Acts 3:10-13

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.

Peter Addresses the Crowd

3:11 While the man ³  was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway ⁴  called Solomon’s Portico. ⁵  3:12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, ⁶  why are you amazed at this? Why ⁷  do you stare at us as if we had made this man ⁸  walk by our own power or piety? 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ⁹  the God of our forefathers, ¹⁰  has glorified ¹¹  his servant ¹²  Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected ¹³  in the presence of Pilate after he had decided ¹⁴  to release him.

[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).

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

[3:11]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Grk “or why.”

[3:12]  ⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:13]  ¹¹ sn Has glorified. Jesus is alive, raised and active, as the healing illustrates so dramatically how God honors him.

[3:13]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”

[3:13]  ¹⁴ tn This genitive absolute construction could be understood as temporal (“when he had decided”) or concessive (“although he had decided”).