Acts 4:36

4:36 So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), ¹ 

Acts 15:35

15:35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, ²  teaching and proclaiming (along with many others) ³  the word of the Lord. ⁴ 

Acts 9:27

9:27 But Barnabas took ⁵  Saul, ⁶  brought ⁷  him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that ⁸  the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly ⁹  in the name of Jesus.

Acts 13:1

The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul

13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: ¹⁰  Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, ¹¹  Lucius the Cyrenian, ¹²  Manaen (a close friend of Herod ¹³  the tetrarch ¹⁴  from childhood ¹⁵ ) and Saul.

Acts 13:46

13:46 Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, ¹⁶  “It was necessary to speak the word of God ¹⁷  to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy ¹⁸  of eternal life, we ¹⁹  are turning to the Gentiles. ²⁰ 

[4:36]  ¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Note how the actions of Barnabas are in keeping with the meaning of his nickname. He stands in contrast to Ananias and Sapphira in 5:1-11.

[15:35]  ² sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[15:35]  ³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[15:35]  ⁴ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in v. 36; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[9:27]  ³ tn Grk “taking Saul, brought him.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενος (epilabomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:27]  ⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ⁵ tn Grk “and brought,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[9:27]  ⁶ tn Grk “and that,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[9:27]  ⁷ tn On this verb which is used 7 times in Acts, see BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1. See also v. 28.

[13:1]  ⁴ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[13:1]  ⁵ sn Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”

[13:1]  ⁶ sn The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.

[13:1]  ⁷ sn Herod is generally taken as a reference to Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee from 4 b.c. to a.d. 39, who had John the Baptist beheaded, and who is mentioned a number of times in the gospels.

[13:1]  ⁸ tn Or “the governor.”

[13:1]  ⁹ tn Or “(a foster brother of Herod the tetrarch).” The meaning “close friend from childhood” is given by L&N 34.15, but the word can also mean “foster brother” (L&N 10.51). BDAG 976 s.v. σύντροφας states, “pert. to being brought up with someone, either as a foster-brother or as a companion/friend,” which covers both alternatives. Context does not given enough information to be certain which is the case here, although many modern translations prefer the meaning “close friend from childhood.”

[13:46]  ⁵ tn Grk “Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out courageously and said.” The redundancy is removed in the translation and the verb “replied” is used in keeping with the logical sequence of events. The theme of boldness reappears: Acts 4:24-30; 9:27-28.

[13:46]  ⁶ tn Grk “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken.” For smoothness and simplicity of English style, the passive construction has been converted to active voice in the translation.

[13:46]  ⁷ tn Or “and consider yourselves unworthy.”

[13:46]  ⁸ tn Grk “behold, we.” In this context ἰδού (idou) is not easily translated into English.

[13:46]  ⁹ sn This turning to the Gentiles would be a shocking rebuke to 1st century Jews who thought they alone were the recipients of the promise.