Acts 2:23-36

2:23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed ¹  by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. ²  2:24 But God raised him up, ³  having released ⁴  him from the pains ⁵  of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power. ⁶  2:25 For David says about him,

‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, ⁷ 

for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.

2:26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced;

my body ⁸  also will live in hope,

2:27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades, ⁹ 

nor permit your Holy One to experience ¹⁰  decay.

2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of joy with your presence.’ ¹¹ 

2:29 “Brothers, ¹²  I can speak confidently ¹³  to you about our forefather ¹⁴  David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 2:30 So then, because ¹⁵  he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants ¹⁶  on his throne, ¹⁷  2:31 David by foreseeing this ¹⁸  spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, ¹⁹  that he was neither abandoned to Hades, ²⁰  nor did his body ²¹  experience ²²  decay. ²³  2:32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. ²⁴  2:33 So then, exalted ²⁵  to the right hand ²⁶  of God, and having received ²⁷  the promise of the Holy Spirit ²⁸  from the Father, he has poured out ²⁹  what you both see and hear. 2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,

‘The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit ³⁰  at my right hand

2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool ³¹  for your feet.”’ ³² 

2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt ³³  that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified ³⁴  both Lord ³⁵  and Christ.” ³⁶ 

Acts 3:15

3:15 You killed ³⁷  the Originator ³⁸  of life, whom God raised ³⁹  from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! ⁴⁰ 

Acts 4:10-11

4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ ⁴¹  the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. 4:11 This Jesus ⁴²  is the stone that was rejected by you, ⁴³  the builders, that has become the cornerstone. ⁴⁴ 

Acts 7:52

7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ⁴⁵  not persecute? ⁴⁶  They ⁴⁷  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ⁴⁸  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ⁴⁹ 

Acts 7:1

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ⁵⁰ 

Acts 18:17-18

18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ⁵¹  and began to beat ⁵²  him in front of the judgment seat. ⁵³  Yet none of these things were of any concern ⁵⁴  to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria

18:18 Paul, after staying ⁵⁵  many more days in Corinth, ⁵⁶  said farewell to ⁵⁷  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ⁵⁸  Priscilla and Aquila. ⁵⁹  He ⁶⁰  had his hair cut off ⁶¹  at Cenchrea ⁶²  because he had made a vow. ⁶³ 

Acts 21:20

21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁶⁴  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁶⁵  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁶⁶  of the law. ⁶⁷ 

Acts 22:8

22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’

Jeremiah 38:4

38:4 So these officials said to the king, “This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing ⁶⁸  the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. ⁶⁹  This ⁷⁰  man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.” ⁷¹ 

Amos 7:10

Amos Confronts a Priest

7:10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel ⁷²  sent this message ⁷³  to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel! ⁷⁴  The land cannot endure all his prophecies. ⁷⁵ 

[2:23]  ¹ tn Or “you killed.”

[2:23]  ² tn Grk “at the hands of lawless men.” At this point the term ἄνομος (anomo") refers to non-Jews who live outside the Jewish (Mosaic) law, rather than people who broke any or all laws including secular laws. Specifically it is a reference to the Roman soldiers who carried out Jesus’ crucifixion.

[2:24]  ³ tn Grk “Whom God raised up.”

[2:24]  ⁴ tn Or “having freed.”

[2:24]  ⁵ sn The term translated pains is frequently used to describe pains associated with giving birth (see Rev 12:2). So there is irony here in the mixed metaphor.

[2:24]  ⁶ tn Or “for him to be held by it” (in either case, “it” refers to death’s power).

[2:25]  ⁷ tn Or “always before me.”

[2:26]  ⁸ tn Grk “my flesh.”

[2:27]  ⁹ tn Or “will not abandon my soul to Hades.” Often “Hades” is the equivalent of the Hebrew term Sheol, the place of the dead.

[2:27]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to see,” but the literal translation of the phrase “to see decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “to look at decay,” while here “see decay” is really figurative for “experience decay.”

[2:28]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Ps 16:8-11.

[2:29]  ¹² tn Since this represents a continuation of the address beginning in v.14 and continued in v. 22, “brothers” has been used here rather than a generic expression like “brothers and sisters.”

[2:29]  ¹³ sn Peter’s certainty is based on well-known facts.

[2:29]  ¹⁴ tn Or “about our noted ancestor,” “about the patriarch.”

[2:30]  ¹⁵ tn The participles ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) and εἰδώς (eidw") are translated as causal adverbial participles.

[2:30]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “one from the fruit of his loins.” “Loins” is the traditional translation of ὀσφῦς (osfu"), referring to the male genital organs. A literal rendering like “one who came from his genital organs” would be regarded as too specific and perhaps even vulgar by many contemporary readers. Most modern translations thus render the phrase “one of his descendants.”

[2:30]  ¹⁷ sn An allusion to Ps 132:11 and 2 Sam 7:12-13, the promise in the Davidic covenant.

[2:31]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “David foreseeing spoke.” The participle προϊδών (proidwn) is taken as indicating means. It could also be translated as a participle of attendant circumstance: “David foresaw [this] and spoke.” The word “this” is supplied in either case as an understood direct object (direct objects in Greek were often omitted, but must be supplied for the modern English reader).

[2:31]  ¹⁹ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:31]  ²⁰ tn Or “abandoned in the world of the dead.” The translation “world of the dead” for Hades is suggested by L&N 1.19. The phrase is an allusion to Ps 16:10.

[2:31]  ²¹ tn Grk “flesh.” See vv. 26b-27. The reference to “body” in this verse picks up the reference to “body” in v. 26. The Greek term σάρξ (sarx) in both verses literally means “flesh”; however, the translation “body” stresses the lack of decay of his physical body. The point of the verse is not merely the lack of decay of his flesh alone, but the resurrection of his entire person, as indicated by the previous parallel line “he was not abandoned to Hades.”

[2:31]  ²² tn Grk “see,” but the literal translation of the phrase “see decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “look at decay,” while here “see decay” is really figurative for “experience decay.”

[2:31]  ²³ sn An allusion to Ps 16:10.

[2:32]  ²⁴ tn Or “of him”; Grk “of which [or whom] we are all witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

[2:33]  ²⁵ tn The aorist participle ὑψωθείς (Juywqei") could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…” In the translation the more neutral “exalted” (a shorter form of “having been exalted”) was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

[2:33]  ²⁶ sn The expression the right hand of God represents supreme power and authority. Its use here sets up the quotation of Ps 110:1 in v. 34.

[2:33]  ²⁷ tn The aorist participle λαβών (labwn) could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit.” In the translation the more neutral “having received” was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

[2:33]  ²⁸ tn Here the genitive τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the promise consists of the Holy Spirit.

[2:33]  ²⁹ sn The use of the verb poured out looks back to 2:17-18, where the same verb occurs twice.

[2:34]  ³⁰ sn Sit at my right hand. The word “sit” alludes back to the promise of “seating one on his throne” in v. 30.

[2:35]  ³¹ sn The metaphor make your enemies a footstool portrays the complete subjugation of the enemies.

[2:35]  ³² sn A quotation from Ps 110:1, one of the most often-cited OT passages in the NT, pointing to the exaltation of Jesus.

[2:36]  ³³ tn Or “know for certain.” This term is in an emphatic position in the clause.

[2:36]  ³⁴ tn Grk “has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The clause has been simplified in the translation by replacing the pronoun “him” with the explanatory clause “this Jesus whom you crucified” which comes at the end of the sentence.

[2:36]  ³⁵ sn Lord. This looks back to the quotation of Ps 110:1 and the mention of “calling on the Lord” in 2:21. Peter’s point is that the Lord on whom one calls for salvation is Jesus, because he is the one mediating God’s blessing of the Spirit as a sign of the presence of salvation and the last days.

[2:36]  ³⁶ tn Or “and Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:15]  ³⁷ tn Or “You put to death.”

[3:15]  ³⁸ tn Or “Founder,” “founding Leader.”

[3:15]  ³⁹ sn Whom God raised. God is the main actor here, as he testifies to Jesus and vindicates him.

[3:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the words “to this fact” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[4:10]  ⁴¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[4:11]  ⁴² tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ⁴³ tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.

[4:11]  ⁴⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.

[7:52]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁴⁶ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “And they.” 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.

[7:52]  ⁴⁸ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ⁴⁹ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[18:17]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ⁵³ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ⁵⁴ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[18:18]  ⁵⁵ tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.

[18:18]  ⁵⁶ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:18]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”

[18:18]  ⁵⁹ sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:18]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ 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]  ⁶² tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”

[18:18]  ⁶³ 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.

[21:20]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ 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).

[38:4]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “weakening the hands of.” For this idiom see BDB 951 s.v. רָפָה Pi. and compare the usage in Isa 13:7; Ezek 21:7 (21:12 HT).

[38:4]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “by saying these things.”

[38:4]  ⁷⁰ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) has not been rendered here because it is introducing a parallel causal clause to the preceding one. To render “For” might be misunderstood as a grounds for the preceding statement. To render “And” or “Moreover” sounds a little odd here. If it must be represented, “Moreover” is perhaps the best rendering.

[38:4]  ⁷¹ tn Or “is not looking out for these people’s best interests but is really trying to do them harm”; Heb “is not seeking the welfare [or “well-being”; Hebrew shalom] of this people but [their] harm [more literally, evil].”

[7:10]  ⁷² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:10]  ⁷³ tn The direct object of the verb translated “sent” is elided in the Hebrew text. The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[7:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “in the middle of the house of Israel.”

[7:10]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “words.”