Acts 16:6--19:20

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man

16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia ¹  and Galatia, ²  having been prevented ³  by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message ⁴  in the province of Asia. ⁵  16:7 When they came to ⁶  Mysia, ⁷  they attempted to go into Bithynia, ⁸  but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow ⁹  them to do this, ¹⁰  16:8 so they passed through ¹¹  Mysia ¹²  and went down to Troas. ¹³  16:9 A ¹⁴  vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there ¹⁵  urging him, ¹⁶  “Come over ¹⁷  to Macedonia ¹⁸  and help us!” 16:10 After Paul ¹⁹  saw the vision, we attempted ²⁰  immediately to go over to Macedonia, ²¹  concluding that God had called ²²  us to proclaim the good news to them.

Arrival at Philippi

16:11 We put out to sea ²³  from Troas ²⁴  and sailed a straight course ²⁵  to Samothrace, ²⁶  the next day to Neapolis, ²⁷  16:12 and from there to Philippi, ²⁸  which is a leading city of that district ²⁹  of Macedonia, ³⁰  a Roman colony. ³¹  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 ³²  and began to speak ³³  to the women ³⁴  who had assembled there. ³⁵  16:14 A ³⁶  woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth ³⁷  from the city of Thyatira, ³⁸  a God-fearing woman, listened to us. ³⁹  The Lord opened her heart to respond ⁴⁰  to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, ⁴¹  “If ⁴²  you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, ⁴³  come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded ⁴⁴  us.

Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

16:16 Now ⁴⁵  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. ⁴⁶  She ⁴⁷  brought her owners ⁴⁸  a great profit by fortune-telling. ⁴⁹  16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, ⁵⁰  “These men are servants ⁵¹  of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way ⁵²  of salvation.” ⁵³  16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, ⁵⁴  and turned ⁵⁵  and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ ⁵⁶  to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. ⁵⁷  16:19 But when her owners ⁵⁸  saw their hope of profit ⁵⁹  was gone, they seized ⁶⁰  Paul and Silas and dragged ⁶¹  them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When ⁶²  they had brought them ⁶³  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ⁶⁴  They are ⁶⁵  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ⁶⁶  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ⁶⁷  or practice, ⁶⁸  since we are ⁶⁹  Romans.”

16:22 The crowd joined the attack ⁷⁰  against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes ⁷¹  off Paul and Silas ⁷²  and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ⁷³  16:23 After they had beaten them severely, ⁷⁴  they threw them into prison and commanded ⁷⁵  the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ⁷⁶  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ⁷⁷ 

16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying ⁷⁸  and singing hymns to God, ⁷⁹  and the rest of ⁸⁰  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 ⁸¹  of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up ⁸²  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ⁸³  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ⁸⁴  because he assumed ⁸⁵  the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, ⁸⁶  “Do not harm yourself, ⁸⁷  for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer ⁸⁸  rushed in and fell down ⁸⁹  trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside ⁹⁰  and asked, “Sirs, what must ⁹¹  I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, ⁹²  “Believe ⁹³  in the Lord Jesus ⁹⁴  and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then ⁹⁵  they spoke the word of the Lord ⁹⁶  to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At ⁹⁷  that hour of the night he took them ⁹⁸  and washed their wounds; ⁹⁹  then ¹⁰⁰  he and all his family ¹⁰¹  were baptized right away. ¹⁰²  16:34 The jailer ¹⁰³  brought them into his house and set food ¹⁰⁴  before them, and he rejoiced greatly ¹⁰⁵  that he had come to believe ¹⁰⁶  in God, together with his entire household. ¹⁰⁷  16:35 At daybreak ¹⁰⁸  the magistrates ¹⁰⁹  sent their police officers, ¹¹⁰  saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ¹¹¹  “The magistrates have sent orders ¹¹²  to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” ¹¹³  16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ¹¹⁴  “They had us beaten in public ¹¹⁵  without a proper trial ¹¹⁶  – even though we are Roman citizens ¹¹⁷  – and they threw us ¹¹⁸  in prison. And now they want to send us away ¹¹⁹  secretly? Absolutely not! They ¹²⁰  themselves must come and escort us out!” ¹²¹  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ¹²²  were Roman citizens ¹²³  16:39 and came ¹²⁴  and apologized to them. After ¹²⁵  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ¹²⁶  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 ¹²⁷  departed.

Paul and Silas at Thessalonica

17:1 After they traveled through ¹²⁸  Amphipolis ¹²⁹  and Apollonia, ¹³⁰  they came to Thessalonica, ¹³¹  where there was a Jewish synagogue. ¹³²  17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ¹³³  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ¹³⁴  them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating ¹³⁵  that the Christ ¹³⁶  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ¹³⁷  saying, ¹³⁸  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ¹³⁹  17:4 Some of them were persuaded ¹⁴⁰  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ¹⁴¹  of God-fearing Greeks ¹⁴²  and quite a few ¹⁴³  prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ¹⁴⁴  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ¹⁴⁵  they formed a mob ¹⁴⁶  and set the city in an uproar. ¹⁴⁷  They attacked Jason’s house, ¹⁴⁸  trying to find Paul and Silas ¹⁴⁹  to bring them out to the assembly. ¹⁵⁰  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ¹⁵¹  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ¹⁵²  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ¹⁵³  throughout the world ¹⁵⁴  have come here too, 17:7 and ¹⁵⁵  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ¹⁵⁶  are all acting against Caesar’s ¹⁵⁷  decrees, saying there is another king named ¹⁵⁸  Jesus!” ¹⁵⁹  17:8 They caused confusion among ¹⁶⁰  the crowd and the city officials ¹⁶¹  who heard these things. 17:9 After ¹⁶²  the city officials ¹⁶³  had received bail ¹⁶⁴  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ¹⁶⁵  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ¹⁶⁶  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹⁶⁷  17:11 These Jews ¹⁶⁸  were more open-minded ¹⁶⁹  than those in Thessalonica, ¹⁷⁰  for they eagerly ¹⁷¹  received ¹⁷²  the message, examining ¹⁷³  the scriptures carefully every day ¹⁷⁴  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ¹⁷⁵  prominent ¹⁷⁶  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ¹⁷⁷  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ¹⁷⁸  in Berea, ¹⁷⁹  they came there too, inciting ¹⁸⁰  and disturbing ¹⁸¹  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ¹⁸²  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ¹⁸³  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ¹⁸⁴  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ¹⁸⁵ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ¹⁸⁶  his spirit was greatly upset ¹⁸⁷  because he saw ¹⁸⁸  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ¹⁸⁹  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ¹⁹⁰  in the synagogue, ¹⁹¹  and in the marketplace every day ¹⁹²  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ¹⁹³  and Stoic ¹⁹⁴  philosophers were conversing ¹⁹⁵  with him, and some were asking, ¹⁹⁶  “What does this foolish babbler ¹⁹⁷  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ¹⁹⁸  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ¹⁹⁹  17:19 So they took Paul and ²⁰⁰  brought him to the Areopagus, ²⁰¹  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ²⁰²  to our ears, so we want to know what they ²⁰³  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ²⁰⁴  in nothing else than telling ²⁰⁵  or listening to something new.) ²⁰⁶ 

17:22 So Paul stood ²⁰⁷  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ²⁰⁸  in all respects. ²⁰⁹  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ²¹⁰  I even found an altar with this inscription: ²¹¹  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ²¹²  this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ²¹³  who is ²¹⁴  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ²¹⁵  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ²¹⁶  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ²¹⁷  17:26 From one man ²¹⁸  he made every nation of the human race ²¹⁹  to inhabit the entire earth, ²²⁰  determining their set times ²²¹  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ²²²  17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ²²³  for him and find him, ²²⁴  though he is ²²⁵  not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about ²²⁶  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ²²⁷  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ²²⁸  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ²²⁹  made by human ²³⁰  skill ²³¹  and imagination. ²³²  17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ²³³  such times of ignorance, ²³⁴  he now commands all people ²³⁵  everywhere to repent, ²³⁶  17:31 because he has set ²³⁷  a day on which he is going to judge the world ²³⁸  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ²³⁹  having provided proof to everyone by raising ²⁴⁰  him from the dead.”

17:32 Now when they heard about ²⁴¹  the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, ²⁴²  but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 17:33 So Paul left the Areopagus. ²⁴³  17:34 But some people ²⁴⁴  joined him ²⁴⁵  and believed. Among them ²⁴⁶  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ²⁴⁷  a woman ²⁴⁸  named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

18:1 After this ²⁴⁹  Paul ²⁵⁰  departed from ²⁵¹  Athens ²⁵²  and went to Corinth. ²⁵³  18:2 There he ²⁵⁴  found ²⁵⁵  a Jew named Aquila, ²⁵⁶  a native of Pontus, ²⁵⁷  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ²⁵⁸  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ²⁵⁹  Rome. ²⁶⁰  Paul approached ²⁶¹  them, 18:3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them ²⁶²  (for they were tentmakers ²⁶³  by trade). ²⁶⁴  18:4 He addressed ²⁶⁵  both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue ²⁶⁶  every Sabbath, attempting to persuade ²⁶⁷  them.

18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived ²⁶⁸  from Macedonia, ²⁶⁹  Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming ²⁷⁰  the word, testifying ²⁷¹  to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ²⁷²  18:6 When they opposed him ²⁷³  and reviled him, ²⁷⁴  he protested by shaking out his clothes ²⁷⁵  and said to them, “Your blood ²⁷⁶  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ²⁷⁷  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!” 18:7 Then Paul ²⁷⁸  left ²⁷⁹  the synagogue ²⁸⁰  and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, ²⁸¹  whose house was next door to the synagogue. 18:8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, ²⁸²  believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it ²⁸³  believed and were baptized. 18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ²⁸⁴  in the night, ²⁸⁵  “Do not be afraid, ²⁸⁶  but speak and do not be silent, 18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ²⁸⁷  you to harm ²⁸⁸  you, because I have many people in this city.” 18:11 So he stayed there ²⁸⁹  a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ²⁹⁰ 

Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio

18:12 Now while Gallio ²⁹¹  was proconsul ²⁹²  of Achaia, ²⁹³  the Jews attacked Paul together ²⁹⁴  and brought him before the judgment seat, ²⁹⁵  18:13 saying, “This man is persuading ²⁹⁶  people to worship God in a way contrary to ²⁹⁷  the law!” 18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak, ²⁹⁸  Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, ²⁹⁹  I would have been justified in accepting the complaint ³⁰⁰  of you Jews, ³⁰¹  18:15 but since it concerns points of disagreement ³⁰²  about words and names and your own law, settle ³⁰³  it yourselves. I will not be ³⁰⁴  a judge of these things!” 18:16 Then he had them forced away ³⁰⁵  from the judgment seat. ³⁰⁶  18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ³⁰⁷  and began to beat ³⁰⁸  him in front of the judgment seat. ³⁰⁹  Yet none of these things were of any concern ³¹⁰  to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria

18:18 Paul, after staying ³¹¹  many more days in Corinth, ³¹²  said farewell to ³¹³  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ³¹⁴  Priscilla and Aquila. ³¹⁵  He ³¹⁶  had his hair cut off ³¹⁷  at Cenchrea ³¹⁸  because he had made a vow. ³¹⁹  18:19 When they reached Ephesus, ³²⁰  Paul ³²¹  left Priscilla and Aquila ³²²  behind there, but he himself went ³²³  into the synagogue ³²⁴  and addressed ³²⁵  the Jews. 18:20 When they asked him to stay longer, he would not consent, ³²⁶  18:21 but said farewell to ³²⁷  them and added, ³²⁸  “I will come back ³²⁹  to you again if God wills.” ³³⁰  Then ³³¹  he set sail from Ephesus, 18:22 and when he arrived ³³²  at Caesarea, ³³³  he went up and greeted ³³⁴  the church at Jerusalem ³³⁵  and then went down to Antioch. ³³⁶  18:23 After he spent ³³⁷  some time there, Paul left and went through the region of Galatia ³³⁸  and Phrygia, ³³⁹  strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Begins His Ministry

18:24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. ³⁴⁰  He was an eloquent speaker, ³⁴¹  well-versed ³⁴²  in the scriptures. 18:25 He had been instructed in ³⁴³  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ³⁴⁴  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ³⁴⁵  about Jesus, although he knew ³⁴⁶  only the baptism of John. 18:26 He began to speak out fearlessly ³⁴⁷  in the synagogue, ³⁴⁸  but when Priscilla and Aquila ³⁴⁹  heard him, they took him aside ³⁵⁰  and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 18:27 When Apollos ³⁵¹  wanted to cross over to Achaia, ³⁵²  the brothers encouraged ³⁵³  him ³⁵⁴  and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he ³⁵⁵  assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 18:28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously ³⁵⁶  in public debate, ³⁵⁷  demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ ³⁵⁸  was Jesus. ³⁵⁹ 

Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus

19:1 While ³⁶⁰  Apollos was in Corinth, ³⁶¹  Paul went through the inland ³⁶²  regions ³⁶³  and came to Ephesus. ³⁶⁴  He ³⁶⁵  found some disciples there ³⁶⁶  19:2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ³⁶⁷  They replied, ³⁶⁸  “No, we have not even ³⁶⁹  heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 19:3 So Paul ³⁷⁰  said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied. ³⁷¹  19:4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, ³⁷²  that is, in Jesus.” 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, 19:6 and when Paul placed ³⁷³  his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ³⁷⁴  upon them, and they began to speak ³⁷⁵  in tongues and to prophesy. ³⁷⁶  19:7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.) ³⁷⁷ 

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul ³⁷⁸  entered ³⁷⁹  the synagogue ³⁸⁰  and spoke out fearlessly ³⁸¹  for three months, addressing ³⁸²  and convincing ³⁸³  them about the kingdom of God. ³⁸⁴  19:9 But when ³⁸⁵  some were stubborn ³⁸⁶  and refused to believe, reviling ³⁸⁷  the Way ³⁸⁸  before the congregation, he left ³⁸⁹  them and took the disciples with him, ³⁹⁰  addressing ³⁹¹  them every day ³⁹²  in the lecture hall ³⁹³  of Tyrannus. 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, ³⁹⁴  both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. ³⁹⁵ 

The Seven Sons of Sceva

19:11 God was performing extraordinary ³⁹⁶  miracles by Paul’s hands, 19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body ³⁹⁷  were brought ³⁹⁸  to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ³⁹⁹  19:13 But some itinerant ⁴⁰⁰  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ⁴⁰¹  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ⁴⁰²  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ⁴⁰³  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ⁴⁰⁴  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ⁴⁰⁵  19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ⁴⁰⁶  “I know about Jesus ⁴⁰⁷  and I am acquainted with ⁴⁰⁸  Paul, but who are you?” ⁴⁰⁹  19:16 Then the man who was possessed by ⁴¹⁰  the evil spirit jumped on ⁴¹¹  them and beat them all into submission. ⁴¹²  He prevailed ⁴¹³  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 19:17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, ⁴¹⁴  both Jews and Greeks; fear came over ⁴¹⁵  them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. ⁴¹⁶  19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward, ⁴¹⁷  confessing and making their deeds known. ⁴¹⁸  19:19 Large numbers ⁴¹⁹  of those who had practiced magic ⁴²⁰  collected their books ⁴²¹  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ⁴²²  When ⁴²³  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁴²⁴  19:20 In this way the word of the Lord ⁴²⁵  continued to grow in power ⁴²⁶  and to prevail. ⁴²⁷ 

[16:6]  ¹ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia.

[16:6]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “forbidden.”

[16:6]  ⁴ tn Or “word.”

[16:6]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.b has “to Mysia” here.

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

[16:7]  ⁸ sn Bithynia was a province in northern Asia Minor northeast of Mysia.

[16:7]  ⁹ tn Or “permit”; see BDAG 269 s.v. ἐάω 1.

[16:7]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

[16:8]  ¹³ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor, near ancient Troy.

[16:9]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

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

[16:9]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Coming over.” The participle διαβάς (diabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:9]  ¹⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ²⁰ tn Grk “sought.”

[16:10]  ²¹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ²² tn Or “summoned.”

[16:11]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. See v. 8.

[16:11]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ sn Samothrace is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea.

[16:11]  ²⁷ sn Neapolis was a seaport on the southern coast of Macedonia. It was 10 mi (16 km) from Philippi.

[16:12]  ²⁸ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[16:12]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:12]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn The imperfect verb ἐλαλοῦμεν (elaloumen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[16:13]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:14]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see BDAG 855 s.v. πορφυρόπωλις.

[16:14]  ³⁸ sn Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia in Asia Minor.

[16:14]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[16:15]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “masters.”

[16:16]  ⁴⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 616 s.v. μαντεύομαι. It was used of those who gave oracles.

[16:17]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and turning.” The participle ἐπιστρέψας (epistreya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:18]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[16:18]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “masters.”

[16:19]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.

[16:20]  ⁶² 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]  ⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁴ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

[16:20]  ⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[16:22]  ⁷⁰ tn L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepesth) in this verse.

[16:22]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² tn Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:22]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “commanding.” The participle παραγγείλαντες (parangeilante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:24]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “prison.”

[16:24]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ tn The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:26]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² 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]  ⁸³ tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.

[16:27]  ⁸⁴ 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]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “thought.”

[16:28]  ⁸⁶ 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]  ⁸⁷ sn Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.

[16:29]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:29]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “and prostrated himself.”

[16:30]  ⁹⁰ 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]  ⁹¹ tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

[16:31]  ⁹² tn Grk “said.”

[16:31]  ⁹³ 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]  ⁹⁴ 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]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁷ 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]  ⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:33]  ¹⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁰² tn Or “immediately.”

[16:34]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:34]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “he was overjoyed.”

[16:34]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.

[16:34]  ¹⁰⁷ 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]  ¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁹ 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]  ¹¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² 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]  ¹¹³ 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]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ¹¹⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ¹¹⁷ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ¹¹⁸ 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]  ¹¹⁹ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ¹²⁰ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ¹²¹ 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]  ¹²² tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ¹²³ 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]  ¹²⁴ 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]  ¹²⁵ 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]  ¹²⁶ 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]  ¹²⁷ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.

[17:1]  ¹²⁸ tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.

[17:1]  ¹²⁹ 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]  ¹³⁰ sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.

[17:1]  ¹³¹ 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]  ¹³² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:2]  ¹³³ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ¹³⁴ 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]  ¹³⁵ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

[17:3]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  ¹³⁷ 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]  ¹³⁸ 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]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:4]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or “convinced.”

[17:4]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “a large crowd.”

[17:4]  ¹⁴² 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]  ¹⁴³ 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]  ¹⁴⁴ 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]  ¹⁴⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁶ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ¹⁴⁷ 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]  ¹⁴⁸ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ¹⁵⁰ 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]  ¹⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁵² 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]  ¹⁵³ 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]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:7]  ¹⁵⁵ 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]  ¹⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ¹⁵⁹ 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]  ¹⁶⁰ 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]  ¹⁶¹ 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]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ¹⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁶⁶ 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]  ¹⁶⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ¹⁶⁹ 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]  ¹⁷⁰ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  ¹⁷¹ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ¹⁷² 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]  ¹⁷³ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ¹⁷⁴ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ¹⁷⁵ 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]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Or “respected.”

[17:13]  ¹⁷⁷ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:13]  ¹⁷⁸ 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]  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) from Thessalonica.

[17:13]  ¹⁸⁰ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

[17:13]  ¹⁸¹ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

[17:14]  ¹⁸² 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]  ¹⁸³ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ¹⁸⁴ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:15]  ¹⁸⁵ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

[17:16]  ¹⁸⁶ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:16]  ¹⁸⁷ 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]  ¹⁸⁸ 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]  ¹⁸⁹ 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]  ¹⁹⁰ 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]  ¹⁹¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ¹⁹² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:18]  ¹⁹³ 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]  ¹⁹⁴ 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]  ¹⁹⁵ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ¹⁹⁷ 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]  ¹⁹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:19]  ²⁰⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:19]  ²⁰¹ tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.

[17:20]  ²⁰² tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

[17:20]  ²⁰³ 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]  ²⁰⁴ tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

[17:21]  ²⁰⁵ tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

[17:21]  ²⁰⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

[17:22]  ²⁰⁷ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ²⁰⁸ 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]  ²⁰⁹ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ²¹⁰ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ²¹¹ 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]  ²¹² 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]  ²¹³ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

[17:24]  ²¹⁴ 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]  ²¹⁵ 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]  ²¹⁶ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ²¹⁷ tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:26]  ²¹⁸ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

[17:26]  ²¹⁹ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

[17:26]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

[17:26]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² 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]  ²²³ tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.

[17:27]  ²²⁴ 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]  ²²⁵ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[17:28]  ²²⁶ 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]  ²²⁷ 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]  ²²⁸ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

[17:29]  ²²⁹ tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

[17:29]  ²³⁰ tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[17:29]  ²³¹ tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

[17:29]  ²³² 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]  ²³³ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ²³⁴ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ²³⁵ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ²³⁶ 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]  ²³⁷ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ²³⁸ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ²³⁹ 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]  ²⁴⁰ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[17:32]  ²⁴¹ tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[17:32]  ²⁴² 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]  ²⁴³ tn Grk “left out of their midst”; the referent (the Areopagus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:34]  ²⁴⁴ 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]  ²⁴⁵ 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]  ²⁴⁶ 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]  ²⁴⁷ 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]  ²⁴⁸ 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]  ²⁴⁹ tn Grk “After these things.”

[18:1]  ²⁵⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ²⁵¹ tn Or “Paul left.”

[18:1]  ²⁵² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:1]  ²⁵³ 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]  ²⁵⁴ 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]  ²⁵⁵ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ²⁵⁸ 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]  ²⁵⁹ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ²⁶⁰ map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ²⁶¹ tn Or “went to.”

[18:3]  ²⁶² 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]  ²⁶³ 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]  ²⁶⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:4]  ²⁶⁵ 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]  ²⁶⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:4]  ²⁶⁷ 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]  ²⁶⁸ tn Grk “came down.”

[18:5]  ²⁶⁹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[18:5]  ²⁷⁰ 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]  ²⁷¹ 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]  ²⁷² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[18:6]  ²⁷³ 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]  ²⁷⁴ 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]  ²⁷⁵ 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]  ²⁷⁶ 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]  ²⁷⁷ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

[18:7]  ²⁷⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²⁷⁹ 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]  ²⁸⁰ tn Grk “from there”; the referent (the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²⁸¹ 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]  ²⁸² 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]  ²⁸³ 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]  ²⁸⁴ 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]  ²⁸⁵ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ²⁸⁶ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[18:10]  ²⁸⁷ 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]  ²⁸⁸ tn Or “injure.”

[18:11]  ²⁸⁹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[18:11]  ²⁹⁰ 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]  ²⁹¹ 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]  ²⁹² sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

[18:12]  ²⁹³ 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]  ²⁹⁴ tn Grk “with one accord.”

[18:12]  ²⁹⁵ 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]  ²⁹⁶ tn Or “inciting.”

[18:13]  ²⁹⁷ 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]  ²⁹⁸ tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

[18:14]  ²⁹⁹ 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]  ³⁰⁰ 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]  ³⁰¹ tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

[18:15]  ³⁰² tn Or “dispute.”

[18:15]  ³⁰³ tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).

[18:15]  ³⁰⁴ tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.

[18:16]  ³⁰⁵ 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]  ³⁰⁶ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ³⁰⁷ 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]  ³⁰⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ³⁰⁹ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ³¹⁰ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[18:18]  ³¹¹ tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.

[18:18]  ³¹² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:18]  ³¹³ 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]  ³¹⁴ tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”

[18:18]  ³¹⁵ sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:18]  ³¹⁶ 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]  ³¹⁷ 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]  ³¹⁸ tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”

[18:18]  ³¹⁹ 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]  ³²⁰ 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]  ³²¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ³²² tn Grk “left them”; the referents (Priscilla and Aquila) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ³²³ tn Grk “going”; the participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:19]  ³²⁴ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:19]  ³²⁵ 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]  ³²⁶ 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]  ³²⁷ tn Or “but took leave of.”

[18:21]  ³²⁸ 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]  ³²⁹ tn Or “will return.”

[18:21]  ³³⁰ 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]  ³³¹ 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]  ³³² 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]  ³³³ 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]  ³³⁴ 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]  ³³⁵ 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]  ³³⁶ 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]  ³³⁷ tn Grk “Having spent”; the participle ποιήσας (poihsas) is taken temporally.

[18:23]  ³³⁸ 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]  ³³⁹ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia. See Acts 16:6.

[18:24]  ³⁴⁰ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[18:24]  ³⁴¹ 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]  ³⁴² tn Grk “powerful.” BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b has “in the Scriptures = well-versed 18:24.”

[18:25]  ³⁴³ tn Or “had been taught.”

[18:25]  ³⁴⁴ tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).

[18:25]  ³⁴⁵ tn Grk “the things.”

[18:25]  ³⁴⁶ tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistameno") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[18:26]  ³⁴⁷ tn Or “boldly.” This is a frequent term in Acts (9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26).

[18:26]  ³⁴⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:26]  ³⁴⁹ 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]  ³⁵⁰ 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]  ³⁵¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Apollos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ³⁵² 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]  ³⁵³ 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]  ³⁵⁴ 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]  ³⁵⁵ 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]  ³⁵⁶ tn Or “vehemently.” BDAG 414 s.v. εὐτόνως has “vigorously, vehemently…εὐ. διακατελέγχεσθαί τινι refute someone vigorously Ac 18:28.”

[18:28]  ³⁵⁷ 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]  ³⁵⁸ 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]  ³⁵⁹ 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.

[19:1]  ³⁶⁰ tn Grk “It happened that while.” 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.

[19:1]  ³⁶¹ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[19:1]  ³⁶² tn Or “interior.”

[19:1]  ³⁶³ tn BDAG 92 s.v. ἀνωτερικός has “upper τὰ ἀ. μέρη the upper (i.e. inland) country, the interior Ac 19:1.”

[19:1]  ³⁶⁴ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:1]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “and found.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[19:1]  ³⁶⁶ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[19:2]  ³⁶⁷ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") is taken temporally.

[19:2]  ³⁶⁸ tn Grk “they [said] to him” (the word “said” is implied in the Greek text).

[19:2]  ³⁶⁹ tn This use of ἀλλά (alla) is ascensive and involves an ellipsis (BDAG 45 s.v. ἀλλά 3): “No, [not only did we not receive the Spirit,] but also we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” However, this is lengthy and somewhat awkward in English, and the ascensive meaning can be much more easily represented by including the word “even” after the negation. Apparently these disciples were unaware of the provision of the Spirit that is represented in baptism. The language sounds like they did not know about a Holy Spirit, but this seems to be only linguistic shorthand for not knowing about the Spirit’s presence (Luke 3:15-18). The situation is parallel to that of Apollos. Apollos and these disciples represent those who “complete” their transition to messianic faith as Jews.

[19:3]  ³⁷⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:3]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “they said.”

[19:4]  ³⁷² sn These disciples may have had their contact with John early on in the Baptist’s ministry before Jesus had emerged. This is the fifth time Luke links John the Baptist and Jesus (Acts 1:5; 11:16; 13:25; 18:25).

[19:6]  ³⁷³ tn Or “laid.”

[19:6]  ³⁷⁴ sn The coming of the Holy Spirit here is another case where the Spirit comes and prophesy results in Acts (see Acts 2). Paul’s action parallels that of Peter (Acts 8) and not just with Gentiles.

[19:6]  ³⁷⁵ tn The imperfect verb ἐλάλουν (elaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:6]  ³⁷⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἐπροφήτευον (eprofhteuon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:7]  ³⁷⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:8]  ³⁷⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:8]  ³⁷⁹ tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:8]  ³⁸⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[19:8]  ³⁸¹ tn Or “boldly.”

[19:8]  ³⁸² 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 19:8. 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.

[19:8]  ³⁸³ tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomeno" and peiqwn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”

[19:8]  ³⁸⁴ sn To talk about Jesus as the Christ who has come is to talk about the kingdom of God. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28.

[19:9]  ³⁸⁵ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.

[19:9]  ³⁸⁶ tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.

[19:9]  ³⁸⁷ tn Or “speaking evil of.” BDAG 500 s.v. κακολογέω has “speak evil of, revile, insult…τὶ someth. τὴν ὁδόν the Way (i.e. Christian way of life) Ac 19:9.”

[19:9]  ³⁸⁸ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity). Luke frequently refers to it as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

[19:9]  ³⁸⁹ tn Grk “leaving them, he took.” The participle ἀποστάς (apostas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:9]  ³⁹⁰ tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:9]  ³⁹¹ 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 19:9. 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.

[19:9]  ³⁹² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[19:9]  ³⁹³ tn The “lecture hall” was a place where teachers and pupils met. The term is a NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 982 s.v. σχολή). L&N 7.14 notes, “it is better to use a translation such as ‘lecture hall’ rather than ‘school,’ since one does not wish to give the impression of the typical classroom situation characteristic of present-day schools.”

[19:10]  ³⁹⁴ 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.

[19:10]  ³⁹⁵ 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; 16:32; 19:20; 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.

[19:11]  ³⁹⁶ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11.”

[19:12]  ³⁹⁷ tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).

[19:12]  ³⁹⁸ tn Or “were taken.” It might be that as word went out into the region that since the sick could not come to Paul, healing was brought to them this way. The “handkerchiefs” are probably face cloths for wiping perspiration (see BDAG 934 s.v. σουδάριον) while the “aprons” might be material worn by workmen (BDAG 923-24 s.v. σιμικίνθιον).

[19:12]  ³⁹⁹ tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:13]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ⁴⁰² tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

[19:13]  ⁴⁰³ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[19:14]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

[19:14]  ⁴⁰⁵ sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:15]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

[19:15]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.

[19:15]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπίσταμαι 2 has “know, be acquainted with τινά…τὸν Παῦλον Ac 19:15.” Here the translation “be acquainted with” was used to differentiate from the previous phrase which has γινώσκω (ginwskw).

[19:15]  ⁴⁰⁹ sn But who are you? This account shows how the power of Paul was so distinct that parallel claims to access that power were denied. In fact, such manipulation, by those who did not know Jesus, was judged (v. 16). The indirect way in which the exorcists made the appeal shows their distance from Jesus.

[19:16]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

[19:16]  ⁴¹¹ tn Grk “the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them.” The participle ἐφαλόμενος (efalomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 15.239 has “ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς ‘the man jumped on them’ Ac 19:16.”

[19:16]  ⁴¹² tn Grk “and beating them all into submission.” The participle κατακυριεύσας (katakurieusa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. According to W. Foerster, TDNT 3:1098, the word means “the exercise of dominion against someone, i.e., to one’s own advantage.” These exorcists were shown to be powerless in comparison to Jesus who was working through Paul.

[19:16]  ⁴¹³ tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

[19:17]  ⁴¹⁴ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:17]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone…Ac 19:17.”

[19:17]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Or “exalted.”

[19:18]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Grk “came”; the word “forward” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning and to conform to the contemporary English idiom.

[19:18]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Or “confessing and disclosing their deeds.” BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναγγέλλω 2 has “W. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι: ἀ. τὰς πράξεις αὐτο'ν make their deeds known Ac 19:18.”

[19:19]  ⁴¹⁹ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (Jikanoi) in this verse.

[19:19]  ⁴²⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.

[19:19]  ⁴²¹ tn Or “scrolls.”

[19:19]  ⁴²² tn Or “burned them up publicly.” L&N 14.66 has “‘they brought their books together and burned them up in the presence of everyone’ Ac 19:19.”

[19:19]  ⁴²³ tn Grk “and when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[19:19]  ⁴²⁴ tn Or “fifty thousand silver drachmas” (about $10,000 US dollars). BDAG 128 s.v. ἀργύριον 2.c states, “ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε 50,000 (Attic silver) drachmas Ac 19:19.” Another way to express the value would be in sheep: One drachma could buy one sheep. So this many drachmas could purchase a huge flock of sheep. A drachma also equals a denarius, or a day’s wage for the average worker. So this amount would be equal to 50,000 work days or in excess of 8,300 weeks of labor (the weeks are calculated at six working days because of the Jewish cultural context). The impact of Christianity on the Ephesian economy was considerable (note in regard to this the concerns expressed in 19:26-27).

[19:20]  ⁴²⁵ 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; 16:32; 19:10; 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.

[19:20]  ⁴²⁶ tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (huxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (iscuen).

[19:20]  ⁴²⁷ sn The word of the Lord…to prevail. Luke portrays the impact of Christianity in terms of the Lord’s transforming power in the lives of individuals.