Luke 20:4-5

20:4 John’s baptism ¹  – was it from heaven or from people?” ²  20:5 So ³  they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

Isaiah 28:12-13

28:12 In the past he said to them, ⁴ 

“This is where security can be found.

Provide security for the one who is exhausted!

This is where rest can be found.” ⁵ 

But they refused to listen.

28:13 So the Lord’s word to them will sound like

meaningless gibberish,

senseless babbling,

a syllable here, a syllable there. ⁶ 

As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk, ⁷ 

and be injured, ensnared, and captured. ⁸ 

Isaiah 29:11-12

29:11 To you this entire prophetic revelation ⁹  is like words in a sealed scroll. When they hand it to one who can read ¹⁰  and say, “Read this,” he responds, “I can’t, because it is sealed.” 29:12 Or when they hand the scroll to one who can’t read ¹¹  and say, “Read this,” he says, “I can’t read.” ¹² 

Jeremiah 5:4-5

5:4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. ¹³ 

They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. ¹⁴ 

They do not know what their God requires of them. ¹⁵ 

5:5 I will go to the leaders ¹⁶ 

and speak with them.

Surely they know what the Lord demands. ¹⁷ 

Surely they know what their God requires of them.” ¹⁸ 

Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority

and refuse to submit to him. ¹⁹ 

Jeremiah 6:10

6:10 I answered, ²⁰ 

“Who would listen

if I spoke to them and warned them? ²¹ 

Their ears are so closed ²² 

that they cannot hear!

Indeed, ²³  what the Lord says is offensive to them.

They do not like it at all. ²⁴ 

Jeremiah 6:16-17

6:16 The Lord said to his people: ²⁵ 

“You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. ²⁶ 

Ask where the old, reliable paths ²⁷  are.

Ask where the path is that leads to blessing ²⁸  and follow it.

If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”

But they said, “We will not follow it!”

6:17 The Lord said, ²⁹ 

“I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, ³⁰  saying:

‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’” ³¹ 

But they said, “We will not pay attention!”

Matthew 22:5-6

22:5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 22:6 The ³²  rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them.

John 1:11

1:11 He came to what was his own, ³³  but ³⁴  his own people ³⁵  did not receive him. ³⁶ 

John 5:40

5:40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

Acts 13:45-46

13:45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, ³⁷  and they began to contradict ³⁸  what Paul was saying ³⁹  by reviling him. ⁴⁰  13:46 Both Paul and Barnabas replied courageously, ⁴¹  “It was necessary to speak the word of God ⁴²  to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy ⁴³  of eternal life, we ⁴⁴  are turning to the Gentiles. ⁴⁵ 

Acts 18:5-6

18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived ⁴⁶  from Macedonia, ⁴⁷  Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming ⁴⁸  the word, testifying ⁴⁹  to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁵⁰  18:6 When they opposed him ⁵¹  and reviled him, ⁵²  he protested by shaking out his clothes ⁵³  and said to them, “Your blood ⁵⁴  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ⁵⁵  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!”

Acts 28:25-27

28:25 So they began to leave, ⁵⁶  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ⁵⁷  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ⁵⁸  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ⁵⁹  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ⁶⁰ 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ⁶¹ 

and they have closed their eyes,

so that they would not see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, ⁶²  and I would heal them.”’ ⁶³ 

[20:4]  ¹ sn John, like Jesus, was not a part of the official rabbinic order. So the question “John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from men?” draws an analogy between John the Baptist and Jesus. See Luke 3:1-20; 7:24-27. The phrase John’s baptism refers to the baptism practiced by John.

[20:4]  ² tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used here (and in v. 6) in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NAB, NRSV, “of human origin”; TEV, “from human beings”; NLT, “merely human”).

[20:5]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ question.

[28:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “who said to them.”

[28:12]  ⁵ sn This message encapsulates the Lord’s invitation to his people to find security in his protection and blessing.

[28:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “And the word of the Lord will be to them, ‘tsahv latsahv,’ etc.” See the note at v. 10. In this case the “Lord’s word” is not the foreigner’s strange sounding words (as in v. 10), but the Lord’s repeated appeals to them (like the one quoted in v. 12). As time goes on, the Lord’s appeals through the prophets will have no impact on the people; they will regard prophetic preaching as gibberish.

[28:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “as a result they will go and stumble backward.” Perhaps an infant falling as it attempts to learn to walk is the background image here (cf. v. 9b). The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) could be taken as indicating purpose (“in order that”), rather than simple result. In this case the people’s insensitivity to the message is caused by the Lord as a means of expediting their downfall.

[28:13]  ⁸ sn When divine warnings and appeals become gibberish to the spiritually insensitive, they have no guidance and are doomed to destruction.

[29:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “vision” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[29:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “one who knows a/the scroll.”

[29:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and if the scroll is handed to one who does not know a scroll.”

[29:12]  ¹² tn Heb “I do not know a scroll.”

[5:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “Surely they are poor.” The translation is intended to make clear the explicit contrasts and qualifications drawn in this verse and the next.

[5:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[5:5]  ¹⁶ tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”

[5:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[5:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Compare Jer 2:20 and the note there.

[6:10]  ²⁰ tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[6:10]  ²¹ tn Or “To whom shall I speak? To whom shall I give warning? Who will listen?” Heb “Unto whom shall I speak and give warning that they may listen?”

[6:10]  ²² tn Heb “are uncircumcised.”

[6:10]  ²³ tn Heb “Behold!”

[6:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “They do not take pleasure in it.”

[6:16]  ²⁵ tn The words, “to his people” are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.

[6:16]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Stand at the crossroads and look.”

[6:16]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the ancient path,” i.e., the path the Lord set out in ancient times (cf. Deut 32:7).

[6:16]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the way of/to the good.”

[6:17]  ²⁹ tn These words are not in the text but are implicit in the interchange of pronouns in the Hebrew of vv. 16-17. They are supplied in the translation here for clarity.

[6:17]  ³⁰ tn Heb “I appointed watchmen over you.”

[6:17]  ³¹ tn Heb “Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet.” The word “warning” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[22:6]  ³² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[1:11]  ³³ tn Grk “to his own things.”

[1:11]  ³⁴ tn Grk “and,” but in context this is an adversative use of καί (kai) and is thus translated “but.”

[1:11]  ³⁵ tn “People” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[1:11]  ³⁶ sn His own people did not receive him. There is a subtle irony here: When the λόγος (logos) came into the world, he came to his own (τὰ ἴδια, ta idia, literally “his own things”) and his own people (οἱ ἴδιοι, Joi idioi), who should have known and received him, but they did not. This time John does not say that “his own” did not know him, but that they did not receive him (παρέλαβον, parelabon). The idea is one not of mere recognition, but of acceptance and welcome.

[13:45]  ³⁷ sn They were filled with jealousy. Their foolish response to the gospel is noted again (see Acts 5:17). The same verb is used in Acts 7:9; 17:5.

[13:45]  ³⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἀντέλεγον (antelegon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect in the logical sequence of events: After they were filled with jealousy, the Jewish opponents began to contradict what Paul said.

[13:45]  ³⁹ tn Grk “the things being said by Paul.” For smoothness and simplicity of English style, the passive construction has been converted to active voice in the translation.

[13:45]  ⁴⁰ tn The participle βλασφημοῦντες (blasfhmounte") has been regarded as indicating the means of the action of the main verb. It could also be translated as a finite verb (“and reviled him”) in keeping with contemporary English style. The direct object (“him”) is implied rather than expressed and could be impersonal (“it,” referring to what Paul was saying rather than Paul himself), but the verb occurs more often in contexts involving defamation or slander against personal beings (not always God). For a very similar context to this one, compare Acts 18:6. The translation “blaspheme” is not used because in contemporary English its meaning is more narrowly defined and normally refers to blasphemy against God (not what Paul’s opponents were doing here). The modern term “slandering” comes close to what was being done to Paul here.

[13:46]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out courageously and said.” The redundancy is removed in the translation and the verb “replied” is used in keeping with the logical sequence of events. The theme of boldness reappears: Acts 4:24-30; 9:27-28.

[13:46]  ⁴² tn Grk “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken.” For smoothness and simplicity of English style, the passive construction has been converted to active voice in the translation.

[13:46]  ⁴³ tn Or “and consider yourselves unworthy.”

[13:46]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “behold, we.” In this context ἰδού (idou) is not easily translated into English.

[13:46]  ⁴⁵ sn This turning to the Gentiles would be a shocking rebuke to 1st century Jews who thought they alone were the recipients of the promise.

[18:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “came down.”

[18:5]  ⁴⁷ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[18:5]  ⁴⁸ tn BDAG 971 s.v. συνέχω 6 states, “συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ (Paul) was wholly absorbed in preaching Ac 18:5…in contrast to the activity cited in vs. 3.” The imperfect συνείχετο (suneiceto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“became wholly absorbed…”), stressing the change in Paul’s activity once Silas and Timothy arrived. At this point Paul apparently began to work less and preach more.

[18:5]  ⁴⁹ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “testify of, bear witness to solemnly (orig. under oath)…W. acc. and inf. foll. Ac 18:5.”

[18:5]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[18:6]  ⁵¹ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[18:6]  ⁵² tn The participle βλασφημούντων (blasfhmountwn) has been taken temporally. The direct object (“him”) is implied rather than expressed and could be impersonal (“it,” referring to what Paul was saying rather than Paul himself), but the verb occurs more often in contexts involving defamation or slander against personal beings (not always God). For a very similar context to this one, compare Acts 13:45. The translation “blaspheme” is not used because in contemporary English its meaning is more narrowly defined and normally refers to blasphemy against God (not what Paul’s opponents were doing here). What they were doing was more like slander or defamation of character.

[18:6]  ⁵³ tn Grk “shaking out his clothes, he said to them.” L&N 16:8 translates Acts 18:6 “when they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes.” The addition of the verb “protested by” in the translation is necessary to clarify for the modern reader that this is a symbolic action. It is similar but not identical to the phrase in Acts 13:51, where the dust from the feet is shaken off. The participle ἐκτιναξάμενος (ektinaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:6]  ⁵⁴ sn Your blood be on your own heads! By invoking this epithet Paul declared himself not responsible for their actions in rejecting Jesus whom Paul preached (cf. Ezek 33:4; 3:6-21; Matt 23:35; 27:25).

[18:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

[28:25]  ⁵⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ⁶² sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ⁶³ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.