Acts 3:2-26

3:2 And a man lame ¹  from birth ²  was being carried up, who was placed at the temple gate called “the Beautiful Gate” every day ³  so he could beg for money ⁴  from those going into the temple courts. ⁵  3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, ⁶  he asked them for money. ⁷  3:4 Peter looked directly ⁸  at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!” 3:5 So the lame man ⁹  paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. 3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, ¹⁰  but what I do have I give you. In the name ¹¹  of Jesus Christ ¹²  the Nazarene, stand up and ¹³  walk!” 3:7 Then ¹⁴  Peter ¹⁵  took hold ¹⁶  of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s ¹⁷  feet and ankles were made strong. ¹⁸  3:8 He ¹⁹  jumped up, ²⁰  stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts ²¹  with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 3:9 All ²²  the people saw him walking and praising God, 3:10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations ²³  at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement ²⁴  at what had happened to him.

Peter Addresses the Crowd

3:11 While the man ²⁵  was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway ²⁶  called Solomon’s Portico. ²⁷  3:12 When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, ²⁸  why are you amazed at this? Why ²⁹  do you stare at us as if we had made this man ³⁰  walk by our own power or piety? 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ³¹  the God of our forefathers, ³²  has glorified ³³  his servant ³⁴  Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected ³⁵  in the presence of Pilate after he had decided ³⁶  to release him. 3:14 But you rejected ³⁷  the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. 3:15 You killed ³⁸  the Originator ³⁹  of life, whom God raised ⁴⁰  from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! ⁴¹  3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ⁴²  name, ⁴³  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ⁴⁴  faith that is through Jesus ⁴⁵  has given him this complete health in the presence ⁴⁶  of you all. 3:17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, ⁴⁷  as your rulers did too. 3:18 But the things God foretold ⁴⁸  long ago through ⁴⁹  all the prophets – that his Christ ⁵⁰  would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way. 3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, 3:20 so that times of refreshing ⁵¹  may come from the presence of the Lord, ⁵²  and so that he may send the Messiah ⁵³  appointed ⁵⁴  for you – that is, Jesus. 3:21 This one ⁵⁵  heaven must ⁵⁶  receive until the time all things are restored, ⁵⁷  which God declared ⁵⁸  from times long ago ⁵⁹  through his holy prophets. 3:22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey ⁶⁰  him in everything he tells you. ⁶¹  3:23 Every person ⁶²  who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed ⁶³  from the people.’ ⁶⁴  3:24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced ⁶⁵  these days. 3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, ⁶⁶  saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants ⁶⁷  all the nations ⁶⁸  of the earth will be blessed.’ ⁶⁹  3:26 God raised up ⁷⁰  his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning ⁷¹  each one of you from your iniquities.” ⁷² 

[3:2]  ¹ tn Or “crippled.”

[3:2]  ² tn Grk “from his mother’s womb.”

[3:2]  ³ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “alms.” The term “alms” is not in common use today, so what the man expected, “money,” is used in the translation instead. The idea is that of money given as a gift to someone who was poor. Giving alms was viewed as honorable in Judaism (Tob 1:3, 16; 12:8-9; m. Pe’ah 1:1). See also Luke 11:41; 12:33; Acts 9:36; 10:2, 4, 31; 24:17.

[3:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “alms.” See the note on the word “money” in the previous verse.

[3:4]  ⁸ tn Grk “Peter, looking directly at him, as did John, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[3:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the lame man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:6]  ¹⁰ tn Or “I have no money.” L&N 6.69 classifies the expression ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον (argurion kai crusion) as an idiom that is a generic expression for currency, thus “money.”

[3:6]  ¹¹ sn In the name. Note the authority in the name of Jesus the Messiah. His presence and power are at work for the man. The reference to “the name” is not like a magical incantation, but is designed to indicate the agent who performs the healing. The theme is quite frequent in Acts (2:38 plus 21 other times).

[3:6]  ¹² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:6]  ¹³ tc The words “stand up and” (ἔγειρε καί, egeire kai) are not in a few mss (א B D sa), but are included in A C E Ψ 095 33 1739 Ï lat sy mae bo. The external testimony is thus fairly evenly divided, with few but important representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes supporting the shorter reading. Internally, the words look like a standard scribal emendation, and may have been motivated by other healing passages where Jesus gave a similar double command (cf. Matt 9:5; Mark 2:9, [11]; Luke 5:23; [6:8]; John 5:8). On the other hand, there is some motivation for deleting ἔγειρε καί here, namely, unlike Jesus’ healing miracles, Peter raises (ἤγειρεν, hgeiren) the man to his feet (v. 7) rather than the man rising on his own. In light of the scribal tendency to harmonize, especially in immediate context, the longer reading is slightly preferred.

[3:7]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the sequence of events.

[3:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Peter taking hold of him…raised him up.” The participle πιάσας (piasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[3:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ¹⁸ sn At once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. Note that despite the past lameness, the man is immediately able to walk. The restoration of his ability to walk pictures the presence of a renewed walk, a fresh start at life; this was far more than money would have given him.

[3:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[3:8]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Jumping up, he stood.” The participle ἐξαλλόμενος (exallomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. It is possible that the paralyzed man actually jumped off the ground, but more probably this term simply refers to the speed with which he stood up. See L&N 15.240.

[3:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:9]  ²² tn Grk “And all.” 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.

[3:10]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Grk “or why.”

[3:12]  ³⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ³¹ 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]  ³² tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:13]  ³³ sn Has glorified. Jesus is alive, raised and active, as the healing illustrates so dramatically how God honors him.

[3:13]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”

[3:13]  ³⁶ tn This genitive absolute construction could be understood as temporal (“when he had decided”) or concessive (“although he had decided”).

[3:14]  ³⁷ tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”

[3:15]  ³⁸ tn Or “You put to death.”

[3:15]  ³⁹ tn Or “Founder,” “founding Leader.”

[3:15]  ⁴⁰ sn Whom God raised. God is the main actor here, as he testifies to Jesus and vindicates him.

[3:15]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the words “to this fact” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[3:16]  ⁴² tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ⁴³ sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.

[3:16]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “see and know, and the faith.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated.

[3:16]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “in full view.”

[3:17]  ⁴⁷ sn The ignorance Peter mentions here does not excuse them from culpability. It was simply a way to say “you did not realize the great mistake you made.”

[3:18]  ⁴⁸ sn God foretold. Peter’s topic is the working out of God’s plan and promise through events the scriptures also note.

[3:18]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).

[3:18]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:20]  ⁵¹ tn Or “relief.”

[3:20]  ⁵² tn The words “so that…Lord” are traditionally placed in v. 19 by most English translations, but in the present translation the verse division follows the standard critical editions of the Greek text (NA²⁷, UBS⁴).

[3:20]  ⁵³ tn Or “the Christ”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:20]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “designated in advance.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “whom,” continuing the sentence from v. 20.

[3:21]  ⁵⁶ sn The term must used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) is a key Lukan term to point to the plan of God and what must occur.

[3:21]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “until the times of the restoration of all things.” Because of the awkward English style of the extended genitive construction, and because the following relative clause has as its referent the “time of restoration” rather than “all things,” the phrase was translated “until the time all things are restored.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “spoke.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “from all ages past.”

[3:22]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “hear,” but the idea of “hear and obey” or simply “obey” is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw; see L&N 36.14) and the following context (v. 23) makes it clear that failure to “obey” the words of this “prophet like Moses” will result in complete destruction.

[3:22]  ⁶¹ sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. By quoting Deut 18:15 Peter declared that Jesus was the eschatological “prophet like [Moses]” mentioned in that passage, who reveals the plan of God and the way of God.

[3:23]  ⁶² tn Grk “every soul” (here “soul” is an idiom for the whole person).

[3:23]  ⁶³ tn Or “will be completely destroyed.” In Acts 3:23 the verb ἐξολεθρεύω (exoleqreuw) is translated “destroy and remove” by L&N 20.35.

[3:23]  ⁶⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 18:19, also Lev 23:29. The OT context of Lev 23:29 discusses what happened when one failed to honor atonement. One ignored the required sacrifice of God at one’s peril.

[3:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “proclaimed.”

[3:25]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:25]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “in your offspring”; Grk “in your seed.”

[3:25]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “families.” The Greek word πατριά (patria) can indicate persons of succeeding generations who are related by birth (“lineage,” “family”) but it can also indicate a relatively large unit of people who make up a sociopolitical group and who share a presumed biological descent. In many contexts πατριά is very similar to ἔθνος (eqnos) and λαός (laos). In light of the context of the OT quotation, it is better to translate πατριά as “nations” here.

[3:25]  ⁶⁹ sn A quotation from Gen 22:18.

[3:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “God raising up his servant, sent him.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Some translations (e.g., NIV, NRSV) render this participle as temporal (“when God raised up his servant”).

[3:26]  ⁷¹ sn The picture of turning is again seen as the appropriate response to the message. See v. 19 above. In v. 19 it was “turning to,” here it is “turning away from.” The direction of the two metaphors is important.

[3:26]  ⁷² tn For the translation of plural πονηρία (ponhria) as “iniquities,” see G. Harder, TDNT 6:565. The plural is important, since for Luke turning to Jesus means turning away from sins, not just the sin of rejecting Jesus.