Acts 18:16

18:16 Then he had them forced away ¹  from the judgment seat. ² 

Acts 12:21

12:21 On a day determined in advance, Herod ³  put on his royal robes, ⁴  sat down on the judgment seat, ⁵  and made a speech ⁶  to them.

Acts 18:17

18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ⁷  and began to beat ⁸  him in front of the judgment seat. ⁹  Yet none of these things were of any concern ¹⁰  to Gallio.

Acts 25:17

25:17 So after they came back here with me, ¹¹  I did not postpone the case, ¹²  but the next day I sat ¹³  on the judgment seat ¹⁴  and ordered the man to be brought.

Acts 25:6

25:6 After Festus ¹⁵  had stayed ¹⁶  not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, ¹⁷  and the next day he sat ¹⁸  on the judgment seat ¹⁹  and ordered Paul to be brought.

Acts 25:10

25:10 Paul replied, ²⁰  “I am standing before Caesar’s ²¹  judgment seat, ²²  where I should be tried. ²³  I have done nothing wrong ²⁴  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ²⁵ 

[18:16]  ¹ 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]  ² sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[12:21]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:21]  ⁴ tn Or “apparel.” On Herod’s robes see Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.344), summarized in the note at the end of v. 23.

[12:21]  ⁵ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “speaker’s platform” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“rostrum,” NASB; “platform,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[12:21]  ⁶ tn Or “delivered a public address.”

[18:17]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ⁷ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ⁸ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[25:17]  ⁷ tn BDAG 969-70 s.v. συνέρχομαι 2 states, “συνελθόντων ἐνθάδε prob. means (because of συνκαταβάντες 25:5) they came back here with (me) 25:17.”

[25:17]  ⁸ tn BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβολή states, “‘delay’…legal t.t. postponement…ἀ. μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος I did not postpone the matter Ac 25:17.” “Case” has been supplied instead of “matter” since it is more specific to the context. The participle ποιησάμενος (poihsameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ⁹ tn Grk “sitting…I ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ¹⁰ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:6]  ⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:6]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.

[25:6]  ¹¹ 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.

[25:6]  ¹² tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:6]  ¹³ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bhma was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:10]  ¹¹ tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ¹² tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ¹³ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.

[25:10]  ¹⁴ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ¹⁵ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”