Acts 16:1--22:30

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16:1 He also came to Derbe ¹  and to Lystra. ²  A disciple ³  named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, ⁴  but whose father was a Greek. ⁵  16:2 The brothers in Lystra ⁶  and Iconium ⁷  spoke well ⁸  of him. ⁹  16:3 Paul wanted Timothy ¹⁰  to accompany him, and he took ¹¹  him and circumcised ¹²  him because of the Jews who were in those places, ¹³  for they all knew that his father was Greek. ¹⁴  16:4 As they went through the towns, ¹⁵  they passed on ¹⁶  the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ¹⁷  for the Gentile believers ¹⁸  to obey. ¹⁹  16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day. ²⁰ 

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man

16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia ²¹  and Galatia, ²²  having been prevented ²³  by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message ²⁴  in the province of Asia. ²⁵  16:7 When they came to ²⁶  Mysia, ²⁷  they attempted to go into Bithynia, ²⁸  but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow ²⁹  them to do this, ³⁰  16:8 so they passed through ³¹  Mysia ³²  and went down to Troas. ³³  16:9 A ³⁴  vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there ³⁵  urging him, ³⁶  “Come over ³⁷  to Macedonia ³⁸  and help us!” 16:10 After Paul ³⁹  saw the vision, we attempted ⁴⁰  immediately to go over to Macedonia, ⁴¹  concluding that God had called ⁴²  us to proclaim the good news to them.

Arrival at Philippi

16:11 We put out to sea ⁴³  from Troas ⁴⁴  and sailed a straight course ⁴⁵  to Samothrace, ⁴⁶  the next day to Neapolis, ⁴⁷  16:12 and from there to Philippi, ⁴⁸  which is a leading city of that district ⁴⁹  of Macedonia, ⁵⁰  a Roman colony. ⁵¹  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 ⁵²  and began to speak ⁵³  to the women ⁵⁴  who had assembled there. ⁵⁵  16:14 A ⁵⁶  woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth ⁵⁷  from the city of Thyatira, ⁵⁸  a God-fearing woman, listened to us. ⁵⁹  The Lord opened her heart to respond ⁶⁰  to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, ⁶¹  “If ⁶²  you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, ⁶³  come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded ⁶⁴  us.

Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

16:16 Now ⁶⁵  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. ⁶⁶  She ⁶⁷  brought her owners ⁶⁸  a great profit by fortune-telling. ⁶⁹  16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, ⁷⁰  “These men are servants ⁷¹  of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way ⁷²  of salvation.” ⁷³  16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, ⁷⁴  and turned ⁷⁵  and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ ⁷⁶  to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. ⁷⁷  16:19 But when her owners ⁷⁸  saw their hope of profit ⁷⁹  was gone, they seized ⁸⁰  Paul and Silas and dragged ⁸¹  them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When ⁸²  they had brought them ⁸³  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ⁸⁴  They are ⁸⁵  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ⁸⁶  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ⁸⁷  or practice, ⁸⁸  since we are ⁸⁹  Romans.”

16:22 The crowd joined the attack ⁹⁰  against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes ⁹¹  off Paul and Silas ⁹²  and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ⁹³  16:23 After they had beaten them severely, ⁹⁴  they threw them into prison and commanded ⁹⁵  the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ⁹⁶  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ⁹⁷ 

16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying ⁹⁸  and singing hymns to God, ⁹⁹  and the rest of ¹⁰⁰  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 ¹⁰¹  of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up ¹⁰²  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ¹⁰³  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ¹⁰⁴  because he assumed ¹⁰⁵  the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, ¹⁰⁶  “Do not harm yourself, ¹⁰⁷  for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer ¹⁰⁸  rushed in and fell down ¹⁰⁹  trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside ¹¹⁰  and asked, “Sirs, what must ¹¹¹  I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, ¹¹²  “Believe ¹¹³  in the Lord Jesus ¹¹⁴  and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then ¹¹⁵  they spoke the word of the Lord ¹¹⁶  to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At ¹¹⁷  that hour of the night he took them ¹¹⁸  and washed their wounds; ¹¹⁹  then ¹²⁰  he and all his family ¹²¹  were baptized right away. ¹²²  16:34 The jailer ¹²³  brought them into his house and set food ¹²⁴  before them, and he rejoiced greatly ¹²⁵  that he had come to believe ¹²⁶  in God, together with his entire household. ¹²⁷  16:35 At daybreak ¹²⁸  the magistrates ¹²⁹  sent their police officers, ¹³⁰  saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ¹³¹  “The magistrates have sent orders ¹³²  to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” ¹³³  16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ¹³⁴  “They had us beaten in public ¹³⁵  without a proper trial ¹³⁶  – even though we are Roman citizens ¹³⁷  – and they threw us ¹³⁸  in prison. And now they want to send us away ¹³⁹  secretly? Absolutely not! They ¹⁴⁰  themselves must come and escort us out!” ¹⁴¹  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ¹⁴²  were Roman citizens ¹⁴³  16:39 and came ¹⁴⁴  and apologized to them. After ¹⁴⁵  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ¹⁴⁶  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 ¹⁴⁷  departed.

Paul and Silas at Thessalonica

17:1 After they traveled through ¹⁴⁸  Amphipolis ¹⁴⁹  and Apollonia, ¹⁵⁰  they came to Thessalonica, ¹⁵¹  where there was a Jewish synagogue. ¹⁵²  17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ¹⁵³  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ¹⁵⁴  them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating ¹⁵⁵  that the Christ ¹⁵⁶  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ¹⁵⁷  saying, ¹⁵⁸  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ¹⁵⁹  17:4 Some of them were persuaded ¹⁶⁰  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ¹⁶¹  of God-fearing Greeks ¹⁶²  and quite a few ¹⁶³  prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ¹⁶⁴  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ¹⁶⁵  they formed a mob ¹⁶⁶  and set the city in an uproar. ¹⁶⁷  They attacked Jason’s house, ¹⁶⁸  trying to find Paul and Silas ¹⁶⁹  to bring them out to the assembly. ¹⁷⁰  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ¹⁷¹  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ¹⁷²  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ¹⁷³  throughout the world ¹⁷⁴  have come here too, 17:7 and ¹⁷⁵  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ¹⁷⁶  are all acting against Caesar’s ¹⁷⁷  decrees, saying there is another king named ¹⁷⁸  Jesus!” ¹⁷⁹  17:8 They caused confusion among ¹⁸⁰  the crowd and the city officials ¹⁸¹  who heard these things. 17:9 After ¹⁸²  the city officials ¹⁸³  had received bail ¹⁸⁴  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ¹⁸⁵  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ¹⁸⁶  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹⁸⁷  17:11 These Jews ¹⁸⁸  were more open-minded ¹⁸⁹  than those in Thessalonica, ¹⁹⁰  for they eagerly ¹⁹¹  received ¹⁹²  the message, examining ¹⁹³  the scriptures carefully every day ¹⁹⁴  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ¹⁹⁵  prominent ¹⁹⁶  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ¹⁹⁷  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ¹⁹⁸  in Berea, ¹⁹⁹  they came there too, inciting ²⁰⁰  and disturbing ²⁰¹  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ²⁰²  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ²⁰³  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ²⁰⁴  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ²⁰⁵ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ²⁰⁶  his spirit was greatly upset ²⁰⁷  because he saw ²⁰⁸  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ²⁰⁹  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ²¹⁰  in the synagogue, ²¹¹  and in the marketplace every day ²¹²  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ²¹³  and Stoic ²¹⁴  philosophers were conversing ²¹⁵  with him, and some were asking, ²¹⁶  “What does this foolish babbler ²¹⁷  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ²¹⁸  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ²¹⁹  17:19 So they took Paul and ²²⁰  brought him to the Areopagus, ²²¹  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ²²²  to our ears, so we want to know what they ²²³  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ²²⁴  in nothing else than telling ²²⁵  or listening to something new.) ²²⁶ 

17:22 So Paul stood ²²⁷  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ²²⁸  in all respects. ²²⁹  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ²³⁰  I even found an altar with this inscription: ²³¹  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ²³²  this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ²³³  who is ²³⁴  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ²³⁵  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ²³⁶  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ²³⁷  17:26 From one man ²³⁸  he made every nation of the human race ²³⁹  to inhabit the entire earth, ²⁴⁰  determining their set times ²⁴¹  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ²⁴²  17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ²⁴³  for him and find him, ²⁴⁴  though he is ²⁴⁵  not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about ²⁴⁶  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ²⁴⁷  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ²⁴⁸  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ²⁴⁹  made by human ²⁵⁰  skill ²⁵¹  and imagination. ²⁵²  17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ²⁵³  such times of ignorance, ²⁵⁴  he now commands all people ²⁵⁵  everywhere to repent, ²⁵⁶  17:31 because he has set ²⁵⁷  a day on which he is going to judge the world ²⁵⁸  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ²⁵⁹  having provided proof to everyone by raising ²⁶⁰  him from the dead.”

17:32 Now when they heard about ²⁶¹  the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, ²⁶²  but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 17:33 So Paul left the Areopagus. ²⁶³  17:34 But some people ²⁶⁴  joined him ²⁶⁵  and believed. Among them ²⁶⁶  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ²⁶⁷  a woman ²⁶⁸  named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

18:1 After this ²⁶⁹  Paul ²⁷⁰  departed from ²⁷¹  Athens ²⁷²  and went to Corinth. ²⁷³  18:2 There he ²⁷⁴  found ²⁷⁵  a Jew named Aquila, ²⁷⁶  a native of Pontus, ²⁷⁷  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ²⁷⁸  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ²⁷⁹  Rome. ²⁸⁰  Paul approached ²⁸¹  them, 18:3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them ²⁸²  (for they were tentmakers ²⁸³  by trade). ²⁸⁴  18:4 He addressed ²⁸⁵  both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue ²⁸⁶  every Sabbath, attempting to persuade ²⁸⁷  them.

18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived ²⁸⁸  from Macedonia, ²⁸⁹  Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming ²⁹⁰  the word, testifying ²⁹¹  to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ²⁹²  18:6 When they opposed him ²⁹³  and reviled him, ²⁹⁴  he protested by shaking out his clothes ²⁹⁵  and said to them, “Your blood ²⁹⁶  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ²⁹⁷  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!” 18:7 Then Paul ²⁹⁸  left ²⁹⁹  the synagogue ³⁰⁰  and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, ³⁰¹  whose house was next door to the synagogue. 18:8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, ³⁰²  believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it ³⁰³  believed and were baptized. 18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ³⁰⁴  in the night, ³⁰⁵  “Do not be afraid, ³⁰⁶  but speak and do not be silent, 18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ³⁰⁷  you to harm ³⁰⁸  you, because I have many people in this city.” 18:11 So he stayed there ³⁰⁹  a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ³¹⁰ 

Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio

18:12 Now while Gallio ³¹¹  was proconsul ³¹²  of Achaia, ³¹³  the Jews attacked Paul together ³¹⁴  and brought him before the judgment seat, ³¹⁵  18:13 saying, “This man is persuading ³¹⁶  people to worship God in a way contrary to ³¹⁷  the law!” 18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak, ³¹⁸  Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, ³¹⁹  I would have been justified in accepting the complaint ³²⁰  of you Jews, ³²¹  18:15 but since it concerns points of disagreement ³²²  about words and names and your own law, settle ³²³  it yourselves. I will not be ³²⁴  a judge of these things!” 18:16 Then he had them forced away ³²⁵  from the judgment seat. ³²⁶  18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ³²⁷  and began to beat ³²⁸  him in front of the judgment seat. ³²⁹  Yet none of these things were of any concern ³³⁰  to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria

18:18 Paul, after staying ³³¹  many more days in Corinth, ³³²  said farewell to ³³³  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ³³⁴  Priscilla and Aquila. ³³⁵  He ³³⁶  had his hair cut off ³³⁷  at Cenchrea ³³⁸  because he had made a vow. ³³⁹  18:19 When they reached Ephesus, ³⁴⁰  Paul ³⁴¹  left Priscilla and Aquila ³⁴²  behind there, but he himself went ³⁴³  into the synagogue ³⁴⁴  and addressed ³⁴⁵  the Jews. 18:20 When they asked him to stay longer, he would not consent, ³⁴⁶  18:21 but said farewell to ³⁴⁷  them and added, ³⁴⁸  “I will come back ³⁴⁹  to you again if God wills.” ³⁵⁰  Then ³⁵¹  he set sail from Ephesus, 18:22 and when he arrived ³⁵²  at Caesarea, ³⁵³  he went up and greeted ³⁵⁴  the church at Jerusalem ³⁵⁵  and then went down to Antioch. ³⁵⁶  18:23 After he spent ³⁵⁷  some time there, Paul left and went through the region of Galatia ³⁵⁸  and Phrygia, ³⁵⁹  strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Begins His Ministry

18:24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. ³⁶⁰  He was an eloquent speaker, ³⁶¹  well-versed ³⁶²  in the scriptures. 18:25 He had been instructed in ³⁶³  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ³⁶⁴  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ³⁶⁵  about Jesus, although he knew ³⁶⁶  only the baptism of John. 18:26 He began to speak out fearlessly ³⁶⁷  in the synagogue, ³⁶⁸  but when Priscilla and Aquila ³⁶⁹  heard him, they took him aside ³⁷⁰  and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 18:27 When Apollos ³⁷¹  wanted to cross over to Achaia, ³⁷²  the brothers encouraged ³⁷³  him ³⁷⁴  and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he ³⁷⁵  assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 18:28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously ³⁷⁶  in public debate, ³⁷⁷  demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ ³⁷⁸  was Jesus. ³⁷⁹ 

Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus

19:1 While ³⁸⁰  Apollos was in Corinth, ³⁸¹  Paul went through the inland ³⁸²  regions ³⁸³  and came to Ephesus. ³⁸⁴  He ³⁸⁵  found some disciples there ³⁸⁶  19:2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ³⁸⁷  They replied, ³⁸⁸  “No, we have not even ³⁸⁹  heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 19:3 So Paul ³⁹⁰  said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied. ³⁹¹  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, ³⁹²  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 ³⁹³  his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ³⁹⁴  upon them, and they began to speak ³⁹⁵  in tongues and to prophesy. ³⁹⁶  19:7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.) ³⁹⁷ 

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul ³⁹⁸  entered ³⁹⁹  the synagogue ⁴⁰⁰  and spoke out fearlessly ⁴⁰¹  for three months, addressing ⁴⁰²  and convincing ⁴⁰³  them about the kingdom of God. ⁴⁰⁴  19:9 But when ⁴⁰⁵  some were stubborn ⁴⁰⁶  and refused to believe, reviling ⁴⁰⁷  the Way ⁴⁰⁸  before the congregation, he left ⁴⁰⁹  them and took the disciples with him, ⁴¹⁰  addressing ⁴¹¹  them every day ⁴¹²  in the lecture hall ⁴¹³  of Tyrannus. 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, ⁴¹⁴  both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. ⁴¹⁵ 

The Seven Sons of Sceva

19:11 God was performing extraordinary ⁴¹⁶  miracles by Paul’s hands, 19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body ⁴¹⁷  were brought ⁴¹⁸  to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ⁴¹⁹  19:13 But some itinerant ⁴²⁰  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ⁴²¹  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ⁴²²  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ⁴²³  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ⁴²⁴  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ⁴²⁵  19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ⁴²⁶  “I know about Jesus ⁴²⁷  and I am acquainted with ⁴²⁸  Paul, but who are you?” ⁴²⁹  19:16 Then the man who was possessed by ⁴³⁰  the evil spirit jumped on ⁴³¹  them and beat them all into submission. ⁴³²  He prevailed ⁴³³  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 19:17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, ⁴³⁴  both Jews and Greeks; fear came over ⁴³⁵  them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. ⁴³⁶  19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward, ⁴³⁷  confessing and making their deeds known. ⁴³⁸  19:19 Large numbers ⁴³⁹  of those who had practiced magic ⁴⁴⁰  collected their books ⁴⁴¹  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ⁴⁴²  When ⁴⁴³  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁴⁴⁴  19:20 In this way the word of the Lord ⁴⁴⁵  continued to grow in power ⁴⁴⁶  and to prevail. ⁴⁴⁷ 

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ⁴⁴⁸  Paul resolved ⁴⁴⁹  to go to Jerusalem, ⁴⁵⁰  passing through Macedonia ⁴⁵¹  and Achaia. ⁴⁵²  He said, ⁴⁵³  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁴⁵⁴  19:22 So after sending ⁴⁵⁵  two of his assistants, ⁴⁵⁶  Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, ⁴⁵⁷  he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia. ⁴⁵⁸ 

19:23 At ⁴⁵⁹  that time ⁴⁶⁰  a great disturbance ⁴⁶¹  took place concerning the Way. ⁴⁶²  19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines ⁴⁶³  of Artemis, ⁴⁶⁴  brought a great deal ⁴⁶⁵  of business ⁴⁶⁶  to the craftsmen. 19:25 He gathered ⁴⁶⁷  these ⁴⁶⁸  together, along with the workmen in similar trades, ⁴⁶⁹  and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ⁴⁷⁰  comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded ⁴⁷¹  and turned away ⁴⁷²  a large crowd, ⁴⁷³  not only in Ephesus ⁴⁷⁴  but in practically all of the province of Asia, ⁴⁷⁵  by saying ⁴⁷⁶  that gods made by hands are not gods at all. ⁴⁷⁷  19:27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, ⁴⁷⁸  but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis ⁴⁷⁹  will be regarded as nothing, ⁴⁸⁰  and she whom all the province of Asia ⁴⁸¹  and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” ⁴⁸² 

19:28 When ⁴⁸³  they heard ⁴⁸⁴  this they became enraged ⁴⁸⁵  and began to shout, ⁴⁸⁶  “Great is Artemis ⁴⁸⁷  of the Ephesians!” 19:29 The ⁴⁸⁸  city was filled with the uproar, ⁴⁸⁹  and the crowd ⁴⁹⁰  rushed to the theater ⁴⁹¹  together, ⁴⁹²  dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 19:30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, ⁴⁹³  the disciples would not let him. 19:31 Even some of the provincial authorities ⁴⁹⁴  who were his friends sent ⁴⁹⁵  a message ⁴⁹⁶  to him, urging him not to venture ⁴⁹⁷  into the theater. 19:32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together. ⁴⁹⁸  19:33 Some of the crowd concluded ⁴⁹⁹  it was about ⁵⁰⁰  Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. ⁵⁰¹  Alexander, gesturing ⁵⁰²  with his hand, was wanting to make a defense ⁵⁰³  before the public assembly. ⁵⁰⁴  19:34 But when they recognized ⁵⁰⁵  that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, ⁵⁰⁶  “Great is Artemis ⁵⁰⁷  of the Ephesians!” for about two hours. ⁵⁰⁸  19:35 After the city secretary ⁵⁰⁹  quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person ⁵¹⁰  is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper ⁵¹¹  of the temple of the great Artemis ⁵¹²  and of her image that fell from heaven? ⁵¹³  19:36 So because these facts ⁵¹⁴  are indisputable, ⁵¹⁵  you must keep quiet ⁵¹⁶  and not do anything reckless. ⁵¹⁷  19:37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers ⁵¹⁸  nor blasphemers of our goddess. ⁵¹⁹  19:38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint ⁵²⁰  against someone, the courts are open ⁵²¹  and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there. ⁵²²  19:39 But if you want anything in addition, ⁵²³  it will have to be settled ⁵²⁴  in a legal assembly. ⁵²⁵  19:40 For ⁵²⁶  we are in danger of being charged with rioting ⁵²⁷  today, since there is no cause we can give to explain ⁵²⁸  this disorderly gathering.” ⁵²⁹  19:41 After ⁵³⁰  he had said ⁵³¹  this, ⁵³²  he dismissed the assembly. ⁵³³ 

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ⁵³⁴  them and saying farewell, ⁵³⁵  he left to go to Macedonia. ⁵³⁶  20:2 After he had gone through those regions ⁵³⁷  and spoken many words of encouragement ⁵³⁸  to the believers there, ⁵³⁹  he came to Greece, ⁵⁴⁰  20:3 where he stayed ⁵⁴¹  for three months. Because the Jews had made ⁵⁴²  a plot ⁵⁴³  against him as he was intending ⁵⁴⁴  to sail ⁵⁴⁵  for Syria, he decided ⁵⁴⁶  to return through Macedonia. ⁵⁴⁷  20:4 Paul ⁵⁴⁸  was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, ⁵⁴⁹  Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, ⁵⁵⁰  Gaius ⁵⁵¹  from Derbe, ⁵⁵²  and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵⁵³  20:5 These had gone on ahead ⁵⁵⁴  and were waiting for us in Troas. ⁵⁵⁵  20:6 We ⁵⁵⁶  sailed away from Philippi ⁵⁵⁷  after the days of Unleavened Bread, ⁵⁵⁸  and within five days ⁵⁵⁹  we came to the others ⁵⁶⁰  in Troas, ⁵⁶¹  where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day ⁵⁶²  of the week, when we met ⁵⁶³  to break bread, Paul began to speak ⁵⁶⁴  to the people, and because he intended ⁵⁶⁵  to leave the next day, he extended ⁵⁶⁶  his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps ⁵⁶⁷  in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) ⁵⁶⁸  20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, ⁵⁶⁹  was sinking ⁵⁷⁰  into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak ⁵⁷¹  for a long time. Fast asleep, ⁵⁷²  he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down, ⁵⁷³  threw himself ⁵⁷⁴  on the young man, ⁵⁷⁵  put his arms around him, ⁵⁷⁶  and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!” ⁵⁷⁷  20:11 Then Paul ⁵⁷⁸  went back upstairs, ⁵⁷⁹  and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them ⁵⁸⁰  a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly ⁵⁸¹  comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 We went on ahead ⁵⁸²  to the ship and put out to sea ⁵⁸³  for Assos, ⁵⁸⁴  intending ⁵⁸⁵  to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way. ⁵⁸⁶  He ⁵⁸⁷  himself was intending ⁵⁸⁸  to go there by land. ⁵⁸⁹  20:14 When he met us in Assos, ⁵⁹⁰  we took him aboard ⁵⁹¹  and went to Mitylene. ⁵⁹²  20:15 We set sail ⁵⁹³  from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios. ⁵⁹⁴  The next day we approached ⁵⁹⁵  Samos, ⁵⁹⁶  and the day after that we arrived at Miletus. ⁵⁹⁷  20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus ⁵⁹⁸  so as not to spend time ⁵⁹⁹  in the province of Asia, ⁶⁰⁰  for he was hurrying ⁶⁰¹  to arrive in Jerusalem, ⁶⁰²  if possible, ⁶⁰³  by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus ⁶⁰⁴  he sent a message ⁶⁰⁵  to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him. ⁶⁰⁶ 

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived ⁶⁰⁷  the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot ⁶⁰⁸  in the province of Asia, ⁶⁰⁹  20:19 serving the Lord with all humility ⁶¹⁰  and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots ⁶¹¹  of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming ⁶¹²  to you anything that would be helpful, ⁶¹³  and from teaching you publicly ⁶¹⁴  and from house to house, 20:21 testifying ⁶¹⁵  to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ⁶¹⁶  20:22 And now, ⁶¹⁷  compelled ⁶¹⁸  by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem ⁶¹⁹  without knowing what will happen to me there, ⁶²⁰  20:23 except ⁶²¹  that the Holy Spirit warns ⁶²²  me in town after town ⁶²³  that ⁶²⁴  imprisonment ⁶²⁵  and persecutions ⁶²⁶  are waiting for me. 20:24 But I do not consider my life ⁶²⁷  worth anything ⁶²⁸  to myself, so that ⁶²⁹  I may finish my task ⁶³⁰  and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news ⁶³¹  of God’s grace.

20:25 “And now ⁶³²  I know that none ⁶³³  of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom ⁶³⁴  will see me ⁶³⁵  again. 20:26 Therefore I declare ⁶³⁶  to you today that I am innocent ⁶³⁷  of the blood of you all. ⁶³⁸  20:27 For I did not hold back from ⁶³⁹  announcing ⁶⁴⁰  to you the whole purpose ⁶⁴¹  of God. 20:28 Watch out for ⁶⁴²  yourselves and for all the flock of which ⁶⁴³  the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, ⁶⁴⁴  to shepherd the church of God ⁶⁴⁵  that he obtained ⁶⁴⁶  with the blood of his own Son. ⁶⁴⁷  20:29 I know that after I am gone ⁶⁴⁸  fierce wolves ⁶⁴⁹  will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from among your own group ⁶⁵⁰  men ⁶⁵¹  will arise, teaching perversions of the truth ⁶⁵²  to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert, ⁶⁵³  remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning ⁶⁵⁴  each one of you with tears. 20:32 And now I entrust ⁶⁵⁵  you to God and to the message ⁶⁵⁶  of his grace. This message ⁶⁵⁷  is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 20:33 I have desired ⁶⁵⁸  no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine ⁶⁵⁹  provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 20:35 By all these things, ⁶⁶⁰  I have shown you that by working in this way we must help ⁶⁶¹  the weak, ⁶⁶²  and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” ⁶⁶³ 

20:36 When ⁶⁶⁴  he had said these things, he knelt down ⁶⁶⁵  with them all and prayed. 20:37 They all began to weep loudly, ⁶⁶⁶  and hugged ⁶⁶⁷  Paul and kissed him, ⁶⁶⁸  20:38 especially saddened ⁶⁶⁹  by what ⁶⁷⁰  he had said, that they were not going to see him ⁶⁷¹  again. Then they accompanied ⁶⁷²  him to the ship.

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After ⁶⁷³  we ⁶⁷⁴  tore ourselves away ⁶⁷⁵  from them, we put out to sea, ⁶⁷⁶  and sailing a straight course, ⁶⁷⁷  we came to Cos, ⁶⁷⁸  on the next day to Rhodes, ⁶⁷⁹  and from there to Patara. ⁶⁸⁰  21:2 We found ⁶⁸¹  a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, ⁶⁸²  went aboard, ⁶⁸³  and put out to sea. ⁶⁸⁴  21:3 After we sighted Cyprus ⁶⁸⁵  and left it behind on our port side, ⁶⁸⁶  we sailed on to Syria and put in ⁶⁸⁷  at Tyre, ⁶⁸⁸  because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we located ⁶⁸⁹  the disciples, we stayed there ⁶⁹⁰  seven days. They repeatedly told ⁶⁹¹  Paul through the Spirit ⁶⁹²  not to set foot ⁶⁹³  in Jerusalem. ⁶⁹⁴  21:5 When ⁶⁹⁵  our time was over, ⁶⁹⁶  we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied ⁶⁹⁷  us outside of the city. After ⁶⁹⁸  kneeling down on the beach and praying, ⁶⁹⁹  21:6 we said farewell ⁷⁰⁰  to one another. ⁷⁰¹  Then ⁷⁰²  we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. ⁷⁰³  21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre ⁷⁰⁴  and arrived at Ptolemais, ⁷⁰⁵  and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we left ⁷⁰⁶  and came to Caesarea, ⁷⁰⁷  and entered ⁷⁰⁸  the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, ⁷⁰⁹  and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had four unmarried ⁷¹⁰  daughters who prophesied.) ⁷¹¹ 

21:10 While we remained there for a number of days, ⁷¹²  a prophet named Agabus ⁷¹³  came down from Judea. 21:11 He came ⁷¹⁴  to us, took ⁷¹⁵  Paul’s belt, ⁷¹⁶  tied ⁷¹⁷  his own hands and feet with it, ⁷¹⁸  and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over ⁷¹⁹  to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people ⁷²⁰  begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking ⁷²¹  my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, ⁷²²  but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded, ⁷²³  we said no more except, ⁷²⁴  “The Lord’s will be done.” ⁷²⁵ 

21:15 After these days we got ready ⁷²⁶  and started up ⁷²⁷  to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea ⁷²⁸  came along with us too, and brought us to the house ⁷²⁹  of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, ⁷³⁰  with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. ⁷³¹  21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ⁷³²  21:19 When Paul ⁷³³  had greeted them, he began to explain ⁷³⁴  in detail ⁷³⁵  what God ⁷³⁶  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁷³⁷  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁷³⁸  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁷³⁹  of the law. ⁷⁴⁰  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ⁷⁴¹  among the Gentiles to abandon ⁷⁴²  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ⁷⁴³  or live ⁷⁴⁴  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ⁷⁴⁵  hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what ⁷⁴⁶  we tell you: We have four men ⁷⁴⁷  who have taken ⁷⁴⁸  a vow; ⁷⁴⁹  21:24 take them and purify ⁷⁵⁰  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ⁷⁵¹  so that they may have their heads shaved. ⁷⁵²  Then ⁷⁵³  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ⁷⁵⁴  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ⁷⁵⁵  the law. ⁷⁵⁶  21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ⁷⁵⁷  that they should avoid ⁷⁵⁸  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ⁷⁵⁹  and blood and what has been strangled ⁷⁶⁰  and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ⁷⁶¹  and after he had purified himself ⁷⁶²  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ⁷⁶³  of the completion of the days of purification, ⁷⁶⁴  when ⁷⁶⁵  the sacrifice would be offered for each ⁷⁶⁶  of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, ⁷⁶⁷  the Jews from the province of Asia ⁷⁶⁸  who had seen him in the temple area ⁷⁶⁹  stirred up the whole crowd ⁷⁷⁰  and seized ⁷⁷¹  him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ⁷⁷²  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ⁷⁷³  and this sanctuary! ⁷⁷⁴  Furthermore ⁷⁷⁵  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ⁷⁷⁶  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ⁷⁷⁷  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ⁷⁷⁸  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ⁷⁷⁹  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ⁷⁸⁰  and the people rushed together. ⁷⁸¹  They seized ⁷⁸²  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ⁷⁸³  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ⁷⁸⁴  to kill him, a report ⁷⁸⁵  was sent up ⁷⁸⁶  to the commanding officer ⁷⁸⁷  of the cohort ⁷⁸⁸  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ⁷⁸⁹  21:32 He ⁷⁹⁰  immediately took ⁷⁹¹  soldiers and centurions ⁷⁹²  and ran down to the crowd. ⁷⁹³  When they saw ⁷⁹⁴  the commanding officer ⁷⁹⁵  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ⁷⁹⁶  Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer ⁷⁹⁷  came up and arrested ⁷⁹⁸  him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; ⁷⁹⁹  he ⁸⁰⁰  then asked who he was and what ⁸⁰¹  he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ⁸⁰²  and when the commanding officer ⁸⁰³  was unable ⁸⁰⁴  to find out the truth ⁸⁰⁵  because of the disturbance, ⁸⁰⁶  he ordered Paul ⁸⁰⁷  to be brought into the barracks. ⁸⁰⁸  21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul ⁸⁰⁹  had to be carried ⁸¹⁰  by the soldiers because of the violence ⁸¹¹  of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people ⁸¹²  followed them, ⁸¹³  screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ⁸¹⁴  he said ⁸¹⁵  to the commanding officer, ⁸¹⁶  “May I say ⁸¹⁷  something to you?” The officer ⁸¹⁸  replied, ⁸¹⁹  “Do you know Greek? ⁸²⁰  21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion ⁸²¹  and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’ ⁸²²  into the wilderness ⁸²³  some time ago?” ⁸²⁴  21:39 Paul answered, ⁸²⁵  “I am a Jew ⁸²⁶  from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. ⁸²⁷  Please ⁸²⁸  allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer ⁸²⁹  had given him permission, ⁸³⁰  Paul stood ⁸³¹  on the steps and gestured ⁸³²  to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, ⁸³³  he addressed ⁸³⁴  them in Aramaic, ⁸³⁵ 

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense ⁸³⁶  that I now ⁸³⁷  make to you.” 22:2 (When they heard ⁸³⁸  that he was addressing ⁸³⁹  them in Aramaic, ⁸⁴⁰  they became even ⁸⁴¹  quieter.) ⁸⁴²  Then ⁸⁴³  Paul said, 22:3 “I am a Jew, ⁸⁴⁴  born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up ⁸⁴⁵  in this city, educated with strictness ⁸⁴⁶  under ⁸⁴⁷  Gamaliel ⁸⁴⁸  according to the law of our ancestors, ⁸⁴⁹  and was ⁸⁵⁰  zealous ⁸⁵¹  for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I ⁸⁵²  persecuted this Way ⁸⁵³  even to the point of death, ⁸⁵⁴  tying up ⁸⁵⁵  both men and women and putting ⁸⁵⁶  them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders ⁸⁵⁷  can testify about me. From them ⁸⁵⁸  I also received ⁸⁵⁹  letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way ⁸⁶⁰  to make arrests there and bring ⁸⁶¹  the prisoners ⁸⁶²  to Jerusalem ⁸⁶³  to be punished. 22:6 As ⁸⁶⁴  I was en route and near Damascus, ⁸⁶⁵  about noon a very bright ⁸⁶⁶  light from heaven ⁸⁶⁷  suddenly flashed ⁸⁶⁸  around me. 22:7 Then I ⁸⁶⁹  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 22:9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand ⁸⁷⁰  the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked, ⁸⁷¹  ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up ⁸⁷²  and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything ⁸⁷³  that you have been designated ⁸⁷⁴  to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of ⁸⁷⁵  the brilliance ⁸⁷⁶  of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of ⁸⁷⁷  those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias, ⁸⁷⁸  a devout man according to the law, ⁸⁷⁹  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ⁸⁸⁰  22:13 came ⁸⁸¹  to me and stood beside me ⁸⁸²  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ⁸⁸³  And at that very moment ⁸⁸⁴  I looked up and saw him. ⁸⁸⁵  22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ⁸⁸⁶  has already chosen ⁸⁸⁷  you to know his will, to see ⁸⁸⁸  the Righteous One, ⁸⁸⁹  and to hear a command ⁸⁹⁰  from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness ⁸⁹¹  to all people ⁸⁹²  of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? ⁸⁹³  Get up, ⁸⁹⁴  be baptized, and have your sins washed away, ⁸⁹⁵  calling on his name.’ ⁸⁹⁶  22:17 When ⁸⁹⁷  I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ⁸⁹⁸  22:18 and saw the Lord ⁸⁹⁹  saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied, ⁹⁰⁰  ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues ⁹⁰¹  who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness ⁹⁰²  Stephen was shed, ⁹⁰³  I myself was standing nearby, approving, ⁹⁰⁴  and guarding the cloaks ⁹⁰⁵  of those who were killing him.’ ⁹⁰⁶  22:21 Then ⁹⁰⁷  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ⁹⁰⁸  was listening to him until he said this. ⁹⁰⁹  Then ⁹¹⁰  they raised their voices and shouted, ⁹¹¹  “Away with this man ⁹¹²  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ⁹¹³  22:23 While they were screaming ⁹¹⁴  and throwing off their cloaks ⁹¹⁵  and tossing dust ⁹¹⁶  in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer ⁹¹⁷  ordered Paul ⁹¹⁸  to be brought back into the barracks. ⁹¹⁹  He told them ⁹²⁰  to interrogate Paul ⁹²¹  by beating him with a lash ⁹²²  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ⁹²³  was shouting at Paul ⁹²⁴  in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ⁹²⁵  Paul said to the centurion ⁹²⁶  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ⁹²⁷  without a proper trial?” ⁹²⁸  22:26 When the centurion ⁹²⁹  heard this, ⁹³⁰  he went to the commanding officer ⁹³¹  and reported it, ⁹³²  saying, “What are you about to do? ⁹³³  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ⁹³⁴  22:27 So the commanding officer ⁹³⁵  came and asked ⁹³⁶  Paul, ⁹³⁷  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ⁹³⁸  He replied, ⁹³⁹  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ⁹⁴⁰  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ⁹⁴¹  “But I was even ⁹⁴²  born a citizen,” ⁹⁴³  Paul replied. ⁹⁴⁴  22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ⁹⁴⁵  from him, and the commanding officer ⁹⁴⁶  was frightened when he realized that Paul ⁹⁴⁷  was ⁹⁴⁸  a Roman citizen ⁹⁴⁹  and that he had had him tied up. ⁹⁵⁰ 

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer ⁹⁵¹  wanted to know the true reason ⁹⁵²  Paul ⁹⁵³  was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council ⁹⁵⁴  to assemble. He then brought ⁹⁵⁵  Paul down and had him stand before them.

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

[16:1]  ² sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

[16:1]  ³ tn Grk “And behold, a disciple.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[16:1]  ⁴ tn L&N 31.103 translates this phrase “the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.”

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

[16:2]  ⁶ sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

[16:2]  ⁷ sn Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 110 mi (175 km) east of Pisidian Antioch.

[16:2]  ⁸ tn For this sense of μαρτυρέω (marturew), see BDAG 618 s.v. 2.b.

[16:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who was a believer…who was well spoken of”) and the awkwardness of the passive verb (“was well spoken of”), the relative pronoun at the beginning of 16:2 (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“him”) and the construction converted from passive to active at the same time a new sentence was started in the translation.

[16:3]  ¹¹ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Timothy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:3]  ¹² tn Grk “and taking him he circumcised him.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Paul’s cultural sensitivity showed in his action here. He did not want Timothy’s lack of circumcision to become an issue (1 Cor 9:15-23).

[16:3]  ¹³ tn The verb περιέτεμεν (perietemen) here may be understood as causative (cf. ExSyn 411-12) if Paul did not personally perform the circumcision.

[16:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “who lived in the area.”

[16:3]  ¹⁵ tn The anarthrous predicate nominative has been translated as qualitative (“Greek”) rather than indefinite (“a Greek”).

[16:4]  ¹⁶ tn Or “cities.”

[16:4]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 762-63 s.v. παραδίδωμι 3 has “they handed down to them the decisions to observe Ac 16:4.”

[16:4]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[16:4]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “for them”; the referent (Gentile believers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:4]  ²⁰ tn Or “observe” or “follow.”

[16:5]  ²¹ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

[16:6]  ²⁶ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia.

[16:6]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Or “forbidden.”

[16:6]  ²⁹ tn Or “word.”

[16:6]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.b has “to Mysia” here.

[16:7]  ³² sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

[16:7]  ³³ sn Bithynia was a province in northern Asia Minor northeast of Mysia.

[16:7]  ³⁴ tn Or “permit”; see BDAG 269 s.v. ἐάω 1.

[16:7]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

[16:8]  ³⁸ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor, near ancient Troy.

[16:9]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:9]  ⁴³ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[16:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “Coming over.” The participle διαβάς (diabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:9]  ⁴⁵ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “sought.”

[16:10]  ⁴⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “summoned.”

[16:11]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. See v. 8.

[16:11]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ sn Samothrace is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea.

[16:11]  ⁵⁵ sn Neapolis was a seaport on the southern coast of Macedonia. It was 10 mi (16 km) from Philippi.

[16:12]  ⁵⁶ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[16:12]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:12]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶¹ 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]  ⁶² tn The imperfect verb ἐλαλοῦμεν (elaloumen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[16:13]  ⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁴ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:14]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ tn On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see BDAG 855 s.v. πορφυρόπωλις.

[16:14]  ⁶⁸ sn Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia in Asia Minor.

[16:14]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ 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]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[16:15]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “masters.”

[16:16]  ⁸⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 616 s.v. μαντεύομαι. It was used of those who gave oracles.

[16:17]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² 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]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁴ 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]  ⁸⁶ 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]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “and turning.” The participle ἐπιστρέψας (epistreya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:18]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[16:18]  ⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹¹ tn Or “masters.”

[16:19]  ⁹² 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]  ⁹³ 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]  ⁹⁴ tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.

[16:20]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁷ 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]  ⁹⁸ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

[16:20]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ¹⁰² tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ¹⁰³ 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]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[16:22]  ¹⁰⁶ tn L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepesth) in this verse.

[16:22]  ¹⁰⁷ 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]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:22]  ¹⁰⁹ 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]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² tn Grk “commanding.” The participle παραγγείλαντες (parangeilante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:24]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “prison.”

[16:24]  ¹¹⁷ 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]  ¹²¹ 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]  ¹²² 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]  ¹²³ tn The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:26]  ¹²⁶ 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]  ¹³¹ 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]  ¹³² tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.

[16:27]  ¹³³ 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]  ¹³⁴ tn Or “thought.”

[16:28]  ¹³⁶ 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]  ¹³⁷ sn Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.

[16:29]  ¹⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:29]  ¹⁴² tn Or “and prostrated himself.”

[16:30]  ¹⁴⁶ 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]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

[16:31]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “said.”

[16:31]  ¹⁵² 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]  ¹⁵³ 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]  ¹⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁷ 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]  ¹⁶¹ 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]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ 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]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:33]  ¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “immediately.”

[16:34]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:34]  ¹⁶⁷ 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]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Or “he was overjoyed.”

[16:34]  ¹⁶⁹ tn The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.

[16:34]  ¹⁷⁰ 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]  ¹⁷¹ 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]  ¹⁷² 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]  ¹⁷³ 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]  ¹⁷⁶ 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]  ¹⁷⁷ 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]  ¹⁷⁸ 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]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ¹⁸² 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]  ¹⁸³ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ¹⁸⁴ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ¹⁸⁵ 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]  ¹⁸⁶ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ¹⁸⁸ 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]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ¹⁸⁷ 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]  ¹⁹¹ 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]  ¹⁹² 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]  ¹⁹³ 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]  ¹⁹⁶ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.

[17:1]  ²⁰¹ tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.

[17:1]  ²⁰² 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]  ²⁰³ sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.

[17:1]  ²⁰⁴ 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]  ²⁰⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:2]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ²⁰⁷ 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]  ²¹¹ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

[17:3]  ²¹² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  ²¹³ 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]  ²¹⁴ 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]  ²¹⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:4]  ²¹⁶ tn Or “convinced.”

[17:4]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “a large crowd.”

[17:4]  ²¹⁸ 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]  ²¹⁹ 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]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² 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]  ²²³ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ²²⁴ 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]  ²²⁵ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ²²⁶ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ²²⁷ 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]  ²²⁶ 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]  ²²⁷ 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]  ²²⁸ 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]  ²²⁹ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:7]  ²³¹ 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]  ²³² 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]  ²³³ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ²³⁴ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ²³⁵ 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]  ²³⁶ 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]  ²³⁷ 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]  ²⁴¹ 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]  ²⁴² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ²⁴³ 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]  ²⁴⁶ 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]  ²⁴⁷ 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]  ²⁴⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ²⁵¹ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ²⁵² 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]  ²⁵³ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  ²⁵⁴ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ²⁵⁵ 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]  ²⁵⁶ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ²⁵⁷ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ tn Or “respected.”

[17:13]  ²⁶¹ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:13]  ²⁶² 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]  ²⁶³ 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]  ²⁶⁴ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

[17:13]  ²⁶⁵ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

[17:14]  ²⁶⁶ 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]  ²⁶⁷ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ²⁷¹ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:15]  ²⁷² sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

[17:16]  ²⁷⁶ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:16]  ²⁷⁷ 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]  ²⁷⁸ 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]  ²⁸¹ 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]  ²⁸² 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]  ²⁸³ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ²⁸⁴ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:18]  ²⁸⁶ 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]  ²⁸⁷ 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]  ²⁸⁸ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ²⁸⁹ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ²⁹⁰ 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]  ²⁹¹ 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]  ²⁹² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:19]  ²⁹¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:19]  ²⁹² tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.

[17:20]  ²⁹⁶ tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

[17:20]  ²⁹⁷ 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]  ³⁰¹ tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

[17:21]  ³⁰² tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

[17:21]  ³⁰³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

[17:22]  ³⁰⁶ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ³⁰⁷ 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]  ³⁰⁸ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ³¹¹ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ³¹² 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]  ³¹³ 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]  ³¹⁶ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

[17:24]  ³¹⁷ 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]  ³¹⁸ 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]  ³²¹ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ³²² tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:26]  ³²⁶ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

[17:26]  ³²⁷ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

[17:26]  ³²⁸ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

[17:26]  ³²⁹ 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]  ³³⁰ 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]  ³³¹ tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.

[17:27]  ³³² 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]  ³³³ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[17:28]  ³³⁶ 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]  ³³⁷ 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]  ³⁴¹ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

[17:29]  ³⁴² tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

[17:29]  ³⁴³ tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[17:29]  ³⁴⁴ tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

[17:29]  ³⁴⁵ 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]  ³⁴⁶ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ³⁴⁷ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ³⁴⁸ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ³⁴⁹ 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]  ³⁵¹ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ³⁵² sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ³⁵³ 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]  ³⁵⁴ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[17:32]  ³⁵⁶ tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[17:32]  ³⁵⁷ 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]  ³⁶¹ tn Grk “left out of their midst”; the referent (the Areopagus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:34]  ³⁶⁶ 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]  ³⁶⁷ 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]  ³⁶⁸ 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]  ³⁶⁹ 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]  ³⁷⁰ 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]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “After these things.”

[18:1]  ³⁷² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ³⁷³ tn Or “Paul left.”

[18:1]  ³⁷⁴ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:1]  ³⁷⁵ 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]  ³⁷⁶ 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]  ³⁷⁷ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ³⁷⁸ 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]  ³⁷⁹ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ³⁸⁰ 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]  ³⁸¹ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ³⁸² map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ³⁸³ tn Or “went to.”

[18:3]  ³⁸¹ 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]  ³⁸² 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]  ³⁸³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:4]  ³⁸⁶ 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]  ³⁸⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:4]  ³⁸⁸ 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]  ³⁹¹ tn Grk “came down.”

[18:5]  ³⁹² sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[18:5]  ³⁹³ 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]  ³⁹⁴ 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]  ³⁹⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[18:6]  ³⁹⁶ 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]  ³⁹⁷ 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]  ³⁹⁸ 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]  ³⁹⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

[18:7]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ⁴⁰² 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]  ⁴⁰³ tn Grk “from there”; the referent (the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ⁴⁰⁴ 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]  ⁴⁰⁶ 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]  ⁴⁰⁷ 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]  ⁴¹¹ 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]  ⁴¹² tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ⁴¹³ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[18:10]  ⁴¹⁶ 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]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Or “injure.”

[18:11]  ⁴²¹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[18:11]  ⁴²² 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]  ⁴²⁶ 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]  ⁴²⁷ sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

[18:12]  ⁴²⁸ 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]  ⁴²⁹ tn Grk “with one accord.”

[18:12]  ⁴³⁰ 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]  ⁴³¹ tn Or “inciting.”

[18:13]  ⁴³² 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]  ⁴³⁶ tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

[18:14]  ⁴³⁷ 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]  ⁴³⁸ 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]  ⁴³⁹ tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

[18:15]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Or “dispute.”

[18:15]  ⁴⁴² tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).

[18:15]  ⁴⁴³ tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.

[18:16]  ⁴⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁴⁷ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ⁴⁵¹ 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]  ⁴⁵² tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ⁴⁵³ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[18:18]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.

[18:18]  ⁴⁵⁷ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:18]  ⁴⁵⁸ 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]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”

[18:18]  ⁴⁶⁰ sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:18]  ⁴⁶¹ 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]  ⁴⁶² 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]  ⁴⁶³ tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”

[18:18]  ⁴⁶⁴ 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]  ⁴⁶¹ 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]  ⁴⁶² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ⁴⁶³ tn Grk “left them”; the referents (Priscilla and Aquila) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Grk “going”; the participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:19]  ⁴⁶⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:19]  ⁴⁶⁶ 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]  ⁴⁶⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Or “but took leave of.”

[18:21]  ⁴⁷² 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]  ⁴⁷³ tn Or “will return.”

[18:21]  ⁴⁷⁴ 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]  ⁴⁷⁵ 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]  ⁴⁷⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷⁷ 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]  ⁴⁷⁸ 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]  ⁴⁷⁹ 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]  ⁴⁸⁰ 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]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Grk “Having spent”; the participle ποιήσας (poihsas) is taken temporally.

[18:23]  ⁴⁸² 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]  ⁴⁸³ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia. See Acts 16:6.

[18:24]  ⁴⁸⁶ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[18:24]  ⁴⁸⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn Grk “powerful.” BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b has “in the Scriptures = well-versed 18:24.”

[18:25]  ⁴⁹¹ tn Or “had been taught.”

[18:25]  ⁴⁹² tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).

[18:25]  ⁴⁹³ tn Grk “the things.”

[18:25]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistameno") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[18:26]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn Or “boldly.” This is a frequent term in Acts (9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26).

[18:26]  ⁴⁹⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:26]  ⁴⁹⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Apollos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ⁵⁰² 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]  ⁵⁰³ 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]  ⁵⁰⁴ 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]  ⁵⁰⁵ 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]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Or “vehemently.” BDAG 414 s.v. εὐτόνως has “vigorously, vehemently…εὐ. διακατελέγχεσθαί τινι refute someone vigorously Ac 18:28.”

[18:28]  ⁵⁰⁷ 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]  ⁵⁰⁸ 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]  ⁵⁰⁹ 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]  ⁵¹¹ 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]  ⁵¹² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[19:1]  ⁵¹³ tn Or “interior.”

[19:1]  ⁵¹⁴ tn BDAG 92 s.v. ἀνωτερικός has “upper τὰ ἀ. μέρη the upper (i.e. inland) country, the interior Ac 19:1.”

[19:1]  ⁵¹⁵ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:1]  ⁵¹⁶ 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]  ⁵¹⁷ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[19:2]  ⁵¹⁶ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") is taken temporally.

[19:2]  ⁵¹⁷ tn Grk “they [said] to him” (the word “said” is implied in the Greek text).

[19:2]  ⁵¹⁸ 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]  ⁵²¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:3]  ⁵²² tn Grk “they said.”

[19:4]  ⁵²⁶ 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]  ⁵³¹ tn Or “laid.”

[19:6]  ⁵³² 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]  ⁵³³ tn The imperfect verb ἐλάλουν (elaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:6]  ⁵³⁴ tn The imperfect verb ἐπροφήτευον (eprofhteuon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:7]  ⁵³⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:8]  ⁵⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:8]  ⁵⁴² 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]  ⁵⁴³ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[19:8]  ⁵⁴⁴ tn Or “boldly.”

[19:8]  ⁵⁴⁵ 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]  ⁵⁴⁶ 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]  ⁵⁴⁷ 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]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.

[19:9]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.

[19:9]  ⁵⁴⁸ 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]  ⁵⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵⁵¹ tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:9]  ⁵⁵² 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]  ⁵⁵³ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[19:9]  ⁵⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵¹ 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]  ⁵⁵² 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]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11.”

[19:12]  ⁵⁶¹ tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).

[19:12]  ⁵⁶² 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]  ⁵⁶³ tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:13]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ⁵⁶⁸ 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]  ⁵⁶⁹ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[19:14]  ⁵⁷¹ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

[19:14]  ⁵⁷² sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:15]  ⁵⁷⁶ tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

[19:15]  ⁵⁷⁷ 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]  ⁵⁷⁸ 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]  ⁵⁷⁹ 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]  ⁵⁸¹ tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

[19:16]  ⁵⁸² 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]  ⁵⁸³ 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]  ⁵⁸⁴ tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁸⁶ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:17]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone…Ac 19:17.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁸⁸ tn Or “exalted.”

[19:18]  ⁵⁹¹ 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]  ⁵⁹² 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]  ⁵⁹⁶ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (Jikanoi) in this verse.

[19:19]  ⁵⁹⁷ tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.

[19:19]  ⁵⁹⁸ tn Or “scrolls.”

[19:19]  ⁵⁹⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰⁰ 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]  ⁶⁰¹ 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]  ⁶⁰¹ 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]  ⁶⁰² tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (huxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (iscuen).

[19:20]  ⁶⁰³ 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.

[19:21]  ⁶⁰⁶ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ⁶⁰⁷ tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

[19:21]  ⁶⁰⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ⁶⁰⁹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ⁶¹⁰ sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ⁶¹¹ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[19:21]  ⁶¹² sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.

[19:22]  ⁶¹¹ tn The aorist participle ἀποστείλας (aposteila") has been taken temporally reflecting action antecedent to that of the main verb (ἐπέσχεν, epescen).

[19:22]  ⁶¹² tn Grk “two of those who ministered to him.”

[19:22]  ⁶¹³ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:22]  ⁶¹⁴ 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.

[19:23]  ⁶¹⁶ tn Grk “There happened at that time.” 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. Instead the verb “took place” has been supplied in the translation.

[19:23]  ⁶¹⁷ tn BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.2.a, “in definite indications of time…Of the past: κ. ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν at that time, then…Ac 12:1; 19:23.”

[19:23]  ⁶¹⁸ tn Grk “no little disturbance” (an idiom; see BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 2).

[19:23]  ⁶¹⁹ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity).

[19:24]  ⁶²¹ tn BDAG 665 s.v. ναός 1.a states, “Specif. of temples: of replicas of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus 19:24…but here, near ἱερόν vs. 27…ναός can be understood in the more restricted sense shrine, where the image of the goddess stood.”

[19:24]  ⁶²² sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:24]  ⁶²³ tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).

[19:24]  ⁶²⁴ sn A great deal of business. The charge that Christianity brought economic and/or social upheaval was made a number of times in Acts: 16:20-21; 17:6-7; 18:13.

[19:25]  ⁶²⁶ tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunaqroisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:25]  ⁶²⁷ tn Grk “whom”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a pronoun (“these”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[19:25]  ⁶²⁸ sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.

[19:25]  ⁶²⁹ tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”

[19:26]  ⁶³¹ tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:26]  ⁶³² tn Or “misled.”

[19:26]  ⁶³³ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”

[19:26]  ⁶³⁴ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:26]  ⁶³⁵ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:26]  ⁶³⁶ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.

[19:26]  ⁶³⁷ tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[19:27]  ⁶³⁶ tn Or “come under public criticism.” BDAG 101 s.v. ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ⁶³⁷ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:27]  ⁶³⁸ tn BDAG 597 s.v. λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing…Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ⁶³⁹ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:27]  ⁶⁴⁰ tn Or “her magnificence.” BDAG 488 s.v. καθαιρέω 2.b has “καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς suffer the loss of her magnificence Ac 19:27”; L&N 13.38 has “‘and to have her greatness done away with’ Ac 19:27.”

[19:28]  ⁶⁴¹ 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.

[19:28]  ⁶⁴² tn Grk “And hearing.” The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[19:28]  ⁶⁴³ tn Grk “they became filled with rage” (an idiom). The reaction of the Ephesians here is like that of the Jews earlier, though Luke referred to “zeal” or “jealousy” in the former case (Acts 7:54).

[19:28]  ⁶⁴⁴ tn Grk “and began shouting, saying.” The imperfect verb ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[19:28]  ⁶⁴⁵ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:29]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[19:29]  ⁶⁴⁷ tn L&N 39.43 has “‘the uproar spread throughout the whole city’ (literally ‘the city was filled with uproar’) Ac 19:29.” BDAG 954 s.v. σύγχυσις has “confusion, tumult.”

[19:29]  ⁶⁴⁸ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:29]  ⁶⁴⁹ sn To the theater. This location made the event a public spectacle. The Grand Theater in Ephesus (still standing today) stood facing down the main thoroughfare of the city toward the docks. It had a seating capacity of 25,000.

[19:29]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn Grk “to the theater with one accord.”

[19:30]  ⁶⁵¹ tn Or “enter the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν δ. go into the assembly 19:30.”

[19:31]  ⁶⁵⁶ tn Grk “Asiarchs” (high-ranking officials of the province of Asia).

[19:31]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn Grk “sending”; the participle πέμψαντες (pemyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:31]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[19:31]  ⁶⁵⁹ tn BDAG 242-43 s.v. δίδωμι 11 has “to cause (oneself) to go, go, venture somewhere (cp. our older ‘betake oneself’)…Ac 19:31.” The desire of these sympathetic authorities was surely to protect Paul’s life. The detail indicates how dangerous things had become.

[19:32]  ⁶⁶¹ tn Or “had assembled.”

[19:33]  ⁶⁶⁶ tn Or “Some of the crowd gave instructions to.”

[19:33]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn The words “it was about” are not in the Greek text but are implied; ᾿Αλέξανδρον (Alexandron) is taken to be an accusative of general reference.

[19:33]  ⁶⁶⁸ tn BDAG 865 s.v. προβάλλω 1 has “to cause to come forward, put forward…τινά someone…push someone forward to speak in the theater…Ac 19:33.”

[19:33]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn Or “motioning.”

[19:33]  ⁶⁷⁰ sn The nature of Alexander’s defense is not clear. It appears he was going to explain, as a Jew, that the problem was not caused by Jews, but by those of “the Way.” However, he never got a chance to speak.

[19:33]  ⁶⁷¹ tn Or “before the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ δ. make a defense before the assembly vs. 33.”

[19:34]  ⁶⁷¹ tn Grk “But recognizing.” The participle ἐπιγνόντες (epignonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:34]  ⁶⁷² tn Grk “[they shouted] with one voice from all of them” (an idiom).

[19:34]  ⁶⁷³ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus, 1.25 mi (2 km) northeast of the Grand Theater. Dimensions were 418 ft by 239 ft (125 m by 72 m) for the platform; the temple proper was 377 ft by 180 ft (113 m by 54 m). The roof was supported by 117 columns, each 60 ft (18 m) high by 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter. The Emperor Justinian of Byzantium later took these columns for use in construction of the Hagia Sophia, where they still exist (in modern day Istanbul).

[19:34]  ⁶⁷⁴ sn They all shouted…for about two hours. The extent of the tumult shows the racial and social tensions of a cosmopolitan city like Ephesus, indicating what the Christians in such locations had to face.

[19:35]  ⁶⁷⁶ tn Or “clerk.” The “scribe” (γραμματεύς, grammateu") was the keeper of the city’s records.

[19:35]  ⁶⁷⁷ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[19:35]  ⁶⁷⁸ tn See BDAG 670 s.v. νεωκόρος. The city is described as the “warden” or “guardian” of the goddess and her temple.

[19:35]  ⁶⁷⁹ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:35]  ⁶⁸⁰ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[19:36]  ⁶⁸¹ tn Grk “these things.”

[19:36]  ⁶⁸² tn The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὄντων (ontwn) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. On the term translated “indisputable” see BDAG 68-69 s.v. ἀναντίρρητος which has “not to be contradicted, undeniable.”

[19:36]  ⁶⁸³ tn Grk “it is necessary that you be quiet.”

[19:36]  ⁶⁸⁴ tn L&N 88.98 has “pertaining to impetuous and reckless behavior – ‘reckless, impetuous.’…‘so then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless’ Ac 19:36.” The city secretary was asking that order be restored.

[19:37]  ⁶⁸⁶ tn Or perhaps, “desecrators of temples.”

[19:37]  ⁶⁸⁷ sn Nor blasphemers of our goddess. There was no formal crime with which Paul could be charged. He had the right to his religion as long as he did not act physically against the temple. Since no overt act had taken place, the official wanted the community to maintain the status quo on these religious matters. The remarks suggest Paul was innocent of any civil crime.

[19:38]  ⁶⁹¹ tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”

[19:38]  ⁶⁹² tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”

[19:38]  ⁶⁹³ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.

[19:39]  ⁶⁹⁶ tn Or “anything more than this.”

[19:39]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn Or “resolved.”

[19:39]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn Or “in a legal meeting of the citizens.” L&N 30.81 has “ἐν τῇ ἐννόμῳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπιλυθήσεται ‘it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of the citizens’ Ac 19:39.” This meeting took place three times a year.

[19:40]  ⁷⁰¹ tn Grk “For indeed.” The ascensive force of καί (kai) would be awkward to translate here.

[19:40]  ⁷⁰² tn The term translated “rioting” refers to a revolt or uprising (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 2, 3). This would threaten Roman rule and invite Roman intervention.

[19:40]  ⁷⁰³ tn Or “to account for.” Grk “since there is no cause concerning which we can give account concerning this disorderly gathering.” The complexity of the Greek relative clause (“which”) and the multiple prepositions (“concerning”) have been simplified in the translation consistent with contemporary English style.

[19:40]  ⁷⁰⁴ tn Or “commotion.” BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 gives the meaning “a tumultuous gathering of people, disorderly/seditious gathering or commotion…Ac 19:40.”

[19:41]  ⁷⁰⁶ 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.

[19:41]  ⁷⁰⁷ tn Grk “And saying.” The participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:41]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn Grk “these things.”

[19:41]  ⁷⁰⁹ sn Verse 41 in the English text is included as part of verse 40 in the standard critical editions of the Greek NT.

[20:1]  ⁷¹¹ tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ⁷¹² tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ⁷¹³ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:2]  ⁷¹⁶ tn BDAG 633 s.v. μέρος 1.b.γ gives the meanings “the parts (of a geographical area), region, district,” but the use of “district” in this context probably implies too much specificity.

[20:2]  ⁷¹⁷ tn Grk “and encouraging them with many words.” The participle παρακαλέσας (parakalesa", “encouraging”) has been translated by the phrase “spoken…words of encouragement” because the formal equivalent is awkward in contemporary English.

[20:2]  ⁷¹⁸ tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ⁷¹⁹ tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).

[20:3]  ⁷²¹ tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”

[20:3]  ⁷²² tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ⁷²³ sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).

[20:3]  ⁷²⁴ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:3]  ⁷²⁵ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.

[20:3]  ⁷²⁶ tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ⁷²⁷ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:4]  ⁷²⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:4]  ⁷²⁷ 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.

[20:4]  ⁷²⁸ tn Grk “of the Thessalonians.”

[20:4]  ⁷²⁹ tn Grk “and Gaius,” but this καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[20:4]  ⁷³⁰ sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 30 mi (50 km) southeast of Lystra.

[20:4]  ⁷³¹ tn Grk “the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.” In the NT “Asia” 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.

[20:5]  ⁷³¹ tn Grk “These, having gone on ahead, were waiting.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:5]  ⁷³² sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor.

[20:6]  ⁷³⁶ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[20:6]  ⁷³⁷ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6]  ⁷³⁸ sn The days of Unleavened Bread refer to the week following Passover. Originally an agricultural festival commemorating the beginning of harvest, it was celebrated for seven days beginning on the fifteenth day of the month Nisan (March-April). It was later combined with Passover (Exod 12:1-20; Ezek 45:21-24; Matt 26:17; Luke 22:1).

[20:6]  ⁷³⁹ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6]  ⁷⁴⁰ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6]  ⁷⁴¹ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. From Philippi to Troas was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:7]  ⁷⁴¹ sn On the first day. This is the first mention of a Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:2).

[20:7]  ⁷⁴² tn Or “assembled.”

[20:7]  ⁷⁴³ tn The verb διαλέγομαι (dialegomai) is frequently used of Paul addressing Jews in the synagogue. 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. In the context of a Christian gathering, it is preferable to translate διελέγετο (dielegeto) simply as “speak” here. The imperfect verb διελέγετο has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[20:7]  ⁷⁴⁴ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:7]  ⁷⁴⁵ tn Or “prolonged.”

[20:8]  ⁷⁴⁶ tn More commonly λαμπάς (lampa") means “torch,” but here according to BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπάς 2, “lamp…w. a wick and space for oil.”

[20:8]  ⁷⁴⁷ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9]  ⁷⁵¹ tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9]  ⁷⁵² tn Grk “sinking into a deep sleep.” BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “ὕπνῳ βαθεῖ sink into a deep sleep…Ac 20:9a.” The participle καταφερόμενος (kataferomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:9]  ⁷⁵³ tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9]  ⁷⁵⁴ tn BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “κατενεχθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὔπνου overwhelmed by sleep vs. 9b,” but this expression is less common in contemporary English than phrases like “fast asleep” or “sound asleep.”

[20:10]  ⁷⁵⁶ tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10]  ⁷⁵⁹ tn BDAG 959 s.v. συμπεριλαμβάνω has “to throw one’s arms around, embrace w. acc. to be supplied Ac 20:10.” However, “embraced the young man” might be taken (out of context) to have erotic implications, while “threw his arms around him” would be somewhat redundant since “threw” has been used in the previous phrase.

[20:10]  ⁷⁶⁰ tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

[20:11]  ⁷⁶¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:11]  ⁷⁶² tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:11]  ⁷⁶³ tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:12]  ⁷⁶⁶ tn Grk “were not to a moderate degree” (an idiom). L&N 78.11 states: “μετρίως: a moderate degree of some activity or state – ‘moderately, to a moderate extent.’ ἤγαγον δὲ τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα, καὶ παρεκλήθησαν οὐ μετρίωθς ‘they took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted’ Ac 20:12. In Ac 20:12 the phrase οὐ μετρίως, literally ‘not to a moderate degree,’ is equivalent to a strong positive statement, namely, ‘greatly’ or ‘to a great extent.’”

[20:13]  ⁷⁷¹ tn Grk “going on ahead.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:13]  ⁷⁷² 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.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁷³ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:13]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn Or “for he told us to do this.” Grk “for having arranged it this way, he.” The participle διατεταγμένος (diatetagmeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 237 s.v. διατάσσω 1 has “οὕτως διατεταγμένος ἦν he had arranged it so Ac 20:13.” L&N 15.224 has “‘he told us to do this.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence; in Greek this is part of the preceding sentence beginning “We went on ahead.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁷⁸ tn Or “there on foot.”

[20:14]  ⁷⁷⁶ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:14]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn Grk “taking him aboard, we.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:14]  ⁷⁷⁸ sn Mitylene was the most important city on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. It was about 44 mi (70 km) from Assos.

[20:15]  ⁷⁸¹ tn Grk “setting sail from there.” The participle ἀποπλεύσαντες (apopleusante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:15]  ⁷⁸² tn Or “offshore from Chios.”

[20:15]  ⁷⁸³ tn Or “crossed over to,” “arrived at.” L&N 54.12 has “παραβάλλω: (a technical, nautical term) to sail up to or near – ‘to approach, to arrive at, to sail to.’ παρεβάλομεν εἰς Σάμον ‘we approached Samos’ or ‘we arrived at Samos’ Ac 20:15.”

[20:15]  ⁷⁸⁴ sn Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor.

[20:15]  ⁷⁸⁵ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 40 mi (70 km) south of Ephesus. From Mitylene to Miletus was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:16]  ⁷⁸⁶ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16]  ⁷⁸⁷ tn Grk “so that he might not have to spend time.” L&N 67.79 has “ὅπως μὴ γένηται αὐτῷ χρονοτριβῆσαι ἐν τῇ ᾿Ασίᾳ ‘so as not to spend any time in the province of Asia’ Ac 20:16.”

[20:16]  ⁷⁸⁸ 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.

[20:16]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16]  ⁷⁹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16]  ⁷⁹¹ tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17]  ⁷⁹¹ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17]  ⁷⁹² tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[20:17]  ⁷⁹³ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. L&N 33.311 has for the verb μετακαλέομαι (metakaleomai) “to summon someone, with considerable insistence and authority – ‘to summon, to tell to come.’”

[20:18]  ⁷⁹⁶ tn Grk “You yourselves know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time.” This could be understood to mean “how I stayed with you the whole time,” but the following verses make it clear that Paul’s lifestyle while with the Ephesians is in view here. Thus the translation “how I lived the whole time I was with you” makes this clear.

[20:18]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn Or “I arrived.” BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω 2, “set foot in…εἰς τ. ᾿Ασίαν set foot in Asia Ac 20:18.” However, L&N 15.83 removes the idiom: “you know that since the first day that I came to Asia.”

[20:18]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19]  ⁸⁰¹ sn On humility see 2 Cor 10:1; 11:7; 1 Thess 2:6; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3-11.

[20:19]  ⁸⁰² sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20]  ⁸⁰⁶ tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20]  ⁸⁰⁷ tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20,” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.

[20:20]  ⁸⁰⁸ tn Or “openly.”

[20:21]  ⁸¹¹ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”

[20:21]  ⁸¹² tc Several mss, including some of the more important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.

[20:22]  ⁸¹⁶ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:22]  ⁸¹⁷ tn Grk “bound.”

[20:22]  ⁸¹⁸ sn This journey to Jerusalem suggests a parallel between Paul and Jesus, since the “Jerusalem journey” motif figures so prominently in Luke’s Gospel (9:51-19:44).

[20:22]  ⁸¹⁹ tn BDAG 965 s.v. συναντάω 2 has τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ συναντήσοντα ἐμοὶ μὴ εἰδώς without knowing what will happen to me there Ac 20:22.”

[20:23]  ⁸²¹ tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23]  ⁸²² tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).

[20:23]  ⁸²³ tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23]  ⁸²⁴ tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23]  ⁸²⁵ tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23]  ⁸²⁶ tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[20:24]  ⁸²⁶ tn Grk “soul.”

[20:24]  ⁸²⁷ tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”

[20:24]  ⁸²⁸ tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”

[20:24]  ⁸²⁹ tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation – ‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.

[20:24]  ⁸³⁰ tn Or “to the gospel.”

[20:25]  ⁸³¹ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25]  ⁸³² tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25]  ⁸³³ sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.

[20:25]  ⁸³⁴ tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:26]  ⁸³⁶ tn Or “testify.”

[20:26]  ⁸³⁷ tn Grk “clean, pure,” thus “guiltless” (BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a).

[20:26]  ⁸³⁸ tn That is, “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible” (an idiom). According to L&N 33.223, the meaning of the phrase “that I am innocent of the blood of all of you” is “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.” However, due to the length of this phrase and its familiarity to many modern English readers, the translation was kept closer to formal equivalence in this case. The word “you” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; Paul is addressing the Ephesian congregation (in the person of its elders) in both v. 25 and 27.

[20:27]  ⁸⁴¹ tn Or “did not avoid.” BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 2.b has “shrink from, avoid implying fear…οὐ γὰρ ὑπεστειλάμην τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι I did not shrink from proclaiming Ac 20:27”; L&N 13.160 has “to hold oneself back from doing something, with the implication of some fearful concern – ‘to hold back from, to shrink from, to avoid’…‘for I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God’ Ac 20:27.”

[20:27]  ⁸⁴² tn Or “proclaiming,” “declaring.”

[20:27]  ⁸⁴³ tn Or “plan.”

[20:28]  ⁸⁴⁶ tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28]  ⁸⁴⁷ tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28]  ⁸⁴⁸ tn Or “guardians.” BDAG 379-80 s.v. ἐπίσκοπος 2 states, “The term was taken over in Christian communities in ref. to one who served as overseer or supervisor, with special interest in guarding the apostolic tradition…Ac 20:28.” This functional term describes the role of the elders (see v. 17). They were to guard and shepherd the congregation.

[20:28]  ⁸⁴⁹ tc The reading “of God” (τοῦ θεοῦ, tou qeou) is found in א B 614 1175 1505 al vg sy; other witnesses have “of the Lord” (τοῦ κυρίου, tou kuriou) here (so Ì⁷⁴ A C* D E Ψ 33 1739 al co), while the majority of the later minuscule mss conflate these two into “of the Lord and God” (τοῦ κυρίου καὶ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, tou kuriou kai [tou] qeou). Although the evidence is evenly balanced between the first two readings, τοῦ θεοῦ is decidedly superior on internal grounds. The final prepositional phrase of this verse, διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου (dia tou {aimato" tou idiou), could be rendered “through his own blood” or “through the blood of his own.” In the latter translation, the object that “own” modifies must be supplied (see tn below for discussion). But this would not be entirely clear to scribes; those who supposed that ἰδίου modified αἵματος would be prone to alter “God” to “Lord” to avoid the inference that God had blood. In a similar way, later scribes would be prone to conflate the two titles, thereby affirming the deity (with the construction τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ following the Granville Sharp rule and referring to a single person [see ExSyn 272, 276-77, 290]) and substitutionary atonement of Christ. For these reasons, τοῦ θεοῦ best explains the rise of the other readings and should be considered authentic.

[20:28]  ⁸⁵⁰ tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28]  ⁸⁵¹ tn Or “with his own blood”; Grk “with the blood of his own.” The genitive construction could be taken in two ways: (1) as an attributive genitive (second attributive position) meaning “his own blood”; or (2) as a possessive genitive, “with the blood of his own.” In this case the referent is the Son, and the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. See further C. F. DeVine, “The Blood of God,” CBQ 9 (1947): 381-408.

[20:29]  ⁸⁵¹ tn Grk “after my departure.”

[20:29]  ⁸⁵² tn That is, people like fierce wolves. See BDAG 167-68 s.v. βαρύς 4 on the term translated “fierce.” The battle that will follow would be a savage one.

[20:30]  ⁸⁵⁶ tn Grk “from among yourselves.”

[20:30]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only rarely is used in a generic sense to refer to both males and females. Since Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders at this point and there is nothing in the context to suggest women were included in that group (“from among your own group”), it is most likely Paul was not predicting that these false teachers would include women.

[20:30]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”

[20:31]  ⁸⁶¹ tn Or “be watchful.”

[20:31]  ⁸⁶² tn Or “admonishing.”

[20:32]  ⁸⁶⁶ tn Or “commend.” BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 3.b has “τινά τινι entrust someone to the care or protection of someone…Of divine protection παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 14:23; cp. 20:32.”

[20:32]  ⁸⁶⁷ tn Grk “word.”

[20:32]  ⁸⁶⁸ tn Grk “the message of his grace, which.” The phrase τῷ δυναμένῳ οἰκοδομῆσαι… (tw dunamenw oikodomhsai…) refers to τῷ λόγω (tw logw), not τῆς χάριτος (ths caritos); in English it could refer to either “the message” or “grace,” but in Greek, because of agreement in gender, the referent can only be “the message.” To make this clear, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the referent “the message” was repeated at the beginning of this new sentence.

[20:33]  ⁸⁷¹ tn Traditionally, “coveted.” BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιθυμέω 1 has “to have a strong desire to do or secure someth., desire, long for w. gen. of the thing desired…silver, gold, clothing Ac 20:33.” The traditional term “covet” is not in common usage and difficult for many modern English readers to understand. The statement affirms Paul’s integrity. He was not doing this for personal financial gain.

[20:34]  ⁸⁷⁶ tn The words “of mine” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify whose hands Paul is referring to.

[20:35]  ⁸⁸¹ sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”

[20:35]  ⁸⁸² tn Or “must assist.”

[20:35]  ⁸⁸³ tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.

[20:35]  ⁸⁸⁴ sn The saying is similar to Matt 10:8. Service and generosity should be abundant. Interestingly, these exact words are not found in the gospels. Paul must have known of this saying from some other source.

[20:36]  ⁸⁸⁶ 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.

[20:36]  ⁸⁸⁷ tn Grk “kneeling down…he prayed.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:37]  ⁸⁹¹ tn Grk “weeping a great deal,” thus “loudly” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός and BDAG 546 s.v. κλαυθμός).

[20:37]  ⁸⁹² tn Grk “fell on Paul’s neck” (an idiom, see BDAG 1014 s.v. τράχηλος).

[20:37]  ⁸⁹³ sn The Ephesians elders kissed Paul as a sign of both affection and farewell. The entire scene shows how much interrelationship Paul had in his ministry and how much he and the Ephesians meant to each other.

[20:38]  ⁸⁹⁶ tn Or “pained.”

[20:38]  ⁸⁹⁷ tn Grk “by the word that he had said.”

[20:38]  ⁸⁹⁸ tn Grk “to see his face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:38]  ⁸⁹⁹ tn BDAG 873 s.v. προπέμπω 1 has “they accompanied him to the ship Ac 20:38.”

[21:1]  ⁹⁰¹ tn Grk “It happened that when.” 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. Since the action described by the participle ἀποσπασθέντας (apospasqenta", “tearing ourselves away”) is prior to the departure of the ship, it has been translated as antecedent action (“after”).

[21:1]  ⁹⁰² sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[21:1]  ⁹⁰³ tn BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποσπάω 2.b has “pass. in mid. sense ἀ. ἀπό τινος tear oneself away Ac 21:1”; LSJ 218 gives several illustrations of this verb meaning “to tear or drag away from.”

[21:1]  ⁹⁰⁴ 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.”

[21:1]  ⁹⁰⁵ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course”; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[21:1]  ⁹⁰⁶ sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1]  ⁹⁰⁷ sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1]  ⁹⁰⁸ sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).

[21:2]  ⁹⁰⁶ tn Grk “and finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") 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 in the translation.

[21:2]  ⁹⁰⁷ sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2]  ⁹⁰⁸ tn Grk “going aboard, we put out to sea.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:2]  ⁹⁰⁹ 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.”

[21:3]  ⁹¹¹ sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[21:3]  ⁹¹² sn The expression left it behind on our port side here means “sailed past to the south of it” since the ship was sailing east.

[21:3]  ⁹¹³ 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’…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[21:3]  ⁹¹⁴ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia. From Patara to Tyre was about 400 mi (640 km). It required a large cargo ship over 100 ft (30 m) long, and was a four to five day voyage.

[21:4]  ⁹¹⁶ tn BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνευρίσκω has “look/search for (w. finding presupposed) τινά…τοὺς μαθητάς Ac 21:4.” The English verb “locate,” when used in reference to persons, has the implication of both looking for and finding someone. The participle ἀνευρόντες (aneuronte") has been taken temporally.

[21:4]  ⁹¹⁷ tn BDAG 154 s.v. αὐτοῦ states, “deictic adv. designating a position relatively near or far…there…Ac 21:4.”

[21:4]  ⁹¹⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγον (elegon) has been taken iteratively.

[21:4]  ⁹¹⁹ sn Although they told this to Paul through the Spirit, it appears Paul had a choice here (see v. 14). Therefore this amounted to a warning: There was risk in going to Jerusalem, so he was urged not to go.

[21:4]  ⁹²⁰ tn BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω places Ac 21:4 under 1, “go up/upon, mount, board…πλοίῳ…Ac 27:2…Abs. go on board, embark…21:1 D, 2. – So perh. also ἐ. εἰς ᾿Ιεροσόλυμα embark for Jerusalem (i.e. to the seaport of Caesarea) vs. 4.” BDAG notes, however, “But this pass. may also belong to 2. to move to an area and be there, set foot in.” Because the message from the disciples to Paul through the Holy Spirit has the character of a warning, the latter meaning has been adopted for this translation.

[21:4]  ⁹²¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:5]  ⁹²¹ tn Grk “It happened that when.” 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.

[21:5]  ⁹²² tn Grk “When our days were over.” L&N 67.71 has “ὅτε δὲ ἐγένετο ἡμᾶς ἐξαρτίσαι τὰς ἡμέρας ‘when we brought that time to an end’ or ‘when our time with them was over’ Ac 21:5.”

[21:5]  ⁹²³ tn Grk “accompanying.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the participle προπεμπόντων (propempontwn) translated as a finite verb.

[21:5]  ⁹²⁴ tn Grk “city, 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.

[21:5]  ⁹²⁵ sn On praying in Acts, see 1:14, 24; 2:47; 4:23; 6:6; 10:2; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 16:25.

[21:6]  ⁹²⁶ tn BDAG 98 s.v. ἀπασπάζομαι has “take leave of, say farewell to τινά someone…ἀπησπασάμεθα ἀλλήλους we said farewell to one another Ac 21:6.”

[21:6]  ⁹²⁷ sn These words are part of v. 5 in the standard critical Greek text.

[21:6]  ⁹²⁸ tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:6]  ⁹²⁹ tn Grk “to their own”; the word “homes” is implied.

[21:7]  ⁹³¹ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[21:7]  ⁹³² sn Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.

[21:8]  ⁹³⁶ tn Grk “On the next day leaving, we came.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8]  ⁹³⁷ 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 another 40 mi (65 km).

[21:8]  ⁹³⁸ tn Grk “and entering…we stayed.” The participle εἰσελθόντες (eiselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8]  ⁹³⁹ sn Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).

[21:9]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Grk “virgin.” While the term παρθένος (parqeno") can refer to a woman who has never had sexual relations, the emphasis in this context seems to be on the fact that Philip’s daughters were not married (L&N 9.39).

[21:9]  ⁹⁴² sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Luke again noted women who were gifted in the early church (see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.31; 3.39).

[21:10]  ⁹⁴⁶ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.α has “ἐπὶ ἡμέρας πλείους for a (large) number of days, for many days…Ac 13:31. – 21:10…24:17; 25:14; 27:20.”

[21:10]  ⁹⁴⁷ sn Agabus also appeared in Acts 11:28. He was from Jerusalem, so the two churches were still in contact with one another.

[21:11]  ⁹⁵¹ tn Grk “And coming.” 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 participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁹⁵² tn Grk “and taking.” 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. The participle ἄρας (aras) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁹⁵³ sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).

[21:11]  ⁹⁵⁴ tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁹⁵⁵ tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[21:12]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13]  ⁹⁶¹ tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).

[21:13]  ⁹⁶² tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.

[21:14]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14]  ⁹⁶⁷ tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14]  ⁹⁶⁸ sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.

[21:15]  ⁹⁷¹ tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15]  ⁹⁷² tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:16]  ⁹⁷⁶ 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.

[21:16]  ⁹⁷⁷ tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

[21:16]  ⁹⁷⁸ tn Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “ἀ. μαθητής a disciple of long standing (perh. original disc.) Ac 21:16.”

[21:17]  ⁹⁸¹ tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18]  ⁹⁸⁶ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:19]  ⁹⁹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ⁹⁹² tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ⁹⁹³ tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”

[21:19]  ⁹⁹⁴ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ⁹⁹⁶ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁹⁹⁷ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  ⁹⁹⁸ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

[21:20]  ⁹⁹⁹ sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

[21:21]  ¹⁰⁰¹ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.

[21:21]  ¹⁰⁰² tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”

[21:21]  ¹⁰⁰³ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ¹⁰⁰⁴ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ¹⁰⁰⁶ tn L&N 71.16 has “pertaining to being in every respect certain – ‘certainly, really, doubtless, no doubt.’…‘they will no doubt hear that you have come’ Ac 21:22.”

[21:23]  ¹⁰¹¹ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ¹⁰¹² tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ¹⁰¹³ tn L&N 33.469 has “‘there are four men here who have taken a vow’ or ‘we have four men who…’ Ac 21:23.”

[21:23]  ¹⁰¹⁴ tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ¹⁰¹⁶ sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).

[21:24]  ¹⁰¹⁷ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ¹⁰¹⁸ tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shaved…τὴν κεφαλήν have one’s head shaved…Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ¹⁰¹⁹ tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:24]  ¹⁰²⁰ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ¹⁰²¹ tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs – ‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”

[21:24]  ¹⁰²² sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25]  ¹⁰²¹ tn L&N 13.154 has “‘having decided that they must keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from an animal that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality’ Ac 21:25.”

[21:25]  ¹⁰²² tn This is a different Greek word than the one used in Acts 15:20, 29. BDAG 1068 s.v. φυλάσσω 3 has “to be on one’s guard against, look out for, avoid…w. acc. of pers. or thing avoided…Ac 21:25.” The Greek word used in Acts 15:20, 29 is ἀπέχω (apecw). The difference in meaning, although slight, has been maintained in the translation.

[21:25]  ¹⁰²³ tn There is no specific semantic component in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος that means “meat” (see BDAG 280 s.v. εἰδωλόθυτος; L&N 5.15). The stem –θυτος means “sacrifice” (referring to an animal sacrificially killed) and thereby implies meat.

[21:25]  ¹⁰²⁴ sn What has been strangled. That is, to refrain from eating animals that had been killed without having the blood drained from them. According to the Mosaic law (Lev 17:13-14) Jews were forbidden to eat flesh with the blood still in it (note the preceding provision in this verse, and blood).

[21:26]  ¹⁰²⁶ tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 11.b.β has “temporal, to be next, immediately following…τῇ ἐχομένῃ…on the next day Lk 13:33…Ac 20:15; w. ἡμέρᾳ added…21:26.”

[21:26]  ¹⁰²⁷ tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ¹⁰²⁸ tn Grk “entered the temple, giving notice.” The participle διαγγέλλων (diangellwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:26]  ¹⁰²⁹ sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ¹⁰³⁰ tn Grk “until” (BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.β.א), but since in English it is somewhat awkward to say “the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice would be offered,” the temporal clause was translated “when the sacrifice would be offered.” The point is that the sacrifice would be offered when the days were completed. Paul honored the request of the Jewish Christian leadership completely. As the following verse makes clear, the vow was made for seven days.

[21:26]  ¹⁰³¹ tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27]  ¹⁰³¹ tn BDAG 975 s.v. συντελέω 4 has “to come to an end of a duration, come to an end, be over…Ac 21:27.”

[21:27]  ¹⁰³² 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.

[21:27]  ¹⁰³³ tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27]  ¹⁰³⁴ tn Or “threw the whole crowd into consternation.” L&N 25.221 has “συνέχεον πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ‘they threw the whole crowd into consternation’ Ac 21:27. It is also possible to render the expression in Ac 21:27 as ‘they stirred up the whole crowd.’”

[21:27]  ¹⁰³⁵ tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28]  ¹⁰³⁶ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[21:28]  ¹⁰³⁷ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ¹⁰³⁸ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  ¹⁰³⁹ tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:28]  ¹⁰⁴⁰ tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.

[21:28]  ¹⁰⁴¹ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:29]  ¹⁰⁴¹ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ¹⁰⁴² tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:30]  ¹⁰⁴⁶ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ¹⁰⁴⁷ tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”

[21:30]  ¹⁰⁴⁸ tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[21:30]  ¹⁰⁴⁹ tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ¹⁰⁵¹ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ¹⁰⁵² tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ¹⁰⁵³ tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  ¹⁰⁵⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[21:31]  ¹⁰⁵⁵ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ¹⁰⁵⁶ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ¹⁰⁵⁶ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:32]  ¹⁰⁵⁷ tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32]  ¹⁰⁵⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ¹⁰⁵⁹ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ¹⁰⁶⁰ tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ¹⁰⁶² sn The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.

[21:33]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33]  ¹⁰⁶² tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33]  ¹⁰⁶³ tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33]  ¹⁰⁶⁴ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.

[21:33]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34]  ¹⁰⁶⁶ tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”

[21:34]  ¹⁰⁶⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ¹⁰⁶⁸ tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”

[21:34]  ¹⁰⁶⁹ tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34]  ¹⁰⁷⁰ tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34]  ¹⁰⁷¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ¹⁰⁷² tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:35]  ¹⁰⁷¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35]  ¹⁰⁷² sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.

[21:35]  ¹⁰⁷³ tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36]  ¹⁰⁷⁶ tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plhqo") is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.

[21:36]  ¹⁰⁷⁷ tn The word “them” 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.

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸¹ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸² tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸⁴ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸⁶ tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ¹⁰⁸⁷ sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.

[21:38]  ¹⁰⁸⁶ tn L&N 39.41 has “οὐκ ἄρα σὺ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστατώσας ‘then you are not that Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion’ Ac 21:38.”

[21:38]  ¹⁰⁸⁷ tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38]  ¹⁰⁸⁸ tn Or “desert.”

[21:38]  ¹⁰⁸⁹ tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39]  ¹⁰⁹¹ tn Grk “said.”

[21:39]  ¹⁰⁹² tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39]  ¹⁰⁹³ tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).

[21:39]  ¹⁰⁹⁴ tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40]  ¹⁰⁹⁶ tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40]  ¹⁰⁹⁷ tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ¹⁰⁹⁸ tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ¹⁰⁹⁹ tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40]  ¹¹⁰⁰ tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ¹¹⁰¹ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ¹¹⁰² tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[22:1]  ¹¹⁰¹ sn Listen to my defense. This is the first of several speeches Paul would make in his own defense: Acts 24:10ff.; 25:8, 16; and 26:1ff. For the use of such a speech (“apologia”) in Greek, see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.15 [2.147]; Wis 6:10.

[22:1]  ¹¹⁰² tn The adverb νυνί (nuni, “now”) is connected with the phrase τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας (th" pro" Juma" nuni apologia") rather than the verb ἀκούσατε (akousate), and the entire construction (prepositional phrase plus adverb) is in first attributive position and thus translated into English by a relative clause.

[22:2]  ¹¹⁰⁶ tn ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[22:2]  ¹¹⁰⁷ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[22:2]  ¹¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.

[22:2]  ¹¹⁰⁹ tn BDAG 613-14 s.v. μᾶλλον 1 “Abs. μ. can mean to a greater degree (than before), even more, now more than ever Lk 5:15; Jn 5:18; 19:8; Ac 5:14; 22:2; 2 Cor 7:7.”

[22:2]  ¹¹¹⁰ tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”

[22:2]  ¹¹¹¹ tn Grk “and.” Since this represents a continuation of the speech begun in v. 1, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:3]  ¹¹¹¹ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3]  ¹¹¹² tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”

[22:3]  ¹¹¹³ tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”

[22:3]  ¹¹¹⁴ tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3]  ¹¹¹⁵ tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tou" poda" Gamalihl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tauth), has been followed in the translation.

[22:3]  ¹¹¹⁶ tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3]  ¹¹¹⁷ tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3]  ¹¹¹⁸ tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers. …ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”

[22:4]  ¹¹¹⁶ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:4]  ¹¹¹⁷ sn That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).

[22:4]  ¹¹¹⁸ tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4]  ¹¹¹⁹ tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4]  ¹¹²⁰ tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς…εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”

[22:5]  ¹¹²¹ tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders – a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”

[22:5]  ¹¹²² tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:5]  ¹¹²³ tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5]  ¹¹²⁴ tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.

[22:5]  ¹¹²⁵ tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.

[22:5]  ¹¹²⁶ tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5]  ¹¹²⁷ tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:6]  ¹¹²⁶ tn Grk “It happened that as.” 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.

[22:6]  ¹¹²⁷ tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6]  ¹¹²⁸ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6]  ¹¹²⁹ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6]  ¹¹³⁰ tn Or “shone.”

[22:7]  ¹¹³¹ tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”

[22:9]  ¹¹³⁶ tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.

[22:10]  ¹¹⁴¹ tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10]  ¹¹⁴² tn Grk “Getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:10]  ¹¹⁴³ tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10]  ¹¹⁴⁴ tn Or “assigned,” “ordered.” BDAG 991 s.v. τάσσω 2.a has “act. and pass., foll. by acc. w. inf.…περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι concerning everything that you have been ordered to do 22:10.” There is an allusion to a divine call and commission here.

[22:11]  ¹¹⁴⁶ tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”

[22:11]  ¹¹⁴⁷ tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11]  ¹¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12]  ¹¹⁵¹ tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12]  ¹¹⁵² sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12]  ¹¹⁵³ tn BDAG 534 s.v. κατοικέω 1.a translates this present participle “ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν (sc. ἐκεῖ) κατοικούντων ᾿Ιουδαίων by all the Jews who live there Ac 22:12.”

[22:13]  ¹¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ¹¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ¹¹⁵⁸ tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).

[22:13]  ¹¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (Jwra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38, 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.

[22:13]  ¹¹⁶⁰ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14]  ¹¹⁶¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14]  ¹¹⁶² tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”

[22:14]  ¹¹⁶³ tn Grk “and to see.” 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.

[22:14]  ¹¹⁶⁴ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ¹¹⁶⁵ tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (… = order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”

[22:15]  ¹¹⁶⁶ tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15]  ¹¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16]  ¹¹⁷¹ tn L&N 67.121 has “to extend time unduly, with the implication of lack of decision – ‘to wait, to delay.’ νῦν τί μέλλεις… ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι ‘what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized’ Ac 22:16.”

[22:16]  ¹¹⁷² tn Grk “getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:16]  ¹¹⁷³ sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16]  ¹¹⁷⁴ sn The expression calling on his name describes the confession of the believer: Acts 2:17-38, esp. v. 38; Rom 10:12-13; 1 Cor 1:2.

[22:17]  ¹¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “It happened to me 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.

[22:17]  ¹¹⁷⁷ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18]  ¹¹⁸¹ tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19]  ¹¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “And I said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai, in καγώ [kagw]) has not been translated here.

[22:19]  ¹¹⁸⁷ tn For the distributive sense of the expression κατὰ τὰς συναγωγάς (kata ta" sunagwga") BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.1.d has “of places viewed serially, distributive use w. acc.…κατ᾿ οἶκαν from house to house…Ac 2:46b; 5:42…Likew. the pl.…κ. τὰς συναγωγάς 22:19.” See also L&N 37.114.

[22:20]  ¹¹⁹¹ sn Now Paul referred to Stephen as your witness, and he himself had also become a witness. The reversal was now complete; the opponent had now become a proponent.

[22:20]  ¹¹⁹² sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20]  ¹¹⁹³ tn Grk “and approving.” 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.

[22:20]  ¹¹⁹⁴ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20]  ¹¹⁹⁵ tn Or “who were putting him to death.” For the translation of ἀναιρούντων (anairountwn) as “putting to death” see BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2.

[22:21]  ¹¹⁹⁶ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:22]  ¹²⁰¹ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ¹²⁰² tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  ¹²⁰³ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ¹²⁰⁴ tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ¹²⁰⁵ tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ¹²⁰⁶ tn BDAG 491 s.v. καθήκω has “to be appropriate, come/reach to, be proper/fitting…Usu. impers. καθήκει it comes (to someone)…foll. by acc. and inf….οὐ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν he should not be allowed to live Ac 22:22.”

[22:23]  ¹²⁰⁶ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ¹²⁰⁷ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  ¹²⁰⁸ sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[22:24]  ¹²¹¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[22:24]  ¹²¹² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹²¹³ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[22:24]  ¹²¹⁴ tn Grk “into the barracks, saying.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the participle εἴπας (eipas), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. The direct object “them” has been supplied; it is understood in Greek.

[22:24]  ¹²¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹²¹⁶ sn To interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash. Under the Roman legal system it was customary to use physical torture to extract confessions or other information from prisoners who were not Roman citizens and who were charged with various crimes, especially treason or sedition. The lashing would be done with a whip of leather thongs with pieces of metal or bone attached to the ends.

[22:24]  ¹²¹⁷ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹²¹⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ¹²¹⁶ tn Grk “for the thongs” (of which the lash was made). Although often translated as a dative of means (“with thongs”), referring to thongs used to tie the victim to the whipping post, BDAG 474-75 s.v. ἱμάς states that it “is better taken as a dat. of purpose for the thongs, in which case οἱ ἱμάντες = whips (Posidonius: 87 fgm. 5 Jac.; POxy. 1186, 2 τὴν διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων αἰκείαν. – Antiphanes 74, 8, Demosth. 19, 197 and Artem. 1, 70 use the sing. in this way).”

[22:25]  ¹²¹⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ¹²¹⁸ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ¹²¹⁹ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:26]  ¹²²¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ¹²²² tn The word “this” 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.

[22:26]  ¹²²³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ¹²²⁴ tn The word “it” 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.

[22:26]  ¹²²⁵ tn Or perhaps, “What do you intend to do?” Although BDAG 627 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.α lists this phrase under the category “be about to, be on the point of,” it is possible it belongs under 1.c.γ, “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; what do you intend to do?”

[22:26]  ¹²²⁶ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ¹²²⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ¹²²⁷ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ¹²²⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ¹²²⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ¹²³⁰ tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28]  ¹²³¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ¹²³² sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.

[22:28]  ¹²³³ tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ¹²³⁴ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  ¹²³⁵ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29]  ¹²³⁶ tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.

[22:29]  ¹²³⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ¹²³⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ¹²³⁹ tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29]  ¹²⁴⁰ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ¹²⁴¹ sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.

[22:30]  ¹²⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ¹²⁴² tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”

[22:30]  ¹²⁴³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ¹²⁴⁴ tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30]  ¹²⁴⁵ tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.