Matthew 21:38-39

21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 21:39 So ¹  they seized him, ²  threw him out of the vineyard, ³  and killed him.

Acts 7:57

7:57 But they covered their ears, ⁴  shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent.

Acts 17:5-7

17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ⁵  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ⁶  they formed a mob ⁷  and set the city in an uproar. ⁸  They attacked Jason’s house, ⁹  trying to find Paul and Silas ¹⁰  to bring them out to the assembly. ¹¹  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ¹²  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ¹³  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ¹⁴  throughout the world ¹⁵  have come here too, 17:7 and ¹⁶  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ¹⁷  are all acting against Caesar’s ¹⁸  decrees, saying there is another king named ¹⁹  Jesus!” ²⁰ 

Acts 21:28-31

21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ²¹  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ²²  and this sanctuary! ²³  Furthermore ²⁴  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ²⁵  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ²⁶  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ²⁷  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ²⁸  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ²⁹  and the people rushed together. ³⁰  They seized ³¹  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ³²  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ³³  to kill him, a report ³⁴  was sent up ³⁵  to the commanding officer ³⁶  of the cohort ³⁷  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³⁸ 

Acts 22:22-23

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ³⁹  was listening to him until he said this. ⁴⁰  Then ⁴¹  they raised their voices and shouted, ⁴²  “Away with this man ⁴³  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ⁴⁴  22:23 While they were screaming ⁴⁵  and throwing off their cloaks ⁴⁶  and tossing dust ⁴⁷  in the air,

Acts 23:10

23:10 When the argument became ⁴⁸  so great the commanding officer ⁴⁹  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ⁵⁰  he ordered the detachment ⁵¹  to go down, take him away from them by force, ⁵²  and bring him into the barracks. ⁵³ 

Acts 23:12-15

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ⁵⁴  the Jews formed ⁵⁵  a conspiracy ⁵⁶  and bound themselves with an oath ⁵⁷  not to eat or drink anything ⁵⁸  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ⁵⁹  23:14 They ⁶⁰  went ⁶¹  to the chief priests ⁶²  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ⁶³  not to partake ⁶⁴  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ⁶⁵  request the commanding officer ⁶⁶  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ⁶⁷  his case ⁶⁸  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ⁶⁹  We are ready to kill him ⁷⁰  before he comes near this place.” ⁷¹ 

[21:39]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son in v. 38.

[21:39]  ² tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

[21:39]  ³ sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.

[7:57]  ⁴ sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.

[17:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).

[17:5]  ⁶ tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”

[17:5]  ⁷ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ⁸ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.

[17:5]  ⁹ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ¹¹ tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”

[17:6]  ¹² tn See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19).

[17:6]  ¹³ tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).

[17:6]  ¹⁴ tn Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “disturb, trouble, upset,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.

[17:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:7]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.

[17:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[17:7]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ¹⁹ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ²⁰ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

[21:28]  ²¹ 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 since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[21:28]  ²² sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ²³ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  ²⁴ tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:28]  ²⁵ tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.

[21:28]  ²⁶ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:29]  ²⁷ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ²⁸ tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:30]  ²⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ³⁰ tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”

[21:30]  ³¹ tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[21:30]  ³² tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ³³ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ³⁴ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ³⁵ tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  ³⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[21:31]  ³⁷ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ³⁸ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[22:22]  ³⁹ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ⁴² tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ⁴³ tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ⁴⁴ tn BDAG 491 s.v. καθήκω has “to be appropriate, come/reach to, be proper/fitting…Usu. impers. καθήκει it comes (to someone)…foll. by acc. and inf….οὐ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν he should not be allowed to live Ac 22:22.”

[22:23]  ⁴⁵ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  ⁴⁷ sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[23:10]  ⁴⁸ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[23:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.

[23:10]  ⁵¹ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:10]  ⁵² tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ⁵³ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poihsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:12]  ⁵⁶ tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean – 2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).

[23:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[23:12]  ⁵⁸ tn The word “anything” 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.

[23:13]  ⁵⁹ tn L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunwmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some institution, with the implication of an oath binding the conspirators – ‘conspiracy, plot.’ …‘there were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy’ Ac 23:13.”

[23:14]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:14]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ⁶² sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.

[23:14]  ⁶³ tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.

[23:14]  ⁶⁴ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”

[23:15]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ⁶⁹ tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ⁷⁰ sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.

[23:15]  ⁷¹ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.