Acts 6:9

6:9 But some men from the Synagogue ¹  of the Freedmen (as it was called), ²  both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, ³  stood up and argued with Stephen.

Acts 10:23

10:23 So Peter ⁴  invited them in and entertained them as guests.

On the next day he got up and set out ⁵  with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa ⁶  accompanied him.

Acts 11:20

11:20 But there were some men from Cyprus ⁷  and Cyrene ⁸  among them who came ⁹  to Antioch ¹⁰  and began to speak to the Greeks ¹¹  too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 15:1

The Jerusalem Council

15:1 Now some men came down from Judea ¹²  and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised ¹³  according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Acts 15:5

15:5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees ¹⁴  who had believed stood up and said, “It is necessary ¹⁵  to circumcise the Gentiles ¹⁶  and to order them to observe ¹⁷  the law of Moses.”

Acts 15:24

15:24 Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from us and have confused ¹⁸  you, upsetting ¹⁹  your minds ²⁰  by what they said, ²¹ 

Acts 17:28

17:28 For in him we live and move about ²²  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ²³ 

Acts 17:34

17:34 But some people ²⁴  joined him ²⁵  and believed. Among them ²⁶  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ²⁷  a woman ²⁸  named Damaris, and others with them.

Acts 19:15

19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ²⁹  “I know about Jesus ³⁰  and I am acquainted with ³¹  Paul, but who are you?” ³² 

Acts 19:31

19:31 Even some of the provincial authorities ³³  who were his friends sent ³⁴  a message ³⁵  to him, urging him not to venture ³⁶  into the theater.

Acts 24:18

24:18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, ³⁷  without a crowd or a disturbance. ³⁸ 

Acts 17:18

17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ³⁹  and Stoic ⁴⁰  philosophers were conversing ⁴¹  with him, and some were asking, ⁴²  “What does this foolish babbler ⁴³  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ⁴⁴  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ⁴⁵ 

Acts 17:4

17:4 Some of them were persuaded ⁴⁶  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ⁴⁷  of God-fearing Greeks ⁴⁸  and quite a few ⁴⁹  prominent women.

Acts 19:9

19:9 But when ⁵⁰  some were stubborn ⁵¹  and refused to believe, reviling ⁵²  the Way ⁵³  before the congregation, he left ⁵⁴  them and took the disciples with him, ⁵⁵  addressing ⁵⁶  them every day ⁵⁷  in the lecture hall ⁵⁸  of Tyrannus.

Acts 19:13

19:13 But some itinerant ⁵⁹  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ⁶⁰  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ⁶¹  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ⁶²  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”

Acts 23:9

23:9 There was a great commotion, ⁶³  and some experts in the law ⁶⁴  from the party of the Pharisees stood up ⁶⁵  and protested strongly, ⁶⁶  “We find nothing wrong ⁶⁷  with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

[6:9]  ¹ sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[6:9]  ² tn Grk “the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen.” The translation of the participle λεγομένης (legomenh") by the phrase “as it was called” is given by L&N 87.86. “Freedmen” would be slaves who had gained their freedom, or the descendants of such people (BDAG 594-95 s.v. Λιβερτῖνος).

[6:9]  ³ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[10:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:23]  ⁵ tn Or “went forth.”

[10:23]  ⁶ sn Some of the brothers from Joppa. As v. 45 makes clear, there were Jewish Christians in this group of witnesses.

[11:20]  ⁷ sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[11:20]  ⁸ sn Cyrene was a city on the northern African coast west of Egypt.

[11:20]  ⁹ tn Grk “among them, coming to Antioch began to speak.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[11:20]  ¹⁰ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:20]  ¹¹ sn The statement that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene…began to speak to the Greeks shows that Peter’s experience of reaching out to the Gentiles was not unique.

[15:1]  ¹⁰ sn That is, they came down from Judea to Antioch in Syria.

[15:1]  ¹¹ tc Codex Bezae (D) and a few other witnesses have “and walk” here (i.e., instead of τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως [tw eqei tw Mwu>sew"] they read καὶ τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως περιπατῆτε [kai tw eqei tw Mwu>sew" peripathte]). This is a decidedly stronger focus on obedience to the Law. As well, D expands vv. 1-5 in various places with the overall effect of being “more sympathetic to the local tradition of the church at Jerusalem” while the Alexandrian witnesses are more sympathetic to Paul (TCGNT 377). Codex D is well known for having a significantly longer text in Acts, but modern scholarship is generally of the opinion that the text of D expands on the original wording of Acts, with a theological viewpoint that especially puts Peter in a more authoritarian light. The expansion in these five verses is in keeping with that motif even though Peter is not explicitly in view.

[15:5]  ¹³ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[15:5]  ¹⁴ sn The Greek word used here (δεῖ, dei) is a strong term that expresses divine necessity. The claim is that God commanded the circumcision of Gentiles.

[15:5]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the Gentiles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:5]  ¹⁶ tn Or “keep.”

[15:24]  ¹⁶ tn Here BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2 states, “Of mental confusion caused by false teachings ταρ. τινά Ac 15:24 (w. λόγοις foll.).”

[15:24]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 71 s.v. ἀνασκευάζω describes this verb with a figurative meaning: “to cause inward distress, upset, unsettle.”

[15:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “souls.”

[15:24]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “by words”; L&N 25.231 translates the phrase “they troubled and upset you by what they said.”

[17:28]  ¹⁹ tn According to L&N 15.1, “A strictly literal translation of κινέω in Ac 17:28 might imply merely moving from one place to another. The meaning, however, is generalized movement and activity; therefore, it may be possible to translate κινούμεθα as ‘we come and go’ or ‘we move about’’ or even ‘we do what we do.’”

[17:28]  ²⁰ sn This quotation is from Aratus (ca. 310-245 b.c.), Phaenomena 5. Paul asserted a general relationship and accountability to God for all humanity.

[17:34]  ²² tn Although the Greek word here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which normally refers to males, husbands, etc., in this particular context it must have a generic force similar to that of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), since “a woman named Damaris” is mentioned specifically as being part of this group (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).

[17:34]  ²³ tn Grk “joining him, believed.” The participle κολληθέντες (kollhqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the use of this verb in Acts, see 5:13; 8:29; 9:26; 10:28.

[17:34]  ²⁴ tn Grk “among whom.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been translated as a third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[17:34]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the Areopagite” (a member of the council of the Areopagus). The noun “Areopagite” is not in common usage today in English. It is clearer to use a descriptive phrase “a member of the Areopagus” (L&N 11.82). However, this phrase alone can be misleading in English: “Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris” could be understood to refer to three people (Dionysius, an unnamed member of the Areopagus, and Damaris) rather than only two. Converting the descriptive phrase to a relative clause in English (“who was a member of the Areopagus”) removes the ambiguity.

[17:34]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and a woman”; but this 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.

[19:15]  ²⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

[19:15]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.

[19:15]  ²⁷ tn BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπίσταμαι 2 has “know, be acquainted with τινά…τὸν Παῦλον Ac 19:15.” Here the translation “be acquainted with” was used to differentiate from the previous phrase which has γινώσκω (ginwskw).

[19:15]  ²⁸ sn But who are you? This account shows how the power of Paul was so distinct that parallel claims to access that power were denied. In fact, such manipulation, by those who did not know Jesus, was judged (v. 16). The indirect way in which the exorcists made the appeal shows their distance from Jesus.

[19:31]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Asiarchs” (high-ranking officials of the province of Asia).

[19:31]  ²⁹ tn Grk “sending”; the participle πέμψαντες (pemyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:31]  ³⁰ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[19:31]  ³¹ tn BDAG 242-43 s.v. δίδωμι 11 has “to cause (oneself) to go, go, venture somewhere (cp. our older ‘betake oneself’)…Ac 19:31.” The desire of these sympathetic authorities was surely to protect Paul’s life. The detail indicates how dangerous things had become.

[24:18]  ³¹ sn Ritually purified. Paul’s claim here is that he was honoring the holiness of God by being sensitive to issues of ritual purity. Not only was he not guilty of the charges against him, but he was thoroughly devout.

[24:18]  ³² tn BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος 3.b has “μετὰ θορύβου…with a disturbance Ac 24:18.”

[17:18]  ³⁴ sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.

[17:18]  ³⁵ sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c.), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.

[17:18]  ³⁶ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ³⁷ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ³⁸ tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”

[17:18]  ³⁹ tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.

[17:18]  ⁴⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:4]  ³⁷ tn Or “convinced.”

[17:4]  ³⁸ tn Or “a large crowd.”

[17:4]  ³⁹ tn Or “of devout Greeks,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44. Luke frequently mentions such people (Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7).

[17:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[19:9]  ⁴⁰ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.

[19:9]  ⁴¹ tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.

[19:9]  ⁴² tn Or “speaking evil of.” BDAG 500 s.v. κακολογέω has “speak evil of, revile, insult…τὶ someth. τὴν ὁδόν the Way (i.e. Christian way of life) Ac 19:9.”

[19:9]  ⁴³ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity). Luke frequently refers to it as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

[19:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “leaving them, he took.” The participle ἀποστάς (apostas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:9]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:9. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[19:9]  ⁴⁷ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[19:9]  ⁴⁸ tn The “lecture hall” was a place where teachers and pupils met. The term is a NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 982 s.v. σχολή). L&N 7.14 notes, “it is better to use a translation such as ‘lecture hall’ rather than ‘school,’ since one does not wish to give the impression of the typical classroom situation characteristic of present-day schools.”

[19:13]  ⁴³ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

[19:13]  ⁴⁶ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[23:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “clamor” (cf. BDAG 565 s.v. κραυγή 1.a, which has “there arose a loud outcry” here, and Exod 12:30).

[23:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[23:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “protested strongly, saying.” L&N 39.27 has “διαμάχομαι: to fight or contend with, involving severity and thoroughness – ‘to protest strongly, to contend with.’…‘some scribes from the party of the Pharisees protested strongly’ Ac 23:9.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

[23:9]  ⁵⁰ sn “We find nothing wrong with this man.” Here is another declaration of innocence. These leaders recognized the possibility that Paul might have the right to make his claim.