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 15:23

15:23 They sent this letter with them: ⁴ 

From the apostles ⁵  and elders, your brothers, ⁶  to the Gentile brothers and sisters ⁷  in Antioch, ⁸  Syria, ⁹  and Cilicia, greetings!

Acts 15:41

15:41 He passed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening ¹⁰  the churches.

[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.

[15:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “writing by their hand” (an idiom for sending a letter).

[15:23]  ⁵ tn Grk “The apostles.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[15:23]  ⁶ tn Grk “brothers,” but “your” is supplied to specify the relationship, since without it “brothers” could be understood as vocative in English.

[15:23]  ⁷ tn Grk “to the brothers who are from the Gentiles.”

[15:23]  ⁸ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[15:23]  ⁹ tn Grk “and Syria,” 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.

[15:41]  ¹⁰ sn Strengthening. See Acts 14:22; 15:32; 18:23.