Romans 15:23-24

15:23 But now there is nothing more to keep me ¹  in these regions, and I have for many years desired ²  to come to you 15:24 when I go to Spain. For I hope to visit you when I pass through and that you will help me ³  on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

Romans 1:10-13

1:10 and I always ask ⁴  in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God. ⁵  1:11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift ⁶  to strengthen you, 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, ⁷  both yours and mine. 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, ⁸  brothers and sisters, ⁹  that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁰ 

Acts 27:1

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ¹¹  would sail to Italy, ¹²  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ¹³  of the Augustan Cohort ¹⁴  named Julius.

Acts 27:41-43

27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ¹⁵  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ¹⁶  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ¹⁷  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ¹⁸  27:43 But the centurion, ¹⁹  wanting to save Paul’s life, ²⁰  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ²¹ 

Acts 28:15-16

28:15 The brothers from there, ²²  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ²³  and Three Taverns ²⁴  to meet us. When he saw them, ²⁵  Paul thanked God and took courage. 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ²⁶  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Acts 28:30-31

28:30 Paul ²⁷  lived ²⁸  there two whole years in his own rented quarters ²⁹  and welcomed ³⁰  all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ³¹  with complete boldness ³²  and without restriction. ³³ 

Philippians 1:12-14

Ministry as a Prisoner

1:12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, ³⁴  that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel: ³⁵  1:13 The ³⁶  whole imperial guard ³⁷  and everyone else knows ³⁸  that I am in prison ³⁹  for the sake of Christ, 1:14 and most of the brothers and sisters, ⁴⁰  having confidence in the Lord ⁴¹  because of my imprisonment, now more than ever ⁴²  dare to speak the word ⁴³  fearlessly.

[15:23]  ¹ tn Grk “now no longer having a place…I have.”

[15:23]  ² tn Grk “but having a desire…for many years.”

[15:24]  ³ tn Grk “and to be helped by you.” The passive construction was changed to an active one in the translation.

[1:10]  ⁴ tn Grk “remember you, always asking.”

[1:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “succeed in coming to you in the will of God.”

[1:11]  ⁶ sn Paul does not mean here that he is going to bestow upon the Roman believers what is commonly known as a “spiritual gift,” that is, a special enabling for service given to believers by the Holy Spirit. Instead, this is either a metonymy of cause for effect (Paul will use his own spiritual gifts to edify the Romans), or it simply means something akin to a blessing or benefit in the spiritual realm. It is possible that Paul uses this phrase to connote specifically the broader purpose of his letter, which is for the Romans to understand his gospel, but this seems less likely.

[1:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “that is, to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another.”

[1:13]  ⁸ sn The expression “I do not want you to be unaware [Grk ignorant]” also occurs in 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13. Paul uses the phrase to signal that he is about to say something very important.

[1:13]  ⁹ 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).

[1:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “in order that I might have some fruit also among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.”

[27:1]  ¹¹ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ¹² sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1]  ¹³ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ¹⁴ tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[27:41]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “fell upon a place of two seas.” The most common explanation for this term is that it refers to a reef or sandbar with the sea on both sides, as noted in BDAG 245 s.v. διθάλασσος: the “τόπος δ. Ac 27:41 is a semantic unit signifying a point (of land jutting out with water on both sides).” However, Greek had terms for a “sandbank” (θῖς [qis], ταινία [tainia]), a “reef” (ἑρμα [Jerma]), “strait” (στενόν [stenon]), “promontory” (ἀρωτήρον [arwthron]), and other nautical hazards, none of which are used by the author here. NEB here translates τόπον διθάλασσον (topon diqalasson) as “cross-currents,” a proposal close to that advanced by J. M. Gilchrist, “The Historicity of Paul’s Shipwreck,” JSNT 61 (1996): 29-51, who suggests the meaning is “a patch of cross-seas,” where the waves are set at an angle to the wind, a particular hazard for sailors. Thus the term most likely refers to some sort of adverse sea conditions rather than a topographical feature like a reef or sandbar.

[27:41]  ¹⁶ tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ¹⁷ sn The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners. The issue here was not cruelty, but that the soldiers would be legally responsible if any prisoners escaped and would suffer punishment themselves. So they were planning to do this as an act of self-preservation. See Acts 16:27 for a similar incident.

[27:42]  ¹⁸ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ²⁰ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  ²¹ tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[28:15]  ²² sn Mention of Christian brothers from there (Rome) shows that God’s message had already spread as far as Italy and the capital of the empire.

[28:15]  ²³ sn The Forum of Appius was a small traveler’s stop on the Appian Way about 43 mi (71 km) south of Rome (BDAG 125 s.v. ᾿Αππίου φόρον). It was described by Horace as “crammed with boatmen and stingy tavernkeepers” (Satires 1.5.3).

[28:15]  ²⁴ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

[28:15]  ²⁵ tn Grk “whom, when he saw [them], Paul.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[28:16]  ²⁶ tn Or “to stay.”

[28:30]  ²⁷ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:30]  ²⁸ tn Or “stayed.”

[28:30]  ²⁹ tn Or perhaps, “two whole years at his own expense.” BDAG 654 s.v. μίσθωμα states, “the customary act. mng. ‘contract price, rent’…is not found in our lit. (Ac) and the pass. what is rented, a rented house is a mng. not found outside it (even Ammonius Gramm. [100 ad] p. 93 Valck. knows nothing of it. Hence the transl. at his own expense [NRSV] merits attention) ἐν ἰδίῳ μισθώματι in his own rented lodgings Ac 28:30 (for the idea cp. Jos., Ant. 18, 235).”

[28:30]  ³⁰ tn Or “and received.”

[28:31]  ³¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[28:31]  ³² tn Or “openness.”

[28:31]  ³³ sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.

[1:12]  ³⁴ 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).

[1:12]  ³⁵ tn Grk “for the advance of the gospel.” The genitive εὐαγγελίου (euangeliou) is taken as objective.

[1:13]  ³⁶ tn Grk “so that the whole imperial guard.” The ὥστε (Jwste) clause that begins v. 13 indicates two results of the spread of the gospel: Outsiders know why Paul is imprisoned (v. 13) and believers are emboldened by his imprisonment (v. 14).

[1:13]  ³⁷ sn The whole imperial guard (Grk “praetorium”) can refer to the elite troops stationed in Rome or the headquarters of administrators in the provinces (cf. Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33; 19:9; Acts 23:35). In either case a metonymy is involved, with the place (the praetorium) put for those (soldiers or government officials) who were connected with it or stationed in it.

[1:13]  ³⁸ tn Grk “it has become known by the whole imperial guard and all the rest.”

[1:13]  ³⁹ tn Grk “my bonds [are].”

[1:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[1:14]  ⁴¹ tn Or “most of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, having confidence.”

[1:14]  ⁴² tn Grk “even more so.”

[1:14]  ⁴³ tc A number of significant mss have “of God” after “word.” Although τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) is amply supported in the Alexandrian and Western texts (א A B [D*] P Ψ 048^vid 075 0278 33 81 1175 al lat co), the omission is difficult to explain as either an intentional deletion or unintentional oversight. To be sure, the pedigree of the witnesses is not nearly as great for the shorter reading (Ì⁴⁶ D² 1739 1881 Ï), but it explains well the rise of the other reading. Further, it explains the rise of κυρίου (kuriou, “of the Lord”), the reading of F and G (for if these mss had followed a Vorlage with τοῦ θεοῦ, κυρίου would not have been expected). Further, τοῦ θεοῦ is in different locations among the mss; such dislocations are usually signs of scribal additions to the text. Thus, the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses here have the superior reading, and it should be accepted as the original.