Acts 26:1--28:31

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ¹  said to Paul, “You have permission ²  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ³  and began his defense: ⁴ 

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ⁵  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 26:3 because you are especially ⁶  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ⁷  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ⁸  you to listen to me patiently. 26:4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived ⁹  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ¹⁰  and in Jerusalem. ¹¹  26:5 They know, ¹²  because they have known ¹³  me from time past, ¹⁴  if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party ¹⁵  of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ¹⁶  26:6 And now I stand here on trial ¹⁷  because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ¹⁸  26:7 a promise ¹⁹  that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God ²⁰  night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, ²¹  Your Majesty! ²²  26:8 Why do you people ²³  think ²⁴  it is unbelievable ²⁵  that ²⁶  God raises the dead? 26:9 Of course, ²⁷  I myself was convinced ²⁸  that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 26:10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received ²⁹  from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote ³⁰  against them when they were sentenced to death. ³¹  26:11 I punished ³²  them often in all the synagogues ³³  and tried to force ³⁴  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ³⁵  at them, I went to persecute ³⁶  them even in foreign cities.

26:12 “While doing this very thing, ³⁷  as I was going ³⁸  to Damascus with authority and complete power ³⁹  from the chief priests, 26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, ⁴⁰  I saw a light from heaven, ⁴¹  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around ⁴²  me and those traveling with me. 26:14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ⁴³  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself ⁴⁴  by kicking against the goads.’ ⁴⁵  26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ⁴⁶  ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 26:16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance ⁴⁷  as a servant and witness ⁴⁸  to the things ⁴⁹  you have seen ⁵⁰  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ⁵¹  you from your own people ⁵²  and from the Gentiles, to whom ⁵³  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ⁵⁴  from darkness to light and from the power ⁵⁵  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁵⁶  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, ⁵⁷  I was not disobedient ⁵⁸  to the heavenly ⁵⁹  vision, 26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ⁶⁰  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ⁶¹  performing deeds consistent with ⁶²  repentance. 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts ⁶³  and were trying to kill me. 26:22 I have experienced ⁶⁴  help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except ⁶⁵  what the prophets and Moses said ⁶⁶  was going to happen: 26:23 that ⁶⁷  the Christ ⁶⁸  was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people ⁶⁹  and to the Gentiles.” ⁷⁰ 

26:24 As Paul ⁷¹  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ⁷²  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ⁷³  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ⁷⁴  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ⁷⁵  but am speaking ⁷⁶  true and rational ⁷⁷  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ⁷⁸  to him, ⁷⁹  because I cannot believe ⁸⁰  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁸¹  for this was not done in a corner. ⁸²  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ⁸³  King Agrippa? ⁸⁴  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ⁸⁵  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ⁸⁶  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ⁸⁷  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ⁸⁸ 

26:30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, 26:31 and as they were leaving they said to one another, ⁸⁹  “This man is not doing anything deserving ⁹⁰  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ⁹¹  said to Festus, ⁹²  “This man could have been released ⁹³  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ⁹⁴ 

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ⁹⁵  would sail to Italy, ⁹⁶  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ⁹⁷  of the Augustan Cohort ⁹⁸  named Julius. 27:2 We went on board ⁹⁹  a ship from Adramyttium ¹⁰⁰  that was about to sail to various ports ¹⁰¹  along the coast of the province of Asia ¹⁰²  and put out to sea, ¹⁰³  accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian ¹⁰⁴  from Thessalonica. ¹⁰⁵  27:3 The next day we put in ¹⁰⁶  at Sidon, ¹⁰⁷  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ¹⁰⁸  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ¹⁰⁹  27:4 From there we put out to sea ¹¹⁰  and sailed under the lee ¹¹¹  of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea ¹¹²  off Cilicia and Pamphylia, ¹¹³  we put in ¹¹⁴  at Myra ¹¹⁵  in Lycia. ¹¹⁶  27:6 There the centurion ¹¹⁷  found ¹¹⁸  a ship from Alexandria ¹¹⁹  sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly ¹²⁰  for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. ¹²¹  Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, ¹²²  we sailed under the lee ¹²³  of Crete off Salmone. ¹²⁴  27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast ¹²⁵  of Crete ¹²⁶  and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. ¹²⁷ 

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous ¹²⁸  because the fast ¹²⁹  was already over, ¹³⁰  Paul advised them, ¹³¹  27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end ¹³²  in disaster ¹³³  and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹³⁴  27:11 But the centurion ¹³⁵  was more convinced ¹³⁶  by the captain ¹³⁷  and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. ¹³⁸  27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided ¹³⁹  to put out to sea ¹⁴⁰  from there. They hoped that ¹⁴¹  somehow they could reach ¹⁴²  Phoenix, ¹⁴³  a harbor of Crete facing ¹⁴⁴  southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought ¹⁴⁵  they could carry out ¹⁴⁶  their purpose, so they weighed anchor ¹⁴⁷  and sailed close along the coast ¹⁴⁸  of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force ¹⁴⁹  wind called the northeaster ¹⁵⁰  blew down from the island. ¹⁵¹  27:15 When the ship was caught in it ¹⁵²  and could not head into ¹⁵³  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ¹⁵⁴  along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of ¹⁵⁵  a small island called Cauda, ¹⁵⁶  we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat ¹⁵⁷  under control. 27:17 After the crew ¹⁵⁸  had hoisted it aboard, ¹⁵⁹  they used supports ¹⁶⁰  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ¹⁶¹  on the Syrtis, ¹⁶²  they lowered the sea anchor, ¹⁶³  thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, ¹⁶⁴  they began throwing the cargo overboard, ¹⁶⁵  27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear ¹⁶⁶  overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ¹⁶⁷  storm continued to batter us, ¹⁶⁸  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ¹⁶⁹ 

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, ¹⁷⁰  Paul ¹⁷¹  stood up ¹⁷²  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ¹⁷³  and not put out to sea ¹⁷⁴  from Crete, thus avoiding ¹⁷⁵  this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise ¹⁷⁶  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ¹⁷⁷  27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ¹⁷⁸  and whom I serve ¹⁷⁹  came to me ¹⁸⁰  27:24 and said, ¹⁸¹  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ¹⁸²  Caesar, ¹⁸³  and God has graciously granted you the safety ¹⁸⁴  of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ¹⁸⁵  that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must ¹⁸⁶  run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven ¹⁸⁷  across the Adriatic Sea, ¹⁸⁸  about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. ¹⁸⁹  27:28 They took soundings ¹⁹⁰  and found the water was twenty fathoms ¹⁹¹  deep; when they had sailed a little farther ¹⁹²  they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms ¹⁹³  deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid ¹⁹⁴  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ¹⁹⁵  they threw out ¹⁹⁶  four anchors from the stern and wished ¹⁹⁷  for day to appear. ¹⁹⁸  27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending ¹⁹⁹  that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion ²⁰⁰  and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you ²⁰¹  cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes ²⁰²  of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. ²⁰³ 

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ²⁰⁴  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ²⁰⁵  and have gone ²⁰⁶  without food; you have eaten nothing. ²⁰⁷  27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important ²⁰⁸  for your survival. ²⁰⁹  For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul ²¹⁰  took bread ²¹¹  and gave thanks to God in front of them all, ²¹²  broke ²¹³  it, and began to eat. 27:36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 27:37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six ²¹⁴  persons on the ship.) ²¹⁵  27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, ²¹⁶  they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat ²¹⁷  into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ²¹⁸  a bay ²¹⁹  with a beach, ²²⁰  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped ²²¹  the anchors ²²²  and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage ²²³  that bound the steering oars ²²⁴  together. Then they hoisted ²²⁵  the foresail ²²⁶  to the wind and steered toward ²²⁷  the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ²²⁸  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ²²⁹  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ²³⁰  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ²³¹  27:43 But the centurion, ²³²  wanting to save Paul’s life, ²³³  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ²³⁴  27:44 and the rest were to follow, ²³⁵  some on planks ²³⁶  and some on pieces of the ship. ²³⁷  And in this way ²³⁸  all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ²³⁹  we learned that the island was called Malta. ²⁴⁰  28:2 The local inhabitants ²⁴¹  showed us extraordinary ²⁴²  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ²⁴³  and was cold. 28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ²⁴⁴  and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 28:4 When the local people ²⁴⁵  saw the creature hanging from Paul’s ²⁴⁶  hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself ²⁴⁷  has not allowed him to live!” ²⁴⁸  28:5 However, ²⁴⁹  Paul ²⁵⁰  shook ²⁵¹  the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up ²⁵²  or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited ²⁵³  a long time and had seen ²⁵⁴  nothing unusual happen ²⁵⁵  to him, they changed their minds ²⁵⁶  and said he was a god. ²⁵⁷ 

28:7 Now in the region around that place ²⁵⁸  were fields belonging to the chief official ²⁵⁹  of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 28:8 The father ²⁶⁰  of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him ²⁶¹  and after praying, placed ²⁶²  his hands on him and healed ²⁶³  him. 28:9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick ²⁶⁴  also came and were healed. ²⁶⁵  28:10 They also bestowed many honors, ²⁶⁶  and when we were preparing to sail, ²⁶⁷  they gave ²⁶⁸  us all the supplies we needed. ²⁶⁹ 

Paul Finally Reaches Rome

28:11 After three months we put out to sea ²⁷⁰  in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” ²⁷¹  as its figurehead. ²⁷²  28:12 We put in ²⁷³  at Syracuse ²⁷⁴  and stayed there three days. 28:13 From there we cast off ²⁷⁵  and arrived at Rhegium, ²⁷⁶  and after one day a south wind sprang up ²⁷⁷  and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ²⁷⁸  28:14 There ²⁷⁹  we found ²⁸⁰  some brothers ²⁸¹  and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. ²⁸²  28:15 The brothers from there, ²⁸³  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ²⁸⁴  and Three Taverns ²⁸⁵  to meet us. When he saw them, ²⁸⁶  Paul thanked God and took courage. 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ²⁸⁷  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome

28:17 After three days ²⁸⁸  Paul ²⁸⁹  called the local Jewish leaders ²⁹⁰  together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, ²⁹¹  although I had done ²⁹²  nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, ²⁹³  from Jerusalem ²⁹⁴  I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. ²⁹⁵  28:18 When ²⁹⁶  they had heard my case, ²⁹⁷  they wanted to release me, ²⁹⁸  because there was no basis for a death sentence ²⁹⁹  against me. 28:19 But when the Jews objected, ³⁰⁰  I was forced to appeal to Caesar ³⁰¹  – not that I had some charge to bring ³⁰²  against my own people. ³⁰³  28:20 So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you, for I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.” ³⁰⁴  28:21 They replied, ³⁰⁵  “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there ³⁰⁶  and reported or said anything bad about you. 28:22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know ³⁰⁷  that people ³⁰⁸  everywhere speak against ³⁰⁹  it.”

28:23 They set ³¹⁰  a day to meet with him, ³¹¹  and they came to him where he was staying ³¹²  in even greater numbers. ³¹³  From morning until evening he explained things ³¹⁴  to them, ³¹⁵  testifying ³¹⁶  about the kingdom of God ³¹⁷  and trying to convince ³¹⁸  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced ³¹⁹  by what he said, ³²⁰  but others refused ³²¹  to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, ³²²  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ³²³  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ³²⁴  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ³²⁵  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ³²⁶ 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ³²⁷ 

and they have closed their eyes,

so that they would not see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, ³²⁸  and I would heal them.”’ ³²⁹ 

28:28 “Therefore be advised ³³⁰  that this salvation from God ³³¹  has been sent to the Gentiles; ³³²  they ³³³  will listen!”

28:29 [[EMPTY]] ³³⁴ 

28:30 Paul ³³⁵  lived ³³⁶  there two whole years in his own rented quarters ³³⁷  and welcomed ³³⁸  all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ³³⁹  with complete boldness ³⁴⁰  and without restriction. ³⁴¹ 

[26:1]  ¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ² tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ³ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ⁴ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[26:2]  ⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:3]  ⁹ tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[26:3]  ¹¹ tn BDAG 218 s.v. δέομαι states, “In our lit. only w. the mng. to ask for something pleadingly, ask, request,” and then in section a.α states, “w. inf. foll.…Ac 26:3.”

[26:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “my manner of life.”

[26:4]  ¹⁴ tn Or “nation.”

[26:4]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:5]  ¹⁷ tn These words are repeated from v. 4 (“all the Jews know”). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, it was necessary to begin a new sentence at the beginning of v. 5 in the translation, but for this to make sense, the main verb ἵσασι ({isasi) has to be repeated to connect with the ὅτι (Joti) clause (indirect discourse) in v. 5.

[26:5]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “having known me from time past.” The participle προγινώσκοντες (proginwskonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[26:5]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 866 s.v. προγινώσκω 2 has “Know from time past…προγινώσκοντές με ἄνωθεν Ac 26:5.” L&N 28.6 states, “‘they have already known me beforehand, if they are willing to testify’ Ac 26:5.”

[26:5]  ²⁰ tn That is, strictest religious party. “Party” alone is used in the translation because “the strictest religious party of our religion” would be redundant.

[26:5]  ²¹ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[26:6]  ²¹ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.a.α has “κρίνεσθαι ἐπί τινι be on trial because of a thing Ac 26:6.”

[26:6]  ²² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[26:7]  ²⁵ tn Grk “to which [promise] our twelve tribes…” The antecedent of the relative pronoun (the promise in v. 6) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:7]  ²⁶ tn Or “earnestly worship.” The object of this service, God, is omitted but implied: BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω states, “Without the dat. of the one to whom service is given: ἐν ἐκτενείᾳ νύκτα κ. ἡμέραν λ. serve (God) earnestly night and day Ac 26:7.” Although clear from the context in Greek, “God” must be supplied as the recipient of the service for the modern English reader.

[26:7]  ²⁷ tn Grk “I am being accused by the Jews.” The passive construction was simplified by converting it to an active one in the translation.

[26:7]  ²⁸ tn Grk “O King!”

[26:8]  ²⁹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate that the second person pronoun (“you”) is plural (others in addition to King Agrippa are being addressed).

[26:8]  ³⁰ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 3 states, “τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν; why do you think it is incredible? Ac 26:8.” The passive construction (“why is it thought unbelievable…”) has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[26:8]  ³¹ tn Or “incredible.” BDAG 103 s.v. ἄπιστος 1 states, “unbelievable, incredible…τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν…; why does it seem incredible to you? Ac 26:8.”

[26:8]  ³² tn Grk “if.” The first-class conditional construction, which assumes reality for the sake of argument, has been translated as indirect discourse.

[26:9]  ³³ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 3 states, “It has been proposed that some traces of older Gk. usage in which οὖν is emphatic, = certainly, really, to be sure etc. (s. L-S-J-M s.v. 1) remain in the pap…and in the NT…indeed, of course Ac 26:9.”

[26:9]  ³⁴ tn Grk “I thought to myself.” BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.a has “ἔδοξα ἐμαυτῷ δεῖν πρᾶξαι = Lat. mihi videbar I was convinced that it was necessary to do Ac 26:9.”

[26:10]  ³⁷ tn Grk “by receiving authority.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been taken instrumentally.

[26:10]  ³⁸ tn Grk “cast down a pebble against them.” L&N 30.103 states, “(an idiom, Grk ‘to bring a pebble against someone,’ a reference to a white or black pebble used in voting for or against someone) to make known one’s choice against someone – ‘to vote against.’ …‘when they were sentenced to death, I also voted against them’ Ac 26:10.”

[26:10]  ³⁹ tn Grk “when they were being executed”; but the context supports the sentencing rather than the execution itself (cf. L&N 30.103).

[26:11]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “and punishing…I tried.” The participle τιμωρῶν (timwrwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. 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.

[26:11]  ⁴² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ⁴³ tn The imperfect verb ἠνάγκαζον (hnankazon) has been translated as a conative imperfect (so BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 1, which has “ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν I tried to force them to blaspheme Ac 26:11”).

[26:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “was so insanely angry with them.” BDAG 322 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι states, “to be filled with such anger that one appears to be mad, be enraged…περισσῶς ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς being furiously enraged at them Ac 26:11”; L&N 88.182 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι, “to be so furiously angry with someone as to be almost out of one’s mind – ‘to be enraged, to be infuriated, to be insanely angry’ …‘I was so infuriated with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them’ Ac 26:11.”

[26:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”

[26:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “in which [activity].” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 in the translation. The referent of the relative pronoun (“which”) was specified as “this very thing” for clarity.

[26:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “going.” The participle πορευόμενος (poreuomenos) has been taken temporally.

[26:12]  ⁴⁷ tn L&N 37.40 s.v. ἐπιτροπή states, “the full authority to carry out an assignment or commission – ‘authority, complete power.’ πορευόμενος εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν μετ᾿ ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπιτροπῆς τῶν ἀρχιερέων ‘going to Damascus with authority and complete power from the high priests’ Ac 26:12. In Ac 26:12 the combination of ἐξουσία and ἐπιτροπή serves to reinforce the sense of complete authority.”

[26:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “O King.”

[26:13]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[26:13]  ⁵¹ tn The word “everywhere” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning of περιλάμψαν (perilamyan). Otherwise the modern reader might think that each of the individuals were encircled by lights or halos. See also Acts 9:7; 22:6, 9.

[26:14]  ⁵³ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

[26:14]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

[26:14]  ⁵⁵ tn “Goads” are pointed sticks used to direct a draft animal (an idiom for stubborn resistance). See BDAG 539-40 s.v. κέντρον 2.

[26:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[26:16]  ⁶¹ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

[26:16]  ⁶² sn As a servant and witness. The commission is similar to Acts 1:8 and Luke 1:2. Paul was now an “eyewitness” of the Lord.

[26:16]  ⁶³ tn BDAG 719 s.v. ὁράω A.1.b states, “W. attraction of the relative ὧν = τούτων ἅ Lk 9:36; Ac 22:15. The attraction may be due to colloq. breviloquence in μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες με ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι a witness to the things in which you saw me and to those in which I shall appear to you Ac 26:16b.”

[26:16]  ⁶⁴ tc ‡ Some mss read “of the things in which you have seen me.” The accusative object με (me, “me”) is found after εἶδές (eide") in B C*^vid 614 945 1175 1505 1739 1891 2464 pc sy sa; it is lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A C² E Ψ 096 Ï latt bo. The external evidence is relatively evenly divided, though there is a slight preference for the omission. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[26:17]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “rescuing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ἐξαιρούμενος (exairoumeno") has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 17.

[26:17]  ⁶⁶ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ⁶⁷ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is probably both the Jews (“your own people”) and the Gentiles, indicating the comprehensive commission Paul received.

[26:18]  ⁶⁹ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ⁷⁰ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ⁷¹ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[26:19]  ⁷³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:19]  ⁷⁴ sn I was not disobedient. Paul’s defense is that he merely obeyed the risen Jesus. He was arrested for obeying heavenly direction and preaching the opportunity to turn to God.

[26:19]  ⁷⁵ tn According to L&N 1.5, “In Ac 26:19 the adjective οὐράνιος could be interpreted as being related simply to the meaning of οὐρανός^a ‘sky,’ but it seems preferable to regard οὐράνιος in this context as meaning simply ‘from heaven’ or ‘heavenly.’”

[26:20]  ⁷⁷ tn BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b states, “of the provincial name (1 Macc 8:3) ἡ χώρα τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας Ac 26:20.”

[26:20]  ⁷⁸ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ⁷⁹ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b, “καρποὶ ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας fruits in keeping with your repentance…Lk 3:8; Mt 3:8. For this ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα Ac 26:20.” Note how Paul preached the gospel offer and the issue of response together, side by side.

[26:21]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[26:22]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “So experiencing…I stand.” The participle τυχών (tucwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[26:22]  ⁸⁶ tn BDAG 311 s.v. ἐκτός 3.b, “functions as prep. w. gen. οὐδὲν ἐ. ὧν nothing except what (cf. 1 Ch 29:3; 2 Ch 17:19; TestNapht. 6:2) Ac 26:22.”

[26:22]  ⁸⁷ sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.

[26:23]  ⁸⁹ tn BDAG 277-78 s.v. εἰ 2 has “marker of an indirect question as content, that…Sim. also (Procop. Soph., Ep. 123 χάριν ἔχειν εἰ = that) μαρτυρόμενος…εἰ παθητὸς ὁ Χριστός testifying…that the Christ was to suffer…Ac 26:23.”

[26:23]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:23]  ⁹¹ tn That is, to the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the word “our” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:23]  ⁹² sn Note how the context of Paul’s gospel message about Jesus, resurrection, and light both to Jews and to the Gentiles is rooted in the prophetic message of the OT scriptures. Paul was guilty of following God’s call and preaching the scriptural hope.

[26:24]  ⁹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ⁹⁴ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ⁹⁵ tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”

[26:25]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ⁹⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ¹⁰⁰ tn BDAG 987 s.v. σωφροσύνη 1 has “gener. soundness of mind, reasonableness, rationality…ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα true and rational words (opp. μαίνομαι) Ac 26:25.”

[26:26]  ¹⁰¹ tn BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1 states, “speak freely, openly, fearlessly…likew. in the ptc. w. a verb of saying foll.…παρρησιασάμενοι εἶπαν 13:46. – 26:26.” This could refer to boldness in speaking here.

[26:26]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “to whom I am speaking freely.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“him”) to simplify the translation.

[26:26]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “I cannot convince myself.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.a states, “οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26” (see also BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω).

[26:26]  ¹⁰⁴ tn BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω states, “λανθάνειν αὐτὸν τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐθέν I cannot bring myself to believe that any of these things has escaped his notice Ac 26:26.”

[26:26]  ¹⁰⁵ tn This term refers to a hidden corner (BDAG 209 s.v. γωνία). Paul’s point is that these events to which he refers were not done in a secret, hidden place, tucked away outside of view. They were done in public for all the world to see.

[26:27]  ¹⁰⁵ sn “Do you believe the prophets?” Note how Paul made the issue believing the OT prophets and God’s promise which God fulfilled in Christ. He was pushing King Agrippa toward a decision not for or against Paul’s guilt of any crime, but concerning Paul’s message.

[26:27]  ¹⁰⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ¹⁰⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “In a short time you will make me a Christian.” On the difficulty of the precise nuances of Agrippa’s reply in this passage, see BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b. The idiom is like 1 Kgs 21:7 LXX. The point is that Paul was trying to persuade Agrippa to accept his message. If Agrippa had let Paul persuade him, he would have converted to Christianity.

[26:29]  ¹¹³ tn BDAG 703 s.v. ὀλίγος 2.b.β has “καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ whether in a short or a long time vs. 29 (cf. B-D-F §195; GWhitaker, The Words of Agrippa to St. Paul: JTS 15, 1914, 82f; AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 50; Field, Notes 141-43; s. Rob. 653).”

[26:29]  ¹¹⁴ sn Except for these chains. The chains represented Paul’s unjust suffering for the sake of the message. His point was, in effect, “I do not care how long it takes. I only hope you and everyone else hearing this would become believers in Christ, but without my unjust suffering.”

[26:31]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ¹¹⁸ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:32]  ¹²¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ¹²² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ¹²³ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ¹²⁴ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:1]  ¹²⁵ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ¹²⁶ sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1]  ¹²⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ¹²⁸ tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[27:2]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “Going on board.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:2]  ¹³⁰ sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “places.”

[27:2]  ¹³² tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[27:2]  ¹³³ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:2]  ¹³⁴ sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2]  ¹³⁵ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3]  ¹³³ tn BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Σιδῶνα Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ¹³⁴ sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  ¹³⁵ tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ¹³⁶ tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “putting out to sea.” The participle ἀναχθέντες (anacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:4]  ¹³⁸ tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.” Thus they were east and north of the island.

[27:5]  ¹⁴¹ tn Grk “the depths,” the deep area of a sea far enough from land that it is not protected by the coast (L&N 1.73).

[27:5]  ¹⁴² sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor; it was west of Cilicia (see BDAG 753 s.v. Παμφυλία).

[27:5]  ¹⁴³ tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “Of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’: arrive, put in…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[27:5]  ¹⁴⁴ sn Myra was a city on the southern coast of Lycia in Asia Minor. This journey from Sidon (v. 3) was 440 mi (700 km) and took about 15 days.

[27:5]  ¹⁴⁵ sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6]  ¹⁴⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6]  ¹⁴⁷ sn Alexandria (modern Alexandria) was a great city of northern Egypt which was a center for grain trade to Rome. Therefore this type of travel connection was common at the time. For a winter journey (considered hazardous) there were special bonuses and insurance provided (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18.1-2).

[27:7]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7]  ¹⁵⁰ sn Cnidus was the name of a peninsula on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. This was about 130 mi (210 km) from Myra.

[27:7]  ¹⁵¹ tn This genitive absolute construction with προσεῶντος (prosewnto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 13.139 translates the phrase μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου (mh prosewnto" Jhma" tou anemou) as “the wind would not let us go any farther.”

[27:7]  ¹⁵² tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.”

[27:7]  ¹⁵³ sn Salmone was the name of a promontory on the northeastern corner of the island of Crete. This was about 100 mi (160 km) farther along.

[27:8]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “sailing along the coast…we came.” The participle παραλεγόμενοι (paralegomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’ …‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:8]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8]  ¹⁵⁵ sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9]  ¹⁵⁸ sn The fast refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It was now into October and the dangerous winter winds would soon occur (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18; Josephus, J. W. 1.14.2-3 [1.279-281]).

[27:9]  ¹⁵⁹ tn The accusative articular infinitive παρεληλυθέναι (parelhluqenai) after the preposition διά (dia) is causal. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 2 has “διὰ τὸ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι because the fast was already over Ac 27:9.”

[27:9]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Grk “Paul advised, saying to them.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated. On the term translated “advised,” see BDAG 764 s.v. παραινέω, which usually refers to recommendations.

[27:10]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10]  ¹⁶² tn Or “hardship,” “damage.” BDAG 1022 s.v. ὕβρις 3 states, “fig. hardship, disaster, damage caused by the elements…w. ζημία Ac 27:10.”

[27:10]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11]  ¹⁶⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11]  ¹⁶⁷ tn BDAG 456 s.v. κυβερνήτης 1 has “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster…W. ναύκληρος, the ‘shipowner’…Ac 27:11” See further L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 316-18.

[27:11]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “than by what was said by Paul.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[27:12]  ¹⁶⁹ tn BDAG 181-82 s.v. βουλή 2.a, “β. τίθεσθαι (Judg 19:30; Ps 12:3) decide 27:12 (w. inf. foll.).”

[27:12]  ¹⁷⁰ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:12]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “from there, if somehow” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation and the introductory phrase “They hoped that” supplied (with the subject, “they,” repeated from the previous clause) to make a complete English sentence.

[27:12]  ¹⁷² tn Grk “if somehow, reaching Phoenix, they could…” The participle καταντήσαντες (katanthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:12]  ¹⁷³ sn Phoenix was a seaport on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 30 mi (48 km) further west.

[27:12]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “accomplish.” L&N 68.29, for κρατέω, has “to be able to complete or finish, presumably despite difficulties – ‘to accomplish, to do successfully, to carry out.’ …‘thinking that they could carry out their purpose’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:13]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “departed.”

[27:13]  ¹⁷⁶ tn L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’…‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.” With the addition of the adverb ἆσσον (asson) this becomes “sailed close along the coast of Crete.”

[27:14]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “a wind like a typhoon.” That is, a very violent wind like a typhoon or hurricane (BDAG 1021 s.v. τυφωνικός).

[27:14]  ¹⁷⁸ sn Or called Euraquilo (the actual name of the wind, a sailor’s term which was a combination of Greek and Latin). According to Strabo (Geography 1.2.21), this was a violent northern wind.

[27:14]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15]  ¹⁸¹ tn Or “was forced off course.” Grk “The ship being caught in it.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle συναρπασθέντος (sunarpasqento") has been taken temporally; it could also be translated as causal (“Because the ship was caught in it”).

[27:15]  ¹⁸² tn BDAG 91 s.v. ἀντοφθαλμέω states, “Metaph. of a ship τοῦ πλοίου μὴ δυναμένοι ἀ. τῷ ἀνέμῳ since the ship was not able to face the wind, i.e. with its bow headed against the forces of the waves Ac 27:15.”

[27:15]  ¹⁸³ sn Caught in the violent wind, the ship was driven along. They were now out of control, at the mercy of the wind and sea.

[27:16]  ¹⁸⁵ tn BDAG 1042 s.v. ὑποτρέχω states, “run or sail under the lee of, nautical t.t.…Ac 27:16.” The participle ὑποδραμόντες (Jupodramonte") has been taken temporally (“as we ran under the lee of”). While this could also be translated as a participle of means (“by running…”) this might suggest the ship was still under a greater degree of control by its crew than it probably was.

[27:16]  ¹⁸⁶ sn Cauda. This island was located south of Crete, about 23 mi (36 km) from where they began. There are various ways to spell the island’s name (e.g., Clauda, BDAG 546 s.v. Κλαῦδα).

[27:16]  ¹⁸⁷ sn The ship’s boat was a small rowboat, normally towed behind a ship in good weather rather than stowed on board. It was used for landings, to maneuver the ship for tacking, and to lay anchors (not a lifeboat in the modern sense, although it could have served as a means of escape for some of the sailors; see v. 30). See L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 248f.

[27:17]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ¹⁹⁰ tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ¹⁹¹ tn Possibly “ropes” or “cables”; Grk “helps” (a word of uncertain meaning; probably a nautical technical term, BDAG 180 s.v. βοήθεια 2).

[27:17]  ¹⁹² tn BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 2 states, “drift off course, run aground, nautical term εἴς τι on someth….on the Syrtis 27:17.”

[27:17]  ¹⁹³ tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or perhaps “mainsail.” The meaning of this word is uncertain. BDAG 927 s.v. σκεῦος 1 has “τὸ σκεῦος Ac 27:17 seems to be the kedge or driving anchor” while C. Maurer (TDNT 7:362) notes, “The meaning in Ac. 27:17: χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦος, is uncertain. Prob. the ref. is not so much to taking down the sails as to throwing the draganchor overboard to lessen the speed of the ship.” In spite of this L&N 6.1 states, “In Ac 27:17, for example, the reference of σκεῦος is generally understood to be the mainsail.” A reference to the sail is highly unlikely because in a storm of the force described in Ac 27:14, the sail would have been taken down and reefed immediately, to prevent its being ripped to shreds or torn away by the gale.

[27:18]  ¹⁹³ tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Or “jettisoning [the cargo]” (a nautical technical term). The words “the cargo” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[27:19]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Or “rigging,” “tackle”; Grk “the ship’s things.” Here the more abstract “gear” is preferred to “rigging” or “tackle” as a translation for σκεῦος (skeuos) because in v. 40 the sailors are still able to raise the (fore)sail, which they could not have done if the ship’s rigging or tackle had been jettisoned here.

[27:20]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ²⁰² tn Grk “no small storm pressing on us.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπικειμένου (epikeimenou) has been translated as parallel to the previous genitive absolute construction (which was translated as temporal). BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι 2.b states, “of impersonal force confront χειμῶνος ἐπικειμένου since a storm lay upon us Ac 27:20.” L&N 14.2, “‘the stormy weather did not abate in the least’ or ‘the violent storm continued’ Ac 27:20.” To this last was added the idea of “battering” from the notion of “pressing upon” inherent in ἐπίκειμαι (epikeimai).

[27:20]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “finally all hope that we would be saved was abandoned.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation. This represents a clearly secular use of the term σῴζω (swzw) in that it refers to deliverance from the storm. At this point those on board the ship gave up hope of survival.

[27:21]  ²⁰⁵ tn Or “Since they had no desire to eat for a long time.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὑπαρχούσης (Juparcoush") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. It could also be translated temporally (“When many of them had no desire to eat”). The translation of πολλῆς (pollhs) as a substantized adjective referring to the people on board the ship (“many of them”) rather than a period of time (“for a long time”; so most modern versions) follows BDAG 143 s.v. ἀσιτία, which has “πολλῆς ἀ. ὑπαρχούσης since almost nobody wanted to eat because of anxiety or seasickness…Ac 27:21.” This detail indicates how turbulent things were on board the ship.

[27:21]  ²⁰⁶ tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21]  ²⁰⁷ tn Grk “standing up…said.” The participle σταθείς (staqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:21]  ²⁰⁸ tn L&N 36.12 has “πειθαρχήσαντάς μοι μὴ ἀνάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης ‘you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete’ Ac 27:21.”

[27:21]  ²⁰⁹ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:21]  ²¹⁰ tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22]  ²⁰⁹ tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22]  ²¹⁰ tn Grk “except the ship.” Here “but” is used to translate the improper preposition πλήν (plhn; see BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 2) since an exception like this, where two different categories of objects are involved (people and a ship), is more naturally expressed in contemporary English with an adversative (“but”). The words “will be lost” are also supplied for clarity.

[27:23]  ²¹³ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ²¹⁴ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ²¹⁵ tn Or “stood by me.” BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “approach, come τινί (to) someone…Ac 9:39; 27:23.”

[27:24]  ²¹⁷ tn Grk “came to me saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:24]  ²¹⁸ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “Also as a t.t. of legal usage appear before, come before…Καίσαρι σε δεῖ παραστῆναι you must stand before the Emperor (as judge) Ac 27:24.” See Acts 23:11. Luke uses the verb δεῖ (dei) to describe what must occur.

[27:24]  ²¹⁹ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.” The words “the safety of” have been supplied to clarify the meaning of the verb κεχάρισται (kecaristai) in this context.

[27:25]  ²²¹ tn BDAG 817 s.v. πιστεύω 1.c states, “w. pers. and thing added π. τινί τι believe someone with regard to someth….W. dat. of pers. and ὅτι foll…. πιστεύετέ μοι ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρί J 14:11a. Cp. 4:21; Ac 27:25.”

[27:26]  ²²⁵ tn This is another use of δεῖ (dei) to indicate necessity (see also v. 24). Acts 28:1 shows the fulfillment of this.

[27:27]  ²²⁹ tn Here “being driven” has been used to translate διαφέρω (diaferw) rather than “drifting,” because it is clear from the attempt to drop anchors in v. 29 that the ship is still being driven by the gale. “Drifting” implies lack of control, but not necessarily rapid movement.

[27:27]  ²³⁰ sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27]  ²³¹ tn Grk “suspected that some land was approaching them.” BDAG 876 s.v. προσάγω 2.a states, “lit. ὑπενόουν προσάγειν τινά αὐτοῖς χώραν they suspected that land was near (lit. ‘approaching them’) Ac 27:27.” Current English idiom would speak of the ship approaching land rather than land approaching the ship.

[27:28]  ²³³ tn Grk “Heaving the lead, they found.” The participle βολίσαντες (bolisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. See also BDAG 180 s.v. βολίζω. Although the term is used twice in this verse (and thus is technically not a NT hapax legomenon), it occurs nowhere else in the NT.

[27:28]  ²³⁴ sn A fathom is about 6 feet or just under 2 meters (originally the length of a man’s outstretched arms). This was a nautical technical term for measuring the depth of water. Here it was about 120 ft (36 m).

[27:28]  ²³⁵ tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28]  ²³⁶ sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).

[27:29]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ²³⁸ tn Grk “against a rough [rocky] place.” L&N 79.84 has “φοβούμενοί τε μή που κατὰ τραχεῖς τόποις ἐκπέσωμεν ‘we were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast’ Ac 27:29.”

[27:29]  ²³⁹ tn Grk “throwing out…they.” The participle ῥίψαντες (rJiyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:29]  ²⁴⁰ tn BDAG 417 s.v. εὔχομαι 2 states, “wish…τὶ for someth.…Foll. by acc. and inf….Ac 27:29.” The other possible meaning for this term, “pray,” is given in BDAG 417 s.v. 1 and employed by a number of translations (NAB, NRSV, NIV). If this meaning is adopted here, then “prayed for day to come” must be understood metaphorically to mean “prayed that they would live to see the day,” or “prayed that it would soon be day.”

[27:29]  ²⁴¹ tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[27:30]  ²⁴¹ tn BDAG 889 s.v. πρόφασις 2 states, “προφάσει ὡς under the pretext that, pretending that…Ac 27:30.” In other words, some of the sailors gave up hope that such efforts would work and instead attempted to escape while pretending to help.

[27:31]  ²⁴⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:31]  ²⁴⁶ sn The pronoun you is plural in Greek.

[27:32]  ²⁴⁹ sn The soldiers cut the ropes. The centurion and the soldiers were now following Paul’s advice by cutting the ropes to prevent the sailors from escaping.

[27:32]  ²⁵⁰ tn Or “let it fall away.” According to BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 1 and 2 the meaning of the verb in this verse could be either “fall away” or “drift away.” Either meaning is acceptable, and the choice between them depends almost entirely on how one reconstructs the scene. Since cutting the boat loose would in any case result in it drifting away (whether capsized or not), the meaning “drift away” as a nautical technical term has been used here.

[27:33]  ²⁵³ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.b.α has “ἄ. οὗ ἡμέρα ἤμελλεν γίνεσθαι until the day began to dawn 27:33.”

[27:33]  ²⁵⁴ tn Or “have waited anxiously.” Grk “waiting anxiously.” The participle προσδοκῶντες (prosdokwnte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:33]  ²⁵⁵ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ²⁵⁶ tn Grk “having eaten nothing.” The participle προσλαβόμενοι (proslabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb (with subject “you” supplied) due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:34]  ²⁵⁷ tn Or “necessary.” BDAG 873-74 s.v. πρός 1 has “πρ. τῆς σωτηρίας in the interest of safety Ac 27:34”; L&N 27.18 has “‘therefore, I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your deliverance’ or ‘…for your survival’ Ac 27:34.”

[27:34]  ²⁵⁸ tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).

[27:35]  ²⁶¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ²⁶² tn Grk “taking bread, gave thanks.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:35]  ²⁶³ tn Or “before them all,” but here this could be misunderstood to indicate a temporal sequence.

[27:35]  ²⁶⁴ tn Grk “and breaking it, he began.” The participle κλάσας (klasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:37]  ²⁶⁵ tc One early ms (B) and an early version (sa) read “about seventy-six.” For discussion of how this variant probably arose, see F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles, 465.

[27:37]  ²⁶⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[27:38]  ²⁶⁹ tn Or “When they had eaten their fill.”

[27:38]  ²⁷⁰ tn Or “grain.”

[27:39]  ²⁷³ tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ²⁷⁴ tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ²⁷⁵ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.

[27:40]  ²⁷⁷ tn That is, released. Grk “slipping…leaving.” The participles περιελόντες (perielonte") and εἴων (eiwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ²⁷⁸ tn The term is used of a ship’s anchor. (BDAG 12 s.v. ἄγκυρα a).

[27:40]  ²⁷⁹ tn Grk “bands”; possibly “ropes.”

[27:40]  ²⁸⁰ tn Or “rudders.”

[27:40]  ²⁸¹ tn Grk “hoisting…they.” The participle ἐπάραντες (eparante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ²⁸² tn Grk “sail”; probably a reference to the foresail.

[27:40]  ²⁸³ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατέχω 7 states, “hold course, nautical t.t., intr….κατεῖχον εἰς τὸν αἰγιαλόν they headed for the beach Ac 27:40.”

[27:41]  ²⁸¹ tn Grk “fell upon a place of two seas.” The most common explanation for this term is that it refers to a reef or sandbar with the sea on both sides, as noted in BDAG 245 s.v. διθάλασσος: the “τόπος δ. Ac 27:41 is a semantic unit signifying a point (of land jutting out with water on both sides).” However, Greek had terms for a “sandbank” (θῖς [qis], ταινία [tainia]), a “reef” (ἑρμα [Jerma]), “strait” (στενόν [stenon]), “promontory” (ἀρωτήρον [arwthron]), and other nautical hazards, none of which are used by the author here. NEB here translates τόπον διθάλασσον (topon diqalasson) as “cross-currents,” a proposal close to that advanced by J. M. Gilchrist, “The Historicity of Paul’s Shipwreck,” JSNT 61 (1996): 29-51, who suggests the meaning is “a patch of cross-seas,” where the waves are set at an angle to the wind, a particular hazard for sailors. Thus the term most likely refers to some sort of adverse sea conditions rather than a topographical feature like a reef or sandbar.

[27:41]  ²⁸² tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ²⁸⁵ sn The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners. The issue here was not cruelty, but that the soldiers would be legally responsible if any prisoners escaped and would suffer punishment themselves. So they were planning to do this as an act of self-preservation. See Acts 16:27 for a similar incident.

[27:42]  ²⁸⁶ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ²⁸⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ²⁹⁰ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  ²⁹¹ tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[27:44]  ²⁹³ tn The words “were to follow” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. They must be supplied to clarify the sense in contemporary English.

[27:44]  ²⁹⁴ tn Or “boards” according to BDAG 913 s.v. σανίς.

[27:44]  ²⁹⁵ tn Grk “on pieces from the ship”; that is, pieces of wreckage from the ship.

[27:44]  ²⁹⁶ tn Grk “And in this way it happened that.” 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.

[28:1]  ²⁹⁷ tn Grk “We having been brought safely through” [to land] (same verb as 27:44). The word “shore” is implied, and the slight variations in translation from 27:44 have been made to avoid redundancy in English. The participle διασωθέντες (diaswqente") has been taken temporally.

[28:1]  ²⁹⁸ sn Malta is an island (known by the same name today) in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The ship had traveled 625 mi (1,000 km) in the storm.

[28:2]  ³⁰¹ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:2]  ³⁰² tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ³⁰³ tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”

[28:3]  ³⁰⁵ tn Or “sticks.”

[28:4]  ³⁰⁹ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:4]  ³¹⁰ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ³¹¹ tn That is, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live. BDAG 250 s.v. δίκη 2 states, “Justice personified as a deity Ac 28:4”; L&N 12.27, “a goddess who personifies justice in seeking out and punishing the guilty – ‘the goddess Justice.’ ἡ δίκη ζῆν οὐκ εἴασεν ‘the goddess Justice would not let him live’ Ac 28:4.” Although a number of modern English translations have rendered δίκη (dikh) “justice,” preferring to use an abstraction, in the original setting it is almost certainly a reference to a pagan deity. In the translation, the noun “justice” was capitalized and the reflexive pronoun “herself” was supplied to make the personification clear. This was considered preferable to supplying a word like ‘goddess’ in connection with δίκη.

[28:4]  ³¹² sn The entire scene is played out initially as a kind of oracle from the gods resulting in the judgment of a guilty person (Justice herself has not allowed him to live). Paul’s survival of this incident without ill effects thus spoke volumes about his innocence.

[28:5]  ³¹³ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”

[28:5]  ³¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ³¹⁵ tn Grk “shaking the creature off…he suffered no harm.” The participle ἀποτινάξας (apotinaxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ³¹⁷ tn Or “going to burn with fever.” According to BDAG 814 s.v. πίμπρημι, either meaning (“swell up” or “burn with fever”) is possible for Acts 28:6.

[28:6]  ³¹⁸ tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokwntwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ³¹⁹ tn The participle θεωρούντων (qewrountwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ³²⁰ tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ³²¹ tn Grk “changing their minds.” The participle μεταβαλόμενοι (metabalomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ³²² sn And said he was a god. The reaction is like Acts 14:11-19 where the crowd wanted to make Paul and Barnabas into gods. The providence of God had protected Paul again.

[28:7]  ³²¹ tn BDAG 798 s.v. περί 2.a.γ states, “of nearby places…τὰ περὶ τὸν τὸπον the region around the place Ac 28:7.” The presence of ἐκεῖνον (ekeinon) results in the translation “that place.”

[28:7]  ³²² tn That is, the chief Roman official. Several inscriptions have confirmed the use of πρῶτος (prwtos) as an administrative title used on the island of Malta for the highest Roman official. See further BDAG 852 s.v. Πόπλιος.

[28:8]  ³²⁵ tn Grk “It happened that the father.” 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.

[28:8]  ³²⁶ tn Grk “to whom Paul going in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation. The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8]  ³²⁷ tn The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8]  ³²⁸ sn And healed him. Here are healings like Luke 9:40; 10:30; 13:13; Acts 16:23.

[28:9]  ³²⁹ tn BDAG 142 s.v. ἀσθένεια 1 states, “ἔχειν ἀ. be ill Ac 28:9.”

[28:9]  ³³⁰ sn Many…also came and were healed. Again, here is irony. Paul, though imprisoned, “frees” others of their diseases.

[28:10]  ³³³ tn Or “they also honored us greatly”; Grk “they also honored us with many honors” (an idiom).

[28:10]  ³³⁴ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.” In this case the simpler English “sail” is more appropriate. The English participle “preparing” has also been supplied, since the provisioning of the ship would take place some time before the actual departure.

[28:10]  ³³⁵ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.b has “give τινί τι someth. to someone…ἀναγομένοις τὰ πρὸς τὰς χρείας when we sailed they gave us what we needed Ac 28:10.”

[28:10]  ³³⁶ sn They gave us all the supplies we needed. What they had lost in the storm and shipwreck was now replaced. Luke describes these pagans very positively.

[28:11]  ³³⁷ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[28:11]  ³³⁸ tn Or “the ‘Twin Gods’”; Grk “the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the pagan deities Castor and Pollux).

[28:11]  ³³⁹ tn Or “as its emblem.”

[28:12]  ³⁴¹ tn Grk “And putting in.” The participle καταχθέντες (katacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the meaning of the participle, BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Συρακούσας Ac 28:12.” 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.

[28:12]  ³⁴² sn Syracuse was a city on the eastern coast of the island of Sicily. It was 75 mi (120 km) from Malta.

[28:13]  ³⁴⁵ tc A few early mss (א* B Ψ [gig] {sa [bo]}) read περιελόντες (perielonte", “[From there we] cast off [and arrived at Rhegium]”; cf. Acts 27:40). The other major variant, περιελθόντες (perielqonte", “[we] sailed from place to place”), is found in Ì⁷⁴ א² A 066 1739 Ï lat sy. Although περιελόντες is minimally attested, it is found in the better witnesses. As well, it is a more difficult reading, for its meaning as a nautical term is uncertain, requiring something like “τὰς ἀγκύρας be supplied = ‘we weighed anchor’” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαιρέω 1). It thus best explains the rise of the other readings.

[28:13]  ³⁴⁶ sn Rhegium was a city on the southern tip of Italy. It was 80 mi (130 km) from Syracuse.

[28:13]  ³⁴⁷ tn Grk “after one day, a south wind springing up, on the second day.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπιγενομένου (epigenomenou) has been translated as a clause with a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:13]  ³⁴⁸ sn Puteoli was a city on the western coast of Italy south of Rome. It was in the Bay of Naples some 220 mi (350 km) to the north of Rhegium. Here the voyage ended; the rest of the journey was by land.

[28:14]  ³⁴⁹ tn Grk “where.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“where”) has been replaced with the demonstrative pronoun (“there”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[28:14]  ³⁵⁰ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:14]  ³⁵¹ sn That is, some fellow Christians.

[28:14]  ³⁵² map For location see JP4 A1.

[28:15]  ³⁵³ sn Mention of Christian brothers from there (Rome) shows that God’s message had already spread as far as Italy and the capital of the empire.

[28:15]  ³⁵⁴ sn The Forum of Appius was a small traveler’s stop on the Appian Way about 43 mi (71 km) south of Rome (BDAG 125 s.v. ᾿Αππίου φόρον). It was described by Horace as “crammed with boatmen and stingy tavernkeepers” (Satires 1.5.3).

[28:15]  ³⁵⁵ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

[28:15]  ³⁵⁶ tn Grk “whom, when he saw [them], Paul.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[28:16]  ³⁵⁷ tn Or “to stay.”

[28:17]  ³⁶¹ tn Grk “It happened that after three days.” 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.

[28:17]  ³⁶² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ³⁶³ tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”

[28:17]  ³⁶⁴ tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[28:17]  ³⁶⁵ tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[28:17]  ³⁶⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:17]  ³⁶⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:17]  ³⁶⁸ tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”

[28:18]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “who when.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced by the personal pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:18]  ³⁶⁶ tn Or “had questioned me”; or “had examined me.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 2 states, “to conduct a judicial hearing, hear a case, question.”

[28:18]  ³⁶⁷ sn They wanted to release me. See Acts 25:23-27.

[28:18]  ³⁶⁸ tn Grk “no basis for death,” but in this context a sentence of death is clearly indicated.

[28:19]  ³⁶⁹ tn That is, objected to my release.

[28:19]  ³⁷⁰ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[28:19]  ³⁷¹ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω, “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.’”

[28:19]  ³⁷² tn Or “my own nation.”

[28:20]  ³⁷³ sn The hope of Israel. A reference to Israel’s messianic hope. Paul’s preaching was in continuity with this Jewish hope (Acts 1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25).

[28:21]  ³⁷⁷ tn Grk “they said to him.”

[28:21]  ³⁷⁸ tn Or “arrived”; Grk “come” (“from there” is implied). Grk “coming.” The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:22]  ³⁸¹ tn Grk “regarding this sect it is known to us.” The passive construction “it is known to us” has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[28:22]  ³⁸² tn Grk “that everywhere it is spoken against.” To simplify the translation the passive construction “it is spoken against” has been converted to an active one with the subject “people” supplied.

[28:22]  ³⁸³ tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.

[28:23]  ³⁸⁵ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ³⁸⁶ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ³⁸⁷ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ³⁸⁸ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ³⁸⁹ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[28:23]  ³⁹⁰ tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:23]  ³⁹¹ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”

[28:23]  ³⁹² sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.

[28:23]  ³⁹³ tn Or “persuade.”

[28:24]  ³⁸⁹ tn Or “persuaded.”

[28:24]  ³⁹⁰ tn Grk “by the things spoken.”

[28:24]  ³⁹¹ sn Some were convinced…but others refused to believe. Once again the gospel caused division among Jews, as in earlier chapters of Acts (13:46; 18:6).

[28:25]  ³⁹³ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ³⁹⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ³⁹⁷ tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ³⁹⁸ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  ⁴⁰² tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ⁴⁰³ sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ⁴⁰⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.

[28:28]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”

[28:28]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Or “of God.”

[28:28]  ⁴⁰⁷ sn The term Gentiles is in emphatic position in the Greek text of this clause. Once again there is the pattern: Jewish rejection of the gospel leads to an emphasis on Gentile inclusion (Acts 13:44-47).

[28:28]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Grk “they also.”

[28:29]  ⁴⁰⁹ tc Some later mss include 28:29: “When he had said these things, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.” Verse 29 is lacking in Ì^74vid א A B E Ψ 048 33 81 1175 1739 2464 pc and a number of versions. They are included (with a few minor variations) in Ï it and some versions. This verse is almost certainly not a part of the original text of Acts, as it lacks the best credentials. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[28:30]  ⁴¹³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:30]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Or “stayed.”

[28:30]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “two whole years at his own expense.” BDAG 654 s.v. μίσθωμα states, “the customary act. mng. ‘contract price, rent’…is not found in our lit. (Ac) and the pass. what is rented, a rented house is a mng. not found outside it (even Ammonius Gramm. [100 ad] p. 93 Valck. knows nothing of it. Hence the transl. at his own expense [NRSV] merits attention) ἐν ἰδίῳ μισθώματι in his own rented lodgings Ac 28:30 (for the idea cp. Jos., Ant. 18, 235).”

[28:30]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Or “and received.”

[28:31]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[28:31]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Or “openness.”

[28:31]  ⁴¹⁹ sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.