Isaiah 60:3

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

Isaiah 60:5

60:5 Then you will look and smile, ¹ 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ² 

For the riches of distant lands ³  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

Isaiah 66:12

66:12 For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,

the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. ⁴ 

You will nurse from her breast ⁵  and be carried at her side;

you will play on her knees.

Isaiah 66:19

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ⁶  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ⁷  Lud ⁸  (known for its archers ⁹ ), Tubal, Javan, ¹⁰  and to the distant coastlands ¹¹  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.

Matthew 2:1-2

The Visit of the Wise Men

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem ¹²  in Judea, in the time ¹³  of King Herod, ¹⁴  wise men ¹⁵  from the East came to Jerusalem ¹⁶  2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ¹⁷  and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 8:11

8:11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet ¹⁸  with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ¹⁹  in the kingdom of heaven,

Matthew 12:21

12:21 And in his name the Gentiles ²⁰  will hope.” ²¹ 

Luke 2:32

2:32 a light, ²² 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ²³  to your people Israel.”

John 12:20-21

Seekers

12:20 Now some Greeks ²⁴  were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. 12:21 So these approached Philip, ²⁵  who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, ²⁶  “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

Acts 11:18

11:18 When they heard this, ²⁷  they ceased their objections ²⁸  and praised ²⁹  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ³⁰  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ³¹ 

Acts 26:17-18

26:17 I will rescue ³²  you from your own people ³³  and from the Gentiles, to whom ³⁴  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ³⁵  from darkness to light and from the power ³⁶  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ³⁷  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Acts 28:28

28:28 “Therefore be advised ³⁸  that this salvation from God ³⁹  has been sent to the Gentiles; ⁴⁰  they ⁴¹  will listen!”

Romans 15:9-12

15:9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. ⁴²  As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.” ⁴³  15:10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” ⁴⁴  15:11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” ⁴⁵  15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” ⁴⁶ 

[60:5]  ¹ tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:5]  ² tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”

[60:5]  ³ tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.

[66:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “Look, I am ready to extend to her like a river prosperity [or “peace”], and like an overflowing stream, the riches of nations.”

[66:12]  ⁵ tn The words “from her breast” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 11).

[66:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

[66:19]  ⁷ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ⁸ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ¹⁰ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ¹¹ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[2:1]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[2:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “in the days.”

[2:1]  ¹⁴ sn King Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.

[2:1]  ¹⁵ sn The Greek term magi here describes a class of wise men and priests who were astrologers (L&N 32.40).

[2:1]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:2]  ¹⁷ tn Or “in its rising,” referring to the astrological significance of a star in a particular portion of the sky. The term used for the “East” in v. 1 is ἀνατολαί (anatolai, a plural form that is used typically of the rising of the sun), while in vv. 2 and 9 the singular ἀνατολή (anatolh) is used. The singular is typically used of the rising of a star and as such should not normally be translated “in the east” (cf. BDAG 74 s.v. 1: “because of the sg. and the article in contrast to ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, vs. 1, [it is] prob. not a geograph. expr. like the latter, but rather astronomical…likew. vs. 9”).

[8:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery. The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of being among the people of God at the end.

[8:11]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[12:21]  ²⁰ tn Or “the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[12:21]  ²¹ sn Verses 18-21 are a quotation from Isa 42:1-4.

[2:32]  ²² tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.

[2:32]  ²³ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.

[12:20]  ²⁴ sn These Greeks (῞Ελληνές τινες, {ellhne" tine") who had come up to worship at the feast were probably “God-fearers” rather than proselytes in the strict sense. Had they been true proselytes, they would probably not have been referred to as Greeks any longer. Many came to worship at the major Jewish festivals without being proselytes to Judaism, for example, the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:27, who could not have been a proselyte if he were physically a eunuch.

[12:21]  ²⁵ sn These Greeks approached Philip, although it is not clear why they did so. Perhaps they identified with his Greek name (although a number of Jews from border areas had Hellenistic names at this period). By see it is clear they meant “speak with,” since anyone could “see” Jesus moving through the crowd. The author does not mention what they wanted to speak with Jesus about.

[12:21]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and were asking him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[11:18]  ²⁷ tn Grk “these things.”

[11:18]  ²⁸ tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.

[11:18]  ²⁹ tn Or “glorified.”

[11:18]  ³⁰ sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).

[11:18]  ³¹ sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.

[26:17]  ³² tn Grk “rescuing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ἐξαιρούμενος (exairoumeno") has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 17.

[26:17]  ³³ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ³⁴ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is probably both the Jews (“your own people”) and the Gentiles, indicating the comprehensive commission Paul received.

[26:18]  ³⁵ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ³⁶ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ³⁷ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[28:28]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”

[28:28]  ³⁹ tn Or “of God.”

[28:28]  ⁴⁰ sn The term Gentiles is in emphatic position in the Greek text of this clause. Once again there is the pattern: Jewish rejection of the gospel leads to an emphasis on Gentile inclusion (Acts 13:44-47).

[28:28]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “they also.”

[15:9]  ⁴² tn There are two major syntactical alternatives which are both awkward: (1) One could make “glorify” dependent on “Christ has become a minister” and coordinate with “to confirm” and the result would be rendered “Christ has become a minister of circumcision to confirm the promises…and so that the Gentiles might glorify God.” (2) One could make “glorify” dependent on “I tell you” and coordinate with “Christ has become a minister” and the result would be rendered “I tell you that Christ has become a minister of circumcision…and that the Gentiles glorify God.” The second rendering is preferred.

[15:9]  ⁴³ sn A quotation from Ps 18:49.

[15:10]  ⁴⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 32:43.

[15:11]  ⁴⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 117:1.

[15:12]  ⁴⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 11:10.