Acts 7:50

7:50 Did my hand ¹  not make all these things?’ ² 

Acts 2:7

2:7 Completely baffled, they said, ³  “Aren’t ⁴  all these who are speaking Galileans?

Acts 5:4

5:4 Before it was sold, ⁵  did it not ⁶  belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money ⁷  not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? ⁸  You have not lied to people ⁹  but to God!”

[7:50]  ¹ tn Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.

[7:50]  ² tn The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply.

[2:7]  ³ tn Grk “They were astounded and amazed, saying.” The two imperfect verbs, ἐξίσταντο (existanto) and ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon), show both the surprise and the confusion on the part of the hearers. The verb ἐξίσταντο (from ἐξίστημι, existhmi) often implies an illogical perception or response (BDAG 350 s.v. ἐξίστημι): “to be so astonished as to almost fail to comprehend what one has experienced” (L&N 25.218).

[2:7]  ⁴ tn Grk “Behold, aren’t all these.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[5:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “Remaining to you.”

[5:4]  ⁶ tn The negative interrogative particle οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply to this question and the following one (“And when it was sold, was it not at your disposal?”).

[5:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “it”; the referent of the pronoun (the money generated from the sale of the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:4]  ⁸ tn Grk “How is it that you have [or Why have you] placed this deed in your heart?” Both of these literal translations differ from the normal way of expressing the thought in English.

[5:4]  ⁹ tn Grk “to men.” If Peter’s remark refers only to the apostles, the translation “to men” would be appropriate. But if (as is likely) the action was taken to impress the entire congregation (who would presumably have witnessed the donation or been aware of it) then the more general “to people” is more appropriate, since the audience would have included both men and women.