Acts 26:2-11

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ¹  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 26:3 because you are especially ²  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ³  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ⁴  you to listen to me patiently. 26:4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived ⁵  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ⁶  and in Jerusalem. ⁷  26:5 They know, ⁸  because they have known ⁹  me from time past, ¹⁰  if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party ¹¹  of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ¹²  26:6 And now I stand here on trial ¹³  because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ¹⁴  26:7 a promise ¹⁵  that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God ¹⁶  night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, ¹⁷  Your Majesty! ¹⁸  26:8 Why do you people ¹⁹  think ²⁰  it is unbelievable ²¹  that ²²  God raises the dead? 26:9 Of course, ²³  I myself was convinced ²⁴  that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 26:10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received ²⁵  from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote ²⁶  against them when they were sentenced to death. ²⁷  26:11 I punished ²⁸  them often in all the synagogues ²⁹  and tried to force ³⁰  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ³¹  at them, I went to persecute ³²  them even in foreign cities.

[26:2]  ¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:3]  ² tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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.”

[26:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “my manner of life.”

[26:4]  ⁶ tn Or “nation.”

[26:4]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:5]  ⁸ tn These words are repeated from v. 4 (“all the Jews know”). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, it was necessary to begin a new sentence at the beginning of v. 5 in the translation, but for this to make sense, the main verb ἵσασι ({isasi) has to be repeated to connect with the ὅτι (Joti) clause (indirect discourse) in v. 5.

[26:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “having known me from time past.” The participle προγινώσκοντες (proginwskonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[26:5]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 866 s.v. προγινώσκω 2 has “Know from time past…προγινώσκοντές με ἄνωθεν Ac 26:5.” L&N 28.6 states, “‘they have already known me beforehand, if they are willing to testify’ Ac 26:5.”

[26:5]  ¹¹ tn That is, strictest religious party. “Party” alone is used in the translation because “the strictest religious party of our religion” would be redundant.

[26:5]  ¹² sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[26:6]  ¹³ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.a.α has “κρίνεσθαι ἐπί τινι be on trial because of a thing Ac 26:6.”

[26:6]  ¹⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[26:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “to which [promise] our twelve tribes…” The antecedent of the relative pronoun (the promise in v. 6) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or “earnestly worship.” The object of this service, God, is omitted but implied: BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω states, “Without the dat. of the one to whom service is given: ἐν ἐκτενείᾳ νύκτα κ. ἡμέραν λ. serve (God) earnestly night and day Ac 26:7.” Although clear from the context in Greek, “God” must be supplied as the recipient of the service for the modern English reader.

[26:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “I am being accused by the Jews.” The passive construction was simplified by converting it to an active one in the translation.

[26:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “O King!”

[26:8]  ¹⁹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate that the second person pronoun (“you”) is plural (others in addition to King Agrippa are being addressed).

[26:8]  ²⁰ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 3 states, “τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν; why do you think it is incredible? Ac 26:8.” The passive construction (“why is it thought unbelievable…”) has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[26:8]  ²¹ tn Or “incredible.” BDAG 103 s.v. ἄπιστος 1 states, “unbelievable, incredible…τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν…; why does it seem incredible to you? Ac 26:8.”

[26:8]  ²² tn Grk “if.” The first-class conditional construction, which assumes reality for the sake of argument, has been translated as indirect discourse.

[26:9]  ²³ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 3 states, “It has been proposed that some traces of older Gk. usage in which οὖν is emphatic, = certainly, really, to be sure etc. (s. L-S-J-M s.v. 1) remain in the pap…and in the NT…indeed, of course Ac 26:9.”

[26:9]  ²⁴ tn Grk “I thought to myself.” BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.a has “ἔδοξα ἐμαυτῷ δεῖν πρᾶξαι = Lat. mihi videbar I was convinced that it was necessary to do Ac 26:9.”

[26:10]  ²⁵ tn Grk “by receiving authority.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been taken instrumentally.

[26:10]  ²⁶ tn Grk “cast down a pebble against them.” L&N 30.103 states, “(an idiom, Grk ‘to bring a pebble against someone,’ a reference to a white or black pebble used in voting for or against someone) to make known one’s choice against someone – ‘to vote against.’ …‘when they were sentenced to death, I also voted against them’ Ac 26:10.”

[26:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “when they were being executed”; but the context supports the sentencing rather than the execution itself (cf. L&N 30.103).

[26:11]  ²⁸ tn Grk “and punishing…I tried.” The participle τιμωρῶν (timwrwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. 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.

[26:11]  ²⁹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ³⁰ tn The imperfect verb ἠνάγκαζον (hnankazon) has been translated as a conative imperfect (so BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 1, which has “ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν I tried to force them to blaspheme Ac 26:11”).

[26:11]  ³¹ tn Or “was so insanely angry with them.” BDAG 322 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι states, “to be filled with such anger that one appears to be mad, be enraged…περισσῶς ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς being furiously enraged at them Ac 26:11”; L&N 88.182 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι, “to be so furiously angry with someone as to be almost out of one’s mind – ‘to be enraged, to be infuriated, to be insanely angry’ …‘I was so infuriated with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them’ Ac 26:11.”

[26:11]  ³² tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”