Daniel 8:15-16

An Angel Interprets Daniel’s Vision

8:15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision, I sought to understand it. Now one who appeared to be a man was standing before me. 8:16 Then I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out, “Gabriel, ¹  enable this person to understand the vision.”

Psalms 119:24

119:24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;

they give me guidance. ² 

Psalms 119:99-100

119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your rules.

119:100 I am more discerning than those older than I,

for I observe your precepts.

Matthew 24:15

The Abomination of Desolation

24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation ³  – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Mark 13:14

The Abomination of Desolation

13:14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation ⁴  standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee ⁵  to the mountains.

Acts 8:34

8:34 Then the eunuch said ⁶  to Philip, “Please tell me, ⁷  who is the prophet saying this about – himself or someone else?” ⁸ 

Acts 8:1

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ⁹  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ¹⁰  persecution began ¹¹  against the church in Jerusalem, ¹²  and all ¹³  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ¹⁴  of Judea and Samaria.

Acts 4:13

4:13 When they saw the boldness ¹⁵  of Peter and John, and discovered ¹⁶  that they were uneducated ¹⁷  and ordinary ¹⁸  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:2

4:2 angry ¹⁹  because they were teaching the people and announcing ²⁰  in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

Acts 3:15-17

3:15 You killed ²¹  the Originator ²²  of life, whom God raised ²³  from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! ²⁴  3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ²⁵  name, ²⁶  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ²⁷  faith that is through Jesus ²⁸  has given him this complete health in the presence ²⁹  of you all. 3:17 And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, ³⁰  as your rulers did too.

Acts 3:1

Peter and John Heal a Lame Man at the Temple

3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time ³¹  for prayer, ³²  at three o’clock in the afternoon. ³³ 

Acts 1:10-12

1:10 As ³⁴  they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly ³⁵  two men in white clothing stood near them 1:11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here ³⁶  looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven ³⁷  will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”

A Replacement for Judas is Chosen

1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem ³⁸  from the mountain ³⁹  called the Mount of Olives ⁴⁰  (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey ⁴¹  away).

Acts 1:2

1:2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, ⁴²  after he had given orders ⁴³  by ⁴⁴  the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

Acts 1:19-21

1:19 This ⁴⁵  became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own language ⁴⁶  they called that field ⁴⁷  Hakeldama, that is, “Field of Blood.”) 1:20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his house become deserted, ⁴⁸  and let there be no one to live in it,’ ⁴⁹  and ‘Let another take his position of responsibility.’ ⁵⁰  1:21 Thus one of the men ⁵¹  who have accompanied us during all the time the Lord Jesus associated with ⁵²  us,

Revelation 1:3

1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this ⁵³  prophecy aloud, ⁵⁴  and blessed are ⁵⁵  those who hear and obey ⁵⁶  the things written in it, because the time is near! ⁵⁷ 

[8:16]  ¹ sn The only angels whose names are given in the OT are Gabriel (Dan 8:16; 9:21; cf. Luke 1:19, 26) and Michael (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; cf. Jude 9; Rev 12:7). The name Gabriel means in Hebrew “man of God,” and Michael means “who is like God?”

[119:24]  ² tn Heb “men of my counsel.” That is, God’s rules are like advisers to the psalmist, for they teach him how to live in a godly manner that refutes the accusations of his enemies.

[24:15]  ³ sn The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167 b.c., the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:14, 19, 24; Rev 3:10).

[13:14]  ⁴ sn The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167 b.c., the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:19, 24; Matt 24:21; Rev 3:10).

[13:14]  ⁵ sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.

[8:34]  ⁶ tn Grk “answered and said.” The redundant participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqei") has not been translated.

[8:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “I beg you,” “I ask you.”

[8:34]  ⁸ sn About himself, or about someone else? It is likely in 1st century Judaism this would have been understood as either Israel or Isaiah.

[8:1]  ⁹ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ¹³ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “countryside.”

[4:13]  ¹⁵ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ¹⁷ sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.

[4:13]  ¹⁸ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[4:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”

[4:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “proclaiming.”

[3:15]  ²¹ tn Or “You put to death.”

[3:15]  ²² tn Or “Founder,” “founding Leader.”

[3:15]  ²³ sn Whom God raised. God is the main actor here, as he testifies to Jesus and vindicates him.

[3:15]  ²⁴ tn Grk “whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the words “to this fact” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[3:16]  ²⁵ tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ²⁶ sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.

[3:16]  ²⁷ tn Grk “see and know, and the faith.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated.

[3:16]  ²⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ²⁹ tn Or “in full view.”

[3:17]  ³⁰ sn The ignorance Peter mentions here does not excuse them from culpability. It was simply a way to say “you did not realize the great mistake you made.”

[3:1]  ³¹ tn Grk “hour.”

[3:1]  ³² sn Going up to the temple at the time for prayer. The earliest Christians, being of Jewish roots, were still participating in the institutions of Judaism at this point. Their faith in Christ did not make them non-Jewish in their practices.

[3:1]  ³³ tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” This is calculated from sunrise (Josephus, Ant. 14.4.3 [14.65]; Dan 9:21).

[1:10]  ³⁴ tn Grk “And as.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:10]  ³⁵ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:11]  ³⁶ tn The word “here” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[1:11]  ³⁷ tc Codex Bezae (D) and several other witnesses lack the words εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν (ei" ton ouranon, “into heaven”) here, most likely by way of accidental deletion. In any event, it is hardly correct to suppose that the Western text has intentionally suppressed references to the ascension of Christ here, for the phrase is solidly attested in the final clause of the verse.

[1:12]  ³⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:12]  ³⁹ tn Or “from the hill.” The Greek term ὄρος (oros) refers to a relatively high elevation of land in contrast with βουνός (bounos, “hill”).

[1:12]  ⁴⁰ sn The Mount of Olives is the traditional name for this mountain, also called Olivet. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 1.8 mi (3 km) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 100 ft (30 m) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.

[1:12]  ⁴¹ sn The phrase a Sabbath day’s journey refers to the distance the rabbis permitted a person to travel on the Sabbath without breaking the Sabbath, specified in tractate Sotah 5:3 of the Mishnah as 2,000 cubits (a cubit was about 18 inches). In this case the distance was about half a mile (1 km).

[1:2]  ⁴² tn The words “to heaven” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied from v. 11. Several modern translations (NIV, NRSV) supply the words “to heaven” after “taken up” to specify the destination explicitly mentioned later in 1:11.

[1:2]  ⁴³ tn Or “commands.” Although some modern translations render ἐντειλάμενος (enteilameno") as “instructions” (NIV, NRSV), the word implies authority or official sanction (G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:545), so that a word like “orders” conveys the idea more effectively. The action of the temporal participle is antecedent (prior) to the action of the verb it modifies (“taken up”).

[1:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “through.”

[1:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “And this.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:19]  ⁴⁶ sn Their own language refers to Aramaic, the primary language spoken in Palestine in Jesus’ day.

[1:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “that field was called.” The passive voice has been converted to active in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.

[1:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “uninhabited” or “empty.”

[1:20]  ⁴⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 69:25.

[1:20]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “Let another take his office.”

[1:21]  ⁵¹ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, where a successor to Judas is being chosen, only men were under consideration in the original historical context.

[1:21]  ⁵² tn Grk “the Lord Jesus went in and out among us.” According to BDAG 294 s.v. εἰσέρχομαι 1.b.β, “ἐν παντὶ χρόνῳ ᾧ εἰσῆλθεν καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς went in and out among us = associated with us Ac 1:21.”

[1:3]  ⁵³ tn The word “this” is used to translate the Greek article τῆς (ths), bringing out its demonstrative force.

[1:3]  ⁵⁴ tn The word “aloud” has been supplied to indicate that in the original historical setting reading would usually refer to reading out loud in public rather than silently to oneself.

[1:3]  ⁵⁵ tn The words “blessed are” are repeated from the beginning of this verse for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

[1:3]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “keep.” L&N 36.19 has “to continue to obey orders or commandments – ‘to obey, to keep commandments, obedience.’”

[1:3]  ⁵⁷ sn The time refers to the time when the things prophesied would happen.