Genesis 9:27

9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! ¹ 

May he live ²  in the tents of Shem

and may Canaan be his slave!”

Acts 19:8

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul ³  entered ⁴  the synagogue ⁵  and spoke out fearlessly ⁶  for three months, addressing ⁷  and convincing ⁸  them about the kingdom of God. ⁹ 

Acts 26:28

26:28 Agrippa ¹⁰  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ¹¹ 

Acts 28:23

28:23 They set ¹²  a day to meet with him, ¹³  and they came to him where he was staying ¹⁴  in even greater numbers. ¹⁵  From morning until evening he explained things ¹⁶  to them, ¹⁷  testifying ¹⁸  about the kingdom of God ¹⁹  and trying to convince ²⁰  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.

Acts 28:2

28:2 The local inhabitants ²¹  showed us extraordinary ²²  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ²³  and was cold.

Colossians 1:11

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ²⁴  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

[9:27]  ¹ tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ² tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).

[19:8]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:8]  ⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[19:8]  ⁶ tn Or “boldly.”

[19:8]  ⁷ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 19:8. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[19:8]  ⁸ tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomeno" and peiqwn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”

[19:8]  ⁹ sn To talk about Jesus as the Christ who has come is to talk about the kingdom of God. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28.

[26:28]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ¹¹ tn Or “In a short time you will make me a Christian.” On the difficulty of the precise nuances of Agrippa’s reply in this passage, see BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b. The idiom is like 1 Kgs 21:7 LXX. The point is that Paul was trying to persuade Agrippa to accept his message. If Agrippa had let Paul persuade him, he would have converted to Christianity.

[28:23]  ¹² tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ¹³ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ¹⁴ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ¹⁵ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ¹⁶ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[28:23]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:23]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”

[28:23]  ¹⁹ sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.

[28:23]  ²⁰ tn Or “persuade.”

[28:2]  ²¹ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:2]  ²² tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ²³ tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”

[1:11]  ²⁴ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.