Acts 9:2

9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ¹  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ²  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ³  to Jerusalem. ⁴ 

Acts 15:2

15:2 When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate ⁵  with them, the church ⁶  appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with ⁷  the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ⁸  about this point of disagreement. ⁹ 

Acts 15:36

Paul and Barnabas Part Company

15:36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return ¹⁰  and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord ¹¹  to see how they are doing.” ¹² 

Acts 17:5

17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ¹³  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ¹⁴  they formed a mob ¹⁵  and set the city in an uproar. ¹⁶  They attacked Jason’s house, ¹⁷  trying to find Paul and Silas ¹⁸  to bring them out to the assembly. ¹⁹ 

Acts 23:23

23:23 Then ²⁰  he summoned ²¹  two of the centurions ²²  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ²³  along with seventy horsemen ²⁴  and two hundred spearmen ²⁵  by ²⁶  nine o’clock tonight, ²⁷ 

Acts 24:24

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ²⁸  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ²⁹  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ³⁰  about faith in Christ Jesus. ³¹ 

[9:2]  ¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:2]  ² sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).

[9:2]  ³ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:2]  ⁴ sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.

[15:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “no little argument and debate” (an idiom).

[15:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the church, or the rest of the believers at Antioch) has been specified to avoid confusion with the Judaizers mentioned in the preceding clause.

[15:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “go up to,” but in this context a meeting is implied.

[15:2]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:2]  ⁹ tn Or “point of controversy.” It is unclear whether this event parallels Gal 2:1-10 or that Gal 2 fits with Acts 11:30. More than likely Gal 2:1-10 is to be related to Acts 11:30.

[15:36]  ⁹ tn Grk “Returning let us visit.” The participle ἐπιστρέψαντες (epistreyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:36]  ¹⁰ tn See the note on the phrase “word of the Lord” in v. 35.

[15:36]  ¹¹ tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.b has “how they are” for this phrase.

[17:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).

[17:5]  ¹⁴ tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”

[17:5]  ¹⁵ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.

[17:5]  ¹⁷ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”

[23:23]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to the reported ambush, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[23:23]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “summoning…he said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:23]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23]  ²⁰ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a journey of about 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[23:23]  ²¹ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23]  ²² tn A military technical term of uncertain meaning. BDAG 217 s.v. δεξιολάβος states, “a word of uncertain mng., military t.t., acc. to Joannes Lydus…and Theophyl. Sim., Hist. 4, 1 a light-armed soldier, perh. bowman, slinger; acc. to a scholion in CMatthaei p. 342 body-guard….Spearman Goodspd., NRSV; ‘security officer’, GDKilpatrick, JTS 14, ’63, 393f.”

[23:23]  ²³ tn Grk “from.”

[23:23]  ²⁴ tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[24:24]  ²¹ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ²² sn It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, Ant. 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141-144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.

[24:24]  ²³ tn The word “speak” is implied; BDAG 32 s.v. ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς…πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”

[24:24]  ²⁴ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”