Discovery BoxActs 2:5
Context2:5 Now there were devout Jews 1 from every nation under heaven residing in Jerusalem. 2
Acts 17:4
Context17:4 Some of them were persuaded 3 and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group 4 of God-fearing Greeks 5 and quite a few 6 prominent women.
Acts 17:17
Context17:17 So he was addressing 7 the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles 8 in the synagogue, 9 and in the marketplace every day 10 those who happened to be there.
Acts 10:22
Context10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, 11 a righteous 12 and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, 13 was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message 14 from you.”
[2:5] 1 tn Grk “Jews, devout men.” It is possible that only men are in view here in light of OT commands for Jewish men to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem at various times during the year (cf. Exod 23:17, 34:23; Deut 16:16). However, other evidence seems to indicate that both men and women might be in view. Luke 2:41-52 shows that whole families would make the temporary trip to Jerusalem. In addition, it is probable that the audience consisted of families who had taken up permanent residence in Jerusalem. The verb κατοικέω (katoikew) normally means “reside” or “dwell,” and archaeological evidence from tombs in Jerusalem does indicate that many families immigrated to Jerusalem permanently (see B. Witherington, Acts, 135); this would naturally include women. Also, the word ἀνήρ (ajnhr), which usually does mean “male” or “man” (as opposed to woman), sometimes is used generically to mean “a person” (BDAG 79 s.v. 2; cf. Matt 12:41). Given this evidence, then, it is conceivable that the audience in view here is not individual male pilgrims but a mixed group of men and women.
[2:5] 2 tn Grk “Now there were residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.”
[17:4] 4 tn Or “a large crowd.”
[17:4] 5 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] 6 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).
[17:17] 5 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] 6 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] 7 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
[17:17] 8 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.
[10:22] 7 sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.
[10:22] 9 tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.
