Jeremiah 52:17-23

52:17 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called the “The Sea.” ¹  They took all the bronze to Babylon. 52:18 They also took the pots, shovels, ²  trimming shears, ³  basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. ⁴  52:19 The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, ⁵  basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels. ⁶  52:20 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands ⁷ ) was too heavy to be weighed. 52:21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feet ⁸  high, about 18 feet ⁹  in circumference, three inches ¹⁰  thick, and hollow. 52:22 The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet ¹¹  high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. 52:23 There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.

Jeremiah 52:1

The Fall of Jerusalem

52:1 ¹² Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem ¹³  for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal ¹⁴  daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.

Acts 7:15-22

7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, ¹⁵  along with our ancestors, ¹⁶  7:16 and their bones ¹⁷  were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money ¹⁸  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, ¹⁹  the people increased greatly in number ²⁰  in Egypt, 7:18 until another king who did not know about ²¹  Joseph ruled ²²  over Egypt. ²³  7:19 This was the one who exploited ²⁴  our people ²⁵  and was cruel to our ancestors, ²⁶  forcing them to abandon ²⁷  their infants so they would die. ²⁸  7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful ²⁹  to God. For ³⁰  three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, ³¹  Pharaoh’s daughter adopted ³²  him and brought him up ³³  as her own son. 7:22 So Moses was trained ³⁴  in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful ³⁵  in his words and deeds.

Acts 7:2

7:2 So he replied, ³⁶  “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather ³⁷  Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

Acts 25:13

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ³⁸  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ³⁹  to pay their respects ⁴⁰  to Festus. ⁴¹ 

Acts 25:17

25:17 So after they came back here with me, ⁴²  I did not postpone the case, ⁴³  but the next day I sat ⁴⁴  on the judgment seat ⁴⁵  and ordered the man to be brought.

Acts 25:2

25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men ⁴⁶  of the Jews brought formal charges ⁴⁷  against Paul to him.

Acts 4:2-16

4:2 angry ⁴⁸  because they were teaching the people and announcing ⁴⁹  in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 4:3 So ⁵⁰  they seized ⁵¹  them and put them in jail ⁵²  until the next day (for it was already evening). 4:4 But many of those who had listened to ⁵³  the message ⁵⁴  believed, and the number of the men ⁵⁵  came to about five thousand.

4:5 On the next day, ⁵⁶  their rulers, elders, and experts in the law ⁵⁷  came together ⁵⁸  in Jerusalem. ⁵⁹  4:6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who were members of the high priest’s family. ⁶⁰  4:7 After ⁶¹  making Peter and John ⁶²  stand in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power or by what name ⁶³  did you do this?” 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁶⁴  replied, ⁶⁵  “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁶⁶  4:9 if ⁶⁷  we are being examined ⁶⁸  today for a good deed ⁶⁹  done to a sick man – by what means this man was healed ⁷⁰  – 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ ⁷¹  the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. 4:11 This Jesus ⁷²  is the stone that was rejected by you, ⁷³  the builders, that has become the cornerstone. ⁷⁴  4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people ⁷⁵  by which we must ⁷⁶  be saved.”

4:13 When they saw the boldness ⁷⁷  of Peter and John, and discovered ⁷⁸  that they were uneducated ⁷⁹  and ordinary ⁸⁰  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. 4:14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this. ⁸¹  4:15 But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, ⁸²  they began to confer with one another, 4:16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For it is plain ⁸³  to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign ⁸⁴  has come about through them, ⁸⁵  and we cannot deny it.

[52:17]  ¹ sn For discussion of the items listed here, see the study notes at Jer 27:19.

[52:18]  ² sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.

[52:18]  ³ sn These trimming shears were used to trim the wicks of the lamps.

[52:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “with which they served (or “fulfilled their duty”).”

[52:19]  ³ sn The censers held the embers used for the incense offerings.

[52:19]  ⁴ sn These vessels were used for drink offerings.

[52:20]  ⁴ tc The translation follows the LXX (Greek version), which reflects the description in 1 Kgs 7:25-26. The Hebrew text reads, “the twelve bronze bulls under the movable stands.” הַיָּם (hayyam, “The Sea”) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton; note that the following form, הַמְּכֹנוֹת (hammÿkhonot, “the movable stands”), also begins with the article.

[52:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “eighteen cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.

[52:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “twelve cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.

[52:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “four fingers.”

[52:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “five cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.

[52:1]  ⁷ sn This final chapter does not mention Jeremiah, but its description of the downfall of Jerusalem and exile of the people validates the prophet’s ministry.

[52:1]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[52:1]  ⁹ tn Some textual witnesses support the Kethib (consonantal text) in reading “Hamital.”

[7:15]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:16]  ⁹ tn “and they.”

[7:16]  ¹⁰ sn See Gen 49:29-32.

[7:17]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”

[7:18]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.

[7:18]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.

[7:19]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “race.”

[7:19]  ¹⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:19]  ¹⁵ tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).

[7:19]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).

[7:21]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).

[7:22]  ¹⁵ tn Or “instructed.”

[7:22]  ¹⁶ tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).

[7:2]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “said.”

[7:2]  ¹⁷ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[25:13]  ¹⁷ sn King Agrippa was Herod Agrippa II (a.d. 27-92/93), son of Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12:1). He ruled over parts of Palestine from a.d. 53 until his death. His sister Bernice was widowed when her second husband, Herod King of Chalcis, died in a.d. 48. From then she lived with her brother. In an attempt to quiet rumors of an incestuous relationship between them, she resolved to marry Polemo of Cilicia, but she soon left him and returned to Herod Agrippa II. Their incestuous relationship became the gossip of Rome according to Josephus (Ant. 20.7.3 [20.145-147]). The visit of Agrippa and Bernice gave Festus the opportunity to get some internal Jewish advice. Herod Agrippa II was a trusted adviser because he was known to be very loyal to Rome (Josephus, J. W. 2.16.4 [2.345-401]).

[25:13]  ¹⁸ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[25:13]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

[25:13]  ²⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:17]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 969-70 s.v. συνέρχομαι 2 states, “συνελθόντων ἐνθάδε prob. means (because of συνκαταβάντες 25:5) they came back here with (me) 25:17.”

[25:17]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβολή states, “‘delay’…legal t.t. postponement…ἀ. μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος I did not postpone the matter Ac 25:17.” “Case” has been supplied instead of “matter” since it is more specific to the context. The participle ποιησάμενος (poihsameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ²⁰ tn Grk “sitting…I ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ²¹ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:2]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 893-94 s.v. πρῶτος 2.a.β has “οἱ πρῶτοι the most prominent men, the leading men w. gen. of the place…or of a group…οἱ πρ. τοῦ λαοῦ…Lk 19:47; cp. Ac 25:2; 28:17.”

[25:2]  ²⁰ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[4:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”

[4:2]  ²¹ tn Or “proclaiming.”

[4:3]  ²¹ tn Grk “And” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the logical sequence of events.

[4:3]  ²² tn Or “they arrested”; Grk “they laid hands on.”

[4:3]  ²³ tn Or “prison,” “custody.”

[4:4]  ²² tn Or “had heard.”

[4:4]  ²³ tn Or “word.”

[4:4]  ²⁴ tn In the historical setting it is likely that only men are referred to here. The Greek term ἀνήρ (anhr) usually refers to males or husbands rather than people in general. Thus to translate “of the people” would give a false impression of the number, since any women and children were apparently not included in the count.

[4:5]  ²³ tn Grk “It happened that on the next day.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[4:5]  ²⁴ tn Or “and scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.

[4:5]  ²⁵ tn Or “law assembled,” “law met together.”

[4:5]  ²⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:6]  ²⁴ sn The high priest’s family. This family controlled the high priesthood as far back as a.d. 6. Annas, Caiaphas, and Alexander were all high priests at one time (though Alexander held that office after this event).

[4:7]  ²⁵ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new sentence is begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 7.

[4:7]  ²⁶ tn Grk “making them”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:7]  ²⁷ sn By what name. The issue of the “name” comes up again here. This question, meaning “by whose authority,” surfaces an old dispute (see Luke 20:1-8). Who speaks for God about the ancient faith?

[4:8]  ²⁶ sn Filled with the Holy Spirit. The narrator’s remark about the Holy Spirit indicates that Peter speaks as directed by God and for God. This fulfills Luke 12:11-12 (1 Pet 3:15).

[4:8]  ²⁷ tn Grk “Spirit, said to them.”

[4:8]  ²⁸ tc The Western and Byzantine texts, as well as one or two Alexandrian witnesses, read τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (tou Israhl, “of Israel”) after πρεσβύτεροι (presbuteroi, “elders”; so D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï it), while most of the better witnesses, chiefly Alexandrian (Ì⁷⁴ א A B 0165 1175 vg sa bo), lack this modifier. The longer reading was most likely added by scribes to give literary balance to the addressees in that “Rulers” already had an adjunct while “elders” was left absolute.

[4:9]  ²⁷ tn This clause is a first class condition. It assumes for the sake of argument that this is what they were being questioned about.

[4:9]  ²⁸ tn Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinw) points to an examination similar to a legal one.

[4:9]  ²⁹ tn Or “for an act of kindness.”

[4:9]  ³⁰ tn Or “delivered” (σέσωται [seswtai], from σώζω [swzw]). See 4:12.

[4:10]  ²⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[4:11]  ²⁹ tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ³⁰ tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.

[4:11]  ³¹ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.

[4:12]  ³⁰ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[4:12]  ³¹ sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.

[4:13]  ³¹ tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ³² tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ³³ sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.

[4:13]  ³⁴ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[4:14]  ³² tn Or “nothing to say in opposition.”

[4:15]  ³³ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[4:16]  ³⁴ tn Or “evident.”

[4:16]  ³⁵ tn Here σημεῖον (shmeion) has been translated as “miraculous sign” rather than simply “sign” or “miracle” since both components appear to be present in the context. It is clear that the healing of the lame man was a miracle, but for the Sanhedrin it was the value of the miraculous healing as a sign that concerned them because it gave attestation to the message of Peter and John. The sign “speaks” as Peter claimed in 3:11-16.

[4:16]  ³⁶ tn Or “has been done by them.”