Kejadian 26:1

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ¹  in the days of Abraham. ²  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

Kejadian 42:5

42:5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, ³  for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.

Kejadian 43:1

The Second Journey to Egypt

43:1 Now the famine was severe in the land. ⁴ 

Kejadian 47:13

47:13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away ⁵  because of the famine.

Rut 1:1-2

A Family Tragedy: Famine and Death

1:1 During the time of the judges ⁶  there was a famine in the land of Judah. ⁷  So a man from Bethlehem ⁸  in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner ⁹  in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. ¹⁰  1:2 (Now the man’s name was Elimelech, ¹¹  his wife was Naomi, ¹²  and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. ¹³  They were of the clan of Ephrath ¹⁴  from Bethlehem in Judah.) They entered the region of Moab and settled there. ¹⁵ 

1 Samuel 21:1

21:1 (21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met ¹⁶  David, and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?”

1 Samuel 21:1

21:1 (21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met ¹⁷  David, and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?”

Kisah Para Rasul 17:1--18:2

Paul and Silas at Thessalonica

17:1 After they traveled through ¹⁸  Amphipolis ¹⁹  and Apollonia, ²⁰  they came to Thessalonica, ²¹  where there was a Jewish synagogue. ²²  17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ²³  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ²⁴  them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating ²⁵  that the Christ ²⁶  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ²⁷  saying, ²⁸  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ²⁹  17:4 Some of them were persuaded ³⁰  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ³¹  of God-fearing Greeks ³²  and quite a few ³³  prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ³⁴  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ³⁵  they formed a mob ³⁶  and set the city in an uproar. ³⁷  They attacked Jason’s house, ³⁸  trying to find Paul and Silas ³⁹  to bring them out to the assembly. ⁴⁰  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ⁴¹  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ⁴²  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ⁴³  throughout the world ⁴⁴  have come here too, 17:7 and ⁴⁵  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ⁴⁶  are all acting against Caesar’s ⁴⁷  decrees, saying there is another king named ⁴⁸  Jesus!” ⁴⁹  17:8 They caused confusion among ⁵⁰  the crowd and the city officials ⁵¹  who heard these things. 17:9 After ⁵²  the city officials ⁵³  had received bail ⁵⁴  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ⁵⁵  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ⁵⁶  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ⁵⁷  17:11 These Jews ⁵⁸  were more open-minded ⁵⁹  than those in Thessalonica, ⁶⁰  for they eagerly ⁶¹  received ⁶²  the message, examining ⁶³  the scriptures carefully every day ⁶⁴  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ⁶⁵  prominent ⁶⁶  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ⁶⁷  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ⁶⁸  in Berea, ⁶⁹  they came there too, inciting ⁷⁰  and disturbing ⁷¹  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ⁷²  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ⁷³  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ⁷⁴  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ⁷⁵ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ⁷⁶  his spirit was greatly upset ⁷⁷  because he saw ⁷⁸  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ⁷⁹  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ⁸⁰  in the synagogue, ⁸¹  and in the marketplace every day ⁸²  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ⁸³  and Stoic ⁸⁴  philosophers were conversing ⁸⁵  with him, and some were asking, ⁸⁶  “What does this foolish babbler ⁸⁷  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ⁸⁸  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ⁸⁹  17:19 So they took Paul and ⁹⁰  brought him to the Areopagus, ⁹¹  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ⁹²  to our ears, so we want to know what they ⁹³  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ⁹⁴  in nothing else than telling ⁹⁵  or listening to something new.) ⁹⁶ 

17:22 So Paul stood ⁹⁷  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ⁹⁸  in all respects. ⁹⁹  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ¹⁰⁰  I even found an altar with this inscription: ¹⁰¹  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ¹⁰²  this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ¹⁰³  who is ¹⁰⁴  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ¹⁰⁵  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ¹⁰⁶  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ¹⁰⁷  17:26 From one man ¹⁰⁸  he made every nation of the human race ¹⁰⁹  to inhabit the entire earth, ¹¹⁰  determining their set times ¹¹¹  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ¹¹²  17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ¹¹³  for him and find him, ¹¹⁴  though he is ¹¹⁵  not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about ¹¹⁶  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ¹¹⁷  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ¹¹⁸  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ¹¹⁹  made by human ¹²⁰  skill ¹²¹  and imagination. ¹²²  17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ¹²³  such times of ignorance, ¹²⁴  he now commands all people ¹²⁵  everywhere to repent, ¹²⁶  17:31 because he has set ¹²⁷  a day on which he is going to judge the world ¹²⁸  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ¹²⁹  having provided proof to everyone by raising ¹³⁰  him from the dead.”

17:32 Now when they heard about ¹³¹  the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, ¹³²  but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 17:33 So Paul left the Areopagus. ¹³³  17:34 But some people ¹³⁴  joined him ¹³⁵  and believed. Among them ¹³⁶  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ¹³⁷  a woman ¹³⁸  named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

18:1 After this ¹³⁹  Paul ¹⁴⁰  departed from ¹⁴¹  Athens ¹⁴²  and went to Corinth. ¹⁴³  18:2 There he ¹⁴⁴  found ¹⁴⁵  a Jew named Aquila, ¹⁴⁶  a native of Pontus, ¹⁴⁷  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ¹⁴⁸  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ¹⁴⁹  Rome. ¹⁵⁰  Paul approached ¹⁵¹  them,

Kisah Para Rasul 4:1-2

The Arrest and Trial of Peter and John

4:1 While Peter and John ¹⁵²  were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander ¹⁵³  of the temple guard ¹⁵⁴  and the Sadducees ¹⁵⁵  came up ¹⁵⁶  to them, 4:2 angry ¹⁵⁷  because they were teaching the people and announcing ¹⁵⁸  in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

Kisah Para Rasul 6:1

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ¹⁵⁹  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ¹⁶⁰  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ¹⁶¹  against the native Hebraic Jews, ¹⁶²  because their widows ¹⁶³  were being overlooked ¹⁶⁴  in the daily distribution of food. ¹⁶⁵ 

Kisah Para Rasul 7:1--8:1

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ¹⁶⁶  7:2 So he replied, ¹⁶⁷  “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather ¹⁶⁸  Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 7:3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ ¹⁶⁹  7:4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God ¹⁷⁰  made him move ¹⁷¹  to this country where you now live. 7:5 He ¹⁷²  did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, ¹⁷³  not even a foot of ground, ¹⁷⁴  yet God ¹⁷⁵  promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, ¹⁷⁶  even though Abraham ¹⁷⁷  as yet had no child. 7:6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Your ¹⁷⁸  descendants will be foreigners ¹⁷⁹  in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. ¹⁸⁰  7:7 But I will punish ¹⁸¹  the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there ¹⁸²  and worship ¹⁸³  me in this place.’ ¹⁸⁴  7:8 Then God ¹⁸⁵  gave Abraham ¹⁸⁶  the covenant ¹⁸⁷  of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, ¹⁸⁸  and Isaac became the father of ¹⁸⁹  Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ¹⁹⁰  7:9 The ¹⁹¹  patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold ¹⁹²  him into Egypt. But ¹⁹³  God was with him, 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made ¹⁹⁴  him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 7:11 Then a famine occurred throughout ¹⁹⁵  Egypt and Canaan, causing ¹⁹⁶  great suffering, and our ¹⁹⁷  ancestors ¹⁹⁸  could not find food. 7:12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain ¹⁹⁹  in Egypt, he sent our ancestors ²⁰⁰  there ²⁰¹  the first time. 7:13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family ²⁰²  became known to Pharaoh. 7:14 So Joseph sent a message ²⁰³  and invited ²⁰⁴  his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people ²⁰⁵  in all. 7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, ²⁰⁶  along with our ancestors, ²⁰⁷  7:16 and their bones ²⁰⁸  were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money ²⁰⁹  from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

7:17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, ²¹⁰  the people increased greatly in number ²¹¹  in Egypt, 7:18 until another king who did not know about ²¹²  Joseph ruled ²¹³  over Egypt. ²¹⁴  7:19 This was the one who exploited ²¹⁵  our people ²¹⁶  and was cruel to our ancestors, ²¹⁷  forcing them to abandon ²¹⁸  their infants so they would die. ²¹⁹  7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful ²²⁰  to God. For ²²¹  three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, ²²²  Pharaoh’s daughter adopted ²²³  him and brought him up ²²⁴  as her own son. 7:22 So Moses was trained ²²⁵  in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful ²²⁶  in his words and deeds. 7:23 But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind ²²⁷  to visit his fellow countrymen ²²⁸  the Israelites. ²²⁹  7:24 When ²³⁰  he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, ²³¹  Moses ²³²  came to his defense ²³³  and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian. 7:25 He thought his own people ²³⁴  would understand that God was delivering them ²³⁵  through him, ²³⁶  but they did not understand. ²³⁷  7:26 The next day Moses ²³⁸  saw two men ²³⁹  fighting, and tried to make peace between ²⁴⁰  them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’ 7:27 But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed ²⁴¹  Moses ²⁴²  aside, saying, ‘Who made ²⁴³  you a ruler and judge over us? 7:28 You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ ²⁴⁴  7:29 When the man said this, ²⁴⁵  Moses fled and became a foreigner ²⁴⁶  in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

7:30 “After ²⁴⁷  forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert ²⁴⁸  of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ²⁴⁹  7:31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord, 7:32 ‘I am the God of your forefathers, ²⁵⁰  the God of Abraham, Isaac, ²⁵¹  and Jacob.’ ²⁵²  Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely. ²⁵³  7:33 But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ²⁵⁴  7:34 I have certainly seen the suffering ²⁵⁵  of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. ²⁵⁶  Now ²⁵⁷  come, I will send you to Egypt.’ ²⁵⁸  7:35 This same ²⁵⁹  Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ ²⁶⁰  God sent as both ruler and deliverer ²⁶¹  through the hand of the angel ²⁶²  who appeared to him in the bush. 7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs ²⁶³  in the land of Egypt, ²⁶⁴  at ²⁶⁵  the Red Sea, and in the wilderness ²⁶⁶  for forty years. 7:37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ²⁶⁷  ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ²⁶⁸  7:38 This is the man who was in the congregation ²⁶⁹  in the wilderness ²⁷⁰  with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, ²⁷¹  and he ²⁷²  received living oracles ²⁷³  to give to you. ²⁷⁴  7:39 Our ²⁷⁵  ancestors ²⁷⁶  were unwilling to obey ²⁷⁷  him, but pushed him aside ²⁷⁸  and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 7:40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt ²⁷⁹  – we do not know what has happened to him!’ ²⁸⁰  7:41 At ²⁸¹  that time ²⁸²  they made an idol in the form of a calf, ²⁸³  brought ²⁸⁴  a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing ²⁸⁵  in the works of their hands. ²⁸⁶  7:42 But God turned away from them and gave them over ²⁸⁷  to worship the host ²⁸⁸  of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices ²⁸⁹  forty years in the wilderness, was it, ²⁹⁰  house of Israel? 7:43 But you took along the tabernacle ²⁹¹  of Moloch ²⁹²  and the star of the ²⁹³  god Rephan, ²⁹⁴  the images you made to worship, but I will deport ²⁹⁵  you beyond Babylon.’ ²⁹⁶  7:44 Our ancestors ²⁹⁷  had the tabernacle ²⁹⁸  of testimony in the wilderness, ²⁹⁹  just as God ³⁰⁰  who spoke to Moses ordered him ³⁰¹  to make it according to the design he had seen. 7:45 Our ³⁰²  ancestors ³⁰³  received possession of it and brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors, ³⁰⁴  until the time ³⁰⁵  of David. 7:46 He ³⁰⁶  found favor ³⁰⁷  with ³⁰⁸  God and asked that he could ³⁰⁹  find a dwelling place ³¹⁰  for the house ³¹¹  of Jacob. 7:47 But Solomon built a house ³¹²  for him. 7:48 Yet the Most High ³¹³  does not live in houses made by human hands, ³¹⁴  as the prophet says,

7:49 ‘Heaven is my throne,

and earth is the footstool for my feet.

What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,

or what is my resting place? ³¹⁵ 

7:50 Did my hand ³¹⁶  not make all these things?’ ³¹⁷ 

7:51 “You stubborn ³¹⁸  people, with uncircumcised ³¹⁹  hearts and ears! ³²⁰  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ³²¹  did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ³²²  not persecute? ³²³  They ³²⁴  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ³²⁵  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ³²⁶  7:53 You ³²⁷  received the law by decrees given by angels, ³²⁸  but you did not obey ³²⁹  it.” ³³⁰ 

Stephen is Killed

7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious ³³¹  and ground their teeth ³³²  at him. 7:55 But Stephen, ³³³  full ³³⁴  of the Holy Spirit, looked intently ³³⁵  toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ³³⁶  at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. ³³⁷  “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 7:57 But they covered their ears, ³³⁸  shouting out with a loud voice, and rushed at him with one intent. 7:58 When ³³⁹  they had driven him out of the city, they began to stone him, ³⁴⁰  and the witnesses laid their cloaks ³⁴¹  at the feet of a young man named Saul. 7:59 They ³⁴²  continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 7:60 Then he fell ³⁴³  to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” ³⁴⁴  When ³⁴⁵  he had said this, he died. ³⁴⁶  8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ³⁴⁷  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ³⁴⁸  persecution began ³⁴⁹  against the church in Jerusalem, ³⁵⁰  and all ³⁵¹  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ³⁵²  of Judea and Samaria.

Mazmur 34:19

34:19 The godly ³⁵³  face many dangers, ³⁵⁴ 

but the Lord saves ³⁵⁵  them ³⁵⁶  from each one of them.

Mazmur 107:34

107:34 and a fruitful land into a barren place, ³⁵⁷ 

because of the sin of its inhabitants.

Yeremia 14:1

A Lament over the Ravages of Drought ³⁵⁸ 

14:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah ³⁵⁹  about the drought. ³⁶⁰ 

Yohanes 16:33

16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, ³⁶¹  but take courage ³⁶²  – I have conquered the world.” ³⁶³ 

Kisah Para Rasul 7:11

7:11 Then a famine occurred throughout ³⁶⁴  Egypt and Canaan, causing ³⁶⁵  great suffering, and our ³⁶⁶  ancestors ³⁶⁷  could not find food.

Kisah Para Rasul 14:22

14:22 They strengthened ³⁶⁸  the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue ³⁶⁹  in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom ³⁷⁰  of God through many persecutions.” ³⁷¹ 

[26:1]  ¹ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ² sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.

[42:5]  ³ tn Heb “in the midst of the coming ones.”

[43:1]  ⁴ tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that is important to the storyline.

[47:13]  ⁵ tn The verb לַהַה (lahah, = לָאָה, la’ah) means “to faint, to languish”; it figuratively describes the land as wasting away, drooping, being worn out.

[1:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “in the days of the judging of the judges.” The LXX simply reads “when the judges judged,” and Syriac has “in the days of the judges.” Cf. NASB “in the days when the judges governed (ruled NRSV).”

[1:1]  sn Many interpreters, reading this statement in the light of the Book of Judges which describes a morally corrupt period, assume that the narrator is painting a dark backdrop against which Ruth’s exemplary character and actions will shine even more brightly. However, others read this statement in the light of the book’s concluding epilogue which traces the full significance of the story to the time of David, the chosen king of Judah (4:18-22).

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “in the land.” The phrase “of Judah” is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.

[1:1]  ⁸ sn The name Bethlehem (בֵּית לֶחֶם, bet lekhem) is from “house, place” (בֵּית) and “bread, food” (לֶחֶם), so the name literally means “House of Bread” or “Place of Food.” Perhaps there is irony here: One would not expect a severe famine in such a location. This would not necessarily indicate that Bethlehem was under divine discipline, but merely that the famine was very severe, explaining the reason for the family’s departure.

[1:1]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[1:1]  ⁹ tn Or “to live temporarily.” The verb גּוּר (gur, “sojourn”) may refer to (1) temporary dwelling in a location (Deut 18:6; Judg 17:7) or (2) permanent dwelling in a location (Judg 5:17; Ps 33:8). When used of a foreign land, it can refer to (1) temporary dwelling as a visiting foreigner (Gen 12:10; 20:1; 21:34; 2 Kgs 8:1-2; Jer 44:14) or (2) permanent dwelling as a resident foreigner (Gen 47:4; Exod 6:4; Num 15:14; Deut 26:5; 2 Sam 4:3; Jer 49:18,33; 50:40; Ezek 47:22-23). Although Naomi eventually returned to Judah, there is some ambiguity whether or not Elimelech intended the move to make them permanent resident foreigners. Cf. NASB “to sojourn” and NIV “to live for a while,” both of which imply the move was temporary, while “to live” (NCV, NRSV, NLT) is more neutral about the permanence of the relocation.

[1:1]  sn Some interpreters view Elimelech’s departure from Judah to sojourn in Moab as lack of faith in the covenant God of Israel to provide for his family’s needs in the land of promise; therefore his death is consequently viewed as divine judgment. Others note that God never prohibited his people from seeking food in a foreign land during times of famine but actually sent his people to a foreign land during a famine in Canaan on at least one occasion as an act of deliverance (Gen 37-50). In this case, Elimelech’s sojourn to Moab was an understandable act by a man concerned for the survival of his family, perhaps even under divine approval, so their death in Moab was simply a tragedy, a bad thing that happened to a godly person.

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he and his wife and his two sons.” The LXX omits “two.”

[1:2]  ¹¹ sn The name “Elimelech” literally means “My God [is] king.” The narrator’s explicit identification of his name seems to cast him in a positive light.

[1:2]  ¹² tn Heb “and the name of his wife [was] Naomi.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:2]  sn The name Naomi (נָעֳמִי, na’omi) is from the adjective נֹעַם (noam, “pleasant, lovely”) and literally means “my pleasant one” or “my lovely one.” Her name will become the subject of a wordplay in 1:20-21 when she laments that she is no longer “pleasant” but “bitter” because of the loss of her husband and two sons.

[1:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the name[s] of his two sons [were] Mahlon and Kilion.”

[1:2]  sn The name Mahlon (מַחְלוֹן, makhlon) is from מָלָה (malah, “to be weak, sick”) and Kilion (כִליוֹן, khilyon) is from כָלָה (khalah, “to be frail”). The rate of infant mortality was so high during the Iron Age that parents typically did not name children until they survived infancy and were weaned. Naomi and Elimelech might have named their two sons Mahlon and Kilion to reflect their weak condition in infancy due to famine – which eventually prompted the move to Moab where food was abundant.

[1:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[They were] Ephrathites.” Ephrathah is a small village (Ps 132:6) in the vicinity of Bethlehem (Gen 35:16), so close in proximity that it is often identified with the larger town of Bethlehem (Gen 35:19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2 [MT 5:1]; HALOT 81 s.v. אֶפְרָתָה); see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 64. The designation “Ephrathites” might indicate that they were residents of Ephrathah. However, the adjectival form אֶפְרָתִים (ephratim, “Ephrathites”) used here elsewhere refers to someone from the clan of Ephrath (cf. 1 Chr 4:4) which lived in the region of Bethlehem: “Now David was the son of an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah whose name was Jesse” (1 Sam 17:12; cf. Mic 5:2 [MT 5:1]). So it is more likely that the virtually identical expression here – “Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah” – refers to the clan of Ephrath in Bethlehem (see R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth [NICOT], 91).

[1:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and were there”; KJV “continued there”; NRSV “remained there”; TEV “were living there.”

[21:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “trembled to meet.”

[21:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “trembled to meet.”

[17:1]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.

[17:1]  ¹⁹ sn Amphipolis. The capital city of the southeastern district of Macedonia (BDAG 55 s.v. ᾿Αμφίπολις). It was a military post. From Philippi this was about 33 mi (53 km).

[17:1]  ²⁰ sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.

[17:1]  ²¹ sn Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was a city in Macedonia about 33 mi (53 km) west of Apollonia. It was the capital of Macedonia. The road they traveled over was called the Via Egnatia. It is likely they rode horses, given their condition in Philippi. The implication of v. 1 is that the two previously mentioned cities lacked a synagogue.

[17:1]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:1]  ²² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:2]  ²³ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ²⁴ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[17:3]  ²⁵ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

[17:3]  ²⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[17:3]  ²⁷ sn The Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead. These two points (suffering and resurrection) would have been among the more controversial aspects of Paul’s messianic preaching. The term translated “had to” (δεῖ, dei) shows how divine design and scripture corresponded here.

[17:3]  ²⁸ tn The Greek words used here (καὶ ὅτι, kai {oti, “and that”) mark the switch from indirect to direct discourse. Contemporary English requires the use of an introductory verb of speaking or saying to make this transition.

[17:3]  ²⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31. The identification of the Messiah with Jesus indicates Paul was proclaiming the fulfillment of messianic promise.

[17:4]  ³⁰ tn Or “convinced.”

[17:4]  ³¹ tn Or “a large crowd.”

[17:4]  ³² tn Or “of devout Greeks,” but this is practically a technical term for 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, 743-44. Luke frequently mentions such people (Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7).

[17:4]  ³³ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:5]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ³⁹ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:6]  sn Throughout the world. Note how some of those present had knowledge of what had happened elsewhere. Word about Paul and his companions and their message was spreading.

[17:7]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ⁴⁸ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ 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.’”

[17:9]  ⁵² tn Grk “And after.” 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.

[17:9]  ⁵³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ⁵⁴ tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.

[17:10]  ⁵⁵ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.

[17:10]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.

[17:10]  ⁵⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ⁶⁰ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:11]  ⁶¹ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ⁶² tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ⁶³ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ⁶⁴ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:12]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “respected.”

[17:13]  ⁶⁷ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:13]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “that the word of God had also been proclaimed by Paul.” This passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:13]  ⁶⁹ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.

[17:13]  ⁷⁰ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

[17:13]  sn Inciting. Ironically, it was the Jews who were disturbing the peace, not the Christians.

[17:13]  ⁷¹ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

[17:14]  ⁷² tn Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ({ew" epi thn qalassan) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).

[17:14]  ⁷³ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ⁷⁴ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:15]  ⁷⁵ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

[17:16]  ⁷⁶ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:16]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.”

[17:16]  sn His spirit was greatly upset. See Rom 1:18-32 for Paul’s feelings about idolatry. Yet he addressed both Jews and Gentiles with tact and reserve.

[17:16]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.

[17:17]  ⁷⁹ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[17:17]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “and the devout,” but this is practically a technical term for 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, 743-44, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.

[17:17]  ⁸¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ⁸² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:18]  ⁸³ sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.

[17:18]  ⁸⁴ sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c.), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.

[17:18]  ⁸⁵ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”

[17:18]  ⁸⁸ tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.

[17:18]  ⁸⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:19]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:19]  ⁹¹ tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.

[17:19]  sn The Areopagus has been traditionally understood as reference to a rocky hill near the Acropolis in Athens, although this place may well have been located in the marketplace at the foot of the hill (L&N 93.412; BDAG 129 s.v. ῎Αρειος πάγος). This term does not refer so much to the place, however, as to the advisory council of Athens known as the Areopagus, which dealt with ethical, cultural, and religious matters, including the supervision of education and controlling the many visiting lecturers. Thus it could be translated the council of the Areopagus. See also the term in v. 22.

[17:20]  ⁹² tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

[17:20]  ⁹³ tn Grk “these things”; but since the referent (“surprising things”) is so close, the repetition of “these things” sounds redundant in English, so the pronoun “they” was substituted in the translation.

[17:21]  ⁹⁴ tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

[17:21]  ⁹⁵ tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

[17:21]  ⁹⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

[17:22]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ⁹⁸ tn The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterou") is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.

[17:22]  ⁹⁹ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).

[17:23]  ¹⁰² tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.

[17:24]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

[17:24]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “because he is.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) could be either adjectival, modifying οὗτος (Joutos, “who is Lord…”) or adverbial of cause (“because he is Lord…”). Since the participle διδούς (didou") in v. 25 appears to be clearly causal in force, it is preferable to understand ὑπάρχων as adjectival in this context.

[17:24]  ¹⁰⁵ sn On the statement does not live in temples made by human hands compare Acts 7:48. This has implications for idols as well. God cannot be represented by them or, as the following clause also suggests, served by human hands.

[17:25]  ¹⁰⁶ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:26]  ¹⁰⁸ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

[17:26]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

[17:26]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

[17:26]  ¹¹¹ tn BDAG 884-85 s.v. προστάσσω has “(οἱ) προστεταγμένοι καιροί (the) fixed times Ac 17:26” here, but since the following phrase is also translated “fixed limits,” this would seem redundant in English, so the word “set” has been used instead.

[17:26]  ¹¹² tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.

[17:27]  ¹¹³ tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.

[17:27]  ¹¹⁴ sn Perhaps grope around for him and find him. The pagans’ struggle to know God is the point here. Conscience alone is not good enough.

[17:27]  ¹¹⁵ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[17:28]  ¹¹⁶ tn According to L&N 15.1, “A strictly literal translation of κινέω in Ac 17:28 might imply merely moving from one place to another. The meaning, however, is generalized movement and activity; therefore, it may be possible to translate κινούμεθα as ‘we come and go’ or ‘we move about’’ or even ‘we do what we do.’”

[17:28]  ¹¹⁷ sn This quotation is from Aratus (ca. 310-245 b.c.), Phaenomena 5. Paul asserted a general relationship and accountability to God for all humanity.

[17:29]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

[17:29]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

[17:29]  ¹²⁰ tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[17:29]  ¹²¹ tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

[17:29]  ¹²² tn Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “thought, reflection, idea” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.

[17:30]  ¹²³ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ¹²⁴ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ¹²⁵ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ¹²⁶ sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.

[17:31]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ¹²⁸ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ¹²⁹ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

[17:31]  sn A man whom he designated. Jesus is put in the position of eschatological judge. As judge of the living and the dead, he possesses divine authority (Acts 10:42).

[17:31]  ¹³⁰ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[17:32]  ¹³¹ tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[17:32]  ¹³² tn L&N 33.408 has “some scoffed (at him) Ac 17:32” for ἐχλεύαζον (ecleuazon) here; the imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to scoff”).

[17:33]  ¹³³ tn Grk “left out of their midst”; the referent (the Areopagus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:34]  ¹³⁴ tn Although the Greek word here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which normally refers to males, husbands, etc., in this particular context it must have a generic force similar to that of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), since “a woman named Damaris” is mentioned specifically as being part of this group (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).

[17:34]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “joining him, believed.” The participle κολληθέντες (kollhqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the use of this verb in Acts, see 5:13; 8:29; 9:26; 10:28.

[17:34]  ¹³⁶ tn Grk “among whom.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been translated as a third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[17:34]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “the Areopagite” (a member of the council of the Areopagus). The noun “Areopagite” is not in common usage today in English. It is clearer to use a descriptive phrase “a member of the Areopagus” (L&N 11.82). However, this phrase alone can be misleading in English: “Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris” could be understood to refer to three people (Dionysius, an unnamed member of the Areopagus, and Damaris) rather than only two. Converting the descriptive phrase to a relative clause in English (“who was a member of the Areopagus”) removes the ambiguity.

[17:34]  ¹³⁸ tn Grk “and a woman”; but this καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[18:1]  ¹³⁹ tn Grk “After these things.”

[18:1]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “Paul left.”

[18:1]  ¹⁴² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:1]  ¹⁴³ sn Corinth was the capital city of the senatorial province of Achaia and the seat of the Roman proconsul. It was located 55 mi (88 km) west of Athens. Corinth was a major rival to Athens and was the largest city in Greece at the time.

[18:1]  map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:2]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Grk “And he.” 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. The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:2]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ¹⁴⁶ sn On Aquila and his wife Priscilla see also Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. This author uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.

[18:2]  ¹⁴⁷ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ¹⁴⁸ sn Claudius refers to the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54. The edict expelling the Jews from Rome was issued in a.d. 49 (Suetonius, Claudius 25.4).

[18:2]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ¹⁵⁰ map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ¹⁵¹ tn Or “went to.”

[4:1]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “While they”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:1]  ¹⁵³ tn Or “captain.”

[4:1]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[4:1]  sn The commander of the temple guard was the title of the officer commanding the Jewish soldiers responsible for guarding and keeping order in the temple courts in Jerusalem.

[4:1]  ¹⁵⁵ sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). See also Matt 3:7; 16:1-12; 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 5:17; 23:6-8.

[4:1]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Or “approached.” This verb often denotes a sudden appearing (BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1).

[4:2]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”

[4:2]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “proclaiming.”

[6:1]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

[6:1]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Grk “were multiplying.”

[6:1]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[6:1]  sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

[6:1]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

[6:1]  ¹⁶³ sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

[6:1]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “neglected.”

[6:1]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

[6:1]  sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.

[7:1]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[7:2]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[7:2]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[7:3]  ¹⁶⁹ sn A quotation from Gen 12:1.

[7:4]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ¹⁷¹ tn The translation “made him move” for the verb μετοικίζω (metoikizw) is given by L&N 85.83. The verb has the idea of “resettling” someone (BDAG 643 s.v.); see v. 43, where it reappears.

[7:5]  ¹⁷² tn Grk “And he.” 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.

[7:5]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “He did not give him an inheritance in it.” This could be understood to mean that God did not give something else to Abraham as an inheritance while he was living there. The point of the text is that God did not give any of the land to him as an inheritance, and the translation makes this clear.

[7:5]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).

[7:5]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:5]  ¹⁷⁶ sn An allusion to Gen 12:7; 13:15; 15:2, 18; 17:8; 24:7; 48:4. On the theological importance of the promise and to his descendants after him, see Rom 4 and Gal 3.

[7:5]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:6]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “that his”; the discourse switches from indirect to direct with the following verbs. For consistency the entire quotation is treated as second person direct discourse in the translation.

[7:6]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “will be strangers,” that is, one who lives as a noncitizen of a foreign country.

[7:6]  ¹⁸⁰ sn A quotation from Gen 15:13. Exod 12:40 specifies the sojourn as 430 years.

[7:7]  ¹⁸¹ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α states, “Oft. the emphasis is unmistakably laid upon that which follows the Divine Judge’s verdict, upon the condemnation or punishment: condemn, punish …Ac 7:7 (Gen 15:14).”

[7:7]  ¹⁸² tn The words “of there” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:7]  sn A quotation from Gen 15:14.

[7:7]  ¹⁸³ tn Or “and serve,” but with religious/cultic overtones (BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω).

[7:7]  ¹⁸⁴ sn An allusion to Exod 3:12.

[7:8]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:8]  ¹⁸⁷ sn God gave…the covenant. Note how the covenant of promise came before Abraham’s entry into the land and before the building of the temple.

[7:8]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Grk “circumcised him on the eighth day,” but many modern readers will not understand that this procedure was done on the eighth day after birth. The temporal clause “when he was eight days old” conveys this idea more clearly. See Gen 17:11-12.

[7:8]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The words “became the father of” are not in the Greek text due to an ellipsis, but must be supplied for the English translation. The ellipsis picks up the verb from the previous clause describing how Abraham fathered Isaac.

[7:8]  ¹⁹⁰ sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).

[7:9]  ¹⁹¹ 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.

[7:9]  ¹⁹² tn The meaning “sell” for the middle voice of ἀποδίδωμι (apodidwmi) is given by BDAG 110 s.v. 5.a. See Gen 37:12-36, esp. v. 28.

[7:9]  ¹⁹³ tn Though the Greek term here is καί (kai), in context this remark is clearly contrastive: Despite the malicious act, God was present and protected Joseph.

[7:10]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or “appointed.” See Gen 41:41-43.

[7:11]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”

[7:11]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.

[7:11]  ¹⁹⁷ sn Our. Stephen spoke of “our” ancestors (Grk “fathers”) in an inclusive sense throughout the speech until his rebuke in v. 51, where the nation does what “your” ancestors did, at which point an exclusive pronoun is used. This serves to emphasize the rebuke.

[7:11]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:12]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Or possibly “food,” since in a number of extrabiblical contexts the phrase σιτία καὶ ποτά (sitia kai pota) means “food and drink,” where solid food is contrasted with liquid nourishment (L&N 3.42).

[7:12]  ²⁰⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:12]  ²⁰¹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[7:13]  ²⁰² tn BDAG 194 s.v. γένος 2. gives “family, relatives” here; another alternative is “race” (see v. 19).

[7:14]  ²⁰³ tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:14]  ²⁰⁴ tn Or “Joseph had his father summoned” (BDAG 121 s.v. ἀποστέλλω 2.b).

[7:14]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).

[7:15]  ²⁰⁶ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[7:15]  ²⁰⁷ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:16]  ²⁰⁸ tn “and they.”

[7:16]  ²⁰⁹ sn See Gen 49:29-32.

[7:17]  ²¹⁰ tn Grk “But as the time for the fulfillment of the promise drew near that God had declared to Abraham.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to improve English style. See vv. 6-7 above.

[7:17]  ²¹¹ tn Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”

[7:18]  ²¹² tn Or simply “did not know.” However, in this context the point is that the new king knew nothing about Joseph, not whether he had known him personally (which is the way “did not know Joseph” could be understood).

[7:18]  ²¹³ tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.

[7:18]  ²¹⁴ sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.

[7:19]  ²¹⁵ tn According to L&N 88.147 it is also possible to translate κατασοφισάμενος (katasofisameno") as “took advantage by clever words” or “persuaded by sweet talk.”

[7:19]  ²¹⁶ tn Or “race.”

[7:19]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:19]  ²¹⁸ tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).

[7:19]  ²¹⁹ tn Grk “so that they could not be kept alive,” but in this context the phrase may be translated either “so that they would not continue to live,” or “so that they would die” (L&N 23.89).

[7:20]  ²²⁰ tn Or “was well-formed before God,” or “was well-pleasing to God” (BDAG 145 s.v. ἀστεῖος suggests the meaning is more like “well-bred” as far as God was concerned; see Exod 2:2).

[7:20]  ²²¹ tn Grk “who was brought up for three months.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation by changing the relative pronoun to a regular pronoun (“he”).

[7:21]  ²²² tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).

[7:21]  ²²³ tn Grk “Pharaoh’s daughter took him up for herself.” According to BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω, “The pap. exx. involve exposed children taken up and reared as slaves…The rendering ‘adopt’ lacks philological precision and can be used only in a loose sense (as NRSV), esp. when Gr-Rom. terminology relating to adoption procedures is taken into account.” In this instance both the immediate context and the OT account (Exod 2:3-10) do support the normal sense of the English word “adopt,” although it should not be understood to refer to a technical, legal event.

[7:21]  ²²⁴ tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).

[7:22]  ²²⁵ tn Or “instructed.”

[7:22]  ²²⁶ tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).

[7:23]  ²²⁷ tn Grk “heart.”

[7:23]  ²²⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” The translation “compatriot” is given by BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

[7:23]  ²²⁹ tn Grk “the sons of Israel.”

[7:24]  ²³⁰ 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.

[7:24]  ²³¹ tn “Hurt unfairly” conveys a better sense of the seriousness of the offense against the Israelite than “treated unfairly,” which can sometimes refer to slight offenses, or “wronged,” which can refer to offenses that do not involve personal violence, as this one probably did.

[7:24]  ²³² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:24]  ²³³ tn Or “he defended,” “he retaliated” (BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμύνομαι).

[7:25]  ²³⁴ tn Grk “his brothers.”

[7:25]  ²³⁵ tn Grk “was granting them deliverance.” The narrator explains that this act pictured what Moses could do for his people.

[7:25]  ²³⁶ tn Grk “by his hand,” where the hand is a metaphor for the entire person.

[7:25]  ²³⁷ sn They did not understand. Here is the theme of the speech. The people did not understand what God was doing through those he chose. They made the same mistake with Joseph at first. See Acts 3:17; 13:27. There is good precedent for this kind of challenging review of history in the ancient scriptures: Ps 106:6-46; Ezek 20; and Neh 9:6-38.

[7:26]  ²³⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:26]  ²³⁹ tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).

[7:26]  ²⁴⁰ tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).

[7:27]  ²⁴¹ tn Or “repudiated Moses,” “rejected Moses” (BDAG 126-27 s.v. ἀπωθέω 2).

[7:27]  ²⁴² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:27]  ²⁴³ tn Or “appointed.”

[7:28]  ²⁴⁴ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “do you?”

[7:28]  sn A quotation from Exod 2:14. Even though a negative reply was expected, the question still frightened Moses enough to flee, because he knew his deed had become known. This understanding is based on the Greek text, not the Hebrew of the original setting. Yet the negative here expresses the fact that Moses did not want to kill the other man. Once again the people have badly misunderstood the situation.

[7:29]  ²⁴⁵ tn Grk “At this word,” which could be translated either “when the man said this” or “when Moses heard this.” Since λόγος (logos) refers to the remark made by the Israelite, this translation has followed the first option.

[7:29]  ²⁴⁶ tn Or “resident alien.” Traditionally πάροικος (paroiko") has been translated “stranger” or “alien,” but the level of specificity employed with “foreigner” or “resident alien” is now necessary in contemporary English because a “stranger” is a person not acquainted with someone, while an “alien” can suggest science fiction imagery.

[7:30]  ²⁴⁷ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and contemporary English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:30]  ²⁴⁸ tn Or “wilderness.”

[7:30]  ²⁴⁹ sn An allusion to Exod 3:2.

[7:32]  ²⁵⁰ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:32]  ²⁵¹ tn Grk “and Isaac,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:32]  ²⁵² sn A quotation from Exod 3:6. The phrase suggests the God of promise, the God of the nation.

[7:32]  ²⁵³ tn Or “to investigate,” “to contemplate” (BDAG 522 s.v. κατανοέω 2).

[7:33]  ²⁵⁴ sn A quotation from Exod 3:5. The phrase holy ground points to the fact that God is not limited to a particular locale. The place where he is active in revealing himself is a holy place.

[7:34]  ²⁵⁵ tn Or “mistreatment.”

[7:34]  ²⁵⁶ tn Or “to set them free.”

[7:34]  ²⁵⁷ tn Grk “And now.” 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.

[7:34]  ²⁵⁸ sn A quotation from Exod 3:7-8, 10.

[7:35]  ²⁵⁹ sn This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).

[7:35]  ²⁶⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.

[7:35]  ²⁶¹ tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”

[7:35]  ²⁶² tn Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14-18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 LXX).

[7:36]  ²⁶³ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.

[7:36]  sn Performing wonders and miraculous signs. Again Moses acted like Jesus. The phrase appears 9 times in Acts (2:19, 22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12).

[7:36]  ²⁶⁴ tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:36]  ²⁶⁵ tn Grk “and at,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:36]  ²⁶⁶ tn Or “desert.”

[7:37]  ²⁶⁷ tn Grk “to the sons of Israel.”

[7:37]  ²⁶⁸ sn A quotation from Deut 18:15. This quotation sets up Jesus as the “leader-prophet” like Moses (Acts 3:22; Luke 9:35).

[7:38]  ²⁶⁹ tn This term, ἐκκλησία (ekklhsia), is a secular use of the term that came to mean “church” in the epistles. Here a reference to an assembly is all that is intended.

[7:38]  ²⁷⁰ tn Or “desert.”

[7:38]  ²⁷¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:38]  ²⁷² tn Grk “fathers, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new clause introduced by “and” was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[7:38]  ²⁷³ tn Or “messages.” This is an allusion to the law given to Moses.

[7:38]  ²⁷⁴ tc ‡ The first person pronoun ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “to us”) is read by A C D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy, while the second person pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”) is read by Ì⁷⁴ א B 36 453 al co. The second person pronoun thus has significantly better external support. As well, ὑμῖν is a harder reading in this context, both because it is surrounded by first person pronouns and because Stephen perhaps “does not wish to disassociate himself from those who received God’s revelation in the past, but only from those who misinterpreted and disobeyed that revelation” (TCGNT 307). At the same time, Stephen does associate himself to some degree with his disobedient ancestors in v. 39, suggesting that the decisive break does not really come until v. 51 (where both his present audience and their ancestors are viewed as rebellious). Thus, both externally and internally ὑμῖν is the preferred reading.

[7:39]  ²⁷⁵ tn Grk “whom our.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.

[7:39]  ²⁷⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:39]  ²⁷⁷ sn To obey. Again the theme of the speech is noted. The nation disobeyed the way of God and opted for Egypt over the promised land.

[7:39]  ²⁷⁸ sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).

[7:40]  ²⁷⁹ tn Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:40]  ²⁸⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 32:1, 23. Doubt (we do not know what has happened to him) expresses itself in unfaithful action. The act is in contrast to God’s promise in Exod 23:20.

[7:41]  ²⁸¹ tn Grk “And.” 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.

[7:41]  ²⁸² tn Grk “In those days.”

[7:41]  ²⁸³ tn Or “a bull calf” (see Exod 32:4-6). The term μοσχοποιέω (moscopoiew) occurs only in Christian writings according to BDAG 660 s.v.

[7:41]  ²⁸⁴ tn Grk “and brought,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:41]  ²⁸⁵ tn The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (eufrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See BDAG 414-15 s.v. εὐφραίνω 2.

[7:41]  ²⁸⁶ tn Or “in what they had done.”

[7:42]  ²⁸⁷ sn The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18-32.

[7:42]  ²⁸⁸ tn Or “stars.”

[7:42]  sn To worship the hosts of heaven. Their action violated Deut 4:19; 17:2-5. See Ps 106:36-43.

[7:42]  ²⁸⁹ tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).

[7:42]  ²⁹⁰ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”

[7:43]  ²⁹¹ tn Or “tent.”

[7:43]  sn A tabernacle was a tent used to house religious objects or a shrine (i.e., a portable sanctuary).

[7:43]  ²⁹² sn Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.

[7:43]  ²⁹³ tc ‡ Most mss, including several important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א A C E Ψ 33 1739 Ï h p vg sy^h mae bo Cyr), have ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, in conformity with the LXX of Amos 5:26. But other significant and diverse witnesses lack the pronoun: The lack of ὑμῶν in B D 36 453 gig sy^p sa Ir^lat Or is difficult to explain if it is not the original wording here. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[7:43]  ²⁹⁴ sn Rephan (῾Ραιφάν, RJaifan) was a pagan deity. The term was a name for Saturn. It was variously spelled in the mss (BDAG 903 s.v. has Rompha as an alternate spelling). The references cover a range of deities and a history of unfaithfulness.

[7:43]  ²⁹⁵ tn Or “I will make you move.”

[7:43]  ²⁹⁶ sn A quotation from Amos 5:25-27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.

[7:44]  ²⁹⁷ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:44]  ²⁹⁸ tn Or “tent.”

[7:44]  sn The tabernacle was the tent used to house the ark of the covenant before the construction of Solomon’s temple. This is where God was believed to reside, yet the people were still unfaithful.

[7:44]  ²⁹⁹ tn Or “desert.”

[7:44]  ³⁰⁰ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:44]  ³⁰¹ 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.

[7:45]  ³⁰² tn Grk “And.” 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.

[7:45]  ³⁰³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:45]  ³⁰⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:45]  sn Before our ancestors. Stephen has backtracked here to point out how faithful God had been before the constant move to idolatry just noted.

[7:45]  ³⁰⁵ tn Grk “In those days.”

[7:46]  ³⁰⁶ tn Grk “David, who” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[7:46]  ³⁰⁷ tn Or “grace.”

[7:46]  ³⁰⁸ tn Grk “before,” “in the presence of.”

[7:46]  ³⁰⁹ tn The words “that he could” are not in the Greek text, but are implied as the (understood) subject of the infinitive εὑρεῖν (Jeurein). This understands David’s request as asking that he might find the dwelling place. The other possibility would be to supply “that God” as the subject of the infinitive: “and asked that God find a dwelling place.” Unfortunately this problem is complicated by the extremely difficult problem with the Greek text in the following phrase (“house of Jacob” vs. “God of Jacob”).

[7:46]  ³¹⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 929 s.v. σκήνωμα a (Ps 132:5).

[7:46]  ³¹¹ tc Some mss read θεῷ (qew, “God”) here, a variant much easier to understand in the context. The reading “God” is supported by א² A C E Ψ 33 1739 Ï lat sy co. The more difficult οἴκῳ (oikw, “house”) is supported by Ì⁷⁴ א* B D H 049 pc. Thus the second reading is preferred both externally because of better ms evidence and internally because it is hard to see how a copyist finding the reading “God” would change it to “house,” while it is easy to see how (given the LXX of Ps 132:5) a copyist might assimilate the reading and change “house” to “God.” However, some scholars think the reading “house” is so difficult as to be unacceptable. Others (like Lachmann and Hort) resorted to conjectural emendation at this point. Others (Ropes) sought an answer in an underlying Aramaic expression. Not everyone thinks the reading “house” is too difficult to be accepted as original (see Lake and Cadbury). A. F. J. Klijn, “Stephen’s Speech – Acts vii.2-53,” NTS 4 (1957): 25-31, compared the idea of a “house within the house of Israel” with the Manual of Discipline from Qumran, a possible parallel that seems to support the reading “house” as authentic. (For the more detailed discussion from which this note was derived, see TCGNT 308-9.)

[7:47]  ³¹² sn See 1 Kgs 8:1-21.

[7:48]  ³¹³ sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).

[7:48]  ³¹⁴ sn The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mark 14:58; Acts 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, 24. It suggests “man-made” or “impermanent.” The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1 Kgs 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1 Chr 6:8; Jer 7:1-34).

[7:49]  ³¹⁵ sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.

[7:50]  ³¹⁶ tn Or “Did I.” The phrase “my hand” is ultimately a metaphor for God himself.

[7:50]  ³¹⁷ tn The question in Greek introduced with οὐχί (ouci) expects a positive reply.

[7:50]  sn A quotation from Isa 66:1-2. If God made the heavens, how can a human building contain him?

[7:51]  ³¹⁸ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ³¹⁹ tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

[7:51]  ³²⁰ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ³²¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ³²² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ³²³ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ³²⁴ tn Grk “And they.” 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.

[7:52]  ³²⁵ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ³²⁶ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:53]  ³²⁷ tn Grk “whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, who received the law” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “You” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[7:53]  ³²⁸ tn Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so BDAG 291 s.v. εἰς 9, BDF §206. Thus the phrase literally means “received the law by the decrees [orders] of angels” with the genitive understood as a subjective genitive, that is, the angels gave the decrees.

[7:53]  sn Decrees given by angels. According to Jewish traditions in the first century, the law of Moses was mediated through angels. See also the note on “angel” in 7:35.

[7:53]  ³²⁹ tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[7:53]  ³³⁰ tn Or “did not obey it.”

[7:54]  ³³¹ tn This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπρίω).

[7:54]  ³³² tn Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage (BDAG 184 s.v. βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.

[7:55]  ³³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:55]  ³³⁴ tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.

[7:55]  ³³⁵ tn Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:55]  ³³⁶ sn The picture of Jesus standing (rather than seated) probably indicates his rising to receive his child. By announcing his vision, Stephen thoroughly offended his audience, who believed no one could share God’s place in heaven. The phrase is a variation on Ps 110:1.

[7:56]  ³³⁷ tn Grk “And he said, ‘Look!’” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:57]  ³³⁸ sn They covered their ears to avoid hearing what they considered to be blasphemy.

[7:58]  ³³⁹ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:58]  ³⁴⁰ sn They began to stone him. The irony of the scene is that the people do exactly what the speech complains about in v. 52.

[7:58]  ³⁴¹ tn Or “outer garments.”

[7:58]  sn Laid their cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (in this case for throwing stones).

[7:59]  ³⁴² tn Grk “And they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:60]  ³⁴³ tn Grk “Then falling to his knees he cried out.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:60]  ³⁴⁴ sn The remarks Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and Lord, do not hold this sin against them recall statements Jesus made on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46).

[7:60]  ³⁴⁵ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[7:60]  ³⁴⁶ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.

[8:1]  ³⁴⁷ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ³⁴⁸ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ³⁴⁹ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ³⁵⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ³⁵¹ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ³⁵² tn Or “countryside.”

[34:19]  ³⁵³ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ³⁵⁴ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ³⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[107:34]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “a salty land.”

[14:1]  ³⁵⁸ sn The form of Jer 14:1–15:9 is very striking rhetorically. It consists essentially of laments and responses to them. However, what makes it so striking is its deviation from normal form (cf. 2 Chr 20:5-17 for what would normally be expected). The descriptions of the lamentable situation come from the mouth of God not the people (cf.14:1-6, 17-18). The prophet utters the petitions with statements of trust (14:7-9, 19-22) and the Lord answers not with oracles promising deliverance but promising doom (14:10; 15:1-9). In the course of giving the first oracle of doom, the Lord commands Jeremiah not to pray for the people (14:11-12) and Jeremiah tries to provide an excuse for their actions (14:13). The Lord responds to that with an oracle of doom on the false prophets (14:14-16).

[14:1]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “That which came [as] the word of the Lord to Jeremiah.” The introductory formula here is a variation of that found in 7:1; 10:1; 11:1, i.e., “The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah.” The relative pronoun “which” (אֲשֶׁר, ’asher) actually precedes the noun it modifies. See BDB 82 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 6.a for discussion and further examples.

[14:1]  ³⁶⁰ sn Drought was one of the punishments for failure to adhere to the terms of their covenant with God. See Deut 28:22-24; Lev 26:18-20.

[16:33]  ³⁶¹ tn The one Greek term θλῖψις (qliyis) has been translated by an English hendiadys (two terms that combine for one meaning) “trouble and suffering.” For modern English readers “tribulation” is no longer clearly understandable.

[16:33]  ³⁶² tn Or “but be courageous.”

[16:33]  ³⁶³ tn Or “I am victorious over the world,” or “I have overcome the world.”

[16:33]  sn The Farewell Discourse proper closes on the triumphant note I have conquered the world, which recalls 1:5 (in the prologue): “the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.” Jesus’ words which follow in chap. 17 are addressed not to the disciples but to his Father, as he prays for the consecration of the disciples.

[7:11]  ³⁶⁴ tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”

[7:11]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.

[7:11]  ³⁶⁶ sn Our. Stephen spoke of “our” ancestors (Grk “fathers”) in an inclusive sense throughout the speech until his rebuke in v. 51, where the nation does what “your” ancestors did, at which point an exclusive pronoun is used. This serves to emphasize the rebuke.

[7:11]  ³⁶⁷ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[14:22]  ³⁶⁸ tn Grk “to Antioch, strengthening.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here. This participle (ἐπιστηρίζοντες, episthrizonte") and the following one (παρακαλοῦντες, parakalounte") have been translated as finite verbs connected by the coordinating conjunction “and.”

[14:22]  ³⁶⁹ sn And encouraged them to continue. The exhortations are like those noted in Acts 11:23; 13:43. An example of such a speech is found in Acts 20:18-35. Christianity is now characterized as “the faith.”

[14:22]  ³⁷⁰ sn This reference to the kingdom of God clearly refers to its future arrival.

[14:22]  ³⁷¹ tn Or “sufferings.”