Exodus 22:28

22:28 “You must not blaspheme ¹  God ²  or curse the ruler of your people.

Acts 23:5

23:5 Paul replied, ³  “I did not realize, ⁴  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ⁵ 

Acts 23:1

23:1 Paul looked directly ⁶  at the council ⁷  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ⁸  before God to this day.”

Acts 2:17

2:17 ‘And in the last days ⁹  it will be,’ God says,

‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, ¹⁰ 

and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

and your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

[22:28]  ¹ tn The two verbs in this verse are synonyms: קָלַל (qalal) means “to treat lightly, curse,” and אָרַר (’arar) means “to curse.”

[22:28]  ² tn The word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is “gods” or “God.” If taken as the simple plural, it could refer to the human judges, as it has in the section of laws; this would match the parallelism in the verse. If it was taken to refer to God, then the idea of cursing God would be more along the line of blasphemy. B. Jacob says that the word refers to functioning judges, and that would indirectly mean God, for they represented the religious authority, and the prince the civil authority (Exodus, 708).

[23:5]  ³ tn Grk “said.”

[23:5]  ⁴ tn Or “know.”

[23:5]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.

[23:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:1]  ⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:1]  ⁸ tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”

[2:17]  ⁹ sn The phrase in the last days is not quoted from Joel, but represents Peter’s interpretive explanation of the current events as falling “in the last days.”

[2:17]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “on all flesh.”