Deuteronomy 5:26

5:26 Who is there from the entire human race ¹  who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the middle of the fire as we have, and has lived?

Psalms 42:2

42:2 I thirst ²  for God,

for the living God.

I say, ³  “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?” ⁴ 

Daniel 6:26

6:26 I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God;

he endures forever.

His kingdom will not be destroyed;

his authority is forever. ⁵ 

Acts 14:15

14:15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures ⁶  just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn ⁷  from these worthless ⁸  things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, ⁹  the sea, and everything that is in them.

Acts 14:1

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14:1 The same thing happened in Iconium ¹⁰  when Paul and Barnabas ¹¹  went into the Jewish synagogue ¹²  and spoke in such a way that a large group ¹³  of both Jews and Greeks believed.

Acts 1:9

1:9 After ¹⁴  he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight.

[5:26]  ¹ tn Heb “who is there of all flesh.”

[42:2]  ² tn Or “my soul thirsts.”

[42:2]  ³ tn The words “I say” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

[42:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “When will I go and appear [to] the face of God?” Some emend the Niphal verbal form אֵרָאֶה (’era’eh, “I will appear”) to a Qal אֶרְאֶה (’er’eh, “I will see”; see Gen 33:10), but the Niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of אֶת (’et) before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).

[6:26]  ⁵ tn Aram “until the end.”

[14:15]  ⁶ tn Grk “with the same kinds of feelings,” L&N 25.32. BDAG 706 s.v. ὁμοιοπαθής translates the phrase “with the same nature τινί as someone.” In the immediate context, the contrast is between human and divine nature, and the point is that Paul and Barnabas are mere mortals, not gods.

[14:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “in order that you should turn,” with ἐπιστρέφειν (epistrefein) as an infinitive of purpose, but this is somewhat awkward contemporary English. To translate the infinitive construction “proclaim the good news, that you should turn,” which is much smoother English, could give the impression that the infinitive clause is actually the content of the good news, which it is not. The somewhat less formal “to get you to turn” would work, but might convey to some readers manipulativeness on the part of the apostles. Thus “proclaim the good news, so that you should turn,” is used, to convey that the purpose of the proclamation of good news is the response by the hearers. The emphasis here is like 1 Thess 1:9-10.

[14:15]  ⁸ tn Or “useless,” “futile.” The reference is to idols and idolatry, worshiping the creation over the Creator (Rom 1:18-32). See also 1 Kgs 16:2, 13, 26; 2 Kgs 17:15; Jer 2:5; 8:19; 3 Macc 6:11.

[14:15]  ⁹ tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[14:1]  ¹⁰ sn Iconium. See the note in 13:51.

[14:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “they”; the referents (Paul and Barnabas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:1]  ¹² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[14:1]  ¹³ tn Or “that a large crowd.”

[1:9]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And after.” 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.