Isaiah 35:5-6

35:5 Then blind eyes will open,

deaf ears will hear.

35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,

the mute tongue will shout for joy;

for water will flow ¹  in the desert,

streams in the wilderness. ² 

John 5:8-14

5:8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up! Pick up your mat ³  and walk.” 5:9 Immediately the man was healed, ⁴  and he picked up his mat ⁵  and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.) ⁶ 

5:10 So the Jewish leaders ⁷  said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.” ⁸  5:11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat ⁹  and walk.’” 5:12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat ¹⁰  and walk’?” ¹¹  5:13 But the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped out, since there was a crowd in that place.

5:14 After this Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well. Don’t sin any more, ¹²  lest anything worse happen to you.”

John 5:17-18

5:17 So he ¹³  told ¹⁴  them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” ¹⁵  5:18 For this reason the Jewish leaders ¹⁶  were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God.

Acts 3:6-11

3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, ¹⁷  but what I do have I give you. In the name ¹⁸  of Jesus Christ ¹⁹  the Nazarene, stand up and ²⁰  walk!” 3:7 Then ²¹  Peter ²²  took hold ²³  of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s ²⁴  feet and ankles were made strong. ²⁵  3:8 He ²⁶  jumped up, ²⁷  stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts ²⁸  with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 3:9 All ²⁹  the people saw him walking and praising God, 3:10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations ³⁰  at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement ³¹  at what had happened to him.

Peter Addresses the Crowd

3:11 While the man ³²  was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway ³³  called Solomon’s Portico. ³⁴ 

Acts 3:16

3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ³⁵  name, ³⁶  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ³⁷  faith that is through Jesus ³⁸  has given him this complete health in the presence ³⁹  of you all.

Acts 4:9-10

4:9 if ⁴⁰  we are being examined ⁴¹  today for a good deed ⁴²  done to a sick man – by what means this man was healed ⁴³  – 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ ⁴⁴  the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy.

Acts 9:34

9:34 Peter ⁴⁵  said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ ⁴⁶  heals you. Get up and make your own bed!” ⁴⁷  And immediately he got up.

Acts 14:8-11

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

14:8 In ⁴⁸  Lystra ⁴⁹  sat a man who could not use his feet, ⁵⁰  lame from birth, ⁵¹  who had never walked. 14:9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul ⁵²  stared ⁵³  intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed, 14:10 he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” ⁵⁴  And the man ⁵⁵  leaped up and began walking. ⁵⁶  14:11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted ⁵⁷  in the Lycaonian language, ⁵⁸  “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ⁵⁹ 

[35:6]  ¹ tn Heb “burst forth” (so NAB); KJV “break out.”

[35:6]  ² tn Or “Arabah” (NASB); KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT “desert.”

[5:8]  ³ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” Some of these items, however, are rather substantial (e.g., “mattress”) and would probably give the modern English reader a false impression.

[5:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “became well.”

[5:9]  ⁵ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in the previous verse.

[5:9]  ⁶ tn Grk “Now it was Sabbath on that day.”

[5:10]  ⁷ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9).

[5:10]  ⁸ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.

[5:11]  ⁹ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.

[5:12]  ¹⁰ tc While a number of mss, especially the later ones (A^c C³ D Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt sy), include the words τον κραβ(β)ατ(τ)ον σου (ton krab(b)at(t)on sou, “your mat”) here, the earliest and best (Ì^66,75 א B C* L) do not. Nevertheless, in the translation, it is necessary to supply the words due to the demands of English style, which does not typically allow for understood or implied direct objects as Greek does.

[5:12]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Pick up and walk”; the object (the mat) is implied but not repeated.

[5:14]  ¹² tn Since this is a prohibition with a present imperative, the translation “stop sinning” is sometimes suggested. This is not likely, however, since the present tense is normally used in prohibitions involving a general condition (as here) while the aorist tense is normally used in specific instances. Only when used opposite the normal usage (the present tense in a specific instance, for example) would the meaning “stop doing what you are doing” be appropriate.

[5:17]  ¹³ tc ‡ Most witnesses (Ì⁶⁶ A D L Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt co) have ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsou", “Jesus”) here, while generally better witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א B W {0141} 892 1241 pbo) lack the name. Although it is possible that Alexandrian scribes deleted the name due to proclivities to prune, this is not as likely as other witnesses adding it for clarification, especially since multiple strands of the Alexandrian text are represented in the shorter reading. NA²⁷ places the word in brackets, indicating some doubts as to authenticity.

[5:17]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answered.”

[5:17]  ¹⁵ sn “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” What is the significance of Jesus’ claim? A preliminary understanding can be obtained from John 5:18, noting the Jewish authorities’ response and the author’s comment. They sought to kill Jesus, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God. This must be seen in the context of the relation of God to the Sabbath rest. In the commandment (Exod 20:11) it is explained that “In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth…and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Philo, based on the LXX translation of Exod 20:11, denied outright that God had ever ceased his creative activity. And when Rabban Gamaliel II, R. Joshua, R. Eleazar ben Azariah, and R. Akiba were in Rome, ca. a.d. 95, they gave as a rebuttal to sectarian arguments evidence that God might do as he willed in the world without breaking the Sabbath because the entire world was his private residence. So even the rabbis realized that God did not really cease to work on the Sabbath: Divine providence remained active on the Sabbath, otherwise, all nature and life would cease to exist. As regards men, divine activity was visible in two ways: Men were born and men died on the Sabbath. Since only God could give life and only God could deal with the fate of the dead in judgment, this meant God was active on the Sabbath. This seems to be the background for Jesus’ words in 5:17. He justified his work of healing on the Sabbath by reminding the Jewish authorities that they admitted God worked on the Sabbath. This explains the violence of the reaction. The Sabbath privilege was peculiar to God, and no one was equal to God. In claiming the right to work even as his Father worked, Jesus was claiming a divine prerogative. He was literally making himself equal to God, as 5:18 goes on to state explicitly for the benefit of the reader who might not have made the connection.

[5:18]  ¹⁶ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.

[3:6]  ¹⁷ tn Or “I have no money.” L&N 6.69 classifies the expression ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον (argurion kai crusion) as an idiom that is a generic expression for currency, thus “money.”

[3:6]  ¹⁸ sn In the name. Note the authority in the name of Jesus the Messiah. His presence and power are at work for the man. The reference to “the name” is not like a magical incantation, but is designed to indicate the agent who performs the healing. The theme is quite frequent in Acts (2:38 plus 21 other times).

[3:6]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[3:6]  ²⁰ tc The words “stand up and” (ἔγειρε καί, egeire kai) are not in a few mss (א B D sa), but are included in A C E Ψ 095 33 1739 Ï lat sy mae bo. The external testimony is thus fairly evenly divided, with few but important representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes supporting the shorter reading. Internally, the words look like a standard scribal emendation, and may have been motivated by other healing passages where Jesus gave a similar double command (cf. Matt 9:5; Mark 2:9, [11]; Luke 5:23; [6:8]; John 5:8). On the other hand, there is some motivation for deleting ἔγειρε καί here, namely, unlike Jesus’ healing miracles, Peter raises (ἤγειρεν, hgeiren) the man to his feet (v. 7) rather than the man rising on his own. In light of the scribal tendency to harmonize, especially in immediate context, the longer reading is slightly preferred.

[3:7]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to reflect the sequence of events.

[3:7]  ²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ²³ tn Grk “Peter taking hold of him…raised him up.” The participle πιάσας (piasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[3:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ²⁵ sn At once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. Note that despite the past lameness, the man is immediately able to walk. The restoration of his ability to walk pictures the presence of a renewed walk, a fresh start at life; this was far more than money would have given him.

[3:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[3:8]  ²⁷ tn Grk “Jumping up, he stood.” The participle ἐξαλλόμενος (exallomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. It is possible that the paralyzed man actually jumped off the ground, but more probably this term simply refers to the speed with which he stood up. See L&N 15.240.

[3:8]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:9]  ²⁹ 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.

[3:10]  ³⁰ tn Grk “alms,” but this term is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “donations,” is used instead. The idea is that of a donation to charity.

[3:10]  ³¹ sn Amazement is a frequent response to miracles of Jesus or the apostles. These took the ancients by as much surprise as they would people today. But in terms of response to what God is doing, amazement does not equal faith (Luke 4:36; 5:9, 26; 7:16).

[3:11]  ³² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ³³ tn Or “portico,” “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.” The translation “covered walkway” (a descriptive translation) was used here because the architectural term “portico” or “colonnade” is less familiar. However, the more technical term “portico” was retained in the actual name that follows.

[3:11]  ³⁴ sn Solomon’s Portico was a covered walkway formed by rows of columns supporting a roof and open on the inner side facing the center of the temple complex. It was located on the east side of the temple (Josephus, Ant. 15.11.3-5 [15.391-420], 20.9.7 [20.221]) and was a place of commerce and conversation.

[3:16]  ³⁵ tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:16]  ³⁹ tn Or “in full view.”

[4:9]  ⁴⁰ tn This clause is a first class condition. It assumes for the sake of argument that this is what they were being questioned about.

[4:9]  ⁴¹ tn Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinw) points to an examination similar to a legal one.

[4:9]  ⁴² tn Or “for an act of kindness.”

[4:9]  ⁴³ tn Or “delivered” (σέσωται [seswtai], from σώζω [swzw]). See 4:12.

[4:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[9:34]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “And Peter.” 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.

[9:34]  ⁴⁶ tc ‡ Several variants occur at this juncture. Some of the earliest and best witnesses (Ì⁷⁴ א B* C Ψ 33^vid Did^pt) read “Jesus Christ” (᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, Ihsou" Cristo"); others ([A] 36 1175 it) have “the Lord Jesus Christ” (ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, Jo kurio" Ihsou" Cristo"); a few read simply ὁ Χριστός (614 1241 1505); the majority of mss (B² E 1739 Ï Did^pt) have “Jesus the Christ” ( ᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ Χριστός). Although the pedigree of this last reading is relatively weak, it draws strength from the fact that (a) the other readings are much more natural and thus more predictable, and (b) there are several variants for this text. It seems hardly likely that scribes would intentionally change a more common expression into a title that is used nowhere else in the NT (although 1 John 2:22; 5:1 come close with “Jesus is the Christ”), nor would they unintentionally change a frequently used designation into an unusual one. Thus, in spite of the external evidence (which is nevertheless sufficient to argue for authenticity), ᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ Χριστός is the reading that best explains the rise of the others.

[9:34]  ⁴⁷ tn The translation “make your own bed” for στρῶσον σεαυτῷ (strwson seautw) is given by BDAG 949 s.v. στρωννύω 1. Naturally this involves some adaptation, since a pallet or mat would not be ‘made up’ in the sense that a modern bed would be. The idea may be closer to “straighten” or “rearrange,” and the NIV’s “take care of your mat” attempts to reflect this, although this too probably conveys a slightly different idea to the modern English reader.

[14:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “And in.” 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.

[14:8]  ⁴⁹ sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) south of Iconium.

[14:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “powerless in his feet,” meaning he was unable to use his feet to walk.

[14:8]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “lame from his mother’s womb” (an idiom).

[14:9]  ⁵² tn Grk “speaking, who.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the noun “Paul,” and a new sentence begun in the translation because an English relative clause would be very awkward here.

[14:9]  ⁵³ tn Or “looked.”

[14:10]  ⁵⁴ tn BDAG 722 s.v. ὀρθός 1.a has “stand upright on your feet.”

[14:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:10]  ⁵⁶ tn This verb is imperfect tense in contrast to the previous verb, which is aorist. It has been translated ingressively, since the start of a sequence is in view here.

[14:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “they lifted up their voice” (an idiom).

[14:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “in Lycaonian, saying.” The word “language” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[14:11]  ⁵⁹ tn So BDAG 707 s.v. ὁμοιόω 1. However, L&N 64.4 takes the participle ὁμοιωθέντες (Jomoiwqente") as an adjectival participle modifying θεοί (qeoi): “the gods resembling men have come down to us.”