Acts 8:26

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

8:26 Then an angel of the Lord ¹  said to Philip, ²  “Get up and go south ³  on the road that goes down from Jerusalem ⁴  to Gaza.” (This is a desert ⁵  road.) ⁶ 

Acts 12:8

12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ⁷  and put on your sandals.” Peter ⁸  did so. Then the angel ⁹  said to him, “Put on your cloak ¹⁰  and follow me.”

Acts 23:9

23:9 There was a great commotion, ¹¹  and some experts in the law ¹²  from the party of the Pharisees stood up ¹³  and protested strongly, ¹⁴  “We find nothing wrong ¹⁵  with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

[8:26]  ¹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[8:26]  ² tn Grk “Lord spoke to Philip, saying.” The redundant participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated.

[8:26]  ³ tn Or “Get up and go about noon.” The phrase κατὰ μεσημβρίαν (kata meshmbrian) can be translated either “about noon” (L&N 67.74) or “toward the south” (L&N 82.4). Since the angel’s command appears to call for immediate action (“Get up”) and would not therefore need a time indicator, a directional reference (“toward the south”) is more likely here.

[8:26]  ⁴ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:26]  ⁵ tn Or “wilderness.”

[8:26]  ⁶ tn The words “This is a desert road” are probably best understood as a comment by the author of Acts, but it is possible they form part of the angel’s speech to Philip, in which case the verse would read: “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza – the desert road.”

[12:8]  ⁷ tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.

[12:8]  ⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ¹⁰ tn Or “outer garment.”

[23:9]  ¹³ tn Or “clamor” (cf. BDAG 565 s.v. κραυγή 1.a, which has “there arose a loud outcry” here, and Exod 12:30).

[23:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[23:9]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:9]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “protested strongly, saying.” L&N 39.27 has “διαμάχομαι: to fight or contend with, involving severity and thoroughness – ‘to protest strongly, to contend with.’…‘some scribes from the party of the Pharisees protested strongly’ Ac 23:9.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

[23:9]  ¹⁷ sn “We find nothing wrong with this man.” Here is another declaration of innocence. These leaders recognized the possibility that Paul might have the right to make his claim.