Acts 23:29

23:29 I found he ¹  was accused with reference to controversial questions ²  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ³ 

Acts 25:11

25:11 If then I am in the wrong ⁴  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ⁵  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ⁶  no one can hand me over to them. ⁷  I appeal to Caesar!” ⁸ 

Acts 25:19

25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement ⁹  with him about their own religion ¹⁰  and about a man named Jesus ¹¹  who was dead, whom Paul claimed ¹²  to be alive.

Acts 26:3

26:3 because you are especially ¹³  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ¹⁴  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ¹⁵  you to listen to me patiently.

Acts 26:1

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ¹⁶  said to Paul, “You have permission ¹⁷  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ¹⁸  and began his defense: ¹⁹ 

Acts 1:4

1:4 While he was with them, ²⁰  he declared, ²¹  “Do not leave Jerusalem, ²²  but wait there ²³  for what my ²⁴  Father promised, ²⁵  which you heard about from me. ²⁶ 

Acts 6:4

6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Acts 6:2

6:2 So the twelve ²⁷  called ²⁸  the whole group ²⁹  of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. ³⁰ 

Acts 2:23

2:23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed ³¹  by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. ³² 

Titus 3:9

3:9 But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, ³³  quarrels, and fights about the law, ³⁴  because they are useless and empty.

[23:29]  ¹ tn Grk “whom I found.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been changed to a personal pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.

[23:29]  ² tn BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19. – In 23:29, since περί had already been used, the subj. of the discussion is added in the gen. ζ. τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν.”

[23:29]  ³ tn Grk “but having no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.” BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 has “legal t.t.…ἔ. ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν a charge deserving death or imprisonment 23:29.”

[25:11]  ⁴ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ⁵ tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11]  ⁶ tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11]  ⁷ sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11]  ⁸ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:19]  ⁹ tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[25:19]  ¹⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.

[25:19]  ¹¹ tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”

[25:19]  ¹² tn Or “asserted.”

[26:3]  ¹³ tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[26:3]  ¹⁵ tn BDAG 218 s.v. δέομαι states, “In our lit. only w. the mng. to ask for something pleadingly, ask, request,” and then in section a.α states, “w. inf. foll.…Ac 26:3.”

[26:1]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[1:4]  ²⁰ tn Or “While he was assembling with them,” or “while he was sharing a meal with them.” There are three basic options for translating the verb συναλίζω (sunalizw): (1) “Eat (salt) with, share a meal with”; (2) “bring together, assemble”; (3) “spend the night with, stay with” (see BDAG 964 s.v.). The difficulty with the first option is that it does not fit the context, and this meaning is not found elsewhere. The second option is difficult because of the singular number and the present tense. The third option is based on a spelling variation of συναυλιζόμενος (sunaulizomeno"), which some minuscules actually read here. The difference in meaning between (2) and (3) is not great, but (3) seems to fit the context somewhat better here.

[1:4]  ²¹ tn Grk “ordered them”; the command “Do not leave” is not in Greek but is an indirect quotation in the original (see note at end of the verse for explanation).

[1:4]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:4]  ²³ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text (direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context).

[1:4]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[1:4]  ²⁵ tn Grk “for the promise of the Father.” Jesus is referring to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (see the following verse).

[1:4]  ²⁶ tn Grk “While he was with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for ‘what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.’” This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the entire quotation has been rendered as direct discourse in the translation.

[6:2]  ²⁷ sn The twelve refers to the twelve apostles.

[6:2]  ²⁸ tn Grk “calling the whole group…together, said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενοι (proskalesamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[6:2]  ²⁹ tn Or “the multitude.”

[6:2]  ³⁰ tn Grk “to serve tables.”

[2:23]  ³¹ tn Or “you killed.”

[2:23]  ³² tn Grk “at the hands of lawless men.” At this point the term ἄνομος (anomo") refers to non-Jews who live outside the Jewish (Mosaic) law, rather than people who broke any or all laws including secular laws. Specifically it is a reference to the Roman soldiers who carried out Jesus’ crucifixion.

[3:9]  ³³ tn Cf. 1 Tim 1:4.

[3:9]  ³⁴ sn Fights about the law were characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus as well as in Crete (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-7; Titus 1:10, 14).