John 3:2

3:2 came to Jesus ¹  at night ²  and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs ³  that you do unless God is with him.”

John 5:36

5:36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds ⁴  that the Father has assigned me to complete – the deeds ⁵  I am now doing – testify about me that the Father has sent me.

Acts 2:22

2:22 “Men of Israel, ⁶  listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, ⁷  wonders, and miraculous signs ⁸  that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know –

Acts 4:8-12

4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁹  replied, ¹⁰  “Rulers of the people and elders, ¹¹  4:9 if ¹²  we are being examined ¹³  today for a good deed ¹⁴  done to a sick man – by what means this man was healed ¹⁵  – 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ ¹⁶  the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. 4:11 This Jesus ¹⁷  is the stone that was rejected by you, ¹⁸  the builders, that has become the cornerstone. ¹⁹  4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people ²⁰  by which we must ²¹  be saved.”

[3:2]  ¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ² tn Or “during the night.”

[3:2]  ³ sn The reference to signs (σημεῖα, shmeia) forms a link with John 2:23-25. Those people in Jerusalem believed in Jesus because of the signs he had performed. Nicodemus had apparently seen them too. But for Nicodemus all the signs meant is that Jesus was a great teacher sent from God. His approach to Jesus was well-intentioned but theologically inadequate; he had failed to grasp the messianic implications of the miraculous signs.

[5:36]  ⁴ tn Or “works.”

[5:36]  ⁵ tn Grk “complete, which I am now doing”; the referent of the relative pronoun has been specified by repeating “deeds” from the previous clause.

[2:22]  ⁶ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Peter’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[2:22]  ⁷ tn Or “miraculous deeds.”

[2:22]  ⁸ tn Again, the context indicates the miraculous nature of these signs, and this is specified in the translation.

[4:8]  ⁹ sn Filled with the Holy Spirit. The narrator’s remark about the Holy Spirit indicates that Peter speaks as directed by God and for God. This fulfills Luke 12:11-12 (1 Pet 3:15).

[4:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Spirit, said to them.”

[4:8]  ¹¹ tc The Western and Byzantine texts, as well as one or two Alexandrian witnesses, read τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (tou Israhl, “of Israel”) after πρεσβύτεροι (presbuteroi, “elders”; so D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï it), while most of the better witnesses, chiefly Alexandrian (Ì⁷⁴ א A B 0165 1175 vg sa bo), lack this modifier. The longer reading was most likely added by scribes to give literary balance to the addressees in that “Rulers” already had an adjunct while “elders” was left absolute.

[4:9]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinw) points to an examination similar to a legal one.

[4:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for an act of kindness.”

[4:9]  ¹⁵ tn Or “delivered” (σέσωται [seswtai], from σώζω [swzw]). See 4:12.

[4:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[4:11]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ¹⁸ tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.

[4:11]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.

[4:12]  ²⁰ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[4:12]  ²¹ sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.