Acts 21:28-31

21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ¹  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ²  and this sanctuary! ³  Furthermore ⁴  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ⁵  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ⁶  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ⁷  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ⁸  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ⁹  and the people rushed together. ¹⁰  They seized ¹¹  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ¹²  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ¹³  to kill him, a report ¹⁴  was sent up ¹⁵  to the commanding officer ¹⁶  of the cohort ¹⁷  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ¹⁸ 

Acts 22:22-23

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ¹⁹  was listening to him until he said this. ²⁰  Then ²¹  they raised their voices and shouted, ²²  “Away with this man ²³  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ²⁴  22:23 While they were screaming ²⁵  and throwing off their cloaks ²⁶  and tossing dust ²⁷  in the air,

Acts 24:5

24:5 For we have found ²⁸  this man to be a troublemaker, ²⁹  one who stirs up riots ³⁰  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ³¹  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ³² 

Acts 28:22

28:22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know ³³  that people ³⁴  everywhere speak against ³⁵  it.”

Acts 28:1

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ³⁶  we learned that the island was called Malta. ³⁷ 

Acts 18:17-18

18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ³⁸  and began to beat ³⁹  him in front of the judgment seat. ⁴⁰  Yet none of these things were of any concern ⁴¹  to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria

18:18 Paul, after staying ⁴²  many more days in Corinth, ⁴³  said farewell to ⁴⁴  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ⁴⁵  Priscilla and Aquila. ⁴⁶  He ⁴⁷  had his hair cut off ⁴⁸  at Cenchrea ⁴⁹  because he had made a vow. ⁵⁰ 

Exodus 3:8-9

3:8 I have come down ⁵¹  to deliver them ⁵²  from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, ⁵³  to a land flowing with milk and honey, ⁵⁴  to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁵⁵  3:9 And now indeed ⁵⁶  the cry ⁵⁷  of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them. ⁵⁸ 

Jeremiah 38:2-4

38:2 “The Lord says, ‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. ⁵⁹  Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians ⁶⁰  will live. They will escape with their lives.’” ⁶¹  38:3 They had also heard him say, ⁶²  “The Lord says, ‘This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. They will capture it.’” ⁶³  38:4 So these officials said to the king, “This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing ⁶⁴  the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. ⁶⁵  This ⁶⁶  man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.” ⁶⁷ 

Amos 7:10

Amos Confronts a Priest

7:10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel ⁶⁸  sent this message ⁶⁹  to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel! ⁷⁰  The land cannot endure all his prophecies. ⁷¹ 

Luke 23:5

23:5 But they persisted ⁷²  in saying, “He incites ⁷³  the people by teaching throughout all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!” ⁷⁴ 

[21:28]  ¹ tn 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]  ² sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ³ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  ⁴ tn 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]  ⁵ tn 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]  ⁶ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:29]  ⁷ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ⁸ tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:30]  ⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ¹⁰ tn 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]  ¹¹ tn 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]  ¹² tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ¹³ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ¹⁴ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  ¹⁶ tn 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]  ¹⁷ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[22:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ²⁰ tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  ²¹ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ²² tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ²³ tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ²⁴ tn BDAG 491 s.v. καθήκω has “to be appropriate, come/reach to, be proper/fitting…Usu. impers. καθήκει it comes (to someone)…foll. by acc. and inf….οὐ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν he should not be allowed to live Ac 22:22.”

[22:23]  ²⁵ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ²⁶ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  ²⁷ sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[24:5]  ²⁸ tn Grk “For having found.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:5]  ²⁹ tn L&N 22.6 has “(a figurative extension of meaning of λοιμός ‘plague,’ 23.158) one who causes all sorts of trouble – ‘troublemaker, pest.’ … ‘for we have found this man to be a troublemaker” Ac 24:5.”

[24:5]  ³⁰ tn Or “dissensions.” While BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3 translates this phrase “κινεῖν στάσεις (v.l. στάσιν) τισί create dissension among certain people Ac 24:5,” it is better on the basis of the actual results of Paul’s ministry to categorize this usage under section 2, “uprising, riot, revolt, rebellion” (cf. the use in Acts 19:40).

[24:5]  ³¹ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  ³² sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[28:22]  ³³ tn Grk “regarding this sect it is known to us.” The passive construction “it is known to us” has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[28:22]  ³⁴ tn Grk “that everywhere it is spoken against.” To simplify the translation the passive construction “it is spoken against” has been converted to an active one with the subject “people” supplied.

[28:22]  ³⁵ tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.

[28:1]  ³⁶ tn Grk “We having been brought safely through” [to land] (same verb as 27:44). The word “shore” is implied, and the slight variations in translation from 27:44 have been made to avoid redundancy in English. The participle διασωθέντες (diaswqente") has been taken temporally.

[28:1]  ³⁷ sn Malta is an island (known by the same name today) in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The ship had traveled 625 mi (1,000 km) in the storm.

[18:17]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ⁴⁰ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ⁴¹ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[18:18]  ⁴² tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.

[18:18]  ⁴³ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:18]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”

[18:18]  ⁴⁶ sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:18]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”

[18:18]  ⁵⁰ 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.

[3:8]  ⁵¹ sn God’s coming down is a frequent anthropomorphism in Genesis and Exodus. It expresses his direct involvement, often in the exercise of judgment.

[3:8]  ⁵² tn The Hiphil infinitive with the suffix is לְהַצִּילוֹ (lÿhatsilo, “to deliver them”). It expresses the purpose of God’s coming down. The verb itself is used for delivering or rescuing in the general sense, and snatching out of danger for the specific.

[3:8]  ⁵³ tn Heb “to a land good and large”; NRSV “to a good and broad land.” In the translation the words “that is both” are supplied because in contemporary English “good and” combined with any additional descriptive term can be understood as elative (“good and large” = “very large”; “good and spacious” = “very spacious”; “good and ready” = “very ready”). The point made in the Hebrew text is that the land to which they are going is both good (in terms of quality) and large (in terms of size).

[3:8]  ⁵⁴ tn This vibrant description of the promised land is a familiar one. Gesenius classifies “milk and honey” as epexegetical genitives because they provide more precise description following a verbal adjective in the construct state (GKC 418-19 §128.x). The land is modified by “flowing,” and “flowing” is explained by the genitives “milk and honey.” These two products will be in abundance in the land, and they therefore exemplify what a desirable land it is. The language is hyperbolic, as if the land were streaming with these products.

[3:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Each people group is joined to the preceding by the vav conjunction, “and.” Each also has the definite article, as in other similar lists (3:17; 13:5; 34:11). To repeat the conjunction and article in the translation seems to put more weight on the list in English than is necessary to its function in identifying what land God was giving the Israelites.

[3:9]  ⁵⁶ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses attention on what is being said as grounds for what follows.

[3:9]  ⁵⁷ tn The word is a technical term for the outcry one might make to a judge. God had seen the oppression and so knew that the complaints were accurate, and so he initiated the proceedings against the oppressors (B. Jacob, Exodus, 59).

[3:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.” The word for the oppression is now לַחַץ (lakhats), which has the idea of pressure with the oppression – squeezing, pressuring – which led to its later use in the Semitic languages for torture. The repetition in the Hebrew text of the root in the participle form after this noun serves to stress the idea. This emphasis has been represented in the translation by the expression “seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them.”

[38:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “by sword, by starvation, or by disease.”

[38:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “those who go out to the Chaldeans.” For the rendering “Babylonians” for “Chaldeans” see the study note on 21:4.

[38:2]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “his life will be to him for spoil and he will live.” For the meaning of this idiom see the study note on 21:9. The words and “he will live” have been left out of the translation because they are redundant after “will live” and “they will escape with their lives.”

[38:3]  ⁶² tn The words “They had also heard him say,” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity so as to avoid any possible confusion that might be created by saying merely “And the Lord says,” without any introduction.

[38:3]  ⁶³ sn See Jer 21:10; 32:28; 34:2; 37:8 for this same prophecy. Jeremiah had repeatedly said this or words to the same effect.

[38:4]  ⁶⁴ 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]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “by saying these things.”

[38:4]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:10]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “in the middle of the house of Israel.”

[7:10]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “words.”

[23:5]  ⁷² tn Or “were adamant.” For “persisted in saying,” see L&N 68.71.

[23:5]  ⁷³ sn He incites the people. The Jewish leadership claimed that Jesus was a political threat and had to be stopped. By reiterating this charge of stirring up rebellion, they pressured Pilate to act, or be accused of overlooking political threats to Rome.

[23:5]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “beginning from Galilee until here.”