Exodus 4:11

4:11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave ¹  a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ² 

The Song of Songs 7:9

7:9 May your mouth ³  be like the best wine,

flowing smoothly for my beloved,

gliding gently over our lips as we sleep together. ⁴ 

Luke 21:14-15

21:14 Therefore be resolved ⁵  not to rehearse ⁶  ahead of time how to make your defense. 21:15 For I will give you the words ⁷  along with the wisdom ⁸  that none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Acts 2:4-12

2:4 All ⁹  of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages ¹⁰  as the Spirit enabled them. ¹¹ 

2:5 Now there were devout Jews ¹²  from every nation under heaven residing in Jerusalem. ¹³  2:6 When this sound ¹⁴  occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, ¹⁵  because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 2:7 Completely baffled, they said, ¹⁶  “Aren’t ¹⁷  all these who are speaking Galileans? 2:8 And how is it that each one of us hears them ¹⁸  in our own native language? ¹⁹  2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, ²⁰  2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, ²¹  and visitors from Rome, ²²  2:11 both Jews and proselytes, ²³  Cretans and Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!” ²⁴  2:12 All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Acts 4:13

4:13 When they saw the boldness ²⁵  of Peter and John, and discovered ²⁶  that they were uneducated ²⁷  and ordinary ²⁸  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

[4:11]  ¹ tn The verb שִׂים (sim) means “to place, put, set”; the sentence here more precisely says, “Who put a mouth into a man?”

[4:11]  ² sn The final question obviously demands a positive answer. But the clause is worded in such a way as to return to the theme of “I AM.” Isaiah 45:5-7 developed this same idea of God’s control over life. Moses protests that he is not an eloquent speaker, and the Lord replies with reminders about himself and promises, “I will be with your mouth,” an assertion that repeats the verb he used four times in 3:12 and 14 and in promises to Isaac and Jacob (Gen 26:3; 31:3).

[7:9]  ³ tn The term חֵךְ (khek, “palate, mouth”) is often used as a metonymy for what the mouth produces, e.g., the mouth is the organ of taste (Ps 119:103; Job 12:11; 20:13; 34:3; Prov 24:13; Song 2:3), speech (Job 6:30; 31:30; 33:2; Prov 5:3; 8:7), sound (Hos 8:1), and kisses (Song 5:16; 7:10) (HALOT 313 s.v. חֵךְ; BDB 335 s.v. חֵךְ). The metonymical association of her palate/mouth and her kisses is made explicit by RSV which translated the term as “kisses.”

[7:9]  ⁴ tc The MT reads שִׁפְתֵי יְשֵׁנִים (shifte yÿshenim, “lips of those who sleep”). However, an alternate Hebrew reading of שְׂפָתַי וְשִׁנָּי (sÿfata vÿsinna, “my lips and my teeth”) is suggested by the Greek tradition (LXX, Aquila, Symmachus): χείλεσίν μου καὶ ὀδοῦσιν (ceilesin mou kai odousin, “my lips and teeth”). This alternate reading, with minor variations, is followed by NAB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, NLT.

[21:14]  ⁵ tn Grk “determine in your hearts.”

[21:14]  ⁶ tn This term could refer to rehearsing a speech or a dance. On its syntax, see BDF §392.2.

[21:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “a mouth.” It is a metonymy and refers to the reply the Lord will give to them.

[21:15]  ⁸ tn Grk “and wisdom.”

[2:4]  ⁹ tn Grk “And all.” 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.

[2:4]  ¹⁰ tn The Greek term is γλώσσαις (glwssai"), the same word used for the tongues of fire.

[2:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “just as the spirit gave them to utter.” The verb ἀποφθέγγομαι (apofqengomai) was used of special utterances in Classical Greek (BDAG 125 s.v.).

[2:5]  ¹² tn Grk “Jews, devout men.” It is possible that only men are in view here in light of OT commands for Jewish men to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem at various times during the year (cf. Exod 23:17, 34:23; Deut 16:16). However, other evidence seems to indicate that both men and women might be in view. Luke 2:41-52 shows that whole families would make the temporary trip to Jerusalem. In addition, it is probable that the audience consisted of families who had taken up permanent residence in Jerusalem. The verb κατοικέω (katoikew) normally means “reside” or “dwell,” and archaeological evidence from tombs in Jerusalem does indicate that many families immigrated to Jerusalem permanently (see B. Witherington, Acts, 135); this would naturally include women. Also, the word ἀνήρ (ajnhr), which usually does mean “male” or “man” (as opposed to woman), sometimes is used generically to mean “a person” (BDAG 79 s.v. 2; cf. Matt 12:41). Given this evidence, then, it is conceivable that the audience in view here is not individual male pilgrims but a mixed group of men and women.

[2:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “Now there were residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.”

[2:6]  ¹⁴ tn Or “this noise.”

[2:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “was bewildered.”

[2:7]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “They were astounded and amazed, saying.” The two imperfect verbs, ἐξίσταντο (existanto) and ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon), show both the surprise and the confusion on the part of the hearers. The verb ἐξίσταντο (from ἐξίστημι, existhmi) often implies an illogical perception or response (BDAG 350 s.v. ἐξίστημι): “to be so astonished as to almost fail to comprehend what one has experienced” (L&N 25.218).

[2:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Behold, aren’t all these.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:8]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “we hear them, each one of us.”

[2:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “in our own language in which we were born.”

[2:9]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[2:10]  ²¹ tn According to BDAG 595 s.v. Λιβύη, the western part of Libya, Libya Cyrenaica, is referred to here (see also Josephus, Ant. 16.6.1 [16.160] for a similar phrase).

[2:10]  ²² map For location see JP4 A1.

[2:11]  ²³ sn Proselytes refers to Gentile (i.e., non-Jewish) converts to Judaism.

[2:11]  ²⁴ tn Or “God’s mighty works.” Here the genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a subjective genitive.

[4:13]  ²⁵ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ²⁶ tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.