Psalms 19:7

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ¹ 

The rules set down by the Lord ²  are reliable ³ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ⁴ 

John 5:39-40

5:39 You study the scriptures thoroughly ⁵  because you think in them you possess eternal life, ⁶  and it is these same scriptures ⁷  that testify about me, 5:40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

Acts 10:43

10:43 About him all the prophets testify, ⁸  that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins ⁹  through his name.”

Acts 13:29

13:29 When they had accomplished ¹⁰  everything that was written ¹¹  about him, they took him down ¹²  from the cross ¹³  and placed him ¹⁴  in a tomb.

Acts 13:38-39

13:38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one ¹⁵  forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 13:39 and by this one ¹⁶  everyone who believes is justified ¹⁷  from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify ¹⁸  you. ¹⁹ 

Acts 13:1

The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul

13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: ²⁰  Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, ²¹  Lucius the Cyrenian, ²²  Manaen (a close friend of Herod ²³  the tetrarch ²⁴  from childhood ²⁵ ) and Saul.

Acts 1:10-12

1:10 As ²⁶  they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly ²⁷  two men in white clothing stood near them 1:11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here ²⁸  looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven ²⁹  will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”

A Replacement for Judas is Chosen

1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem ³⁰  from the mountain ³¹  called the Mount of Olives ³²  (which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey ³³  away).

Acts 1:1

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ³⁴  the former ³⁵  account, ³⁶  Theophilus, ³⁷  about all that Jesus began to do and teach

Acts 5:11-12

5:11 Great ³⁸  fear gripped ³⁹  the whole church ⁴⁰  and all who heard about these things.

The Apostles Perform Miraculous Signs and Wonders

5:12 Now many miraculous signs ⁴¹  and wonders came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By ⁴²  common consent ⁴³  they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. ⁴⁴ 

Revelation 19:10

19:10 So ⁴⁵  I threw myself down ⁴⁶  at his feet to worship him, but ⁴⁷  he said, “Do not do this! ⁴⁸  I am only ⁴⁹  a fellow servant ⁵⁰  with you and your brothers ⁵¹  who hold to the testimony about ⁵²  Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

[19:7]  ¹ tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  ² tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ³ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ⁴ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[5:39]  ⁵ tn Or “Study the scriptures thoroughly” (an imperative). For the meaning of the verb see G. Delling, TDNT 2:655-57.

[5:39]  ⁶ sn In them you possess eternal life. Note the following examples from the rabbinic tractate Pirqe Avot (“The Sayings of the Fathers”): Pirqe Avot 2:8, “He who has acquired the words of the law has acquired for himself the life of the world to come”; Pirqe Avot 6:7, “Great is the law for it gives to those who practice it life in this world and in the world to come.”

[5:39]  ⁷ tn The words “same scriptures” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the referent (“these”).

[10:43]  ⁸ tn Or “All the prophets testify about him.” Although modern English translations tend to place “about him” after “testify” (so NIV, NRSV) the phrase “about him” has been left at the beginning of v. 43 for emphatic reasons.

[10:43]  ⁹ sn Forgiveness of sins. See Luke 24:47; also Acts 14:23; 19:4; 9:42; 11:17; 16:31. The gospel is present in the prophetic promise, Rom 1:1-7. The message is in continuity with the ancient hope.

[13:29]  ¹⁰ tn Or “carried out.”

[13:29]  ¹¹ sn That is, everything that was written in OT scripture.

[13:29]  ¹² tn Grk “taking him down from the cross, they placed him.” The participle καθελόντες (kaqelonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[13:29]  ¹³ tn Grk “tree,” but frequently figurative for a cross. The allusion is to Deut 21:23. See Acts 5:30; 10:39.

[13:29]  ¹⁴ 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.

[13:38]  ¹⁵ tn That is, Jesus. This pronoun is in emphatic position in the Greek text. Following this phrase in the Greek text is the pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”), so that the emphasis for the audience is that “through Jesus to you” these promises have come.

[13:39]  ¹⁶ sn This one refers here to Jesus.

[13:39]  ¹⁷ tn Or “is freed.” The translation of δικαιωθῆναι (dikaiwqhnai) and δικαιοῦται (dikaioutai) in Acts 13:38-39 is difficult. BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 3 categorizes δικαιωθῆναι in 13:38 (Greek text) under the meaning “make free/pure” but categorizes δικαιοῦται in Acts 13:39 as “be found in the right, be free of charges” (BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 2.b.β). In the interest of consistency both verbs are rendered as “justified” in this translation.

[13:39]  ¹⁸ tn Or “could not free.”

[13:39]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation, with “by the law of Moses” becoming the subject of the final clause. The words “from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you” are part of v. 38 in the Greek text, but due to English style and word order must be placed in v. 39 in the translation.

[13:1]  ²⁰ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[13:1]  ²¹ sn Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”

[13:1]  ²² sn The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.

[13:1]  ²³ sn Herod is generally taken as a reference to Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee from 4 b.c. to a.d. 39, who had John the Baptist beheaded, and who is mentioned a number of times in the gospels.

[13:1]  ²⁴ tn Or “the governor.”

[13:1]  ²⁵ tn Or “(a foster brother of Herod the tetrarch).” The meaning “close friend from childhood” is given by L&N 34.15, but the word can also mean “foster brother” (L&N 10.51). BDAG 976 s.v. σύντροφας states, “pert. to being brought up with someone, either as a foster-brother or as a companion/friend,” which covers both alternatives. Context does not given enough information to be certain which is the case here, although many modern translations prefer the meaning “close friend from childhood.”

[1:10]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And as.” 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.

[1:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:11]  ²⁸ tn The word “here” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[1:11]  ²⁹ tc Codex Bezae (D) and several other witnesses lack the words εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν (ei" ton ouranon, “into heaven”) here, most likely by way of accidental deletion. In any event, it is hardly correct to suppose that the Western text has intentionally suppressed references to the ascension of Christ here, for the phrase is solidly attested in the final clause of the verse.

[1:12]  ³⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:12]  ³¹ tn Or “from the hill.” The Greek term ὄρος (oros) refers to a relatively high elevation of land in contrast with βουνός (bounos, “hill”).

[1:12]  ³² sn The Mount of Olives is the traditional name for this mountain, also called Olivet. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 1.8 mi (3 km) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 100 ft (30 m) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.

[1:12]  ³³ sn The phrase a Sabbath day’s journey refers to the distance the rabbis permitted a person to travel on the Sabbath without breaking the Sabbath, specified in tractate Sotah 5:3 of the Mishnah as 2,000 cubits (a cubit was about 18 inches). In this case the distance was about half a mile (1 km).

[1:1]  ³⁴ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ³⁵ tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

[1:1]  ³⁶ tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

[1:1]  ³⁷ tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

[5:11]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And great.” 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.

[5:11]  ³⁹ tn Or “fear came on,” “fear seized”; Grk “fear happened to.”

[5:11]  ⁴⁰ sn This is the first occurrence of the term church (ἐκκλησία, ekklhsia) in Acts. It refers to an assembly of people.

[5:12]  ⁴¹ tn The miraculous nature of these signs is implied in the context.

[5:12]  ⁴² tn Grk “And by.” 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.

[5:12]  ⁴³ tn Or “With one mind.”

[5:12]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “colonnade”; Grk “stoa.”

[19:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s announcement.

[19:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “I fell down at his feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[19:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[19:10]  ⁴⁸ tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή (Jora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”

[19:10]  ⁴⁹ tn The lowliness of a slave is emphasized in the Greek text with the emphatic position of σύνδουλος (sundoulo"). The use of “only” helps to bring this nuance out in English.

[19:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “fellow slave.” See the note on the word “servants” in v. 2.

[19:10]  ⁵¹ tn The Greek term “brother” literally refers to family relationships, but here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[19:10]  ⁵² tn The genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) has been translated as an objective genitive here. A subjective genitive, also possible, would produce the meaning “who hold to what Jesus testifies.”