Acts 19:33

19:33 Some of the crowd concluded ¹  it was about ²  Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. ³  Alexander, gesturing ⁴  with his hand, was wanting to make a defense ⁵  before the public assembly. ⁶ 

Acts 25:8

25:8 Paul said in his defense, ⁷  “I have committed no offense ⁸  against the Jewish law ⁹  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ¹⁰ 

Acts 26:1

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ¹¹  said to Paul, “You have permission ¹²  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ¹³  and began his defense: ¹⁴ 

Acts 26:24

26:24 As Paul ¹⁵  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ¹⁶  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ¹⁷  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

[19:33]  ¹ tn Or “Some of the crowd gave instructions to.”

[19:33]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Or “motioning.”

[19:33]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.”

[25:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “Paul saying in his defense”; the participle ἀπολογουμένου (apologoumenou) could be taken temporally (“when Paul said…”), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle was translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation. BDAG 116-17 s.v. ἀπολογέομαι has “W. ὅτι foll. τοῦ Παύλου ἀπολογουμένου, ὅτι when Paul said in his defense (direct quot. foll.) Ac 25:8.”

[25:8]  ⁸ tn Grk “I have sinned…in nothing.”

[25:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “against the law of the Jews.” Here τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[25:8]  ¹⁰ tn Or “against the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

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

[26:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[26:24]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ²⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ²¹ tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”