Acts 8:17

8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans, ¹  and they received the Holy Spirit. ² 

Acts 9:43

9:43 So ³  Peter ⁴  stayed many days in Joppa with a man named ⁵  Simon, a tanner. ⁶ 

Acts 12:10

12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ⁷  they came to the iron ⁸  gate leading into the city. It ⁹  opened for them by itself, ¹⁰  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ¹¹  when at once the angel left him.

Acts 13:37

13:37 but the one ¹²  whom God raised up did not experience ¹³  decay.

Acts 19:14

19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ¹⁴  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ¹⁵ 

Acts 20:33

20:33 I have desired ¹⁶  no one’s silver or gold or clothing.

Acts 25:11

25:11 If then I am in the wrong ¹⁷  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ¹⁸  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ¹⁹  no one can hand me over to them. ²⁰  I appeal to Caesar!” ²¹ 

[8:17]  ¹ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the Samaritans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:17]  ² sn They received the Holy Spirit. It is likely this special distribution of the Spirit took place because a key ethnic boundary was being crossed. Here are some of “those far off” of Acts 2:38-40.

[9:43]  ³ tn Grk “So it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:43]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:43]  ⁵ tn Grk “with a certain Simon.”

[9:43]  ⁶ tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname. See also MM 118.

[12:10]  ⁵ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

[12:10]  ⁶ sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).

[12:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[12:10]  ⁸ tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

[12:10]  ⁹ tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).

[13:37]  ⁷ sn The one whom God raised up refers to Jesus.

[13:37]  ⁸ tn Grk “see,” but the literal translation of the phrase “did not see decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “did not look at decay,” while here “did not see decay” is really figurative for “did not experience decay.”

[19:14]  ⁹ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

[19:14]  ¹⁰ sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:33]  ¹¹ tn Traditionally, “coveted.” BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιθυμέω 1 has “to have a strong desire to do or secure someth., desire, long for w. gen. of the thing desired…silver, gold, clothing Ac 20:33.” The traditional term “covet” is not in common usage and difficult for many modern English readers to understand. The statement affirms Paul’s integrity. He was not doing this for personal financial gain.

[25:11]  ¹³ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11]  ¹⁵ tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11]  ¹⁶ sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).