Acts 2:19

2:19 And I will perform wonders in the sky ¹  above

and miraculous signs ²  on the earth below,

blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

Acts 9:4

9:4 He ³  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, ⁴  why are you persecuting me?” ⁵ 

Acts 10:12

10:12 In it ⁶  were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles ⁷  of the earth and wild birds. ⁸ 

[2:19]  ¹ tn Or “in the heaven.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context. Here, in contrast to “the earth below,” a reference to the sky is more likely.

[2:19]  ² tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned; this is made explicit in the translation.

[9:4]  ³ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:4]  ⁴ tn The double vocative suggests emotion.

[9:4]  ⁵ sn Persecuting me. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus.

[10:12]  ⁵ tn Grk “in which.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[10:12]  ⁶ tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate. See also Gen 6:20, as well as the law making such creatures unclean food in Lev 11:2-47.

[10:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).