Matthew 13:54-55

13:54 Then ¹  he came to his hometown ²  and began to teach the people ³  in their synagogue. ⁴  They ⁵  were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? 13:55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? ⁶  And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

Acts 2:7-8

2:7 Completely baffled, they said, ⁷  “Aren’t ⁸  all these who are speaking Galileans? 2:8 And how is it that each one of us hears them ⁹  in our own native language? ¹⁰ 

Acts 4:13

4:13 When they saw the boldness ¹¹  of Peter and John, and discovered ¹²  that they were uneducated ¹³  and ordinary ¹⁴  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 9:21

9:21 All ¹⁵  who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not ¹⁶  the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging ¹⁷  those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners ¹⁸  to the chief priests?”

[13:54]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”

[13:54]  ² sn Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.

[13:54]  ³ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:54]  ⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.

[13:54]  ⁵ tn Grk “synagogue, so that they.” Here ὥστε (Jwste) has not been translated. Instead a new sentence was started in the translation.

[13:55]  ⁶ sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter’s son is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to his mother…Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 4:41; 8:41; 9:29).

[2:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “They were astounded and amazed, saying.” The two imperfect verbs, ἐξίσταντο (existanto) and ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon), show both the surprise and the confusion on the part of the hearers. The verb ἐξίσταντο (from ἐξίστημι, existhmi) often implies an illogical perception or response (BDAG 350 s.v. ἐξίστημι): “to be so astonished as to almost fail to comprehend what one has experienced” (L&N 25.218).

[2:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “Behold, aren’t all these.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “we hear them, each one of us.”

[2:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “in our own language in which we were born.”

[4:13]  ¹¹ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ¹² tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ¹³ sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.

[4:13]  ¹⁴ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[9:21]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And all.” 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.

[9:21]  ¹⁶ tn The Greek interrogative particle used in this verse (οὐχ, ouc) expects a positive reply. They all knew about Saul’s persecutions.

[9:21]  ¹⁷ tn Normally, “destroying,” but compare 4 Macc 4:23; 11:4 and MM 529 s.v. πορθέω for examples from Koine papyri. See also BDAG 853 s.v. πορθέω.

[9:21]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.