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 13:5

13:5 When ⁴  they arrived ⁵  in Salamis, ⁶  they began to proclaim ⁷  the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. ⁸  (Now they also had John ⁹  as their assistant.) ¹⁰ 

Acts 13:14

13:14 Moving on from ¹¹  Perga, ¹²  they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, ¹³  and on the Sabbath day they went into ¹⁴  the synagogue ¹⁵  and sat down.

Acts 14:1

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14:1 The same thing happened in Iconium ¹⁶  when Paul and Barnabas ¹⁷  went into the Jewish synagogue ¹⁸  and spoke in such a way that a large group ¹⁹  of both Jews and Greeks believed.

Acts 15:21

15:21 For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times, ²⁰  because he is read aloud ²¹  in the synagogues ²²  every Sabbath.”

Acts 17:10

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ²³  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ²⁴  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ²⁵ 

Acts 17:17

17:17 So he was addressing ²⁶  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ²⁷  in the synagogue, ²⁸  and in the marketplace every day ²⁹  those who happened to be there.

Acts 18:7

18:7 Then Paul ³⁰  left ³¹  the synagogue ³²  and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, ³³  whose house was next door to the synagogue.

Acts 19:8

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul ³⁴  entered ³⁵  the synagogue ³⁶  and spoke out fearlessly ³⁷  for three months, addressing ³⁸  and convincing ³⁹  them about the kingdom of God. ⁴⁰ 

Acts 22:19

22:19 I replied, ⁴¹  ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues ⁴²  who believed in you.

Acts 24:12

24:12 They did not find me arguing ⁴³  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ⁴⁴  in the temple courts ⁴⁵  or in the synagogues ⁴⁶  or throughout the city, ⁴⁷ 

Acts 26:11

26:11 I punished ⁴⁸  them often in all the synagogues ⁴⁹  and tried to force ⁵⁰  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ⁵¹  at them, I went to persecute ⁵²  them even in foreign cities.

[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.

[13:5]  ⁴ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[13:5]  ⁵ tn The participle γενόμενοι (genomenoi) is taken temporally.

[13:5]  ⁶ sn Salamis was a city on the southeastern coast of the island of Cyprus. This was a commercial center and a center of Judaism.

[13:5]  ⁷ tn The imperfect verb κατήγγελλον (kathngellon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[13:5]  ⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[13:5]  ⁹ sn John refers here to John Mark (see Acts 12:25).

[13:5]  ¹⁰ tn The word ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") usually has the meaning “servant,” but it is doubtful John Mark fulfilled that capacity for Barnabas and Saul. He was more likely an apprentice or assistant to them.

[13:14]  ⁷ tn Or “Passing by.”

[13:14]  ⁸ sn Perga was a city in Pamphylia near the southern coast of Asia Minor.

[13:14]  ⁹ tn Or “at Antioch in Pisidia.”

[13:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “going into the synagogue they sat down.” The participle εἰσελθόντες (eiselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[13:14]  ¹¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[14:1]  ¹⁰ sn Iconium. See the note in 13:51.

[14:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “they”; the referents (Paul and Barnabas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:1]  ¹² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[14:1]  ¹³ tn Or “that a large crowd.”

[15:21]  ¹³ tn Grk “from generations of old”; the translation “fr. ancient times” is given by BDAG 192 s.v. γενεά 3.b.

[15:21]  ¹⁴ tn The translation “read aloud” is used to indicate the actual practice; translating as “read” could be misunderstood to mean private, silent reading.

[15:21]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:10]  ¹⁶ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.

[17:10]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.

[17:10]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ¹⁹ 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 17:17. 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.

[17:17]  ²⁰ tn Or “and the devout,” 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, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.

[17:17]  ²¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ²² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[18:7]  ²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²³ tn Grk “Then leaving from there he went.” The participle μεταβάς (metabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “from there”; the referent (the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²⁵ tn Grk “a worshiper of God.” The clarifying phrase “a Gentile” has been supplied for clarity, and is indicated by the context, since Paul had parted company with the Jews in the previous verse. The participle σεβομένου (sebomenou) 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.

[19:8]  ²⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:8]  ²⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[19:8]  ²⁸ tn Or “boldly.”

[19:8]  ²⁹ 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 19:8. 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.

[19:8]  ³⁰ tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomeno" and peiqwn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”

[19:8]  ³¹ sn To talk about Jesus as the Christ who has come is to talk about the kingdom of God. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28.

[22:19]  ²⁸ tn Grk “And I said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai, in καγώ [kagw]) has not been translated here.

[22:19]  ²⁹ tn For the distributive sense of the expression κατὰ τὰς συναγωγάς (kata ta" sunagwga") BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.1.d has “of places viewed serially, distributive use w. acc.…κατ᾿ οἶκαν from house to house…Ac 2:46b; 5:42…Likew. the pl.…κ. τὰς συναγωγάς 22:19.” See also L&N 37.114.

[24:12]  ³¹ tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”

[24:12]  ³² tn BDAG 381 s.v. ἐπίστασις 2 has “ἐ. ποιεῖν ὄχλου to cause a crowd to gather Ac 24:12.” Roman authorities would not allow a mob to gather and threaten the peace, and anyone suspected of instigating a mob would certainly be arrested.

[24:12]  ³³ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[24:12]  ³⁴ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[24:12]  ³⁵ sn A second part of Paul’s defense is that he did nothing while he was in Jerusalem to cause unrest, neither arguing nor stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city.

[26:11]  ³⁴ tn Grk “and punishing…I tried.” The participle τιμωρῶν (timwrwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. 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.

[26:11]  ³⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ³⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἠνάγκαζον (hnankazon) has been translated as a conative imperfect (so BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 1, which has “ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν I tried to force them to blaspheme Ac 26:11”).

[26:11]  ³⁷ tn Or “was so insanely angry with them.” BDAG 322 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι states, “to be filled with such anger that one appears to be mad, be enraged…περισσῶς ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς being furiously enraged at them Ac 26:11”; L&N 88.182 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι, “to be so furiously angry with someone as to be almost out of one’s mind – ‘to be enraged, to be infuriated, to be insanely angry’ …‘I was so infuriated with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them’ Ac 26:11.”

[26:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”