Acts 8:19

8:19 saying, “Give me this power ¹  too, so that everyone I place my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 15:10

15:10 So now why are you putting God to the test ²  by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke ³  that neither our ancestors ⁴  nor we have been able to bear?

Acts 18:10

18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ⁵  you to harm ⁶  you, because I have many people in this city.”

Acts 19:6

19:6 and when Paul placed ⁷  his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ⁸  upon them, and they began to speak ⁹  in tongues and to prophesy. ¹⁰ 

Acts 28:3

28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ¹¹  and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

[8:19]  ¹ tn Or “ability”; Grk “authority.”

[15:10]  ² tn According to BDAG 793 s.v. πειράζω 2.c, “In Ac 15:10 the πειράζειν τὸν θεόν consists in the fact that after God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (v. 8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative.” All testing of God in Luke is negative: Luke 4:2; 11:16.

[15:10]  ³ sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restriction that some in the early church wanted to place on Gentile converts to Christianity of observing the law of Moses and having males circumcised. The yoke is a decidedly negative image: Matt 23:4, but cf. Matt 11:29-30.

[15:10]  ⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[18:10]  ³ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 2 has “to set upon, attack, lay a hand on” here, but “assault” is a contemporary English equivalent very close to the meaning of the original.

[18:10]  ⁴ tn Or “injure.”

[19:6]  ⁴ tn Or “laid.”

[19:6]  ⁵ sn The coming of the Holy Spirit here is another case where the Spirit comes and prophesy results in Acts (see Acts 2). Paul’s action parallels that of Peter (Acts 8) and not just with Gentiles.

[19:6]  ⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἐλάλουν (elaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:6]  ⁷ tn The imperfect verb ἐπροφήτευον (eprofhteuon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:3]  ⁵ tn Or “sticks.”