Acts 3:10

3:10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations ¹  at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement ²  at what had happened to him.

Acts 4:13

4:13 When they saw the boldness ³  of Peter and John, and discovered ⁴  that they were uneducated ⁵  and ordinary ⁶  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 12:14

12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told ⁷  them ⁸  that Peter was standing at the gate.

Acts 22:29

22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ⁹  from him, and the commanding officer ¹⁰  was frightened when he realized that Paul ¹¹  was ¹²  a Roman citizen ¹³  and that he had had him tied up. ¹⁴ 

Acts 25:10

25:10 Paul replied, ¹⁵  “I am standing before Caesar’s ¹⁶  judgment seat, ¹⁷  where I should be tried. ¹⁸  I have done nothing wrong ¹⁹  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ²⁰ 

Acts 27:39

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ²¹  a bay ²²  with a beach, ²³  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

[3:10]  ¹ 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]  ² 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).

[4:13]  ³ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ⁴ tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ⁵ sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.

[4:13]  ⁶ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[12:14]  ⁵ tn Or “informed.”

[12:14]  ⁶ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[22:29]  ⁷ tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.

[22:29]  ⁸ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ¹⁰ tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29]  ¹¹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ¹² sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.

[25:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ¹⁰ tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ¹¹ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.

[25:10]  ¹² tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ¹³ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”

[27:39]  ¹¹ tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ¹² tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ¹³ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.