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Acts 21:27--22:21

Context
21:27 When the seven days were almost over,¹ the Jews from the province of Asia² who had seen him in the temple area³ stirred up the whole crowd⁴ and seized⁵ him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel,⁶ help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law,⁷ and this sanctuary!⁸ Furthermore⁹ he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple¹⁰ and made this holy place ritually unclean!”¹¹ 21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and¹² they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)¹³ 21:30 The whole city was stirred up,¹⁴ and the people rushed together.¹⁵ They seized¹⁶ Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts,¹⁷ and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying¹⁸ to kill him, a report¹⁹ was sent up²⁰ to the commanding officer²¹ of the cohort²² that all Jerusalem was in confusion.²³ 21:32 He²⁴ immediately took²⁵ soldiers and centurions²⁶ and ran down to the crowd.²⁷ When they saw²⁸ the commanding officer²⁹ and the soldiers, they stopped beating³⁰ Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer³¹ came up and arrested³² him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains;³³ he³⁴ then asked who he was and what³⁵ he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else,³⁶ and when the commanding officer³⁷ was unable³⁸ to find out the truth³⁹ because of the disturbance,⁴⁰ he ordered Paul⁴¹ to be brought into the barracks.⁴² 21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul⁴³ had to be carried⁴⁴ by the soldiers because of the violence⁴⁵ of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people⁴⁶ followed them,⁴⁷ screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks,⁴⁸ he said⁴⁹ to the commanding officer,⁵⁰ “May I say⁵¹ something to you?” The officer⁵² replied,⁵³ “Do you know Greek?⁵⁴ 21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion⁵⁵ and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’⁵⁶ into the wilderness⁵⁷ some time ago?”⁵⁸ 21:39 Paul answered,⁵⁹ “I am a Jew⁶⁰ from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city.⁶¹ Please⁶² allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer⁶³ had given him permission,⁶⁴ Paul stood⁶⁵ on the steps and gestured⁶⁶ to the people with his hand. When they had become silent,⁶⁷ he addressed⁶⁸ them in Aramaic,⁶⁹

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense⁷⁰ that I now⁷¹ make to you.” 22:2 (When they heard⁷² that he was addressing⁷³ them in Aramaic,⁷⁴ they became even⁷⁵ quieter.)⁷⁶ Then⁷⁷ Paul said, 22:3 “I am a Jew,⁷⁸ born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up⁷⁹ in this city, educated with strictness⁸⁰ under⁸¹ Gamaliel⁸² according to the law of our ancestors,⁸³ and was⁸⁴ zealous⁸⁵ for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I⁸⁶ persecuted this Way⁸⁷ even to the point of death,⁸⁸ tying up⁸⁹ both men and women and putting⁹⁰ them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders⁹¹ can testify about me. From them⁹² I also received⁹³ letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way⁹⁴ to make arrests there and bring⁹⁵ the prisoners⁹⁶ to Jerusalem⁹⁷ to be punished. 22:6 As⁹⁸ I was en route and near Damascus,⁹⁹ about noon a very bright¹⁰⁰ light from heaven¹⁰¹ suddenly flashed¹⁰² around me. 22:7 Then I¹⁰³ fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 22:9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand¹⁰⁴ the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked,¹⁰⁵ ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up¹⁰⁶ and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything¹⁰⁷ that you have been designated¹⁰⁸ to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of¹⁰⁹ the brilliance¹¹⁰ of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of¹¹¹ those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias,¹¹² a devout man according to the law,¹¹³ well spoken of by all the Jews who live there,¹¹⁴ 22:13 came¹¹⁵ to me and stood beside me¹¹⁶ and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’¹¹⁷ And at that very moment¹¹⁸ I looked up and saw him.¹¹⁹ 22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors¹²⁰ has already chosen¹²¹ you to know his will, to see¹²² the Righteous One,¹²³ and to hear a command¹²⁴ from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness¹²⁵ to all people¹²⁶ of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for?¹²⁷ Get up,¹²⁸ be baptized, and have your sins washed away,¹²⁹ calling on his name.’¹³⁰ 22:17 When¹³¹ I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance¹³² 22:18 and saw the Lord¹³³ saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied,¹³⁴ ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues¹³⁵ who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness¹³⁶ Stephen was shed,¹³⁷ I myself was standing nearby, approving,¹³⁸ and guarding the cloaks¹³⁹ of those who were killing him.’¹⁴⁰ 22:21 Then¹⁴¹ he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

[21:27] ¹tn BDAG 975 s.v. συντελέω 4 has “to come to an end of a duration, come to an end, be over…Ac 21:27.”

[21:27] ²tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[21:27] ³tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27] ⁴tn Or “threw the whole crowd into consternation.” L&N 25.221 has “συνέχεον πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ‘they threw the whole crowd into consternation’ Ac 21:27. It is also possible to render the expression in Ac 21:27 as ‘they stirred up the whole crowd.’”

[21:27] ⁵tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28] ⁶tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[21:28] ⁷sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28] ⁸tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28] ⁹tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:28] ¹⁰tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.

[21:28] ¹¹tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:29] ¹²tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29] ¹³tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:30] ¹⁴tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30] ¹⁵tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”

[21:30] ¹⁶tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[21:30] ¹⁷tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31] ¹⁸tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31] ¹⁹tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31] ²⁰tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31] ²¹tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[21:31] ²²sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31] ²³tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32] ²⁴tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:32] ²⁵tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32] ²⁶sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32] ²⁷tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32] ²⁸tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32] ²⁹tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32] ³⁰sn The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.

[21:33] ³¹tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33] ³²tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33] ³³tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33] ³⁴tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.

[21:33] ³⁵tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34] ³⁶tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”

[21:34] ³⁷tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34] ³⁸tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”

[21:34] ³⁹tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34] ⁴⁰tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34] ⁴¹tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34] ⁴²tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:35] ⁴³tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35] ⁴⁴sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.

[21:35] ⁴⁵tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36] ⁴⁶tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plhqo") is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.

[21:36] ⁴⁷tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[21:37] ⁴⁸tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:37] ⁴⁹tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37] ⁵⁰tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37] ⁵¹tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37] ⁵²tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37] ⁵³tn Grk “said.”

[21:37] ⁵⁴sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.

[21:38] ⁵⁵tn L&N 39.41 has “οὐκ ἄρα σὺ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστατώσας ‘then you are not that Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion’ Ac 21:38.”

[21:38] ⁵⁶tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38] ⁵⁷tn Or “desert.”

[21:38] ⁵⁸tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39] ⁵⁹tn Grk “said.”

[21:39] ⁶⁰tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39] ⁶¹tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).

[21:39] ⁶²tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40] ⁶³tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40] ⁶⁴tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40] ⁶⁵tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40] ⁶⁶tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40] ⁶⁷tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”

[21:40] ⁶⁸tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[21:40] ⁶⁹tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[22:1] ⁷⁰sn Listen to my defense. This is the first of several speeches Paul would make in his own defense: Acts 24:10ff.; 25:8, 16; and 26:1ff. For the use of such a speech (“apologia”) in Greek, see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.15 [2.147]; Wis 6:10.

[22:1] ⁷¹tn The adverb νυνί (nuni, “now”) is connected with the phrase τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας (th" pro" Juma" nuni apologia") rather than the verb ἀκούσατε (akousate), and the entire construction (prepositional phrase plus adverb) is in first attributive position and thus translated into English by a relative clause.

[22:2] ⁷²tn ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[22:2] ⁷³tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[22:2] ⁷⁴tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.

[22:2] ⁷⁵tn BDAG 613-14 s.v. μᾶλλον 1 “Abs. μ. can mean to a greater degree (than before), even more, now more than ever Lk 5:15; Jn 5:18; 19:8; Ac 5:14; 22:2; 2 Cor 7:7.”

[22:2] ⁷⁶tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”

[22:2] ⁷⁷tn Grk “and.” Since this represents a continuation of the speech begun in v. 1, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:3] ⁷⁸tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3] ⁷⁹tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”

[22:3] ⁸⁰tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”

[22:3] ⁸¹tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3] ⁸²tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tou" poda" Gamalihl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tauth), has been followed in the translation.

[22:3] ⁸³tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3] ⁸⁴tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3] ⁸⁵tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers. …ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”

[22:4] ⁸⁶tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:4] ⁸⁷sn That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).

[22:4] ⁸⁸tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4] ⁸⁹tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4] ⁹⁰tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς…εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”

[22:5] ⁹¹tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders – a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”

[22:5] ⁹²tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:5] ⁹³tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5] ⁹⁴tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.

[22:5] ⁹⁵tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.

[22:5] ⁹⁶tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5] ⁹⁷tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:6] ⁹⁸tn Grk “It happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[22:6] ⁹⁹tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6] ¹⁰⁰tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6] ¹⁰¹tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6] ¹⁰²tn Or “shone.”

[22:7] ¹⁰³tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”

[22:9] ¹⁰⁴tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.

[22:10] ¹⁰⁵tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10] ¹⁰⁶tn Grk “Getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:10] ¹⁰⁷tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10] ¹⁰⁸tn Or “assigned,” “ordered.” BDAG 991 s.v. τάσσω 2.a has “act. and pass., foll. by acc. w. inf.…περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι concerning everything that you have been ordered to do 22:10.” There is an allusion to a divine call and commission here.

[22:11] ¹⁰⁹tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”

[22:11] ¹¹⁰tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11] ¹¹¹tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12] ¹¹²tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12] ¹¹³sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12] ¹¹⁴tn BDAG 534 s.v. κατοικέω 1.a translates this present participle “ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν (sc. ἐκεῖ) κατοικούντων ᾿Ιουδαίων by all the Jews who live there Ac 22:12.”

[22:13] ¹¹⁵tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13] ¹¹⁶tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13] ¹¹⁷tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).

[22:13] ¹¹⁸tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (Jwra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38, 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.

[22:13] ¹¹⁹tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14] ¹²⁰tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14] ¹²¹tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”

[22:14] ¹²²tn Grk “and to see.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[22:14] ¹²³sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14] ¹²⁴tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (… = order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”

[22:15] ¹²⁵tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15] ¹²⁶tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16] ¹²⁷tn L&N 67.121 has “to extend time unduly, with the implication of lack of decision – ‘to wait, to delay.’ νῦν τί μέλλεις… ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι ‘what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized’ Ac 22:16.”

[22:16] ¹²⁸tn Grk “getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:16] ¹²⁹sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16] ¹³⁰sn The expression calling on his name describes the confession of the believer: Acts 2:17-38, esp. v. 38; Rom 10:12-13; 1 Cor 1:2.

[22:17] ¹³¹tn Grk “It happened to me that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[22:17] ¹³²tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18] ¹³³tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19] ¹³⁴tn Grk “And I said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai, in καγώ [kagw]) has not been translated here.

[22:19] ¹³⁵tn For the distributive sense of the expression κατὰ τὰς συναγωγάς (kata ta" sunagwga") BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.1.d has “of places viewed serially, distributive use w. acc.…κατ᾿ οἶκαν from house to house…Ac 2:46b; 5:42…Likew. the pl.…κ. τὰς συναγωγάς 22:19.” See also L&N 37.114.

[22:20] ¹³⁶sn Now Paul referred to Stephen as your witness, and he himself had also become a witness. The reversal was now complete; the opponent had now become a proponent.

[22:20] ¹³⁷sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20] ¹³⁸tn Grk “and approving.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[22:20] ¹³⁹tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20] ¹⁴⁰tn Or “who were putting him to death.” For the translation of ἀναιρούντων (anairountwn) as “putting to death” see BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2.

[22:21] ¹⁴¹tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.