Acts 4:13

4:13 When they saw the boldness ¹  of Peter and John, and discovered ²  that they were uneducated ³  and ordinary ⁴  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 18:25

18:25 He had been instructed in ⁵  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ⁶  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ⁷  about Jesus, although he knew ⁸  only the baptism of John.

[4:13]  ¹ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ² tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[18:25]  ⁵ tn Or “had been taught.”

[18:25]  ⁶ tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).

[18:25]  ⁷ tn Grk “the things.”

[18:25]  ⁸ tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistameno") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.