Revelation 4:2

4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, ¹  and ²  a throne was standing ³  in heaven with someone seated on it!

Revelation 17:3

17:3 So ⁴  he carried me away in the Spirit ⁵  to a wilderness, ⁶  and there ⁷  I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 21:10

21:10 So ⁸  he took me away in the Spirit ⁹  to a huge, majestic mountain ¹⁰  and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

Matthew 22:43

22:43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,

Acts 10:10-33

10:10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. ¹¹  10:11 He ¹²  saw heaven ¹³  opened ¹⁴  and an object something like a large sheet ¹⁵  descending, ¹⁶  being let down to earth ¹⁷  by its four corners. 10:12 In it ¹⁸  were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles ¹⁹  of the earth and wild birds. ²⁰  10:13 Then ²¹  a voice said ²²  to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter ²³  and eat!” 10:14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” ²⁴  10:15 The voice ²⁵  spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ²⁶  ritually unclean!” ²⁷  10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven. ²⁸ 

10:17 Now while Peter was puzzling over ²⁹  what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was ³⁰  and approached ³¹  the gate. 10:18 They ³²  called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, ³³  was staying there as a guest. 10:19 While Peter was still thinking seriously about ³⁴  the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look! Three men are looking for you. 10:20 But get up, ³⁵  go down, and accompany them without hesitation, ³⁶  because I have sent them.” 10:21 So Peter went down ³⁷  to the men and said, “Here I am, ³⁸  the person you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, ³⁹  a righteous ⁴⁰  and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, ⁴¹  was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message ⁴²  from you.” 10:23 So Peter ⁴³  invited them in and entertained them as guests.

On the next day he got up and set out ⁴⁴  with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa ⁴⁵  accompanied him. 10:24 The following day ⁴⁶  he entered Caesarea. ⁴⁷  Now Cornelius was waiting anxiously ⁴⁸  for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 10:25 So when ⁴⁹  Peter came in, Cornelius met ⁵⁰  him, fell ⁵¹  at his feet, and worshiped ⁵²  him. 10:26 But Peter helped him up, ⁵³  saying, “Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.” ⁵⁴  10:27 Peter ⁵⁵  continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together. ⁵⁶  10:28 He said to them, “You know that ⁵⁷  it is unlawful ⁵⁸  for a Jew ⁵⁹  to associate with or visit a Gentile, ⁶⁰  yet God has shown me that I should call no person ⁶¹  defiled or ritually unclean. ⁶²  10:29 Therefore when you sent for me, ⁶³  I came without any objection. Now may I ask why ⁶⁴  you sent for me?” 10:30 Cornelius ⁶⁵  replied, ⁶⁶  “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, ⁶⁷  I was praying in my house, and suddenly ⁶⁸  a man in shining clothing stood before me 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity ⁶⁹  have been remembered before God. ⁷⁰  10:32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, ⁷¹  by the sea.’ 10:33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. ⁷²  So now we are all here in the presence of God ⁷³  to listen ⁷⁴  to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” ⁷⁵ 

Acts 10:2

10:2 He ⁷⁶  was a devout, God-fearing man, ⁷⁷  as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people ⁷⁸  and prayed to God regularly.

Colossians 1:2-4

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁷⁹  brothers and sisters ⁸⁰  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁸¹  from God our Father! ⁸² 

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ⁸³  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 1:4 since ⁸⁴  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

[4:2]  ¹ tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[4:2]  ² tn Grk “and behold.” 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).

[4:2]  ³ tn BDAG 537 s.v. κεῖμαι 2 gives the translation “stand” for the term in this verse.

[17:3]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation to witness the fate of the prostitute.

[17:3]  ⁵ tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[17:3]  ⁶ tn Or “desert.”

[17:3]  ⁷ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[21:10]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.

[21:10]  ⁹ tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[21:10]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”

[10:10]  ¹¹ tn The traditional translation, “he fell into a trance,” is somewhat idiomatic; it is based on the textual variant ἐπέπεσεν (epepesen, “he fell”) found in the Byzantine text but almost certainly not original.

[10:11]  ¹² tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[10:11]  ¹³ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:11]  ¹⁴ tn On the heavens “opening,” see Matt 3:16; Luke 3:21; Rev 19:11 (cf. BDAG 84 s.v. ἀνοίγω 2). This is the language of a vision or a revelatory act of God.

[10:11]  ¹⁵ tn Or “a large linen cloth” (the term was used for the sail of a ship; BDAG 693 s.v. ὀθόνη).

[10:11]  ¹⁶ tn Or “coming down.”

[10:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “to the ground.”

[10:12]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “in which.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[10:12]  ¹⁹ tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate. See also Gen 6:20, as well as the law making such creatures unclean food in Lev 11:2-47.

[10:12]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[10:13]  ²¹ tn Grk “And there came.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[10:13]  ²² tn Grk “a voice to him”; the word “said” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[10:13]  ²³ tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.

[10:14]  ²⁴ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqarto") here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.

[10:15]  ²⁵ tn Grk “And the voice.” 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.

[10:15]  ²⁶ tn Or “declare.”

[10:15]  ²⁷ sn For the significance of this vision see Mark 7:14-23; Rom 14:14; Eph 2:11-22. God directed this change in practice.

[10:16]  ²⁸ tn Or “into the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:17]  ²⁹ tn Or “was greatly confused over.” The term means to be perplexed or at a loss (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπορέω).

[10:17]  ³⁰ tn Grk “having learned.” The participle διερωτήσαντες (dierwthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:17]  ³¹ tn BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1 has “ἐπί τι approach or stand by someth. (Sir 41:24) Ac 10:17.”

[10:18]  ³² tn Grk “and.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the pronoun “they” as the subject of the following verb.

[10:18]  ³³ tn Grk “Simon, the one called Peter.” This qualification was necessary because the owner of the house was also named Simon (Acts 9:43).

[10:19]  ³⁴ tn The translation “think seriously about” for διενθυμέομαι (dienqumeomai) is given in L&N 30.2. Peter was “pondering” the vision (BDAG 244 s.v.).

[10:20]  ³⁵ tn Grk “But getting up, go down.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:20]  ³⁶ tn The term means “without doubting” or “without deliberation.” It is a term of conscience and discernment. In effect, Peter is to listen to them rather than hesitate (BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 6).

[10:21]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Peter going down to the men, said.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:21]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Behold, it is I whom you seek,” or “Behold, I am the one you seek.” “Here I am” is used to translate ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι (idou egw eimi).

[10:22]  ³⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[10:22]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “just.”

[10:22]  ⁴¹ tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.

[10:22]  ⁴² tn Grk “hear words.”

[10:23]  ⁴³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:23]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “went forth.”

[10:23]  ⁴⁵ sn Some of the brothers from Joppa. As v. 45 makes clear, there were Jewish Christians in this group of witnesses.

[10:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “On the next day,” but since this phrase has already occurred in v. 23, it would be redundant in English to use it again here.

[10:24]  ⁴⁷ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi).

[10:24]  ⁴⁸ tn Normally προσδοκάω (prosdokaw) means “to wait with apprehension or anxiety for something,” often with the implication of impending danger or trouble (L&N 25.228), but in this context the anxiety Cornelius would have felt came from the importance of the forthcoming message as announced by the angel.

[10:25]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “So it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[10:25]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “meeting him.” The participle συναντήσας (sunanthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:25]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “falling at his feet, worshiped.” The participle πεσών (peswn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:25]  ⁵² sn When Cornelius worshiped Peter, it showed his piety and his respect for Peter, but it was an act based on ignorance, as Peter’s remark in v. 26 indicates.

[10:26]  ⁵³ tn BDAG 271 s.v. ἐγείρω 3 has “raise, help to rise….Stretched out Ac 10:26.”

[10:26]  ⁵⁴ tn Although it is certainly true that Peter was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") has been translated as “mere mortal” because the emphasis in context is not on Peter’s maleness, but his humanity. Contrary to what Cornelius thought, Peter was not a god or an angelic being, but a mere mortal.

[10:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 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.

[10:27]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “many people assembled.”

[10:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Here ὡς (Jws) is used like ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect discourse (cf. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5).

[10:28]  ⁵⁸ tn This term is used of wanton or callously lawless acts (BDAG 24 s.v. ἀθέμιτος).

[10:28]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “a Jewish man” (ἀνδρὶ ᾿Ιουδαίῳ, andri Ioudaiw).

[10:28]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “a foreigner,” but in this context, “a non-Jew,” that is, a Gentile. This term speaks of intimate association (BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.b.α). On this Jewish view, see John 18:28, where a visit to a Gentile residence makes a Jewish person unclean.

[10:28]  ⁶¹ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[10:28]  ⁶² tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.

[10:29]  ⁶³ tn Grk “Therefore when I was sent for.” The passive participle μεταπεμφθείς (metapemfqei") has been taken temporally and converted to an active construction which is less awkward in English.

[10:29]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “ask for what reason.”

[10:30]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “And Cornelius.” 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.

[10:30]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “said.”

[10:30]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.

[10:30]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.

[10:31]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”

[10:31]  ⁷⁰ sn This statement is a paraphrase rather than an exact quotation of Acts 10:4.

[10:32]  ⁷¹ tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname.

[10:33]  ⁷² tn Grk “you have done well by coming.” The idiom καλῶς ποιεῖν (kalw" poiein) is translated “be kind enough to do someth.” by BDAG 505-6 s.v. καλῶς 4.a. The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as an English infinitive due to the nature of the English idiom (“kind enough to” + infinitive).

[10:33]  ⁷³ tn The translation “we are here in the presence of God” for ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ πάρεσμεν (enwpion tou qeou paresmen) is given by BDAG 773 s.v. πάρειμι 1.a.

[10:33]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “to hear everything.”

[10:33]  ⁷⁵ tn The words “to say to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Cornelius knows Peter is God’s representative, bringing God’s message.

[10:2]  ⁷⁶ tn In the Greek text this represents a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[10:2]  ⁷⁷ sn The description of Cornelius as a devout, God-fearing man probably means that he belonged to the category called “God-fearers,” Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 43-44, and Sir 11:17; 27:11; 39:27.

[10:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “gave many gifts to the poor.” This was known as “giving alms,” or acts of mercy (Sir 7:10; BDAG 315-16 s.v. ἐλεημοσύνη).

[1:2]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁸¹ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁸² tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:3]  ⁸³ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:4]  ⁸⁴ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).