Acts 16:3

16:3 Paul wanted Timothy ¹  to accompany him, and he took ²  him and circumcised ³  him because of the Jews who were in those places, ⁴  for they all knew that his father was Greek. ⁵ 

Acts 18:2

18:2 There he ⁶  found ⁷  a Jew named Aquila, ⁸  a native of Pontus, ⁹  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ¹⁰  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ¹¹  Rome. ¹²  Paul approached ¹³  them,

Acts 18:14

18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak, ¹⁴  Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, ¹⁵  I would have been justified in accepting the complaint ¹⁶  of you Jews, ¹⁷ 

Acts 21:21

21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ¹⁸  among the Gentiles to abandon ¹⁹  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ²⁰  or live ²¹  according to our customs.

Acts 25:10

25:10 Paul replied, ²²  “I am standing before Caesar’s ²³  judgment seat, ²⁴  where I should be tried. ²⁵  I have done nothing wrong ²⁶  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ²⁷ 

[16:3]  ¹ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Timothy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:3]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Or “who lived in the area.”

[16:3]  ⁵ tn The anarthrous predicate nominative has been translated as qualitative (“Greek”) rather than indefinite (“a Greek”).

[18:2]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ¹² map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ¹³ tn Or “went to.”

[18:14]  ¹¹ tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

[18:14]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

[21:21]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.

[21:21]  ¹⁷ tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”

[21:21]  ¹⁸ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “or walk.”

[25:10]  ²¹ tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ²² tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ²³ 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), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.

[25:10]  ²⁴ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ²⁵ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”