Matthew 27:20

27:20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.

Mark 15:11

15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release ¹  Barabbas instead.

Acts 13:50

13:50 But the Jews incited ²  the God-fearing women of high social standing and the prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out ³  of their region.

Acts 16:19-22

16:19 But when her owners ⁴  saw their hope of profit ⁵  was gone, they seized ⁶  Paul and Silas and dragged ⁷  them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When ⁸  they had brought them ⁹  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ¹⁰  They are ¹¹  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ¹²  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ¹³  or practice, ¹⁴  since we are ¹⁵  Romans.”

16:22 The crowd joined the attack ¹⁶  against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes ¹⁷  off Paul and Silas ¹⁸  and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ¹⁹ 

Acts 17:5-8

17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ²⁰  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ²¹  they formed a mob ²²  and set the city in an uproar. ²³  They attacked Jason’s house, ²⁴  trying to find Paul and Silas ²⁵  to bring them out to the assembly. ²⁶  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ²⁷  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ²⁸  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ²⁹  throughout the world ³⁰  have come here too, 17:7 and ³¹  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ³²  are all acting against Caesar’s ³³  decrees, saying there is another king named ³⁴  Jesus!” ³⁵  17:8 They caused confusion among ³⁶  the crowd and the city officials ³⁷  who heard these things.

Acts 19:24-32

19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines ³⁸  of Artemis, ³⁹  brought a great deal ⁴⁰  of business ⁴¹  to the craftsmen. 19:25 He gathered ⁴²  these ⁴³  together, along with the workmen in similar trades, ⁴⁴  and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ⁴⁵  comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded ⁴⁶  and turned away ⁴⁷  a large crowd, ⁴⁸  not only in Ephesus ⁴⁹  but in practically all of the province of Asia, ⁵⁰  by saying ⁵¹  that gods made by hands are not gods at all. ⁵²  19:27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, ⁵³  but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis ⁵⁴  will be regarded as nothing, ⁵⁵  and she whom all the province of Asia ⁵⁶  and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” ⁵⁷ 

19:28 When ⁵⁸  they heard ⁵⁹  this they became enraged ⁶⁰  and began to shout, ⁶¹  “Great is Artemis ⁶²  of the Ephesians!” 19:29 The ⁶³  city was filled with the uproar, ⁶⁴  and the crowd ⁶⁵  rushed to the theater ⁶⁶  together, ⁶⁷  dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 19:30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, ⁶⁸  the disciples would not let him. 19:31 Even some of the provincial authorities ⁶⁹  who were his friends sent ⁷⁰  a message ⁷¹  to him, urging him not to venture ⁷²  into the theater. 19:32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together. ⁷³ 

Acts 21:30

21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ⁷⁴  and the people rushed together. ⁷⁵  They seized ⁷⁶  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ⁷⁷  and immediately the doors were shut.

Acts 22:22

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ⁷⁸  was listening to him until he said this. ⁷⁹  Then ⁸⁰  they raised their voices and shouted, ⁸¹  “Away with this man ⁸²  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ⁸³ 

[15:11]  ¹ tn Grk “to have him release for them.”

[13:50]  ² tn For the translation of παρώτρυναν (parwtrunan) as “incited” see BDAG 780 s.v. παροτρύνω.

[13:50]  ³ tn BDAG 299 s.v. ἐκβάλλω 1 has “throw out.” Once again, many Jews reacted to the message (Acts 5:17, 33; 6:11; 13:45).

[16:19]  ⁴ tn Or “masters.”

[16:19]  ⁵ tn On this use of ἐργασία (ergasia), see BDAG 390 s.v. 4. It is often the case that destructive practices and commerce are closely tied together.

[16:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “was gone, seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:19]  ⁷ tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.

[16:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[16:20]  ⁹ tn Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”

[16:20]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

[16:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:21]  ¹² tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ¹³ tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ¹⁴ sn Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).

[16:21]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[16:22]  ¹⁶ tn L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepesth) in this verse.

[16:22]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “tearing the clothes off them, the magistrates ordered.” The participle περιρήξαντες (perirhxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Although it may be possible to understand the aorist active participle περιρήξαντες in a causative sense (“the magistrates caused the clothes to be torn off Paul and Silas”) in the mob scene that was taking place, it is also possible that the magistrates themselves actively participated. This act was done to prepare them for a public flogging (2 Cor 11:25; 1 Thess 2:2).

[16:22]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:22]  ¹⁹ tn The infinitive ῥαβδίζειν (rJabdizein) means “to beat with rods or sticks” (as opposed to fists or clubs, BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω).

[17:5]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ²⁵ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:7]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ³⁴ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ³⁵ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

[17:8]  ³⁶ tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.

[17:8]  ³⁷ 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.’”

[19:24]  ³⁸ tn BDAG 665 s.v. ναός 1.a states, “Specif. of temples: of replicas of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus 19:24…but here, near ἱερόν vs. 27…ναός can be understood in the more restricted sense shrine, where the image of the goddess stood.”

[19:24]  ³⁹ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:24]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).

[19:24]  ⁴¹ sn A great deal of business. The charge that Christianity brought economic and/or social upheaval was made a number of times in Acts: 16:20-21; 17:6-7; 18:13.

[19:25]  ⁴² tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunaqroisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:25]  ⁴³ tn Grk “whom”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a pronoun (“these”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[19:25]  ⁴⁴ sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.

[19:25]  ⁴⁵ tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”

[19:26]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:26]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “misled.”

[19:26]  ⁴⁸ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”

[19:26]  ⁴⁹ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:26]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:26]  ⁵¹ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.

[19:26]  ⁵² tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[19:27]  ⁵³ tn Or “come under public criticism.” BDAG 101 s.v. ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ⁵⁴ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:27]  ⁵⁵ tn BDAG 597 s.v. λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing…Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “her magnificence.” BDAG 488 s.v. καθαιρέω 2.b has “καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς suffer the loss of her magnificence Ac 19:27”; L&N 13.38 has “‘and to have her greatness done away with’ Ac 19:27.”

[19:28]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[19:28]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “And hearing.” The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[19:28]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “they became filled with rage” (an idiom). The reaction of the Ephesians here is like that of the Jews earlier, though Luke referred to “zeal” or “jealousy” in the former case (Acts 7:54).

[19:28]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “and began shouting, saying.” The imperfect verb ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[19:28]  ⁶² sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:29]  ⁶³ tn Grk “And the.” 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.

[19:29]  ⁶⁴ tn L&N 39.43 has “‘the uproar spread throughout the whole city’ (literally ‘the city was filled with uproar’) Ac 19:29.” BDAG 954 s.v. σύγχυσις has “confusion, tumult.”

[19:29]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:29]  ⁶⁶ sn To the theater. This location made the event a public spectacle. The Grand Theater in Ephesus (still standing today) stood facing down the main thoroughfare of the city toward the docks. It had a seating capacity of 25,000.

[19:29]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “to the theater with one accord.”

[19:30]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “enter the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν δ. go into the assembly 19:30.”

[19:31]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “Asiarchs” (high-ranking officials of the province of Asia).

[19:31]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “sending”; the participle πέμψαντες (pemyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:31]  ⁷¹ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[19:31]  ⁷² tn BDAG 242-43 s.v. δίδωμι 11 has “to cause (oneself) to go, go, venture somewhere (cp. our older ‘betake oneself’)…Ac 19:31.” The desire of these sympathetic authorities was surely to protect Paul’s life. The detail indicates how dangerous things had become.

[19:32]  ⁷³ tn Or “had assembled.”

[21:30]  ⁷⁴ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[22:22]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ⁸² tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ⁸³ 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.”