Acts 16:30

16:30 Then he brought them outside ¹  and asked, “Sirs, what must ²  I do to be saved?”

Acts 22:27

22:27 So the commanding officer ³  came and asked ⁴  Paul, ⁵  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ⁶  He replied, ⁷  “Yes.”

Acts 26:32

26:32 Agrippa ⁸  said to Festus, ⁹  “This man could have been released ¹⁰  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ¹¹ 

Acts 17:22

17:22 So Paul stood ¹²  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ¹³  in all respects. ¹⁴ 

Acts 22:28

22:28 The commanding officer ¹⁵  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ¹⁶  “But I was even ¹⁷  born a citizen,” ¹⁸  Paul replied. ¹⁹ 

Acts 23:5

23:5 Paul replied, ²⁰  “I did not realize, ²¹  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ²² 

Acts 23:17

23:17 Paul called ²³  one of the centurions ²⁴  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ²⁵  for he has something to report to him.”

Acts 23:35

23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ²⁶  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ²⁷  he ordered that Paul ²⁸  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ²⁹ 

Acts 26:1

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ³⁰  said to Paul, “You have permission ³¹  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ³²  and began his defense: ³³ 

Acts 7:2

7:2 So he replied, ³⁴  “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather ³⁵  Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

Acts 10:28

10:28 He said to them, “You know that ³⁶  it is unlawful ³⁷  for a Jew ³⁸  to associate with or visit a Gentile, ³⁹  yet God has shown me that I should call no person ⁴⁰  defiled or ritually unclean. ⁴¹ 

Acts 10:30

10:30 Cornelius ⁴²  replied, ⁴³  “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, ⁴⁴  I was praying in my house, and suddenly ⁴⁵  a man in shining clothing stood before me

Acts 16:37

16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ⁴⁶  “They had us beaten in public ⁴⁷  without a proper trial ⁴⁸  – even though we are Roman citizens ⁴⁹  – and they threw us ⁵⁰  in prison. And now they want to send us away ⁵¹  secretly? Absolutely not! They ⁵²  themselves must come and escort us out!” ⁵³ 

Acts 21:37

21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ⁵⁴  he said ⁵⁵  to the commanding officer, ⁵⁶  “May I say ⁵⁷  something to you?” The officer ⁵⁸  replied, ⁵⁹  “Do you know Greek? ⁶⁰ 

[16:30]  ¹ 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]  ² tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

[22:27]  ³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ⁴ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ⁶ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ⁷ tn Grk “He said.”

[26:32]  ⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ⁷ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ⁸ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:22]  ⁷ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[22:28]  ⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ¹⁰ sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.

[22:28]  ¹¹ tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ¹² tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  ¹³ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “said.”

[23:5]  ¹² tn Or “know.”

[23:5]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.

[23:17]  ¹³ tn Grk “calling…Paul said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:17]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:35]  ¹⁵ tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter – ‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”

[23:35]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.

[23:35]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ¹⁸ sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.

[26:1]  ¹⁷ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ²⁰ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[7:2]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[7:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[10:28]  ²¹ tn Here ὡς (Jws) is used like ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect discourse (cf. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5).

[10:28]  ²² tn This term is used of wanton or callously lawless acts (BDAG 24 s.v. ἀθέμιτος).

[10:28]  ²³ tn Grk “a Jewish man” (ἀνδρὶ ᾿Ιουδαίῳ, andri Ioudaiw).

[10:28]  ²⁴ tn Grk “a foreigner,” but in this context, “a non-Jew,” that is, a Gentile. This term speaks of intimate association (BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.b.α). On this Jewish view, see John 18:28, where a visit to a Gentile residence makes a Jewish person unclean.

[10:28]  ²⁵ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[10:28]  ²⁶ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.

[10:30]  ²³ tn Grk “And Cornelius.” 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.

[10:30]  ²⁴ tn Grk “said.”

[10:30]  ²⁵ tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.

[10:30]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.

[16:37]  ²⁵ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ²⁸ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ³¹ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ³² 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.

[21:37]  ²⁷ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:37]  ²⁸ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ³⁰ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ³¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ³² tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ³³ sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.