Acts 28:1-12

Context

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore,¹ we learned that the island was called Malta.² 28:2 The local inhabitants³ showed us extraordinary⁴ kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain⁵ and was cold. 28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood⁶ and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 28:4 When the local people⁷ saw the creature hanging from Paul’s⁸ hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself⁹ has not allowed him to live!”¹⁰ 28:5 However,¹¹ Paul¹² shook¹³ the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up¹⁴ or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited¹⁵ a long time and had seen¹⁶ nothing unusual happen¹⁷ to him, they changed their minds¹⁸ and said he was a god.¹⁹

28:7 Now in the region around that place²⁰ were fields belonging to the chief official²¹ of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 28:8 The father²² of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him²³ and after praying, placed²⁴ his hands on him and healed²⁵ him. 28:9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick²⁶ also came and were healed.²⁷ 28:10 They also bestowed many honors,²⁸ and when we were preparing to sail,²⁹ they gave³⁰ us all the supplies we needed.³¹

Paul Finally Reaches Rome

28:11 After three months we put out to sea³² in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins”³³ as its figurehead.³⁴ 28:12 We put in³⁵ at Syracuse³⁶ and stayed there three days.

[28:1] ¹tn 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] ²sn 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.

[28:2] ³tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:2] ⁴tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2] ⁵tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”

[28:3] ⁶tn Or “sticks.”

[28:4] ⁷tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:4] ⁸tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:4] ⁹tn That is, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live. BDAG 250 s.v. δίκη 2 states, “Justice personified as a deity Ac 28:4”; L&N 12.27, “a goddess who personifies justice in seeking out and punishing the guilty – ‘the goddess Justice.’ ἡ δίκη ζῆν οὐκ εἴασεν ‘the goddess Justice would not let him live’ Ac 28:4.” Although a number of modern English translations have rendered δίκη (dikh) “justice,” preferring to use an abstraction, in the original setting it is almost certainly a reference to a pagan deity. In the translation, the noun “justice” was capitalized and the reflexive pronoun “herself” was supplied to make the personification clear. This was considered preferable to supplying a word like ‘goddess’ in connection with δίκη.

[28:4] ¹⁰sn The entire scene is played out initially as a kind of oracle from the gods resulting in the judgment of a guilty person (Justice herself has not allowed him to live). Paul’s survival of this incident without ill effects thus spoke volumes about his innocence.

[28:5] ¹¹tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”

[28:5] ¹²tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5] ¹³tn Grk “shaking the creature off…he suffered no harm.” The participle ἀποτινάξας (apotinaxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6] ¹⁴tn Or “going to burn with fever.” According to BDAG 814 s.v. πίμπρημι, either meaning (“swell up” or “burn with fever”) is possible for Acts 28:6.

[28:6] ¹⁵tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokwntwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6] ¹⁶tn The participle θεωρούντων (qewrountwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6] ¹⁷tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6] ¹⁸tn Grk “changing their minds.” The participle μεταβαλόμενοι (metabalomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6] ¹⁹sn And said he was a god. The reaction is like Acts 14:11-19 where the crowd wanted to make Paul and Barnabas into gods. The providence of God had protected Paul again.

[28:7] ²⁰tn BDAG 798 s.v. περί 2.a.γ states, “of nearby places…τὰ περὶ τὸν τὸπον the region around the place Ac 28:7.” The presence of ἐκεῖνον (ekeinon) results in the translation “that place.”

[28:7] ²¹tn That is, the chief Roman official. Several inscriptions have confirmed the use of πρῶτος (prwtos) as an administrative title used on the island of Malta for the highest Roman official. See further BDAG 852 s.v. Πόπλιος.

[28:8] ²²tn Grk “It happened that the father.” 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.

[28:8] ²³tn Grk “to whom Paul going in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation. The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8] ²⁴tn The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8] ²⁵sn And healed him. Here are healings like Luke 9:40; 10:30; 13:13; Acts 16:23.

[28:9] ²⁶tn BDAG 142 s.v. ἀσθένεια 1 states, “ἔχειν ἀ. be ill Ac 28:9.”

[28:9] ²⁷sn Many…also came and were healed. Again, here is irony. Paul, though imprisoned, “frees” others of their diseases.

[28:10] ²⁸tn Or “they also honored us greatly”; Grk “they also honored us with many honors” (an idiom).

[28:10] ²⁹tn 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.” In this case the simpler English “sail” is more appropriate. The English participle “preparing” has also been supplied, since the provisioning of the ship would take place some time before the actual departure.

[28:10] ³⁰tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.b has “give τινί τι someth. to someone…ἀναγομένοις τὰ πρὸς τὰς χρείας when we sailed they gave us what we needed Ac 28:10.”

[28:10] ³¹sn They gave us all the supplies we needed. What they had lost in the storm and shipwreck was now replaced. Luke describes these pagans very positively.

[28:11] ³²tn 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.”

[28:11] ³³tn Or “the ‘Twin Gods’”; Grk “the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the pagan deities Castor and Pollux).

[28:11] ³⁴tn Or “as its emblem.”

[28:12] ³⁵tn Grk “And putting in.” The participle καταχθέντες (katacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the meaning of the participle, BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Συρακούσας Ac 28:12.” 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.

[28:12] ³⁶sn Syracuse was a city on the eastern coast of the island of Sicily. It was 75 mi (120 km) from Malta.