Acts 21:1

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After ¹  we ²  tore ourselves away ³  from them, we put out to sea, ⁴  and sailing a straight course, ⁵  we came to Cos, ⁶  on the next day to Rhodes, ⁷  and from there to Patara. ⁸ 

Acts 3:1-26

Peter and John Heal a Lame Man at the Temple

3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time ⁹  for prayer, ¹⁰  at three o’clock in the afternoon. ¹¹  3:2 And a man lame ¹²  from birth ¹³  was being carried up, who was placed at the temple gate called “the Beautiful Gate” every day ¹⁴  so he could beg for money ¹⁵  from those going into the temple courts. ¹⁶  3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, ¹⁷  he asked them for money. ¹⁸  3:4 Peter looked directly ¹⁹  at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!” 3:5 So the lame man ²⁰  paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. 3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, ²¹  but what I do have I give you. In the name ²²  of Jesus Christ ²³  the Nazarene, stand up and ²⁴  walk!” 3:7 Then ²⁵  Peter ²⁶  took hold ²⁷  of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s ²⁸  feet and ankles were made strong. ²⁹  3:8 He ³⁰  jumped up, ³¹  stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts ³²  with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 3:9 All ³³  the people saw him walking and praising God, 3:10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations ³⁴  at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement ³⁵  at what had happened to him.

Peter Addresses the Crowd

3:11 While the man ³⁶  was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway ³⁷  called Solomon’s Portico. ³⁸  3:12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, ³⁹  why are you amazed at this? Why ⁴⁰  do you stare at us as if we had made this man ⁴¹  walk by our own power or piety? 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ⁴²  the God of our forefathers, ⁴³  has glorified ⁴⁴  his servant ⁴⁵  Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected ⁴⁶  in the presence of Pilate after he had decided ⁴⁷  to release him. 3:14 But you rejected ⁴⁸  the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. 3:15 You killed ⁴⁹  the Originator ⁵⁰  of life, whom God raised ⁵¹  from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! ⁵²  3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ⁵³  name, ⁵⁴  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ⁵⁵  faith that is through Jesus ⁵⁶  has given him this complete health in the presence ⁵⁷  of you all. 3:17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, ⁵⁸  as your rulers did too. 3:18 But the things God foretold ⁵⁹  long ago through ⁶⁰  all the prophets – that his Christ ⁶¹  would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way. 3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, 3:20 so that times of refreshing ⁶²  may come from the presence of the Lord, ⁶³  and so that he may send the Messiah ⁶⁴  appointed ⁶⁵  for you – that is, Jesus. 3:21 This one ⁶⁶  heaven must ⁶⁷  receive until the time all things are restored, ⁶⁸  which God declared ⁶⁹  from times long ago ⁷⁰  through his holy prophets. 3:22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey ⁷¹  him in everything he tells you. ⁷²  3:23 Every person ⁷³  who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed ⁷⁴  from the people.’ ⁷⁵  3:24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced ⁷⁶  these days. 3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, ⁷⁷  saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants ⁷⁸  all the nations ⁷⁹  of the earth will be blessed.’ ⁸⁰  3:26 God raised up ⁸¹  his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning ⁸²  each one of you from your iniquities.” ⁸³ 

Acts 27:1-44

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ⁸⁴  would sail to Italy, ⁸⁵  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ⁸⁶  of the Augustan Cohort ⁸⁷  named Julius. 27:2 We went on board ⁸⁸  a ship from Adramyttium ⁸⁹  that was about to sail to various ports ⁹⁰  along the coast of the province of Asia ⁹¹  and put out to sea, ⁹²  accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian ⁹³  from Thessalonica. ⁹⁴  27:3 The next day we put in ⁹⁵  at Sidon, ⁹⁶  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ⁹⁷  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ⁹⁸  27:4 From there we put out to sea ⁹⁹  and sailed under the lee ¹⁰⁰  of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea ¹⁰¹  off Cilicia and Pamphylia, ¹⁰²  we put in ¹⁰³  at Myra ¹⁰⁴  in Lycia. ¹⁰⁵  27:6 There the centurion ¹⁰⁶  found ¹⁰⁷  a ship from Alexandria ¹⁰⁸  sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly ¹⁰⁹  for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. ¹¹⁰  Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, ¹¹¹  we sailed under the lee ¹¹²  of Crete off Salmone. ¹¹³  27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast ¹¹⁴  of Crete ¹¹⁵  and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. ¹¹⁶ 

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous ¹¹⁷  because the fast ¹¹⁸  was already over, ¹¹⁹  Paul advised them, ¹²⁰  27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end ¹²¹  in disaster ¹²²  and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹²³  27:11 But the centurion ¹²⁴  was more convinced ¹²⁵  by the captain ¹²⁶  and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. ¹²⁷  27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided ¹²⁸  to put out to sea ¹²⁹  from there. They hoped that ¹³⁰  somehow they could reach ¹³¹  Phoenix, ¹³²  a harbor of Crete facing ¹³³  southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought ¹³⁴  they could carry out ¹³⁵  their purpose, so they weighed anchor ¹³⁶  and sailed close along the coast ¹³⁷  of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force ¹³⁸  wind called the northeaster ¹³⁹  blew down from the island. ¹⁴⁰  27:15 When the ship was caught in it ¹⁴¹  and could not head into ¹⁴²  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ¹⁴³  along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of ¹⁴⁴  a small island called Cauda, ¹⁴⁵  we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat ¹⁴⁶  under control. 27:17 After the crew ¹⁴⁷  had hoisted it aboard, ¹⁴⁸  they used supports ¹⁴⁹  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ¹⁵⁰  on the Syrtis, ¹⁵¹  they lowered the sea anchor, ¹⁵²  thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, ¹⁵³  they began throwing the cargo overboard, ¹⁵⁴  27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear ¹⁵⁵  overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ¹⁵⁶  storm continued to batter us, ¹⁵⁷  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ¹⁵⁸ 

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, ¹⁵⁹  Paul ¹⁶⁰  stood up ¹⁶¹  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ¹⁶²  and not put out to sea ¹⁶³  from Crete, thus avoiding ¹⁶⁴  this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise ¹⁶⁵  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ¹⁶⁶  27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ¹⁶⁷  and whom I serve ¹⁶⁸  came to me ¹⁶⁹  27:24 and said, ¹⁷⁰  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ¹⁷¹  Caesar, ¹⁷²  and God has graciously granted you the safety ¹⁷³  of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ¹⁷⁴  that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must ¹⁷⁵  run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven ¹⁷⁶  across the Adriatic Sea, ¹⁷⁷  about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. ¹⁷⁸  27:28 They took soundings ¹⁷⁹  and found the water was twenty fathoms ¹⁸⁰  deep; when they had sailed a little farther ¹⁸¹  they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms ¹⁸²  deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid ¹⁸³  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ¹⁸⁴  they threw out ¹⁸⁵  four anchors from the stern and wished ¹⁸⁶  for day to appear. ¹⁸⁷  27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending ¹⁸⁸  that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion ¹⁸⁹  and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you ¹⁹⁰  cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes ¹⁹¹  of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. ¹⁹² 

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ¹⁹³  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ¹⁹⁴  and have gone ¹⁹⁵  without food; you have eaten nothing. ¹⁹⁶  27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important ¹⁹⁷  for your survival. ¹⁹⁸  For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul ¹⁹⁹  took bread ²⁰⁰  and gave thanks to God in front of them all, ²⁰¹  broke ²⁰²  it, and began to eat. 27:36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 27:37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six ²⁰³  persons on the ship.) ²⁰⁴  27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, ²⁰⁵  they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat ²⁰⁶  into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ²⁰⁷  a bay ²⁰⁸  with a beach, ²⁰⁹  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped ²¹⁰  the anchors ²¹¹  and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage ²¹²  that bound the steering oars ²¹³  together. Then they hoisted ²¹⁴  the foresail ²¹⁵  to the wind and steered toward ²¹⁶  the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ²¹⁷  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ²¹⁸  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ²¹⁹  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ²²⁰  27:43 But the centurion, ²²¹  wanting to save Paul’s life, ²²²  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ²²³  27:44 and the rest were to follow, ²²⁴  some on planks ²²⁵  and some on pieces of the ship. ²²⁶  And in this way ²²⁷  all were brought safely to land.

[21:1]  ¹ tn Grk “It happened that when.” 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. Since the action described by the participle ἀποσπασθέντας (apospasqenta", “tearing ourselves away”) is prior to the departure of the ship, it has been translated as antecedent action (“after”).

[21:1]  ² sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[21:1]  ³ tn BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποσπάω 2.b has “pass. in mid. sense ἀ. ἀπό τινος tear oneself away Ac 21:1”; LSJ 218 gives several illustrations of this verb meaning “to tear or drag away from.”

[21:1]  ⁴ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[21:1]  ⁵ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course”; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[21:1]  ⁶ sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1]  ⁷ sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1]  ⁸ sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “hour.”

[3:1]  ¹⁰ sn Going up to the temple at the time for prayer. The earliest Christians, being of Jewish roots, were still participating in the institutions of Judaism at this point. Their faith in Christ did not make them non-Jewish in their practices.

[3:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” This is calculated from sunrise (Josephus, Ant. 14.4.3 [14.65]; Dan 9:21).

[3:2]  ¹⁷ tn Or “crippled.”

[3:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “from his mother’s womb.”

[3:2]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

[3:2]  ²⁰ tn Grk “alms.” The term “alms” is not in common use today, so what the man expected, “money,” is used in the translation instead. The idea is that of money given as a gift to someone who was poor. Giving alms was viewed as honorable in Judaism (Tob 1:3, 16; 12:8-9; m. Pe’ah 1:1). See also Luke 11:41; 12:33; Acts 9:36; 10:2, 4, 31; 24:17.

[3:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:3]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:3]  ²⁶ tn Grk “alms.” See the note on the word “money” in the previous verse.

[3:4]  ³³ tn Grk “Peter, looking directly at him, as did John, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[3:5]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the lame man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “I have no money.” L&N 6.69 classifies the expression ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον (argurion kai crusion) as an idiom that is a generic expression for currency, thus “money.”

[3:6]  ⁵⁰ sn In the name. Note the authority in the name of Jesus the Messiah. His presence and power are at work for the man. The reference to “the name” is not like a magical incantation, but is designed to indicate the agent who performs the healing. The theme is quite frequent in Acts (2:38 plus 21 other times).

[3:6]  ⁵¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:6]  ⁵² tc The words “stand up and” (ἔγειρε καί, egeire kai) are not in a few mss (א B D sa), but are included in A C E Ψ 095 33 1739 Ï lat sy mae bo. The external testimony is thus fairly evenly divided, with few but important representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes supporting the shorter reading. Internally, the words look like a standard scribal emendation, and may have been motivated by other healing passages where Jesus gave a similar double command (cf. Matt 9:5; Mark 2:9, [11]; Luke 5:23; [6:8]; John 5:8). On the other hand, there is some motivation for deleting ἔγειρε καί here, namely, unlike Jesus’ healing miracles, Peter raises (ἤγειρεν, hgeiren) the man to his feet (v. 7) rather than the man rising on his own. In light of the scribal tendency to harmonize, especially in immediate context, the longer reading is slightly preferred.

[3:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the sequence of events.

[3:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “Peter taking hold of him…raised him up.” The participle πιάσας (piasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[3:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ⁶¹ sn At once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. Note that despite the past lameness, the man is immediately able to walk. The restoration of his ability to walk pictures the presence of a renewed walk, a fresh start at life; this was far more than money would have given him.

[3:8]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[3:8]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “Jumping up, he stood.” The participle ἐξαλλόμενος (exallomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. It is possible that the paralyzed man actually jumped off the ground, but more probably this term simply refers to the speed with which he stood up. See L&N 15.240.

[3:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:9]  ⁷³ tn Grk “And all.” 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.

[3:10]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “alms,” but this term is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “donations,” is used instead. The idea is that of a donation to charity.

[3:10]  ⁸² sn Amazement is a frequent response to miracles of Jesus or the apostles. These took the ancients by as much surprise as they would people today. But in terms of response to what God is doing, amazement does not equal faith (Luke 4:36; 5:9, 26; 7:16).

[3:11]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.” The translation “covered walkway” (a descriptive translation) was used here because the architectural term “portico” or “colonnade” is less familiar. However, the more technical term “portico” was retained in the actual name that follows.

[3:11]  ⁹¹ sn Solomon’s Portico was a covered walkway formed by rows of columns supporting a roof and open on the inner side facing the center of the temple complex. It was located on the east side of the temple (Josephus, Ant. 15.11.3-5 [15.391-420], 20.9.7 [20.221]) and was a place of commerce and conversation.

[3:12]  ⁹⁷ tn Or perhaps “People of Israel,” since this was taking place in Solomon’s Portico and women may have been present. The Greek ἄνδρες ᾿Ισραηλῖται (andre" Israhlitai) used in the plural would normally mean “men, gentlemen” (BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).

[3:12]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “or why.”

[3:12]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ¹⁰⁵ tc ‡ The repetition of ὁ θεός (Jo qeos, “God”) before the names of Isaac and Jacob is found in Ì⁷⁴ א C (A D without article) 36 104 1175 pc lat. The omission of the second and third ὁ θεός is supported by B E Ψ 33 1739 Ï pc. The other time that Exod 3:6 is quoted in Acts (7:32) the best witnesses also lack the repeated ὁ θεός, but the three other times this OT passage is quoted in the NT the full form, with the thrice-mentioned θεός, is used (Matt 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37). Scribes would be prone to conform the wording here to the LXX; the longer reading is thus most likely not authentic. NA²⁷ has the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[3:13]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:13]  ¹⁰⁷ sn Has glorified. Jesus is alive, raised and active, as the healing illustrates so dramatically how God honors him.

[3:13]  ¹⁰⁸ sn His servant. The term servant has messianic connotations given the context of the promise, the note of suffering, and the titles and functions noted in vv. 14-15.

[3:13]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”

[3:13]  ¹¹⁰ tn This genitive absolute construction could be understood as temporal (“when he had decided”) or concessive (“although he had decided”).

[3:14]  ¹¹³ tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”

[3:15]  ¹²¹ tn Or “You put to death.”

[3:15]  ¹²² tn Or “Founder,” “founding Leader.”

[3:15]  ¹²³ sn Whom God raised. God is the main actor here, as he testifies to Jesus and vindicates him.

[3:15]  ¹²⁴ 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.

[3:16]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ¹³⁰ sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.

[3:16]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “see and know, and the faith.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated.

[3:16]  ¹³² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ¹³³ tn Or “in full view.”

[3:17]  ¹³⁷ sn The ignorance Peter mentions here does not excuse them from culpability. It was simply a way to say “you did not realize the great mistake you made.”

[3:18]  ¹⁴⁵ sn God foretold. Peter’s topic is the working out of God’s plan and promise through events the scriptures also note.

[3:18]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).

[3:18]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:20]  ¹⁵³ tn Or “relief.”

[3:20]  ¹⁵⁴ tn The words “so that…Lord” are traditionally placed in v. 19 by most English translations, but in the present translation the verse division follows the standard critical editions of the Greek text (NA²⁷, UBS⁴).

[3:20]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Or “the Christ”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:20]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Or “designated in advance.”

[3:21]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “whom,” continuing the sentence from v. 20.

[3:21]  ¹⁶² sn The term must used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) is a key Lukan term to point to the plan of God and what must occur.

[3:21]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “until the times of the restoration of all things.” Because of the awkward English style of the extended genitive construction, and because the following relative clause has as its referent the “time of restoration” rather than “all things,” the phrase was translated “until the time all things are restored.”

[3:21]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “spoke.”

[3:21]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Or “from all ages past.”

[3:22]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “hear,” but the idea of “hear and obey” or simply “obey” is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw; see L&N 36.14) and the following context (v. 23) makes it clear that failure to “obey” the words of this “prophet like Moses” will result in complete destruction.

[3:22]  ¹⁷⁰ sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. By quoting Deut 18:15 Peter declared that Jesus was the eschatological “prophet like [Moses]” mentioned in that passage, who reveals the plan of God and the way of God.

[3:23]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “every soul” (here “soul” is an idiom for the whole person).

[3:23]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Or “will be completely destroyed.” In Acts 3:23 the verb ἐξολεθρεύω (exoleqreuw) is translated “destroy and remove” by L&N 20.35.

[3:23]  ¹⁷⁹ sn A quotation from Deut 18:19, also Lev 23:29. The OT context of Lev 23:29 discusses what happened when one failed to honor atonement. One ignored the required sacrifice of God at one’s peril.

[3:24]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Or “proclaimed.”

[3:25]  ¹⁹³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:25]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or “in your offspring”; Grk “in your seed.”

[3:25]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Or “families.” The Greek word πατριά (patria) can indicate persons of succeeding generations who are related by birth (“lineage,” “family”) but it can also indicate a relatively large unit of people who make up a sociopolitical group and who share a presumed biological descent. In many contexts πατριά is very similar to ἔθνος (eqnos) and λαός (laos). In light of the context of the OT quotation, it is better to translate πατριά as “nations” here.

[3:25]  ¹⁹⁶ sn A quotation from Gen 22:18.

[3:26]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “God raising up his servant, sent him.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Some translations (e.g., NIV, NRSV) render this participle as temporal (“when God raised up his servant”).

[3:26]  ²⁰² sn The picture of turning is again seen as the appropriate response to the message. See v. 19 above. In v. 19 it was “turning to,” here it is “turning away from.” The direction of the two metaphors is important.

[3:26]  ²⁰³ tn For the translation of plural πονηρία (ponhria) as “iniquities,” see G. Harder, TDNT 6:565. The plural is important, since for Luke turning to Jesus means turning away from sins, not just the sin of rejecting Jesus.

[27:1]  ²⁰⁹ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ²¹⁰ sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1]  ²¹¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ²¹² tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[27:2]  ²¹⁷ tn Grk “Going on board.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:2]  ²¹⁸ sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2]  ²¹⁹ tn Grk “places.”

[27:2]  ²²⁰ tn 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.

[27:2]  ²²¹ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:2]  ²²² sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2]  ²²³ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3]  ²²⁵ tn BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Σιδῶνα Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ²²⁶ sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  ²²⁷ tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ²²⁸ tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4]  ²³³ tn Grk “putting out to sea.” The participle ἀναχθέντες (anacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:4]  ²³⁴ tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.” Thus they were east and north of the island.

[27:5]  ²⁴¹ tn Grk “the depths,” the deep area of a sea far enough from land that it is not protected by the coast (L&N 1.73).

[27:5]  ²⁴² sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor; it was west of Cilicia (see BDAG 753 s.v. Παμφυλία).

[27:5]  ²⁴³ tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “Of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’: arrive, put in…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[27:5]  ²⁴⁴ sn Myra was a city on the southern coast of Lycia in Asia Minor. This journey from Sidon (v. 3) was 440 mi (700 km) and took about 15 days.

[27:5]  ²⁴⁵ sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6]  ²⁴⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6]  ²⁵⁰ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6]  ²⁵¹ sn Alexandria (modern Alexandria) was a great city of northern Egypt which was a center for grain trade to Rome. Therefore this type of travel connection was common at the time. For a winter journey (considered hazardous) there were special bonuses and insurance provided (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18.1-2).

[27:7]  ²⁵⁷ tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7]  ²⁵⁸ sn Cnidus was the name of a peninsula on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. This was about 130 mi (210 km) from Myra.

[27:7]  ²⁵⁹ tn This genitive absolute construction with προσεῶντος (prosewnto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 13.139 translates the phrase μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου (mh prosewnto" Jhma" tou anemou) as “the wind would not let us go any farther.”

[27:7]  ²⁶⁰ tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.”

[27:7]  ²⁶¹ sn Salmone was the name of a promontory on the northeastern corner of the island of Crete. This was about 100 mi (160 km) farther along.

[27:8]  ²⁶⁵ tn Grk “sailing along the coast…we came.” The participle παραλεγόμενοι (paralegomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’ …‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:8]  ²⁶⁶ tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8]  ²⁶⁷ sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9]  ²⁷³ tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9]  ²⁷⁴ sn The fast refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It was now into October and the dangerous winter winds would soon occur (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18; Josephus, J. W. 1.14.2-3 [1.279-281]).

[27:9]  ²⁷⁵ tn The accusative articular infinitive παρεληλυθέναι (parelhluqenai) after the preposition διά (dia) is causal. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 2 has “διὰ τὸ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι because the fast was already over Ac 27:9.”

[27:9]  ²⁷⁶ tn Grk “Paul advised, saying to them.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated. On the term translated “advised,” see BDAG 764 s.v. παραινέω, which usually refers to recommendations.

[27:10]  ²⁸¹ tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10]  ²⁸² tn Or “hardship,” “damage.” BDAG 1022 s.v. ὕβρις 3 states, “fig. hardship, disaster, damage caused by the elements…w. ζημία Ac 27:10.”

[27:10]  ²⁸³ tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11]  ²⁸⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11]  ²⁹⁰ tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11]  ²⁹¹ tn BDAG 456 s.v. κυβερνήτης 1 has “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster…W. ναύκληρος, the ‘shipowner’…Ac 27:11” See further L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 316-18.

[27:11]  ²⁹² tn Grk “than by what was said by Paul.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[27:12]  ²⁹⁷ tn BDAG 181-82 s.v. βουλή 2.a, “β. τίθεσθαι (Judg 19:30; Ps 12:3) decide 27:12 (w. inf. foll.).”

[27:12]  ²⁹⁸ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:12]  ²⁹⁹ tn Grk “from there, if somehow” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation and the introductory phrase “They hoped that” supplied (with the subject, “they,” repeated from the previous clause) to make a complete English sentence.

[27:12]  ³⁰⁰ tn Grk “if somehow, reaching Phoenix, they could…” The participle καταντήσαντες (katanthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:12]  ³⁰¹ sn Phoenix was a seaport on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 30 mi (48 km) further west.

[27:12]  ³⁰² tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13]  ³⁰⁵ tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13]  ³⁰⁶ tn Or “accomplish.” L&N 68.29, for κρατέω, has “to be able to complete or finish, presumably despite difficulties – ‘to accomplish, to do successfully, to carry out.’ …‘thinking that they could carry out their purpose’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:13]  ³⁰⁷ tn Or “departed.”

[27:13]  ³⁰⁸ tn L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’…‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.” With the addition of the adverb ἆσσον (asson) this becomes “sailed close along the coast of Crete.”

[27:14]  ³¹³ tn Grk “a wind like a typhoon.” That is, a very violent wind like a typhoon or hurricane (BDAG 1021 s.v. τυφωνικός).

[27:14]  ³¹⁴ sn Or called Euraquilo (the actual name of the wind, a sailor’s term which was a combination of Greek and Latin). According to Strabo (Geography 1.2.21), this was a violent northern wind.

[27:14]  ³¹⁵ tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15]  ³²¹ tn Or “was forced off course.” Grk “The ship being caught in it.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle συναρπασθέντος (sunarpasqento") has been taken temporally; it could also be translated as causal (“Because the ship was caught in it”).

[27:15]  ³²² tn BDAG 91 s.v. ἀντοφθαλμέω states, “Metaph. of a ship τοῦ πλοίου μὴ δυναμένοι ἀ. τῷ ἀνέμῳ since the ship was not able to face the wind, i.e. with its bow headed against the forces of the waves Ac 27:15.”

[27:15]  ³²³ sn Caught in the violent wind, the ship was driven along. They were now out of control, at the mercy of the wind and sea.

[27:16]  ³²⁹ tn BDAG 1042 s.v. ὑποτρέχω states, “run or sail under the lee of, nautical t.t.…Ac 27:16.” The participle ὑποδραμόντες (Jupodramonte") has been taken temporally (“as we ran under the lee of”). While this could also be translated as a participle of means (“by running…”) this might suggest the ship was still under a greater degree of control by its crew than it probably was.

[27:16]  ³³⁰ sn Cauda. This island was located south of Crete, about 23 mi (36 km) from where they began. There are various ways to spell the island’s name (e.g., Clauda, BDAG 546 s.v. Κλαῦδα).

[27:16]  ³³¹ sn The ship’s boat was a small rowboat, normally towed behind a ship in good weather rather than stowed on board. It was used for landings, to maneuver the ship for tacking, and to lay anchors (not a lifeboat in the modern sense, although it could have served as a means of escape for some of the sailors; see v. 30). See L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 248f.

[27:17]  ³³⁷ tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ³³⁸ tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ³³⁹ tn Possibly “ropes” or “cables”; Grk “helps” (a word of uncertain meaning; probably a nautical technical term, BDAG 180 s.v. βοήθεια 2).

[27:17]  ³⁴⁰ tn BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 2 states, “drift off course, run aground, nautical term εἴς τι on someth….on the Syrtis 27:17.”

[27:17]  ³⁴¹ tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  ³⁴² tn Or perhaps “mainsail.” The meaning of this word is uncertain. BDAG 927 s.v. σκεῦος 1 has “τὸ σκεῦος Ac 27:17 seems to be the kedge or driving anchor” while C. Maurer (TDNT 7:362) notes, “The meaning in Ac. 27:17: χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦος, is uncertain. Prob. the ref. is not so much to taking down the sails as to throwing the draganchor overboard to lessen the speed of the ship.” In spite of this L&N 6.1 states, “In Ac 27:17, for example, the reference of σκεῦος is generally understood to be the mainsail.” A reference to the sail is highly unlikely because in a storm of the force described in Ac 27:14, the sail would have been taken down and reefed immediately, to prevent its being ripped to shreds or torn away by the gale.

[27:18]  ³⁴⁵ tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18]  ³⁴⁶ tn Or “jettisoning [the cargo]” (a nautical technical term). The words “the cargo” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[27:19]  ³⁵³ tn Or “rigging,” “tackle”; Grk “the ship’s things.” Here the more abstract “gear” is preferred to “rigging” or “tackle” as a translation for σκεῦος (skeuos) because in v. 40 the sailors are still able to raise the (fore)sail, which they could not have done if the ship’s rigging or tackle had been jettisoned here.

[27:20]  ³⁶¹ tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ³⁶² tn Grk “no small storm pressing on us.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπικειμένου (epikeimenou) has been translated as parallel to the previous genitive absolute construction (which was translated as temporal). BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι 2.b states, “of impersonal force confront χειμῶνος ἐπικειμένου since a storm lay upon us Ac 27:20.” L&N 14.2, “‘the stormy weather did not abate in the least’ or ‘the violent storm continued’ Ac 27:20.” To this last was added the idea of “battering” from the notion of “pressing upon” inherent in ἐπίκειμαι (epikeimai).

[27:20]  ³⁶³ tn Grk “finally all hope that we would be saved was abandoned.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation. This represents a clearly secular use of the term σῴζω (swzw) in that it refers to deliverance from the storm. At this point those on board the ship gave up hope of survival.

[27:21]  ³⁶⁹ tn Or “Since they had no desire to eat for a long time.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὑπαρχούσης (Juparcoush") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. It could also be translated temporally (“When many of them had no desire to eat”). The translation of πολλῆς (pollhs) as a substantized adjective referring to the people on board the ship (“many of them”) rather than a period of time (“for a long time”; so most modern versions) follows BDAG 143 s.v. ἀσιτία, which has “πολλῆς ἀ. ὑπαρχούσης since almost nobody wanted to eat because of anxiety or seasickness…Ac 27:21.” This detail indicates how turbulent things were on board the ship.

[27:21]  ³⁷⁰ tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “standing up…said.” The participle σταθείς (staqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:21]  ³⁷² tn L&N 36.12 has “πειθαρχήσαντάς μοι μὴ ἀνάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης ‘you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete’ Ac 27:21.”

[27:21]  ³⁷³ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:21]  ³⁷⁴ tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22]  ³⁷⁷ tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22]  ³⁷⁸ tn Grk “except the ship.” Here “but” is used to translate the improper preposition πλήν (plhn; see BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 2) since an exception like this, where two different categories of objects are involved (people and a ship), is more naturally expressed in contemporary English with an adversative (“but”). The words “will be lost” are also supplied for clarity.

[27:23]  ³⁸⁵ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ³⁸⁶ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ³⁸⁷ tn Or “stood by me.” BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “approach, come τινί (to) someone…Ac 9:39; 27:23.”

[27:24]  ³⁹³ tn Grk “came to me saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:24]  ³⁹⁴ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “Also as a t.t. of legal usage appear before, come before…Καίσαρι σε δεῖ παραστῆναι you must stand before the Emperor (as judge) Ac 27:24.” See Acts 23:11. Luke uses the verb δεῖ (dei) to describe what must occur.

[27:24]  ³⁹⁵ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ³⁹⁶ tn Grk “God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.” The words “the safety of” have been supplied to clarify the meaning of the verb κεχάρισται (kecaristai) in this context.

[27:25]  ⁴⁰¹ tn BDAG 817 s.v. πιστεύω 1.c states, “w. pers. and thing added π. τινί τι believe someone with regard to someth….W. dat. of pers. and ὅτι foll…. πιστεύετέ μοι ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρί J 14:11a. Cp. 4:21; Ac 27:25.”

[27:26]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn This is another use of δεῖ (dei) to indicate necessity (see also v. 24). Acts 28:1 shows the fulfillment of this.

[27:27]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Here “being driven” has been used to translate διαφέρω (diaferw) rather than “drifting,” because it is clear from the attempt to drop anchors in v. 29 that the ship is still being driven by the gale. “Drifting” implies lack of control, but not necessarily rapid movement.

[27:27]  ⁴¹⁸ sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Grk “suspected that some land was approaching them.” BDAG 876 s.v. προσάγω 2.a states, “lit. ὑπενόουν προσάγειν τινά αὐτοῖς χώραν they suspected that land was near (lit. ‘approaching them’) Ac 27:27.” Current English idiom would speak of the ship approaching land rather than land approaching the ship.

[27:28]  ⁴²⁵ tn Grk “Heaving the lead, they found.” The participle βολίσαντες (bolisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. See also BDAG 180 s.v. βολίζω. Although the term is used twice in this verse (and thus is technically not a NT hapax legomenon), it occurs nowhere else in the NT.

[27:28]  ⁴²⁶ sn A fathom is about 6 feet or just under 2 meters (originally the length of a man’s outstretched arms). This was a nautical technical term for measuring the depth of water. Here it was about 120 ft (36 m).

[27:28]  ⁴²⁷ tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28]  ⁴²⁸ sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).

[27:29]  ⁴³³ tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ⁴³⁴ tn Grk “against a rough [rocky] place.” L&N 79.84 has “φοβούμενοί τε μή που κατὰ τραχεῖς τόποις ἐκπέσωμεν ‘we were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast’ Ac 27:29.”

[27:29]  ⁴³⁵ tn Grk “throwing out…they.” The participle ῥίψαντες (rJiyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:29]  ⁴³⁶ tn BDAG 417 s.v. εὔχομαι 2 states, “wish…τὶ for someth.…Foll. by acc. and inf….Ac 27:29.” The other possible meaning for this term, “pray,” is given in BDAG 417 s.v. 1 and employed by a number of translations (NAB, NRSV, NIV). If this meaning is adopted here, then “prayed for day to come” must be understood metaphorically to mean “prayed that they would live to see the day,” or “prayed that it would soon be day.”

[27:29]  ⁴³⁷ tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[27:30]  ⁴⁴¹ tn BDAG 889 s.v. πρόφασις 2 states, “προφάσει ὡς under the pretext that, pretending that…Ac 27:30.” In other words, some of the sailors gave up hope that such efforts would work and instead attempted to escape while pretending to help.

[27:31]  ⁴⁴⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:31]  ⁴⁵⁰ sn The pronoun you is plural in Greek.

[27:32]  ⁴⁵⁷ sn The soldiers cut the ropes. The centurion and the soldiers were now following Paul’s advice by cutting the ropes to prevent the sailors from escaping.

[27:32]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Or “let it fall away.” According to BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 1 and 2 the meaning of the verb in this verse could be either “fall away” or “drift away.” Either meaning is acceptable, and the choice between them depends almost entirely on how one reconstructs the scene. Since cutting the boat loose would in any case result in it drifting away (whether capsized or not), the meaning “drift away” as a nautical technical term has been used here.

[27:33]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.b.α has “ἄ. οὗ ἡμέρα ἤμελλεν γίνεσθαι until the day began to dawn 27:33.”

[27:33]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Or “have waited anxiously.” Grk “waiting anxiously.” The participle προσδοκῶντες (prosdokwnte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:33]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn Grk “having eaten nothing.” The participle προσλαβόμενοι (proslabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb (with subject “you” supplied) due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:34]  ⁴⁷³ tn Or “necessary.” BDAG 873-74 s.v. πρός 1 has “πρ. τῆς σωτηρίας in the interest of safety Ac 27:34”; L&N 27.18 has “‘therefore, I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your deliverance’ or ‘…for your survival’ Ac 27:34.”

[27:34]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).

[27:35]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ⁴⁸² tn Grk “taking bread, gave thanks.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:35]  ⁴⁸³ tn Or “before them all,” but here this could be misunderstood to indicate a temporal sequence.

[27:35]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Grk “and breaking it, he began.” The participle κλάσας (klasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:37]  ⁴⁸⁹ tc One early ms (B) and an early version (sa) read “about seventy-six.” For discussion of how this variant probably arose, see F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles, 465.

[27:37]  ⁴⁹⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[27:38]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn Or “When they had eaten their fill.”

[27:38]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Or “grain.”

[27:39]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ⁵⁰⁷ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.

[27:40]  ⁵¹³ tn That is, released. Grk “slipping…leaving.” The participles περιελόντες (perielonte") and εἴων (eiwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ⁵¹⁴ tn The term is used of a ship’s anchor. (BDAG 12 s.v. ἄγκυρα a).

[27:40]  ⁵¹⁵ tn Grk “bands”; possibly “ropes.”

[27:40]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Or “rudders.”

[27:40]  ⁵¹⁷ tn Grk “hoisting…they.” The participle ἐπάραντες (eparante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Grk “sail”; probably a reference to the foresail.

[27:40]  ⁵¹⁹ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατέχω 7 states, “hold course, nautical t.t., intr….κατεῖχον εἰς τὸν αἰγιαλόν they headed for the beach Ac 27:40.”

[27:41]  ⁵²¹ tn Grk “fell upon a place of two seas.” The most common explanation for this term is that it refers to a reef or sandbar with the sea on both sides, as noted in BDAG 245 s.v. διθάλασσος: the “τόπος δ. Ac 27:41 is a semantic unit signifying a point (of land jutting out with water on both sides).” However, Greek had terms for a “sandbank” (θῖς [qis], ταινία [tainia]), a “reef” (ἑρμα [Jerma]), “strait” (στενόν [stenon]), “promontory” (ἀρωτήρον [arwthron]), and other nautical hazards, none of which are used by the author here. NEB here translates τόπον διθάλασσον (topon diqalasson) as “cross-currents,” a proposal close to that advanced by J. M. Gilchrist, “The Historicity of Paul’s Shipwreck,” JSNT 61 (1996): 29-51, who suggests the meaning is “a patch of cross-seas,” where the waves are set at an angle to the wind, a particular hazard for sailors. Thus the term most likely refers to some sort of adverse sea conditions rather than a topographical feature like a reef or sandbar.

[27:41]  ⁵²² tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ⁵²⁹ sn The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners. The issue here was not cruelty, but that the soldiers would be legally responsible if any prisoners escaped and would suffer punishment themselves. So they were planning to do this as an act of self-preservation. See Acts 16:27 for a similar incident.

[27:42]  ⁵³⁰ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ⁵³⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ⁵³⁸ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  ⁵³⁹ tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[27:44]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn The words “were to follow” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. They must be supplied to clarify the sense in contemporary English.

[27:44]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn Or “boards” according to BDAG 913 s.v. σανίς.

[27:44]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Grk “on pieces from the ship”; that is, pieces of wreckage from the ship.

[27:44]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Grk “And in this way it happened 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.