁰⁷  from Macedonia, ⁴⁰⁸  Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming ⁴⁰⁹  the word, testifying ⁴¹⁰  to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁴¹¹  18:6 When they opposed him ⁴¹²  and reviled him, ⁴¹³  he protested by shaking out his clothes ⁴¹⁴  and said to them, “Your blood ⁴¹⁵  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ⁴¹⁶  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!” 18:7 Then Paul ⁴¹⁷  left ⁴¹⁸  the synagogue ⁴¹⁹  and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, ⁴²⁰  whose house was next door to the synagogue. 18:8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, ⁴²¹  believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it ⁴²²  believed and were baptized. 18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ⁴²³  in the night, ⁴²⁴  “Do not be afraid, ⁴²⁵  but speak and do not be silent, 18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ⁴²⁶  you to harm ⁴²⁷  you, because I have many people in this city.” 18:11 So he stayed there ⁴²⁸  a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ⁴²⁹ 

Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio

18:12 Now while Gallio ⁴³⁰  was proconsul ⁴³¹  of Achaia, ⁴³²  the Jews attacked Paul together ⁴³³  and brought him before the judgment seat, ⁴³⁴  18:13 saying, “This man is persuading ⁴³⁵  people to worship God in a way contrary to ⁴³⁶  the law!” 18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak, ⁴³⁷  Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, ⁴³⁸  I would have been justified in accepting the complaint ⁴³⁹  of you Jews, ⁴⁴⁰  18:15 but since it concerns points of disagreement ⁴⁴¹  about words and names and your own law, settle ⁴⁴²  it yourselves. I will not be ⁴⁴³  a judge of these things!” 18:16 Then he had them forced away ⁴⁴⁴  from the judgment seat. ⁴⁴⁵  18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ⁴⁴⁶  and began to beat ⁴⁴⁷  him in front of the judgment seat. ⁴⁴⁸  Yet none of these things were of any concern ⁴⁴⁹  to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria

18:18 Paul, after staying ⁴⁵⁰  many more days in Corinth, ⁴⁵¹  said farewell to ⁴⁵²  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ⁴⁵³  Priscilla and Aquila. ⁴⁵⁴  He ⁴⁵⁵  had his hair cut off ⁴⁵⁶  at Cenchrea ⁴⁵⁷  because he had made a vow. ⁴⁵⁸  18:19 When they reached Ephesus, ⁴⁵⁹  Paul ⁴⁶⁰  left Priscilla and Aquila ⁴⁶¹  behind there, but he himself went ⁴⁶²  into the synagogue ⁴⁶³  and addressed ⁴⁶⁴  the Jews. 18:20 When they asked him to stay longer, he would not consent, ⁴⁶⁵  18:21 but said farewell to ⁴⁶⁶  them and added, ⁴⁶⁷  “I will come back ⁴⁶⁸  to you again if God wills.” ⁴⁶⁹  Then ⁴⁷⁰  he set sail from Ephesus, 18:22 and when he arrived ⁴⁷¹  at Caesarea, ⁴⁷²  he went up and greeted ⁴⁷³  the church at Jerusalem ⁴⁷⁴  and then went down to Antioch. ⁴⁷⁵  18:23 After he spent ⁴⁷⁶  some time there, Paul left and went through the region of Galatia ⁴⁷⁷  and Phrygia, ⁴⁷⁸  strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Begins His Ministry

18:24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. ⁴⁷⁹  He was an eloquent speaker, ⁴⁸⁰  well-versed ⁴⁸¹  in the scriptures. 18:25 He had been instructed in ⁴⁸²  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ⁴⁸³  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ⁴⁸⁴  about Jesus, although he knew ⁴⁸⁵  only the baptism of John. 18:26 He began to speak out fearlessly ⁴⁸⁶  in the synagogue, ⁴⁸⁷  but when Priscilla and Aquila ⁴⁸⁸  heard him, they took him aside ⁴⁸⁹  and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 18:27 When Apollos ⁴⁹⁰  wanted to cross over to Achaia, ⁴⁹¹  the brothers encouraged ⁴⁹²  him ⁴⁹³  and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he ⁴⁹⁴  assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 18:28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously ⁴⁹⁵  in public debate, ⁴⁹⁶  demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ ⁴⁹⁷  was Jesus. ⁴⁹⁸ 

[15:1]  ¹ sn That is, they came down from Judea to Antioch in Syria.

[15:1]  ² tc Codex Bezae (D) and a few other witnesses have “and walk” here (i.e., instead of τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως [tw eqei tw Mwu>sew"] they read καὶ τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως περιπατῆτε [kai tw eqei tw Mwu>sew" peripathte]). This is a decidedly stronger focus on obedience to the Law. As well, D expands vv. 1-5 in various places with the overall effect of being “more sympathetic to the local tradition of the church at Jerusalem” while the Alexandrian witnesses are more sympathetic to Paul (TCGNT 377). Codex D is well known for having a significantly longer text in Acts, but modern scholarship is generally of the opinion that the text of D expands on the original wording of Acts, with a theological viewpoint that especially puts Peter in a more authoritarian light. The expansion in these five verses is in keeping with that motif even though Peter is not explicitly in view.

[15:2]  ³ tn Grk “no little argument and debate” (an idiom).

[15:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the church, or the rest of the believers at Antioch) has been specified to avoid confusion with the Judaizers mentioned in the preceding clause.

[15:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “go up to,” but in this context a meeting is implied.

[15:2]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:2]  ⁷ tn Or “point of controversy.” It is unclear whether this event parallels Gal 2:1-10 or that Gal 2 fits with Acts 11:30. More than likely Gal 2:1-10 is to be related to Acts 11:30.

[15:3]  ⁵ sn Phoenicia was an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine in ancient Syria.

[15:3]  ⁶ tn L&N 33.201 indicates that ἐκδιηγέομαι (ekdihgeomai) means to provide detailed information in a systematic manner, “to inform, to relate, to tell fully.” “Relating at length” conveys this effectively in the present context.

[15:3]  ⁷ tn For ἐποίουν (epoioun) in this verse BDAG 839 s.v. ποιέω 2.c has “they brought joy to the members.”

[15:4]  ⁷ tn BDAG 761 s.v. παραδέχομαι 2 has “receive, accept” for the meaning here.

[15:4]  ⁸ tn Or “announced.”

[15:4]  ⁹ tn “They reported all the things God had done with them” – an identical phrase occurs in Acts 14:27. God is always the agent.

[15:5]  ⁹ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[15:5]  ¹⁰ sn The Greek word used here (δεῖ, dei) is a strong term that expresses divine necessity. The claim is that God commanded the circumcision of Gentiles.

[15:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the Gentiles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:5]  ¹² tn Or “keep.”

[15:6]  ¹¹ tn The translation for ἰδεῖν (idein) in this verse is given by BDAG 279-80 s.v. εἶδον 3 as “deliberate concerning this matter.” A contemporary idiom would be to “look into” a matter.

[15:7]  ¹³ tn Or “discussion.” This term is repeated from v. 2.

[15:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or “long ago” (an idiom, literally “from ancient days”). According to L&N 67.26, “this reference to Peter having been chosen by God sometime before to bring the gospel to the Gentiles can hardly be regarded as a reference to ancient times, though some persons understand this to mean that God’s decision was made at the beginning of time. The usage of ἀφ᾿ ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων is probably designed to emphasize the established nature of God’s decision for Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles beginning with the centurion Cornelius. The fact that this was relatively early in the development of the church may also serve to explain the use of the idiom.”

[15:7]  ¹⁵ sn God chose. The theme of God’s sovereign choice is an important point, because 1st century Jews believed Israel’s unique position and customs were a reflection of God’s choice.

[15:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or “word.”

[15:7]  ¹⁷ tn Or “of the good news.”

[15:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “God chose among you from my mouth the Gentiles to hear the message of the gospel and to believe.” The sense of this sentence in Greek is difficult to render in English. The Greek verb ἐκλέγομαι (eklegomai, “choose”) normally takes a person or thing as a direct object; in this verse the verb has neither clearly stated. The translation understands the phrase “from my mouth,” referring to Peter, as a description of both who God chose and the task to be done. This coupled with the following statement about Gentiles hearing the message of the gospel leads to the more dynamic rendering in the translation.

[15:8]  ¹⁵ sn The expression who knows the heart means “who knows what people think.”

[15:8]  ¹⁶ tn Or “has borne witness.”

[15:8]  ¹⁷ sn By giving them…just as he did to us. The allusion is to the events of Acts 10-11, esp. 10:44-48 and Peter’s remarks in 11:15-18.

[15:9]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 1.b lists this passage under the meaning “to conclude that there is a difference, make a distinction, differentiate.”

[15:9]  ¹⁸ tn Or “purifying.”

[15:10]  ¹⁹ tn According to BDAG 793 s.v. πειράζω 2.c, “In Ac 15:10 the πειράζειν τὸν θεόν consists in the fact that after God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (v. 8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative.” All testing of God in Luke is negative: Luke 4:2; 11:16.

[15:10]  ²⁰ sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restriction that some in the early church wanted to place on Gentile converts to Christianity of observing the law of Moses and having males circumcised. The yoke is a decidedly negative image: Matt 23:4, but cf. Matt 11:29-30.

[15:10]  ²¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[15:11]  ²¹ tn Or “by.”

[15:11]  ²² tn Or “Jesus, just as they are.” BDAG 1016-17 s.v. τρόπος 1 translates καθ᾿ ὃν τρόπον (kaq’ Jon tropon) here as “in the same way as.”

[15:12]  ²³ tn BDAG 922 s.v. σιγάω 1.a lists this passage under the meaning “say nothing, keep still, keep silent.”

[15:12]  ²⁴ tn Here in connection with τέρατα (terata) the miraculous nature of these signs is indicated.

[15:13]  ²⁵ tn BDAG 922 s.v. σιγάω 1.b lists this passage under the meaning “stop speaking, become silent.”

[15:13]  ²⁶ tn Grk “answered, saying”; the redundant participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated.

[15:14]  ²⁷ sn Simeon is a form of the apostle Peter’s Aramaic name. James uses Peter’s “Jewish” name here.

[15:14]  ²⁸ tn Or “reported,” “described.”

[15:14]  ²⁹ tn BDAG 378 s.v. ἐπισκέπτομαι 3 translates this phrase in Acts 15:14, “God concerned himself about winning a people fr. among the nations.”

[15:14]  ³⁰ tn Grk “to take,” but in the sense of selecting or choosing (accompanied by the preposition ἐκ [ek] plus a genitive specifying the group selected from) see Heb 5:1; also BDAG 584 s.v. λαμβάνω 6.

[15:14]  ³¹ sn In the Greek text the expression “from among the Gentiles” is in emphatic position.

[15:15]  ²⁹ tn Grk “And the.” 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.

[15:15]  ³⁰ sn The term agree means “match” or “harmonize with.” James’ point in the introduction argues that many of the OT prophets taught this. He gives one example (which follows).

[15:16]  ³¹ tn Grk “After these things.”

[15:16]  ³² sn The first person pronoun I refers to God and his activity. It is God who is doing this.

[15:16]  ³³ tn Or more generally, “dwelling”; perhaps, “royal tent.” According to BDAG 928 s.v. σκηνή the word can mean “tent” or “hut,” or more generally “lodging” or “dwelling.” In this verse (a quotation from Amos 9:11) BDAG refers this to David’s ruined kingdom; it is possibly an allusion to a king’s tent (a royal tent). God is at work to reestablish David’s line (Acts 2:30-36; 13:32-39).

[15:16]  ³⁴ tn BDAG 86 s.v. ἀνορθόω places this verb under the meaning “to build someth. up again after it has fallen, rebuild, restore,” but since ἀνοικοδομέω (anoikodomew, “rebuild”) has occurred twice in this verse already, “restore” is used here.

[15:17]  ³³ tn Or “so that all other people.” The use of this term follows Amos 9:11 LXX.

[15:17]  ³⁴ tn Here καί (kai) introduces an explanatory clause that explains the preceding phrase “the rest of humanity.” The clause introduced by καί (kai) could also be punctuated in English as a parenthesis.

[15:17]  ³⁵ tn Or “all the nations” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same).

[15:17]  ³⁶ tn Grk “all the Gentiles on whom my name has been called.” Based on well-attested OT usage, the passive of ἐπικαλέω (epikalew) here indicates God’s ownership (“all the Gentiles who belong to me”) or calling (“all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own”). See L&N 11.28.

[15:17]  ³⁷ sn A quotation from Amos 9:11-12 LXX. James demonstrated a high degree of cultural sensitivity when he cited a version of the text (the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament) that Gentiles would use.

[15:18]  ³⁵ sn Who makes these things known. The remark emphasizes how God’s design of these things reaches back to the time he declared them.

[15:18]  ³⁶ sn An allusion to Isa 45:21.

[15:19]  ³⁷ tn Or “I have decided,” “I think.” The verb κρίνω (krinw) has a far broader range of meaning than the often-used English verb “judge.” BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 3 places this use in Acts 15:19 in the category “judge, think, consider, look upon” followed by double accusative of object and predicate. However, many modern translations give the impression that a binding decision is being handed down by James: “it is my judgment” (NASB, NIV); “I have reached the decision” (NRSV). L&N 22.25, on the other hand, translate the phrase here “I think that we should not cause extra difficulty for those among the Gentiles.” This gives more the impression of an opinion than a binding decision. The resolution of this lies not so much in the lexical data as in how one conceives James’ role in the leadership of the Jerusalem church, plus the dynamics of the specific situation where the issue of Gentile inclusion in the church was being discussed. The major possibilities are: (1) James is handing down a binding decision to the rest of the church as the one who has ultimate authority to decide this matter; (2) James is offering his own personal opinion in the matter, which is not binding on the church; (3) James is voicing a consensus opinion of all the apostles and elders, although phrasing it as if it were his own; (4) James is making a suggestion to the rest of the leadership as to what course they should follow. In light of the difficulty in reconstructing the historical situation in detail, it is best to use a translation which maintains as many of the various options as possible. For this reason the translation “Therefore I conclude” has been used, leaving open the question whether in reaching this conclusion James is speaking only for himself or for the rest of the leadership.

[15:19]  ³⁸ tn Or “trouble.” This term is a NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 775 s.v. παρενοχλέω).

[15:19]  ³⁹ tn Or “among the nations” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same).

[15:20]  ³⁹ tn The translation “to write a letter, to send a letter to” for ἐπιστέλλω (epistellw) is given in L&N 33.49.

[15:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Three of the four prohibitions deal with food (the first, third and fourth) while one prohibition deals with behavior (the second, refraining from sexual immorality). Since these occur in the order they do, the translation “abstain from” is used to cover both sorts of activity (eating food items, immoral behavior).

[15:20]  ⁴¹ tn Or “polluted.”

[15:20]  ⁴² sn What has been strangled. That is, to refrain from eating animals that had been killed without having the blood drained from them. According to the Mosaic law (Lev 17:13-14), Jews were forbidden to eat flesh with the blood still in it (note the following provision in Acts 15:20, and from blood).

[15:21]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “from generations of old”; the translation “fr. ancient times” is given by BDAG 192 s.v. γενεά 3.b.

[15:21]  ⁴² tn The translation “read aloud” is used to indicate the actual practice; translating as “read” could be misunderstood to mean private, silent reading.

[15:21]  ⁴³ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[15:22]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.b.β lists this verse under the meaning “it seems best to me, I decide, I resolve.”

[15:22]  ⁴⁴ sn Silas. See 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1 (= Silvanus).

[15:22]  ⁴⁵ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[15:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “writing by their hand” (an idiom for sending a letter).

[15:23]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “The apostles.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[15:23]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “brothers,” but “your” is supplied to specify the relationship, since without it “brothers” could be understood as vocative in English.

[15:23]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “to the brothers who are from the Gentiles.”

[15:23]  ⁴⁹ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[15:23]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “and Syria,” but 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.

[15:24]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn BDAG 71 s.v. ἀνασκευάζω describes this verb with a figurative meaning: “to cause inward distress, upset, unsettle.”

[15:24]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “souls.”

[15:24]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “by words”; L&N 25.231 translates the phrase “they troubled and upset you by what they said.”

[15:25]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “having become of one mind, we have decided.” This has been translated “we have unanimously decided” to reduce the awkwardness in English.

[15:25]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.b.β lists this verse under the meaning “it seems best to me, I decide, I resolve.”

[15:26]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “men who”; but this can be misleading because in English the referent could be understood to be the men sent along with Barnabas and Paul rather than Barnabas and Paul themselves. This option does not exist in the Greek original, however, since ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") is dative and must agree with “Barnabas and Paul,” while ἄνδρας (andra") is accusative. By omitting the word “men” from the translation here, it is clear in English that the phrase refers to the immediately preceding nouns “Barnabas and Paul.”

[15:26]  ⁵² tn Grk “who have risked their souls”; the equivalent English idiom is “risk one’s life.” The descriptions commend Barnabas and Paul as thoroughly trustworthy.

[15:26]  ⁵³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[15:27]  ⁵³ tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.

[15:27]  ⁵⁴ sn Judas and Silas were the “two witnesses” who would vouch for the truth of the recommendation.

[15:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “by means of word” (an idiom for a verbal report).

[15:28]  ⁵⁵ tn This is the same expression translated “decided” in Acts 15:22, 25. BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.b.β lists “decide” as a possible gloss for this verse, and this translation would be consistent with the translation of the same expression in Acts 15:22, 25. However, the unusually awkward “the Holy Spirit and we have decided” would result. Given this approach, it would be more natural in English to say “We and the Holy Spirit have decided,” but changing the order removes the emphasis the Greek text gives to the Holy Spirit. Thus, although the similarity to the phrases in 15:22, 25 is obscured, it is better to use the alternate translation “it seems best to me” (also given by BDAG): “it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us.” Again the scope of agreement is highlighted.

[15:28]  ⁵⁶ tn L&N 71.39 translates “indispensable (rules)” while BDAG 358 s.v. ἐπάναγκες has “the necessary things.”

[15:29]  ⁵⁷ tn There is no specific semantic component in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος that means “meat” (see BDAG 280 s.v. εἰδωλόθυτος; L&N 5.15). The stem –θυτος means “sacrifice” (referring to an animal sacrificially killed) and thereby implies meat.

[15:29]  ⁵⁸ tc Codex Bezae (D) and a few other witnesses lack the restriction “and from what has been strangled” (καὶ πνικτῶν, kai pniktwn), though the words are supported by a wide variety of early and important witnesses otherwise and should be considered authentic.

[15:29]  ⁵⁹ tc Codex Bezae (D) as well as 323 614 945 1739 1891 sa and other witnesses have after “sexual immorality” the following statement: “And whatever you do not want to happen to yourselves, do not do to another/others.” By adding this negative form of the Golden Rule, these witnesses effectively change the Apostolic Decree from what might be regarded as ceremonial restrictions into more ethical demands. The issues here are quite complicated, and beyond the scope of this brief note. Suffice it to say that D and its allies here are almost surely an expansion and alteration of the original text of Acts. For an excellent discussion of the exegetical and textual issues, see TCGNT 379-83.

[15:29]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “from which things keeping yourselves.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (ὧν, |wn) has been replaced by a pronoun (“these things”) and a new English sentence begun. The participle διατηροῦντες (diathrounte") has been translated as a conditional adverbial participle (“if you keep yourselves”). See further L&N 13.153.

[15:29]  ⁶¹ tn The phrase ἔρρωσθε (errwsqe) may be understood as a stock device indicating a letter is complete (“good-bye,” L&N 33.24) or as a sincere wish that the persons involved may fare well (“may you fare well,” L&N 23.133).

[15:30]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “sent away.”

[15:30]  ⁶⁰ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[15:30]  ⁶¹ tn Or “congregation” (referring to the group of believers).

[15:31]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “read it.” The translation “read aloud” is used to indicate the actual practice of public reading; translating as “read” could be misunderstood to mean private, silent, or individual reading.

[15:31]  ⁶² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:31]  ⁶³ tn Or “at its encouraging message.”

[15:32]  ⁶³ tn Here λόγου (logou) is singular. BDAG 599-600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.β has “in a long speech” for this phrase.

[15:33]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “And after.” 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.

[15:33]  ⁶⁶ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[15:34]  ⁶⁷ tc A few mss add 15:34 “But Silas decided to stay there.” Verse 34 is lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B E Ψ Ï bo. It is included in a shorter form, with a few minor variations, by (C) 33 36 323 453 614 (945) 1175 1739 1891 al sa, and in a longer form (“But Silas decided to stay with them, and only Judas departed”) by D l. The verse is almost certainly not a part of the original text of Acts, but was added to harmonize with the statement about Silas in v. 40. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[15:35]  ⁶⁹ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[15:35]  ⁷⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[15:35]  ⁷¹ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in v. 36; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[15:36]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “Returning let us visit.” The participle ἐπιστρέψαντες (epistreyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:36]  ⁷² tn See the note on the phrase “word of the Lord” in v. 35.

[15:36]  ⁷³ tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.b has “how they are” for this phrase.

[15:38]  ⁷³ tn BDAG 94 s.v. ἀξιόω 2.a has “he insisted (impf.) that they should not take him along” for this phrase.

[15:38]  ⁷⁴ sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor. See Acts 13:13, where it was mentioned previously.

[15:39]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “There happened a sharp disagreement.” 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.

[15:39]  ⁷⁶ tn BDAG 780 s.v. παροξυσμός 2 has “sharp disagreement” here; L&N 33.451 has “sharp argument, sharp difference of opinion.”

[15:39]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “taking along Mark sailed.” The participle παραλαβόντα (paralabonta) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:39]  ⁷⁸ sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[15:40]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “committed.” BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 2 gives “be commended by someone to the grace of the Lord” as the meaning for this phrase, although “give over” and “commit” are listed as alternatives for this category.

[15:40]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “by the brothers.” Here it it is highly probable that the entire congregation is in view, not just men, so the translation “brothers and sisters” has been used for the plural ἀδελφῶν (adelfwn),.

[15:41]  ⁷⁹ sn Strengthening. See Acts 14:22; 15:32; 18:23.

[16:1]  ⁸¹ sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra. It was about 90 mi (145 km) from Tarsus.

[16:1]  ⁸² sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

[16:1]  ⁸³ tn Grk “And behold, a disciple.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[16:1]  ⁸⁴ tn L&N 31.103 translates this phrase “the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.”

[16:1]  ⁸⁵ sn His father was a Greek. Timothy was the offspring of a mixed marriage between a Jewish woman (see 2 Tim 1:5) and a Gentile man. On mixed marriages in Judaism, see Neh 13:23-27; Ezra 9:1-10:44; Mal 2:10-16; Jub. 30:7-17; m. Qiddushin 3.12; m. Yevamot 7.5.

[16:2]  ⁸³ sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

[16:2]  ⁸⁴ sn Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 110 mi (175 km) east of Pisidian Antioch.

[16:2]  ⁸⁵ tn For this sense of μαρτυρέω (marturew), see BDAG 618 s.v. 2.b.

[16:2]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who was a believer…who was well spoken of”) and the awkwardness of the passive verb (“was well spoken of”), the relative pronoun at the beginning of 16:2 (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“him”) and the construction converted from passive to active at the same time a new sentence was started in the translation.

[16:3]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Timothy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:3]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “and taking him he circumcised him.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Paul’s cultural sensitivity showed in his action here. He did not want Timothy’s lack of circumcision to become an issue (1 Cor 9:15-23).

[16:3]  ⁸⁷ tn The verb περιέτεμεν (perietemen) here may be understood as causative (cf. ExSyn 411-12) if Paul did not personally perform the circumcision.

[16:3]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “who lived in the area.”

[16:3]  ⁸⁹ tn The anarthrous predicate nominative has been translated as qualitative (“Greek”) rather than indefinite (“a Greek”).

[16:4]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “cities.”

[16:4]  ⁸⁸ tn BDAG 762-63 s.v. παραδίδωμι 3 has “they handed down to them the decisions to observe Ac 16:4.”

[16:4]  ⁸⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[16:4]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “for them”; the referent (Gentile believers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:4]  ⁹¹ tn Or “observe” or “follow.”

[16:5]  ⁸⁹ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

[16:6]  ⁹¹ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia.

[16:6]  ⁹² sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor (North Galatia), or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch (South Galatia). The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.

[16:6]  ⁹³ tn Or “forbidden.”

[16:6]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “word.”

[16:6]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[16:7]  ⁹³ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.b has “to Mysia” here.

[16:7]  ⁹⁴ sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

[16:7]  ⁹⁵ sn Bithynia was a province in northern Asia Minor northeast of Mysia.

[16:7]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “permit”; see BDAG 269 s.v. ἐάω 1.

[16:7]  ⁹⁷ tn The words “do this” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons, since English handles ellipses differently than Greek.

[16:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Although the normal meaning for παρέρχομαι (parercomai) is “pass by, go by,” it would be difficult to get to Troas from where Paul and his companions were without going through rather than around Mysia. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 6 list some nonbiblical examples of the meaning “go through, pass through,” and give that meaning for the usage here.

[16:8]  ⁹⁶ sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

[16:8]  ⁹⁷ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor, near ancient Troy.

[16:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “And a.” 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.

[16:9]  ⁹⁸ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:9]  ⁹⁹ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[16:9]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “Coming over.” The participle διαβάς (diabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:9]  ¹⁰¹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “sought.”

[16:10]  ¹⁰¹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ¹⁰² tn Or “summoned.”

[16:11]  ¹⁰¹ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[16:11]  ¹⁰² sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. See v. 8.

[16:11]  ¹⁰³ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course” here; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[16:11]  ¹⁰⁴ sn Samothrace is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea.

[16:11]  ¹⁰⁵ sn Neapolis was a seaport on the southern coast of Macedonia. It was 10 mi (16 km) from Philippi.

[16:12]  ¹⁰³ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[16:12]  ¹⁰⁴ tc ‡ Or perhaps, “a city in the first district” (there are a number of textual variants). L&N 1.85 follow the text of UBS⁴ and NA²⁷ here: “In Ac 16:12…the Greek New Testament published by the United Bible Societies has adopted a conjectural emendation, since the more traditional text, πρώτη τῆς μερίδος, literally ‘first of the district,’ is not only misleading in meaning but does not reflect the historical fact that Philippi was a city in one of the four districts of Macedonia but was not a capital city.” The original text is probably πρώτη τῆς μερίδος (prwth th" merido", “first of that district”) as found in Ì⁷⁴ א A C Ψ 33^vid 36 81 323 945 1175 1891 pc. This has traditionally been translated to give the impression that Philippi was the capital city of the district, but it does not necessarily have to be translated this way. The translation of the article before μερίδος as “that” acknowledges that there were other districts in the province of Macedonia.

[16:12]  ¹⁰⁵ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:12]  ¹⁰⁶ sn A Roman colony was a city whose residents were regarded as Roman citizens, since such cities were originally colonized by citizens of Rome. From Troas to Philippi was 130 mi (208 km).

[16:13]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “and sitting down we began to speak.” The participle καθίσαντες (kaqisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:13]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἐλαλοῦμεν (elaloumen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[16:13]  ¹⁰⁷ sn To the women. Apparently there were not enough Jews present in Philippi to have a synagogue (ten men would have been required to have one).

[16:13]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:14]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “And a.” 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.

[16:14]  ¹⁰⁸ tn On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see BDAG 855 s.v. πορφυρόπωλις.

[16:14]  ¹⁰⁹ sn Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia in Asia Minor.

[16:14]  ¹¹⁰ tn The words “to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:14]  ¹¹¹ tn Although BDAG 880 s.v. προσέχω 2.b gives the meaning “pay attention to” here, this could be misunderstood by the modern English reader to mean merely listening intently. The following context, however, indicates that Lydia responded positively to Paul’s message, so the verb here was translated “to respond.”

[16:15]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[16:15]  ¹¹⁰ tn This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.

[16:15]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “faithful to the Lord.” BDAG 821 s.v. πίστος 2 states concerning this verse, “Of one who confesses the Christian faith believing or a believer in the Lord, in Christ, in God πιστ. τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 16:15.” L&N 11.17 has “one who is included among the faithful followers of Christ – ‘believer, Christian, follower.’”

[16:15]  ¹¹² tn Although BDAG 759 s.v. παραβιάζομαι has “urge strongly, prevail upon,” in contemporary English “persuade” is a more frequently used synonym for “prevail upon.”

[16:16]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” 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.

[16:16]  ¹¹² tn Or “who had a spirit of divination”; Grk “who had a spirit of Python.” According to BDAG 896-97 s.v. πύθων, originally Πύθων (Puqwn) was the name of the serpent or dragon that guarded the Delphic oracle. According to Greek mythology, it lived at the foot of Mount Parnassus and was killed by Apollo. From this, the word came to designate a person who was thought to have a spirit of divination. Pagan generals, for example, might consult someone like this. So her presence here suggests a supernatural encounter involving Paul and her “spirit.” W. Foerster, TDNT 6:920, connects the term with ventriloquism but states: “We must assume, however, that for this girl, as for those mentioned by Origen…, the art of ventriloquism was inseparably connected with a (supposed or authentic) gift of soothsaying.” It should also be noted that if the girl in question here were only a ventriloquist, the exorcism performed by Paul in v. 18 would not have been effective.

[16:16]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “who.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who had a spirit…who brought her owners a great profit”) the relative pronoun here (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“she”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[16:16]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “masters.”

[16:16]  ¹¹⁵ tn On this term see BDAG 616 s.v. μαντεύομαι. It was used of those who gave oracles.

[16:17]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “crying out, saying”; the participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated. The imperfect verb ἔκραζεν (ekrazen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect.

[16:17]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18. The translation “servants” was used here because in this context there appears to be more emphasis on the activity of Paul and his companions (“proclaiming to you the way of salvation”) than on their status as “slaves of the Most High God.”

[16:17]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “a way.” The grammar of this phrase is a bit ambiguous. The phrase in Greek is ὁδὸν σωτηρίας (Jodon swthria"). Neither the head noun nor the genitive noun has the article; this is in keeping with Apollonius’ Canon (see ExSyn 239-40). Since both nouns are anarthrous, this construction also fits Apollonius’ Corollary (see ExSyn 250-54); since the genitive noun is abstract it is most naturally qualitative, so the head noun could either be definite or indefinite without being unusual as far as the grammar is concerned. Luke’s usage of ὁδός elsewhere is indecisive as far as this passage is concerned. However, when one looks at the historical background it is clear that (1) the woman is shut up (via exorcism) not because her testimony is false but because of its source (analogous to Jesus’ treatment of demons perhaps), and (b) “the way” is a par excellence description of the new faith throughout Acts. It thus seems that at least in Luke’s presentation “the way of salvation” is the preferred translation.

[16:17]  ¹¹⁶ sn Proclaiming to you the way of salvation. The remarks were an ironic recognition of Paul’s authority, but he did not desire such a witness, possibly for fear of confusion. Her expression the Most High God might have been understood as Zeus by the audience.

[16:18]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “becoming greatly annoyed.” The participle διαπονηθείς (diaponhqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The aorist has been translated as an ingressive aorist (entry into a state or condition). See BDAG 235 s.v. διαπονέομαι.

[16:18]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “and turning.” The participle ἐπιστρέψας (epistreya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:18]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[16:18]  ¹¹⁸ tn BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c has “at that very time, at once, instantly” for the usage in this verse.

[16:19]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “masters.”

[16:19]  ¹¹⁸ tn On this use of ἐργασία (ergasia), see BDAG 390 s.v. 4. It is often the case that destructive practices and commerce are closely tied together.

[16:19]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “was gone, seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:19]  ¹²⁰ tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.

[16:20]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[16:20]  ¹²⁰ tn Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”

[16:20]  ¹²¹ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

[16:20]  ¹²² tn Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:21]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ¹²² tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ¹²³ sn Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).

[16:21]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[16:22]  ¹²³ tn L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepesth) in this verse.

[16:22]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “tearing the clothes off them, the magistrates ordered.” The participle περιρήξαντες (perirhxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Although it may be possible to understand the aorist active participle περιρήξαντες in a causative sense (“the magistrates caused the clothes to be torn off Paul and Silas”) in the mob scene that was taking place, it is also possible that the magistrates themselves actively participated. This act was done to prepare them for a public flogging (2 Cor 11:25; 1 Thess 2:2).

[16:22]  ¹²⁵ tn Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:22]  ¹²⁶ tn The infinitive ῥαβδίζειν (rJabdizein) means “to beat with rods or sticks” (as opposed to fists or clubs, BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω).

[16:23]  ¹²⁵ tn Grk “Having inflicted many blows on them.” The participle ἐπιθέντες (epiqente") has been taken temporally. BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.a.β has “inflict blows upon someone” for this expression, but in this context it is simpler to translate in English as “they had beaten them severely.”

[16:23]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “commanding.” The participle παραγγείλαντες (parangeilante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:24]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “prison.”

[16:24]  ¹²⁸ tn L&N 6.21 has “stocks” for εἰς τὸ ξύλον (ei" to xulon) here, as does BDAG 685 s.v. ξύλον 2.b. However, it is also possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied. Such a possibility is suggested by v. 26, where the “bonds” (“chains”?) of the prisoners loosened.

[16:25]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “praying, were singing.” The participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:25]  ¹³⁰ sn Praying and singing hymns to God. Tertullian said, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven” (To the Martyrs 2; cf. Rom 5:3; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 5:6). The presence of God means the potential to be free (cf. v. 26).

[16:25]  ¹³¹ tn The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:26]  ¹³¹ tn Or perhaps, “chains.” The translation of τὰ δεσμά (ta desma) is to some extent affected by the understanding of ξύλον (xulon, “stocks”) in v. 24. It is possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied.

[16:27]  ¹³³ tn L&N 23.75 has “had awakened” here. It is more in keeping with contemporary English style, however, to keep the two verbal ideas parallel in terms of tense (“when the jailer woke up and saw”) although logically the second action is subsequent to the first.

[16:27]  ¹³⁴ tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.

[16:27]  ¹³⁵ sn Was about to kill himself. The jailer’s penalty for failing to guard the prisoners would have been death, so he contemplated saving the leaders the trouble (see Acts 12:19; 27:42).

[16:27]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “thought.”

[16:28]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying.” The dative phrase μεγάλῃ φωνῇ (megalh fwnh) has been simplified as an English adverb (“loudly”), and the participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated since it is redundant in English.

[16:28]  ¹³⁶ sn Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.

[16:29]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:29]  ¹³⁸ tn Or “and prostrated himself.”

[16:30]  ¹³⁹ tn Grk “And bringing them outside, he asked.” The participle προαγαγών (proagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the conjunction “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:30]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

[16:31]  ¹⁴¹ tn Grk “said.”

[16:31]  ¹⁴² sn Here the summary term of response is a call to believe. In this context it refers to trusting the sovereign God’s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer.

[16:31]  ¹⁴³ tc The majority of mss add Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) here (C D E Ψ 1739 Ï sy sa), but the best and earliest witnesses read simply τὸν κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton kurion Ihsoun, “the Lord Jesus”; Ì^74vid א A B 33 81 pc bo). The addition of “Christ” to “Lord Jesus” is an obviously motivated reading. Thus on both external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

[16:32]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

[16:32]  ¹⁴⁴ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[16:33]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “And at.” 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.

[16:33]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “taking them…he washed.” The participle παραλαβών (paralabwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:33]  ¹⁴⁷ tn On this phrase BDAG 603 s.v. λούω 1 gives a literal translation as “by washing he freed them from the effects of the blows.”

[16:33]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:33]  ¹⁴⁹ sn All his family. It was often the case in the ancient world that conversion of the father led to the conversion of all those in the household.

[16:33]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “immediately.”

[16:34]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:34]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “placed [food] on the table” (a figurative expression). Since the actual word for food is not specified, it would also be possible to translate “set a meal before them,” but since this is taking place in the middle of the night, the preparations necessary for a full meal would probably not have been made. More likely Paul and Silas were given whatever was on hand that needed little or no preparation.

[16:34]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Or “he was overjoyed.”

[16:34]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.

[16:34]  ¹⁵¹ tn The phrase “together with his entire household” is placed at the end of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and the belief. A formal equivalence translation would have “and he rejoiced greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in God,” but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33 presumes that all in the household believed.

[16:35]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The translation “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse is given by BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a.

[16:35]  ¹⁵⁰ tn On the term translated “magistrates,” see BDAG 947-48 s.v. στρατηγός 1. These city leaders were properly called duoviri, but were popularly known as praetors (στρατηγοί, strathgoi). They were the chief officials of Philippi. The text leaves the impression that they came to the decision to release Paul and Silas independently. God was at work everywhere.

[16:35]  ¹⁵¹ tn On the term ῥαβδοῦχος (rJabdouco") see BDAG 902 s.v. The term was used of the Roman lictor and roughly corresponds to contemporary English “constable, policeman.”

[16:36]  ¹⁵¹ tn The word “saying” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; it is necessary in English because the content of what the jailer said to Paul and Silas is not the exact message related to him by the police officers, but is a summary with his own additions.

[16:36]  ¹⁵² tn The word “orders” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:36]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “So coming out now go in peace.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ¹⁵⁶ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ¹⁵⁷ tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:37]  ¹⁵⁸ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ¹⁶⁰ sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.

[16:38]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ¹⁵⁶ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

[16:39]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “and coming, they apologized.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:39]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Grk “and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[16:39]  ¹⁵⁹ tn The verb ἐρώτων (erwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” brings out the iterative force in the translation.

[16:40]  ¹⁵⁹ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.

[17:1]  ¹⁶¹ tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.

[17:1]  ¹⁶² sn Amphipolis. The capital city of the southeastern district of Macedonia (BDAG 55 s.v. ᾿Αμφίπολις). It was a military post. From Philippi this was about 33 mi (53 km).

[17:1]  ¹⁶³ sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.

[17:1]  ¹⁶⁴ sn Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was a city in Macedonia about 33 mi (53 km) west of Apollonia. It was the capital of Macedonia. The road they traveled over was called the Via Egnatia. It is likely they rode horses, given their condition in Philippi. The implication of v. 1 is that the two previously mentioned cities lacked a synagogue.

[17:1]  ¹⁶⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:2]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁵ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁷ sn The Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead. These two points (suffering and resurrection) would have been among the more controversial aspects of Paul’s messianic preaching. The term translated “had to” (δεῖ, dei) shows how divine design and scripture corresponded here.

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁸ tn The Greek words used here (καὶ ὅτι, kai {oti, “and that”) mark the switch from indirect to direct discourse. Contemporary English requires the use of an introductory verb of speaking or saying to make this transition.

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:4]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Or “convinced.”

[17:4]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Or “a large crowd.”

[17:4]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Or “of devout Greeks,” 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. Luke frequently mentions such people (Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7).

[17:4]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:5]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).

[17:5]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”

[17:5]  ¹⁷¹ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ¹⁷² tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.

[17:5]  ¹⁷³ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ¹⁷⁵ tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”

[17:6]  ¹⁷¹ tn See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19).

[17:6]  ¹⁷² tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).

[17:6]  ¹⁷³ tn Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “disturb, trouble, upset,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.

[17:6]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:7]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.

[17:7]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[17:7]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ¹⁷⁷ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

[17:8]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.

[17:8]  ¹⁷⁶ tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”

[17:9]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “And after.” 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.

[17:9]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ¹⁷⁹ tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.

[17:10]  ¹⁷⁹ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.

[17:10]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.

[17:10]  ¹⁸¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ¹⁸² tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ¹⁸³ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁶ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁷ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ¹⁸³ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:12]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Or “respected.”

[17:13]  ¹⁸⁵ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:13]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “that the word of God had also been proclaimed by Paul.” This passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:13]  ¹⁸⁷ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.

[17:13]  ¹⁸⁸ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

[17:13]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

[17:14]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ({ew" epi thn qalassan) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).

[17:14]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ¹⁸⁹ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:15]  ¹⁹⁰ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

[17:16]  ¹⁹¹ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:16]  ¹⁹² tn Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.”

[17:16]  ¹⁹³ tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.

[17:17]  ¹⁹³ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[17:17]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or “and the devout,” 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, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.

[17:17]  ¹⁹⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ¹⁹⁶ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:18]  ¹⁹⁵ sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.

[17:18]  ¹⁹⁶ sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c.), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.

[17:18]  ¹⁹⁷ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”

[17:18]  ²⁰⁰ tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.

[17:18]  ²⁰¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:19]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:19]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.

[17:20]  ¹⁹⁹ tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

[17:20]  ²⁰⁰ tn Grk “these things”; but since the referent (“surprising things”) is so close, the repetition of “these things” sounds redundant in English, so the pronoun “they” was substituted in the translation.

[17:21]  ²⁰¹ tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

[17:21]  ²⁰² tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

[17:21]  ²⁰³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

[17:22]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ²⁰⁴ tn The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterou") is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.

[17:22]  ²⁰⁵ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ²⁰⁵ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).

[17:23]  ²⁰⁷ tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.

[17:24]  ²⁰⁷ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

[17:24]  ²⁰⁸ tn Or “because he is.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) could be either adjectival, modifying οὗτος (Joutos, “who is Lord…”) or adverbial of cause (“because he is Lord…”). Since the participle διδούς (didou") in v. 25 appears to be clearly causal in force, it is preferable to understand ὑπάρχων as adjectival in this context.

[17:24]  ²⁰⁹ sn On the statement does not live in temples made by human hands compare Acts 7:48. This has implications for idols as well. God cannot be represented by them or, as the following clause also suggests, served by human hands.

[17:25]  ²⁰⁹ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ²¹⁰ tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:26]  ²¹¹ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

[17:26]  ²¹² tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

[17:26]  ²¹³ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

[17:26]  ²¹⁴ tn BDAG 884-85 s.v. προστάσσω has “(οἱ) προστεταγμένοι καιροί (the) fixed times Ac 17:26” here, but since the following phrase is also translated “fixed limits,” this would seem redundant in English, so the word “set” has been used instead.

[17:26]  ²¹⁵ tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.

[17:27]  ²¹³ tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.

[17:27]  ²¹⁴ sn Perhaps grope around for him and find him. The pagans’ struggle to know God is the point here. Conscience alone is not good enough.

[17:27]  ²¹⁵ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[17:28]  ²¹⁵ tn According to L&N 15.1, “A strictly literal translation of κινέω in Ac 17:28 might imply merely moving from one place to another. The meaning, however, is generalized movement and activity; therefore, it may be possible to translate κινούμεθα as ‘we come and go’ or ‘we move about’’ or even ‘we do what we do.’”

[17:28]  ²¹⁶ sn This quotation is from Aratus (ca. 310-245 b.c.), Phaenomena 5. Paul asserted a general relationship and accountability to God for all humanity.

[17:29]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

[17:29]  ²¹⁸ tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

[17:29]  ²¹⁹ tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[17:29]  ²²⁰ tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

[17:29]  ²²¹ tn Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “thought, reflection, idea” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.

[17:30]  ²¹⁹ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ²²⁰ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ²²¹ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ²²² sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.

[17:31]  ²²¹ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ²²² sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ²²³ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

[17:31]  ²²⁴ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[17:32]  ²²³ tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[17:32]  ²²⁴ tn L&N 33.408 has “some scoffed (at him) Ac 17:32” for ἐχλεύαζον (ecleuazon) here; the imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to scoff”).

[17:33]  ²²⁵ tn Grk “left out of their midst”; the referent (the Areopagus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:34]  ²²⁷ 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]  ²²⁸ 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]  ²²⁹ 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]  ²³⁰ 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]  ²³¹ 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.

[18:1]  ²²⁹ tn Grk “After these things.”

[18:1]  ²³⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ²³¹ tn Or “Paul left.”

[18:1]  ²³² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:1]  ²³³ sn Corinth was the capital city of the senatorial province of Achaia and the seat of the Roman proconsul. It was located 55 mi (88 km) west of Athens. Corinth was a major rival to Athens and was the largest city in Greece at the time.

[18:2]  ²³¹ tn Grk “And he.” 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. The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:2]  ²³² tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ²³³ sn On Aquila and his wife Priscilla see also Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. This author uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.

[18:2]  ²³⁴ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ²³⁵ sn Claudius refers to the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54. The edict expelling the Jews from Rome was issued in a.d. 49 (Suetonius, Claudius 25.4).

[18:2]  ²³⁶ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ²³⁷ map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ²³⁸ tn Or “went to.”

[18:3]  ²³³ tn The prepositional phrase “with them” occurs only once in the Greek text, but since it occurs between the two finite verbs (ἔμενεν, emenen, and ἠργάζετο, hrgazeto) it relates (by implication) to both of them.

[18:3]  ²³⁴ tn On the term translated “tentmakers,” see BDAG 928-29 s.v. σκνηοποιός. Paul apparently manufactured tents. In contrast to the Cynic philosophers, Paul at times labored to support himself (see also v. 5).

[18:3]  ²³⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:4]  ²³⁵ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 18:4. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[18:4]  ²³⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:4]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “Addressing in the synagogue every Sabbath, he was attempting to persuade both Jews and Greeks.” Because in English the verb “address” is not used absolutely but normally has an object specified, the direct objects of the verb ἔπειθεν (epeiqen) have been moved forward as the objects of the English verb “addressed,” and the pronoun “them” repeated in the translation as the object of ἔπειθεν. The verb ἔπειθεν has been translated as a conative imperfect.

[18:5]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “came down.”

[18:5]  ²³⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[18:5]  ²³⁹ tn BDAG 971 s.v. συνέχω 6 states, “συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ (Paul) was wholly absorbed in preaching Ac 18:5…in contrast to the activity cited in vs. 3.” The imperfect συνείχετο (suneiceto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“became wholly absorbed…”), stressing the change in Paul’s activity once Silas and Timothy arrived. At this point Paul apparently began to work less and preach more.

[18:5]  ²⁴⁰ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “testify of, bear witness to solemnly (orig. under oath)…W. acc. and inf. foll. Ac 18:5.”

[18:5]  ²⁴¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[18:6]  ²³⁹ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[18:6]  ²⁴⁰ tn The participle βλασφημούντων (blasfhmountwn) has been taken temporally. The direct object (“him”) is implied rather than expressed and could be impersonal (“it,” referring to what Paul was saying rather than Paul himself), but the verb occurs more often in contexts involving defamation or slander against personal beings (not always God). For a very similar context to this one, compare Acts 13:45. The translation “blaspheme” is not used because in contemporary English its meaning is more narrowly defined and normally refers to blasphemy against God (not what Paul’s opponents were doing here). What they were doing was more like slander or defamation of character.

[18:6]  ²⁴¹ tn Grk “shaking out his clothes, he said to them.” L&N 16:8 translates Acts 18:6 “when they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes.” The addition of the verb “protested by” in the translation is necessary to clarify for the modern reader that this is a symbolic action. It is similar but not identical to the phrase in Acts 13:51, where the dust from the feet is shaken off. The participle ἐκτιναξάμενος (ektinaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:6]  ²⁴² sn Your blood be on your own heads! By invoking this epithet Paul declared himself not responsible for their actions in rejecting Jesus whom Paul preached (cf. Ezek 33:4; 3:6-21; Matt 23:35; 27:25).

[18:6]  ²⁴³ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

[18:7]  ²⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²⁴² tn Grk “Then leaving from there he went.” The participle μεταβάς (metabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:7]  ²⁴³ tn Grk “from there”; the referent (the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²⁴⁴ tn Grk “a worshiper of God.” The clarifying phrase “a Gentile” has been supplied for clarity, and is indicated by the context, since Paul had parted company with the Jews in the previous verse. The participle σεβομένου (sebomenou) 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.

[18:8]  ²⁴³ tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

[18:8]  ²⁴⁴ tn Or “who heard him,” or “who heard Paul.” The ambiguity here results from the tendency of Greek to omit direct objects, which must be supplied from the context. The problem is that no less than three different ones may be supplied here: (1) “him,” referring to Crispus, but this is not likely because there is no indication in the context that Crispus began to speak out about the Lord; this is certainly possible and even likely, but more than the text here affirms; (2) “Paul,” who had been speaking in the synagogue and presumably, now that he had moved to Titius Justus’ house, continued speaking to the Gentiles; or (3) “about it,” that is, the Corinthians who heard about Crispus’ conversion became believers. In the immediate context this last is most probable, since the two incidents are juxtaposed. Other, less obvious direct objects could also be supplied, such as “heard the word of God,” “heard the word of the Lord,” etc., but none of these are obvious in the immediate context.

[18:9]  ²⁴⁵ sn Frequently in Acts such a vision will tell the reader where events are headed. See Acts 10:9-16 and 16:9-10 for other accounts of visions.

[18:9]  ²⁴⁶ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ²⁴⁷ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[18:10]  ²⁴⁷ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 2 has “to set upon, attack, lay a hand on” here, but “assault” is a contemporary English equivalent very close to the meaning of the original.

[18:10]  ²⁴⁸ tn Or “injure.”

[18:11]  ²⁴⁹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[18:11]  ²⁵⁰ tn See BDAG 326-27 s.v. ἐν 1.d. However, it is also possible that ἐν (en) followed by the dative here stands for the ordinary dative (“to them”).

[18:12]  ²⁵¹ sn Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from a.d. 51-52. This date is one of the firmly established dates in Acts. Lucius Junius Gallio was the son of the rhetorician Seneca and the brother of Seneca the philosopher. The date of Gallio’s rule is established from an inscription (W. Dittenberger, ed., Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum 2.3 no. 8). Thus the event mentioned here is probably to be dated July-October a.d. 51.

[18:12]  ²⁵² sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

[18:12]  ²⁵³ sn Achaia was a Roman province created in 146 b.c. that included the most important parts of Greece (Attica, Boeotia, and the Peloponnesus).

[18:12]  ²⁵⁴ tn Grk “with one accord.”

[18:12]  ²⁵⁵ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), there is no need for an alternative translation here since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time.

[18:13]  ²⁵³ tn Or “inciting.”

[18:13]  ²⁵⁴ tn Grk “worship God contrary to.” BDAG 758 s.v. παρά C.6 has “against, contrary to” for Acts 18:13. The words “in a way” are not in the Greek text, but are a necessary clarification to prevent the misunderstanding in the English translation that worshiping God was in itself contrary to the law. What is under dispute is the manner in which God was being worshiped, that is, whether Gentiles were being required to follow all aspects of the Mosaic law, including male circumcision. There is a hint of creating public chaos or disturbing Jewish custom here since Jews were the ones making the complaint. Luke often portrays the dispute between Christians and Jews as within Judaism.

[18:14]  ²⁵⁵ tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

[18:14]  ²⁵⁶ tn BDAG 902 s.v. ῥᾳδιούργημα states, “From the sense ‘prank, knavery, roguish trick, slick deed’ it is but a short step to that of a serious misdeed, crime, villainy…a serious piece of villainy Ac 18:14 (w. ἀδίκημα).”

[18:14]  ²⁵⁷ tn According to BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνέχω 3 this is a legal technical term: “Legal t.t. κατὰ λόγον ἂν ἀνεσχόμην ὑμῶν I would have been justified in accepting your complaint Ac 18:14.”

[18:14]  ²⁵⁸ tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

[18:15]  ²⁵⁷ tn Or “dispute.”

[18:15]  ²⁵⁸ tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).

[18:15]  ²⁵⁹ tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.

[18:16]  ²⁵⁹ tn Grk “driven away,” but this could result in a misunderstanding in English (“driven” as in a cart or wagon?). “Forced away” conveys the idea; Gallio rejected their complaint. In contemporary English terminology the case was “thrown out of court.” The verb ἀπήλασεν (aphlasen) has been translated as a causative since Gallio probably did not perform this action in person, but ordered his aides or officers to remove the plaintiffs.

[18:16]  ²⁶⁰ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ²⁶¹ tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

[18:17]  ²⁶² tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ²⁶³ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ²⁶⁴ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[18:18]  ²⁶³ tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.

[18:18]  ²⁶⁴ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:18]  ²⁶⁵ tn Or “Corinth, took leave of.” Grk “saying farewell to”; the participle ἀποταξάμενος (apotaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:18]  ²⁶⁶ tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”

[18:18]  ²⁶⁷ sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:18]  ²⁶⁸ tn Or “Aquila, who.” The relationship of the participle κειράμενος (keirameno") is difficult to determine. Traditionally it is taken to refer to Paul, meaning that Paul had his hair cut off because of the vow. However, due to the proximity of the noun ᾿Ακύλας (Akula") and the reversal of the normal order (Aquila and Priscilla, Acts 17:34), the participle is taken as adjectival referring to Aquila by H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, n. 11. The later references to Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:23) do not resolve the problem, because the cutting of Paul’s own hair, while it may be implied, is not specifically mentioned in connection with the completion of the vows made by the other four.

[18:18]  ²⁶⁹ tn The word “off” is supplied in the translation to indicate that this was not a normal haircut, but the shaving of the head connected with taking the vow (see Acts 21:24).

[18:18]  ²⁷⁰ tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”

[18:18]  ²⁷¹ sn He had made a vow. It is debated whether this vow is a private vow of thanksgiving or the Nazirite vow, because it is not clear whether the Nazirite vow could be taken outside Jerusalem. Some have cited the Mishnah (m. Nazir 3:6, 5:4) to argue that the shaving of the hair can occur outside Jerusalem, and Josephus, J. W. 2.15.1 (2.313) is sometimes suggested as a parallel, but these references are not clear. H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, is certain that this refers to the Nazirite vow. Regardless, it is clear that Paul reflected his pious dependence on God.

[18:19]  ²⁶⁵ sn Ephesus was an influential city in Asia Minor. It was the location of the famous temple of Artemis. In 334 b.c. control of the city had passed to Alexander the Great, who contributed a large sum to the building of a new and more elaborate temple of Artemis, which became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and lasted until destroyed by the Goths in a.d. 263. This major port city would be reached from Corinth by ship. It was 250 mi (400 km) east of Corinth by sea.

[18:19]  ²⁶⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ²⁶⁷ tn Grk “left them”; the referents (Priscilla and Aquila) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ²⁶⁸ tn Grk “going”; the participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:19]  ²⁶⁹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:19]  ²⁷⁰ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 18:19. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[18:20]  ²⁶⁷ sn He would not consent. Paul probably refused because he wanted to reach Jerusalem for the festival season before the seas became impassable during the winter.

[18:21]  ²⁶⁹ tn Or “but took leave of.”

[18:21]  ²⁷⁰ tn Grk “and saying”; the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as “added” rather than “said” to avoid redundancy with the previous “said farewell.” The participle εἰπών has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:21]  ²⁷¹ tn Or “will return.”

[18:21]  ²⁷² tn The participle θέλοντος (qelontos), a genitive absolute construction, has been translated as a conditional adverbial participle. Again Paul acts in dependence on God.

[18:21]  ²⁷³ tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation due to the length of the sentence in Greek and the requirements of contemporary English style, which generally uses shorter sentences.

[18:22]  ²⁷¹ 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’…εἴς τι at someth. a harbor Ac 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[18:22]  ²⁷² sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a sea voyage of 620 mi (990 km).

[18:22]  ²⁷³ tn Grk “going up and greeting.” The participles ἀναβάς (anabas) and ἀσπασάμενος (aspasameno") are translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:22]  ²⁷⁴ tn The words “at Jerusalem” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the participle ἀναβάς (anabas). The expression “go up” refers almost exclusively to the direction of Jerusalem, while the corresponding “go down” (κατέβη, katebh) refers to directions away from Jerusalem. Both expressions are based on a Hebrew idiom. Assuming Jerusalem is meant, this is another indication of keeping that key church informed. If Jerusalem is not referred to here, then Caesarea is in view. Paul was trying to honor a vow, which also implies a visit to Jerusalem.

[18:22]  ²⁷⁵ sn Went down to Antioch. The city of Antioch in Syria lies due north of Jerusalem. In Western languages it is common to speak of north as “up” and south as “down,” but the NT maintains the Hebrew idiom which speaks of any direction away from Jerusalem as down (since Mount Zion was thought of in terms of altitude). This marks the end of the second missionary journey which began in Acts 15:36. From Caesarea to Antioch is a journey of 280 mi (450 km).

[18:23]  ²⁷³ tn Grk “Having spent”; the participle ποιήσας (poihsas) is taken temporally.

[18:23]  ²⁷⁴ sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor, or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch. The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.

[18:23]  ²⁷⁵ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia. See Acts 16:6.

[18:24]  ²⁷⁵ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[18:24]  ²⁷⁶ tn Or “was a learned man.” In this verse λόγιος (logios) can refer to someone who was an attractive and convincing speaker, a rhetorician (L&N 33.32), or it can refer to the person who has acquired a large part of the intellectual heritage of a given culture (“learned” or “cultured,” L&N 27.20, see also BDAG 598 s.v. λόγιος which lists both meanings as possible here). The description of Apollos’ fervent speaking in the following verses, as well as implications from 1 Cor 1-4, where Paul apparently compares his style and speaking ability with that of Apollos, suggests that eloquent speaking ability or formal rhetorical skill are in view here. This clause has been moved from its order in the Greek text (Grk “a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus, who was powerful in the scriptures”) and paired with the last element (“powerful in the scriptures”) due to the demands of clarity and contemporary English style.

[18:24]  ²⁷⁷ tn Grk “powerful.” BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b has “in the Scriptures = well-versed 18:24.”

[18:25]  ²⁷⁷ tn Or “had been taught.”

[18:25]  ²⁷⁸ tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).

[18:25]  ²⁷⁹ tn Grk “the things.”

[18:25]  ²⁸⁰ tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistameno") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[18:26]  ²⁷⁹ tn Or “boldly.” This is a frequent term in Acts (9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26).

[18:26]  ²⁸⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:26]  ²⁸¹ sn Priscilla and Aquila. This key couple, of which Priscilla was an important enough figure to be mentioned by name, instructed Apollos about the most recent work of God. See also the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:26]  ²⁸² tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσλαμβάνω 3 has “take aside, mid. τινά someone…So prob. also Ac 18:26: Priscilla and Aquila take Apollos aside to teach him undisturbed.”

[18:27]  ²⁸¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Apollos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ²⁸² sn To cross over to Achaia. Achaia was organized by the Romans as a separate province in 27 b.c. and was located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. The city of Corinth was in Achaia.

[18:27]  ²⁸³ tn Grk “encouraging [him], the brothers wrote.” The participle προτρεψάμενοι (protreyamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This was the typical letter of commendation from the Ephesians to the Achaeans.

[18:27]  ²⁸⁴ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[18:27]  ²⁸⁵ tn Grk “who, when he arrived.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced with the pronoun “he” and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[18:28]  ²⁸³ tn Or “vehemently.” BDAG 414 s.v. εὐτόνως has “vigorously, vehemently…εὐ. διακατελέγχεσθαί τινι refute someone vigorously Ac 18:28.”

[18:28]  ²⁸⁴ tn L&N 33.442 translates the phrase τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις διακατηλέγχετο δημοσίᾳ (toi" Ioudaioi" diakathlenceto dhmosia) as “he defeated the Jews in public debate.” On this use of the term δημόσιος (dhmosio") see BDAG 223 s.v. 2.

[18:28]  ²⁸⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Again the issue is identifying the Christ as Jesus (see 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 18:5).

[18:28]  ²⁸⁶ tn Although many English translations have here “that Jesus was the Christ,” in the case of two accusatives following a copulative infinitive, the first would normally be the subject and the second the predicate nominative. Additionally, the first accusative here (τὸν χριστόν, ton criston) has the article, a further indication that it should be regarded as subject of the infinitive.