Kisah Para Rasul 16:1--28:31

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16:1 He also came to Derbe ¹  and to Lystra. ²  A disciple ³  named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, ⁴  but whose father was a Greek. ⁵  16:2 The brothers in Lystra ⁶  and Iconium ⁷  spoke well ⁸  of him. ⁹  16:3 Paul wanted Timothy ¹⁰  to accompany him, and he took ¹¹  him and circumcised ¹²  him because of the Jews who were in those places, ¹³  for they all knew that his father was Greek. ¹⁴  16:4 As they went through the towns, ¹⁵  they passed on ¹⁶  the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ¹⁷  for the Gentile believers ¹⁸  to obey. ¹⁹  16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day. ²⁰ 

Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man

16:6 They went through the region of Phrygia ²¹  and Galatia, ²²  having been prevented ²³  by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message ²⁴  in the province of Asia. ²⁵  16:7 When they came to ²⁶  Mysia, ²⁷  they attempted to go into Bithynia, ²⁸  but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow ²⁹  them to do this, ³⁰  16:8 so they passed through ³¹  Mysia ³²  and went down to Troas. ³³  16:9 A ³⁴  vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there ³⁵  urging him, ³⁶  “Come over ³⁷  to Macedonia ³⁸  and help us!” 16:10 After Paul ³⁹  saw the vision, we attempted ⁴⁰  immediately to go over to Macedonia, ⁴¹  concluding that God had called ⁴²  us to proclaim the good news to them.

Arrival at Philippi

16:11 We put out to sea ⁴³  from Troas ⁴⁴  and sailed a straight course ⁴⁵  to Samothrace, ⁴⁶  the next day to Neapolis, ⁴⁷  16:12 and from there to Philippi, ⁴⁸  which is a leading city of that district ⁴⁹  of Macedonia, ⁵⁰  a Roman colony. ⁵¹  We stayed in this city for some days. 16:13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down ⁵²  and began to speak ⁵³  to the women ⁵⁴  who had assembled there. ⁵⁵  16:14 A ⁵⁶  woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth ⁵⁷  from the city of Thyatira, ⁵⁸  a God-fearing woman, listened to us. ⁵⁹  The Lord opened her heart to respond ⁶⁰  to what Paul was saying. 16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, ⁶¹  “If ⁶²  you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, ⁶³  come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded ⁶⁴  us.

Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

16:16 Now ⁶⁵  as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. ⁶⁶  She ⁶⁷  brought her owners ⁶⁸  a great profit by fortune-telling. ⁶⁹  16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, ⁷⁰  “These men are servants ⁷¹  of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way ⁷²  of salvation.” ⁷³  16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, ⁷⁴  and turned ⁷⁵  and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ ⁷⁶  to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once. ⁷⁷  16:19 But when her owners ⁷⁸  saw their hope of profit ⁷⁹  was gone, they seized ⁸⁰  Paul and Silas and dragged ⁸¹  them into the marketplace before the authorities. 16:20 When ⁸²  they had brought them ⁸³  before the magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion. ⁸⁴  They are ⁸⁵  Jews 16:21 and are advocating ⁸⁶  customs that are not lawful for us to accept ⁸⁷  or practice, ⁸⁸  since we are ⁸⁹  Romans.”

16:22 The crowd joined the attack ⁹⁰  against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes ⁹¹  off Paul and Silas ⁹²  and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ⁹³  16:23 After they had beaten them severely, ⁹⁴  they threw them into prison and commanded ⁹⁵  the jailer to guard them securely. 16:24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell ⁹⁶  and fastened their feet in the stocks. ⁹⁷ 

16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying ⁹⁸  and singing hymns to God, ⁹⁹  and the rest of ¹⁰⁰  the prisoners were listening to them. 16:26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds ¹⁰¹  of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up ¹⁰²  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ¹⁰³  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ¹⁰⁴  because he assumed ¹⁰⁵  the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, ¹⁰⁶  “Do not harm yourself, ¹⁰⁷  for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer ¹⁰⁸  rushed in and fell down ¹⁰⁹  trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside ¹¹⁰  and asked, “Sirs, what must ¹¹¹  I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, ¹¹²  “Believe ¹¹³  in the Lord Jesus ¹¹⁴  and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then ¹¹⁵  they spoke the word of the Lord ¹¹⁶  to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At ¹¹⁷  that hour of the night he took them ¹¹⁸  and washed their wounds; ¹¹⁹  then ¹²⁰  he and all his family ¹²¹  were baptized right away. ¹²²  16:34 The jailer ¹²³  brought them into his house and set food ¹²⁴  before them, and he rejoiced greatly ¹²⁵  that he had come to believe ¹²⁶  in God, together with his entire household. ¹²⁷  16:35 At daybreak ¹²⁸  the magistrates ¹²⁹  sent their police officers, ¹³⁰  saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ¹³¹  “The magistrates have sent orders ¹³²  to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” ¹³³  16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ¹³⁴  “They had us beaten in public ¹³⁵  without a proper trial ¹³⁶  – even though we are Roman citizens ¹³⁷  – and they threw us ¹³⁸  in prison. And now they want to send us away ¹³⁹  secretly? Absolutely not! They ¹⁴⁰  themselves must come and escort us out!” ¹⁴¹  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ¹⁴²  were Roman citizens ¹⁴³  16:39 and came ¹⁴⁴  and apologized to them. After ¹⁴⁵  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ¹⁴⁶  to leave the city. 16:40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then ¹⁴⁷  departed.

Paul and Silas at Thessalonica

17:1 After they traveled through ¹⁴⁸  Amphipolis ¹⁴⁹  and Apollonia, ¹⁵⁰  they came to Thessalonica, ¹⁵¹  where there was a Jewish synagogue. ¹⁵²  17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ¹⁵³  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ¹⁵⁴  them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating ¹⁵⁵  that the Christ ¹⁵⁶  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ¹⁵⁷  saying, ¹⁵⁸  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ¹⁵⁹  17:4 Some of them were persuaded ¹⁶⁰  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ¹⁶¹  of God-fearing Greeks ¹⁶²  and quite a few ¹⁶³  prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ¹⁶⁴  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ¹⁶⁵  they formed a mob ¹⁶⁶  and set the city in an uproar. ¹⁶⁷  They attacked Jason’s house, ¹⁶⁸  trying to find Paul and Silas ¹⁶⁹  to bring them out to the assembly. ¹⁷⁰  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ¹⁷¹  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ¹⁷²  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ¹⁷³  throughout the world ¹⁷⁴  have come here too, 17:7 and ¹⁷⁵  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ¹⁷⁶  are all acting against Caesar’s ¹⁷⁷  decrees, saying there is another king named ¹⁷⁸  Jesus!” ¹⁷⁹  17:8 They caused confusion among ¹⁸⁰  the crowd and the city officials ¹⁸¹  who heard these things. 17:9 After ¹⁸²  the city officials ¹⁸³  had received bail ¹⁸⁴  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ¹⁸⁵  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ¹⁸⁶  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹⁸⁷  17:11 These Jews ¹⁸⁸  were more open-minded ¹⁸⁹  than those in Thessalonica, ¹⁹⁰  for they eagerly ¹⁹¹  received ¹⁹²  the message, examining ¹⁹³  the scriptures carefully every day ¹⁹⁴  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ¹⁹⁵  prominent ¹⁹⁶  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ¹⁹⁷  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ¹⁹⁸  in Berea, ¹⁹⁹  they came there too, inciting ²⁰⁰  and disturbing ²⁰¹  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ²⁰²  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ²⁰³  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ²⁰⁴  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ²⁰⁵ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ²⁰⁶  his spirit was greatly upset ²⁰⁷  because he saw ²⁰⁸  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ²⁰⁹  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ²¹⁰  in the synagogue, ²¹¹  and in the marketplace every day ²¹²  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ²¹³  and Stoic ²¹⁴  philosophers were conversing ²¹⁵  with him, and some were asking, ²¹⁶  “What does this foolish babbler ²¹⁷  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ²¹⁸  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ²¹⁹  17:19 So they took Paul and ²²⁰  brought him to the Areopagus, ²²¹  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ²²²  to our ears, so we want to know what they ²²³  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ²²⁴  in nothing else than telling ²²⁵  or listening to something new.) ²²⁶ 

17:22 So Paul stood ²²⁷  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ²²⁸  in all respects. ²²⁹  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ²³⁰  I even found an altar with this inscription: ²³¹  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ²³²  this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ²³³  who is ²³⁴  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ²³⁵  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ²³⁶  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ²³⁷  17:26 From one man ²³⁸  he made every nation of the human race ²³⁹  to inhabit the entire earth, ²⁴⁰  determining their set times ²⁴¹  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ²⁴²  17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around ²⁴³  for him and find him, ²⁴⁴  though he is ²⁴⁵  not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about ²⁴⁶  and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ²⁴⁷  17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity ²⁴⁸  is like gold or silver or stone, an image ²⁴⁹  made by human ²⁵⁰  skill ²⁵¹  and imagination. ²⁵²  17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ²⁵³  such times of ignorance, ²⁵⁴  he now commands all people ²⁵⁵  everywhere to repent, ²⁵⁶  17:31 because he has set ²⁵⁷  a day on which he is going to judge the world ²⁵⁸  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ²⁵⁹  having provided proof to everyone by raising ²⁶⁰  him from the dead.”

17:32 Now when they heard about ²⁶¹  the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, ²⁶²  but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 17:33 So Paul left the Areopagus. ²⁶³  17:34 But some people ²⁶⁴  joined him ²⁶⁵  and believed. Among them ²⁶⁶  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ²⁶⁷  a woman ²⁶⁸  named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul at Corinth

18:1 After this ²⁶⁹  Paul ²⁷⁰  departed from ²⁷¹  Athens ²⁷²  and went to Corinth. ²⁷³  18:2 There he ²⁷⁴  found ²⁷⁵  a Jew named Aquila, ²⁷⁶  a native of Pontus, ²⁷⁷  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ²⁷⁸  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ²⁷⁹  Rome. ²⁸⁰  Paul approached ²⁸¹  them, 18:3 and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and worked with them ²⁸²  (for they were tentmakers ²⁸³  by trade). ²⁸⁴  18:4 He addressed ²⁸⁵  both Jews and Greeks in the synagogue ²⁸⁶  every Sabbath, attempting to persuade ²⁸⁷  them.

18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived ²⁸⁸  from Macedonia, ²⁸⁹  Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming ²⁹⁰  the word, testifying ²⁹¹  to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ²⁹²  18:6 When they opposed him ²⁹³  and reviled him, ²⁹⁴  he protested by shaking out his clothes ²⁹⁵  and said to them, “Your blood ²⁹⁶  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ²⁹⁷  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!” 18:7 Then Paul ²⁹⁸  left ²⁹⁹  the synagogue ³⁰⁰  and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, ³⁰¹  whose house was next door to the synagogue. 18:8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, ³⁰²  believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it ³⁰³  believed and were baptized. 18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ³⁰⁴  in the night, ³⁰⁵  “Do not be afraid, ³⁰⁶  but speak and do not be silent, 18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ³⁰⁷  you to harm ³⁰⁸  you, because I have many people in this city.” 18:11 So he stayed there ³⁰⁹  a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ³¹⁰ 

Paul Before the Proconsul Gallio

18:12 Now while Gallio ³¹¹  was proconsul ³¹²  of Achaia, ³¹³  the Jews attacked Paul together ³¹⁴  and brought him before the judgment seat, ³¹⁵  18:13 saying, “This man is persuading ³¹⁶  people to worship God in a way contrary to ³¹⁷  the law!” 18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak, ³¹⁸  Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy, ³¹⁹  I would have been justified in accepting the complaint ³²⁰  of you Jews, ³²¹  18:15 but since it concerns points of disagreement ³²²  about words and names and your own law, settle ³²³  it yourselves. I will not be ³²⁴  a judge of these things!” 18:16 Then he had them forced away ³²⁵  from the judgment seat. ³²⁶  18:17 So they all seized Sosthenes, the president of the synagogue, ³²⁷  and began to beat ³²⁸  him in front of the judgment seat. ³²⁹  Yet none of these things were of any concern ³³⁰  to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria

18:18 Paul, after staying ³³¹  many more days in Corinth, ³³²  said farewell to ³³³  the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by ³³⁴  Priscilla and Aquila. ³³⁵  He ³³⁶  had his hair cut off ³³⁷  at Cenchrea ³³⁸  because he had made a vow. ³³⁹  18:19 When they reached Ephesus, ³⁴⁰  Paul ³⁴¹  left Priscilla and Aquila ³⁴²  behind there, but he himself went ³⁴³  into the synagogue ³⁴⁴  and addressed ³⁴⁵  the Jews. 18:20 When they asked him to stay longer, he would not consent, ³⁴⁶  18:21 but said farewell to ³⁴⁷  them and added, ³⁴⁸  “I will come back ³⁴⁹  to you again if God wills.” ³⁵⁰  Then ³⁵¹  he set sail from Ephesus, 18:22 and when he arrived ³⁵²  at Caesarea, ³⁵³  he went up and greeted ³⁵⁴  the church at Jerusalem ³⁵⁵  and then went down to Antioch. ³⁵⁶  18:23 After he spent ³⁵⁷  some time there, Paul left and went through the region of Galatia ³⁵⁸  and Phrygia, ³⁵⁹  strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Begins His Ministry

18:24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. ³⁶⁰  He was an eloquent speaker, ³⁶¹  well-versed ³⁶²  in the scriptures. 18:25 He had been instructed in ³⁶³  the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm ³⁶⁴  he spoke and taught accurately the facts ³⁶⁵  about Jesus, although he knew ³⁶⁶  only the baptism of John. 18:26 He began to speak out fearlessly ³⁶⁷  in the synagogue, ³⁶⁸  but when Priscilla and Aquila ³⁶⁹  heard him, they took him aside ³⁷⁰  and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 18:27 When Apollos ³⁷¹  wanted to cross over to Achaia, ³⁷²  the brothers encouraged ³⁷³  him ³⁷⁴  and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he ³⁷⁵  assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 18:28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously ³⁷⁶  in public debate, ³⁷⁷  demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ ³⁷⁸  was Jesus. ³⁷⁹ 

Disciples of John the Baptist at Ephesus

19:1 While ³⁸⁰  Apollos was in Corinth, ³⁸¹  Paul went through the inland ³⁸²  regions ³⁸³  and came to Ephesus. ³⁸⁴  He ³⁸⁵  found some disciples there ³⁸⁶  19:2 and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” ³⁸⁷  They replied, ³⁸⁸  “No, we have not even ³⁸⁹  heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 19:3 So Paul ³⁹⁰  said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied. ³⁹¹  19:4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, ³⁹²  that is, in Jesus.” 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, 19:6 and when Paul placed ³⁹³  his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ³⁹⁴  upon them, and they began to speak ³⁹⁵  in tongues and to prophesy. ³⁹⁶  19:7 (Now there were about twelve men in all.) ³⁹⁷ 

Paul Continues to Minister at Ephesus

19:8 So Paul ³⁹⁸  entered ³⁹⁹  the synagogue ⁴⁰⁰  and spoke out fearlessly ⁴⁰¹  for three months, addressing ⁴⁰²  and convincing ⁴⁰³  them about the kingdom of God. ⁴⁰⁴  19:9 But when ⁴⁰⁵  some were stubborn ⁴⁰⁶  and refused to believe, reviling ⁴⁰⁷  the Way ⁴⁰⁸  before the congregation, he left ⁴⁰⁹  them and took the disciples with him, ⁴¹⁰  addressing ⁴¹¹  them every day ⁴¹²  in the lecture hall ⁴¹³  of Tyrannus. 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in the province of Asia, ⁴¹⁴  both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. ⁴¹⁵ 

The Seven Sons of Sceva

19:11 God was performing extraordinary ⁴¹⁶  miracles by Paul’s hands, 19:12 so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body ⁴¹⁷  were brought ⁴¹⁸  to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ⁴¹⁹  19:13 But some itinerant ⁴²⁰  Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name ⁴²¹  of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by ⁴²²  evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn ⁴²³  you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” 19:14 (Now seven sons of a man named ⁴²⁴  Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) ⁴²⁵  19:15 But the evil spirit replied to them, ⁴²⁶  “I know about Jesus ⁴²⁷  and I am acquainted with ⁴²⁸  Paul, but who are you?” ⁴²⁹  19:16 Then the man who was possessed by ⁴³⁰  the evil spirit jumped on ⁴³¹  them and beat them all into submission. ⁴³²  He prevailed ⁴³³  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. 19:17 This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, ⁴³⁴  both Jews and Greeks; fear came over ⁴³⁵  them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised. ⁴³⁶  19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward, ⁴³⁷  confessing and making their deeds known. ⁴³⁸  19:19 Large numbers ⁴³⁹  of those who had practiced magic ⁴⁴⁰  collected their books ⁴⁴¹  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ⁴⁴²  When ⁴⁴³  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁴⁴⁴  19:20 In this way the word of the Lord ⁴⁴⁵  continued to grow in power ⁴⁴⁶  and to prevail. ⁴⁴⁷ 

A Riot in Ephesus

19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, ⁴⁴⁸  Paul resolved ⁴⁴⁹  to go to Jerusalem, ⁴⁵⁰  passing through Macedonia ⁴⁵¹  and Achaia. ⁴⁵²  He said, ⁴⁵³  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁴⁵⁴  19:22 So after sending ⁴⁵⁵  two of his assistants, ⁴⁵⁶  Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, ⁴⁵⁷  he himself stayed on for a while in the province of Asia. ⁴⁵⁸ 

19:23 At ⁴⁵⁹  that time ⁴⁶⁰  a great disturbance ⁴⁶¹  took place concerning the Way. ⁴⁶²  19:24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines ⁴⁶³  of Artemis, ⁴⁶⁴  brought a great deal ⁴⁶⁵  of business ⁴⁶⁶  to the craftsmen. 19:25 He gathered ⁴⁶⁷  these ⁴⁶⁸  together, along with the workmen in similar trades, ⁴⁶⁹  and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ⁴⁷⁰  comes from this business. 19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded ⁴⁷¹  and turned away ⁴⁷²  a large crowd, ⁴⁷³  not only in Ephesus ⁴⁷⁴  but in practically all of the province of Asia, ⁴⁷⁵  by saying ⁴⁷⁶  that gods made by hands are not gods at all. ⁴⁷⁷  19:27 There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, ⁴⁷⁸  but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis ⁴⁷⁹  will be regarded as nothing, ⁴⁸⁰  and she whom all the province of Asia ⁴⁸¹  and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” ⁴⁸² 

19:28 When ⁴⁸³  they heard ⁴⁸⁴  this they became enraged ⁴⁸⁵  and began to shout, ⁴⁸⁶  “Great is Artemis ⁴⁸⁷  of the Ephesians!” 19:29 The ⁴⁸⁸  city was filled with the uproar, ⁴⁸⁹  and the crowd ⁴⁹⁰  rushed to the theater ⁴⁹¹  together, ⁴⁹²  dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, the Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 19:30 But when Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, ⁴⁹³  the disciples would not let him. 19:31 Even some of the provincial authorities ⁴⁹⁴  who were his friends sent ⁴⁹⁵  a message ⁴⁹⁶  to him, urging him not to venture ⁴⁹⁷  into the theater. 19:32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together. ⁴⁹⁸  19:33 Some of the crowd concluded ⁴⁹⁹  it was about ⁵⁰⁰  Alexander because the Jews had pushed him to the front. ⁵⁰¹  Alexander, gesturing ⁵⁰²  with his hand, was wanting to make a defense ⁵⁰³  before the public assembly. ⁵⁰⁴  19:34 But when they recognized ⁵⁰⁵  that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, ⁵⁰⁶  “Great is Artemis ⁵⁰⁷  of the Ephesians!” for about two hours. ⁵⁰⁸  19:35 After the city secretary ⁵⁰⁹  quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person ⁵¹⁰  is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper ⁵¹¹  of the temple of the great Artemis ⁵¹²  and of her image that fell from heaven? ⁵¹³  19:36 So because these facts ⁵¹⁴  are indisputable, ⁵¹⁵  you must keep quiet ⁵¹⁶  and not do anything reckless. ⁵¹⁷  19:37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers ⁵¹⁸  nor blasphemers of our goddess. ⁵¹⁹  19:38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint ⁵²⁰  against someone, the courts are open ⁵²¹  and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there. ⁵²²  19:39 But if you want anything in addition, ⁵²³  it will have to be settled ⁵²⁴  in a legal assembly. ⁵²⁵  19:40 For ⁵²⁶  we are in danger of being charged with rioting ⁵²⁷  today, since there is no cause we can give to explain ⁵²⁸  this disorderly gathering.” ⁵²⁹  19:41 After ⁵³⁰  he had said ⁵³¹  this, ⁵³²  he dismissed the assembly. ⁵³³ 

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ⁵³⁴  them and saying farewell, ⁵³⁵  he left to go to Macedonia. ⁵³⁶  20:2 After he had gone through those regions ⁵³⁷  and spoken many words of encouragement ⁵³⁸  to the believers there, ⁵³⁹  he came to Greece, ⁵⁴⁰  20:3 where he stayed ⁵⁴¹  for three months. Because the Jews had made ⁵⁴²  a plot ⁵⁴³  against him as he was intending ⁵⁴⁴  to sail ⁵⁴⁵  for Syria, he decided ⁵⁴⁶  to return through Macedonia. ⁵⁴⁷  20:4 Paul ⁵⁴⁸  was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, ⁵⁴⁹  Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, ⁵⁵⁰  Gaius ⁵⁵¹  from Derbe, ⁵⁵²  and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵⁵³  20:5 These had gone on ahead ⁵⁵⁴  and were waiting for us in Troas. ⁵⁵⁵  20:6 We ⁵⁵⁶  sailed away from Philippi ⁵⁵⁷  after the days of Unleavened Bread, ⁵⁵⁸  and within five days ⁵⁵⁹  we came to the others ⁵⁶⁰  in Troas, ⁵⁶¹  where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day ⁵⁶²  of the week, when we met ⁵⁶³  to break bread, Paul began to speak ⁵⁶⁴  to the people, and because he intended ⁵⁶⁵  to leave the next day, he extended ⁵⁶⁶  his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps ⁵⁶⁷  in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) ⁵⁶⁸  20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, ⁵⁶⁹  was sinking ⁵⁷⁰  into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak ⁵⁷¹  for a long time. Fast asleep, ⁵⁷²  he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down, ⁵⁷³  threw himself ⁵⁷⁴  on the young man, ⁵⁷⁵  put his arms around him, ⁵⁷⁶  and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!” ⁵⁷⁷  20:11 Then Paul ⁵⁷⁸  went back upstairs, ⁵⁷⁹  and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them ⁵⁸⁰  a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly ⁵⁸¹  comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 We went on ahead ⁵⁸²  to the ship and put out to sea ⁵⁸³  for Assos, ⁵⁸⁴  intending ⁵⁸⁵  to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way. ⁵⁸⁶  He ⁵⁸⁷  himself was intending ⁵⁸⁸  to go there by land. ⁵⁸⁹  20:14 When he met us in Assos, ⁵⁹⁰  we took him aboard ⁵⁹¹  and went to Mitylene. ⁵⁹²  20:15 We set sail ⁵⁹³  from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios. ⁵⁹⁴  The next day we approached ⁵⁹⁵  Samos, ⁵⁹⁶  and the day after that we arrived at Miletus. ⁵⁹⁷  20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus ⁵⁹⁸  so as not to spend time ⁵⁹⁹  in the province of Asia, ⁶⁰⁰  for he was hurrying ⁶⁰¹  to arrive in Jerusalem, ⁶⁰²  if possible, ⁶⁰³  by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus ⁶⁰⁴  he sent a message ⁶⁰⁵  to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him. ⁶⁰⁶ 

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived ⁶⁰⁷  the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot ⁶⁰⁸  in the province of Asia, ⁶⁰⁹  20:19 serving the Lord with all humility ⁶¹⁰  and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots ⁶¹¹  of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming ⁶¹²  to you anything that would be helpful, ⁶¹³  and from teaching you publicly ⁶¹⁴  and from house to house, 20:21 testifying ⁶¹⁵  to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ⁶¹⁶  20:22 And now, ⁶¹⁷  compelled ⁶¹⁸  by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem ⁶¹⁹  without knowing what will happen to me there, ⁶²⁰  20:23 except ⁶²¹  that the Holy Spirit warns ⁶²²  me in town after town ⁶²³  that ⁶²⁴  imprisonment ⁶²⁵  and persecutions ⁶²⁶  are waiting for me. 20:24 But I do not consider my life ⁶²⁷  worth anything ⁶²⁸  to myself, so that ⁶²⁹  I may finish my task ⁶³⁰  and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news ⁶³¹  of God’s grace.

20:25 “And now ⁶³²  I know that none ⁶³³  of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom ⁶³⁴  will see me ⁶³⁵  again. 20:26 Therefore I declare ⁶³⁶  to you today that I am innocent ⁶³⁷  of the blood of you all. ⁶³⁸  20:27 For I did not hold back from ⁶³⁹  announcing ⁶⁴⁰  to you the whole purpose ⁶⁴¹  of God. 20:28 Watch out for ⁶⁴²  yourselves and for all the flock of which ⁶⁴³  the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, ⁶⁴⁴  to shepherd the church of God ⁶⁴⁵  that he obtained ⁶⁴⁶  with the blood of his own Son. ⁶⁴⁷  20:29 I know that after I am gone ⁶⁴⁸  fierce wolves ⁶⁴⁹  will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from among your own group ⁶⁵⁰  men ⁶⁵¹  will arise, teaching perversions of the truth ⁶⁵²  to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert, ⁶⁵³  remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning ⁶⁵⁴  each one of you with tears. 20:32 And now I entrust ⁶⁵⁵  you to God and to the message ⁶⁵⁶  of his grace. This message ⁶⁵⁷  is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 20:33 I have desired ⁶⁵⁸  no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine ⁶⁵⁹  provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 20:35 By all these things, ⁶⁶⁰  I have shown you that by working in this way we must help ⁶⁶¹  the weak, ⁶⁶²  and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” ⁶⁶³ 

20:36 When ⁶⁶⁴  he had said these things, he knelt down ⁶⁶⁵  with them all and prayed. 20:37 They all began to weep loudly, ⁶⁶⁶  and hugged ⁶⁶⁷  Paul and kissed him, ⁶⁶⁸  20:38 especially saddened ⁶⁶⁹  by what ⁶⁷⁰  he had said, that they were not going to see him ⁶⁷¹  again. Then they accompanied ⁶⁷²  him to the ship.

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After ⁶⁷³  we ⁶⁷⁴  tore ourselves away ⁶⁷⁵  from them, we put out to sea, ⁶⁷⁶  and sailing a straight course, ⁶⁷⁷  we came to Cos, ⁶⁷⁸  on the next day to Rhodes, ⁶⁷⁹  and from there to Patara. ⁶⁸⁰  21:2 We found ⁶⁸¹  a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, ⁶⁸²  went aboard, ⁶⁸³  and put out to sea. ⁶⁸⁴  21:3 After we sighted Cyprus ⁶⁸⁵  and left it behind on our port side, ⁶⁸⁶  we sailed on to Syria and put in ⁶⁸⁷  at Tyre, ⁶⁸⁸  because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we located ⁶⁸⁹  the disciples, we stayed there ⁶⁹⁰  seven days. They repeatedly told ⁶⁹¹  Paul through the Spirit ⁶⁹²  not to set foot ⁶⁹³  in Jerusalem. ⁶⁹⁴  21:5 When ⁶⁹⁵  our time was over, ⁶⁹⁶  we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied ⁶⁹⁷  us outside of the city. After ⁶⁹⁸  kneeling down on the beach and praying, ⁶⁹⁹  21:6 we said farewell ⁷⁰⁰  to one another. ⁷⁰¹  Then ⁷⁰²  we went aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. ⁷⁰³  21:7 We continued the voyage from Tyre ⁷⁰⁴  and arrived at Ptolemais, ⁷⁰⁵  and when we had greeted the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we left ⁷⁰⁶  and came to Caesarea, ⁷⁰⁷  and entered ⁷⁰⁸  the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, ⁷⁰⁹  and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had four unmarried ⁷¹⁰  daughters who prophesied.) ⁷¹¹ 

21:10 While we remained there for a number of days, ⁷¹²  a prophet named Agabus ⁷¹³  came down from Judea. 21:11 He came ⁷¹⁴  to us, took ⁷¹⁵  Paul’s belt, ⁷¹⁶  tied ⁷¹⁷  his own hands and feet with it, ⁷¹⁸  and said, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over ⁷¹⁹  to the Gentiles.’” 21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people ⁷²⁰  begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking ⁷²¹  my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, ⁷²²  but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded, ⁷²³  we said no more except, ⁷²⁴  “The Lord’s will be done.” ⁷²⁵ 

21:15 After these days we got ready ⁷²⁶  and started up ⁷²⁷  to Jerusalem. 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea ⁷²⁸  came along with us too, and brought us to the house ⁷²⁹  of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, ⁷³⁰  with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly. ⁷³¹  21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ⁷³²  21:19 When Paul ⁷³³  had greeted them, he began to explain ⁷³⁴  in detail ⁷³⁵  what God ⁷³⁶  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁷³⁷  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁷³⁸  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁷³⁹  of the law. ⁷⁴⁰  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ⁷⁴¹  among the Gentiles to abandon ⁷⁴²  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ⁷⁴³  or live ⁷⁴⁴  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ⁷⁴⁵  hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what ⁷⁴⁶  we tell you: We have four men ⁷⁴⁷  who have taken ⁷⁴⁸  a vow; ⁷⁴⁹  21:24 take them and purify ⁷⁵⁰  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ⁷⁵¹  so that they may have their heads shaved. ⁷⁵²  Then ⁷⁵³  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ⁷⁵⁴  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ⁷⁵⁵  the law. ⁷⁵⁶  21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ⁷⁵⁷  that they should avoid ⁷⁵⁸  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ⁷⁵⁹  and blood and what has been strangled ⁷⁶⁰  and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ⁷⁶¹  and after he had purified himself ⁷⁶²  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ⁷⁶³  of the completion of the days of purification, ⁷⁶⁴  when ⁷⁶⁵  the sacrifice would be offered for each ⁷⁶⁶  of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, ⁷⁶⁷  the Jews from the province of Asia ⁷⁶⁸  who had seen him in the temple area ⁷⁶⁹  stirred up the whole crowd ⁷⁷⁰  and seized ⁷⁷¹  him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ⁷⁷²  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ⁷⁷³  and this sanctuary! ⁷⁷⁴  Furthermore ⁷⁷⁵  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ⁷⁷⁶  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ⁷⁷⁷  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ⁷⁷⁸  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ⁷⁷⁹  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ⁷⁸⁰  and the people rushed together. ⁷⁸¹  They seized ⁷⁸²  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ⁷⁸³  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ⁷⁸⁴  to kill him, a report ⁷⁸⁵  was sent up ⁷⁸⁶  to the commanding officer ⁷⁸⁷  of the cohort ⁷⁸⁸  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ⁷⁸⁹  21:32 He ⁷⁹⁰  immediately took ⁷⁹¹  soldiers and centurions ⁷⁹²  and ran down to the crowd. ⁷⁹³  When they saw ⁷⁹⁴  the commanding officer ⁷⁹⁵  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ⁷⁹⁶  Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer ⁷⁹⁷  came up and arrested ⁷⁹⁸  him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; ⁷⁹⁹  he ⁸⁰⁰  then asked who he was and what ⁸⁰¹  he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ⁸⁰²  and when the commanding officer ⁸⁰³  was unable ⁸⁰⁴  to find out the truth ⁸⁰⁵  because of the disturbance, ⁸⁰⁶  he ordered Paul ⁸⁰⁷  to be brought into the barracks. ⁸⁰⁸  21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul ⁸⁰⁹  had to be carried ⁸¹⁰  by the soldiers because of the violence ⁸¹¹  of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people ⁸¹²  followed them, ⁸¹³  screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ⁸¹⁴  he said ⁸¹⁵  to the commanding officer, ⁸¹⁶  “May I say ⁸¹⁷  something to you?” The officer ⁸¹⁸  replied, ⁸¹⁹  “Do you know Greek? ⁸²⁰  21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion ⁸²¹  and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’ ⁸²²  into the wilderness ⁸²³  some time ago?” ⁸²⁴  21:39 Paul answered, ⁸²⁵  “I am a Jew ⁸²⁶  from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. ⁸²⁷  Please ⁸²⁸  allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer ⁸²⁹  had given him permission, ⁸³⁰  Paul stood ⁸³¹  on the steps and gestured ⁸³²  to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, ⁸³³  he addressed ⁸³⁴  them in Aramaic, ⁸³⁵ 

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense ⁸³⁶  that I now ⁸³⁷  make to you.” 22:2 (When they heard ⁸³⁸  that he was addressing ⁸³⁹  them in Aramaic, ⁸⁴⁰  they became even ⁸⁴¹  quieter.) ⁸⁴²  Then ⁸⁴³  Paul said, 22:3 “I am a Jew, ⁸⁴⁴  born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up ⁸⁴⁵  in this city, educated with strictness ⁸⁴⁶  under ⁸⁴⁷  Gamaliel ⁸⁴⁸  according to the law of our ancestors, ⁸⁴⁹  and was ⁸⁵⁰  zealous ⁸⁵¹  for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I ⁸⁵²  persecuted this Way ⁸⁵³  even to the point of death, ⁸⁵⁴  tying up ⁸⁵⁵  both men and women and putting ⁸⁵⁶  them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders ⁸⁵⁷  can testify about me. From them ⁸⁵⁸  I also received ⁸⁵⁹  letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way ⁸⁶⁰  to make arrests there and bring ⁸⁶¹  the prisoners ⁸⁶²  to Jerusalem ⁸⁶³  to be punished. 22:6 As ⁸⁶⁴  I was en route and near Damascus, ⁸⁶⁵  about noon a very bright ⁸⁶⁶  light from heaven ⁸⁶⁷  suddenly flashed ⁸⁶⁸  around me. 22:7 Then I ⁸⁶⁹  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 22:9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand ⁸⁷⁰  the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked, ⁸⁷¹  ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up ⁸⁷²  and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything ⁸⁷³  that you have been designated ⁸⁷⁴  to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of ⁸⁷⁵  the brilliance ⁸⁷⁶  of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of ⁸⁷⁷  those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias, ⁸⁷⁸  a devout man according to the law, ⁸⁷⁹  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ⁸⁸⁰  22:13 came ⁸⁸¹  to me and stood beside me ⁸⁸²  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ⁸⁸³  And at that very moment ⁸⁸⁴  I looked up and saw him. ⁸⁸⁵  22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ⁸⁸⁶  has already chosen ⁸⁸⁷  you to know his will, to see ⁸⁸⁸  the Righteous One, ⁸⁸⁹  and to hear a command ⁸⁹⁰  from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness ⁸⁹¹  to all people ⁸⁹²  of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? ⁸⁹³  Get up, ⁸⁹⁴  be baptized, and have your sins washed away, ⁸⁹⁵  calling on his name.’ ⁸⁹⁶  22:17 When ⁸⁹⁷  I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ⁸⁹⁸  22:18 and saw the Lord ⁸⁹⁹  saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied, ⁹⁰⁰  ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues ⁹⁰¹  who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness ⁹⁰²  Stephen was shed, ⁹⁰³  I myself was standing nearby, approving, ⁹⁰⁴  and guarding the cloaks ⁹⁰⁵  of those who were killing him.’ ⁹⁰⁶  22:21 Then ⁹⁰⁷  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ⁹⁰⁸  was listening to him until he said this. ⁹⁰⁹  Then ⁹¹⁰  they raised their voices and shouted, ⁹¹¹  “Away with this man ⁹¹²  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ⁹¹³  22:23 While they were screaming ⁹¹⁴  and throwing off their cloaks ⁹¹⁵  and tossing dust ⁹¹⁶  in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer ⁹¹⁷  ordered Paul ⁹¹⁸  to be brought back into the barracks. ⁹¹⁹  He told them ⁹²⁰  to interrogate Paul ⁹²¹  by beating him with a lash ⁹²²  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ⁹²³  was shouting at Paul ⁹²⁴  in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ⁹²⁵  Paul said to the centurion ⁹²⁶  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ⁹²⁷  without a proper trial?” ⁹²⁸  22:26 When the centurion ⁹²⁹  heard this, ⁹³⁰  he went to the commanding officer ⁹³¹  and reported it, ⁹³²  saying, “What are you about to do? ⁹³³  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ⁹³⁴  22:27 So the commanding officer ⁹³⁵  came and asked ⁹³⁶  Paul, ⁹³⁷  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ⁹³⁸  He replied, ⁹³⁹  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ⁹⁴⁰  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ⁹⁴¹  “But I was even ⁹⁴²  born a citizen,” ⁹⁴³  Paul replied. ⁹⁴⁴  22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ⁹⁴⁵  from him, and the commanding officer ⁹⁴⁶  was frightened when he realized that Paul ⁹⁴⁷  was ⁹⁴⁸  a Roman citizen ⁹⁴⁹  and that he had had him tied up. ⁹⁵⁰ 

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer ⁹⁵¹  wanted to know the true reason ⁹⁵²  Paul ⁹⁵³  was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council ⁹⁵⁴  to assemble. He then brought ⁹⁵⁵  Paul down and had him stand before them.

23:1 Paul looked directly ⁹⁵⁶  at the council ⁹⁵⁷  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ⁹⁵⁸  before God to this day.” 23:2 At that ⁹⁵⁹  the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near ⁹⁶⁰  Paul ⁹⁶¹  to strike ⁹⁶²  him on the mouth. 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! ⁹⁶³  Do ⁹⁶⁴  you sit there judging me according to the law, ⁹⁶⁵  and in violation of the law ⁹⁶⁶  you order me to be struck?” 23:4 Those standing near him ⁹⁶⁷  said, “Do you dare insult ⁹⁶⁸  God’s high priest?” 23:5 Paul replied, ⁹⁶⁹  “I did not realize, ⁹⁷⁰  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ⁹⁷¹ 

23:6 Then when Paul noticed ⁹⁷²  that part of them were Sadducees ⁹⁷³  and the others Pharisees, ⁹⁷⁴  he shouted out in the council, ⁹⁷⁵  “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection ⁹⁷⁶  of the dead!” 23:7 When he said this, ⁹⁷⁷  an argument ⁹⁷⁸  began ⁹⁷⁹  between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 23:8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) ⁹⁸⁰  23:9 There was a great commotion, ⁹⁸¹  and some experts in the law ⁹⁸²  from the party of the Pharisees stood up ⁹⁸³  and protested strongly, ⁹⁸⁴  “We find nothing wrong ⁹⁸⁵  with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 23:10 When the argument became ⁹⁸⁶  so great the commanding officer ⁹⁸⁷  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ⁹⁸⁸  he ordered the detachment ⁹⁸⁹  to go down, take him away from them by force, ⁹⁹⁰  and bring him into the barracks. ⁹⁹¹ 

23:11 The following night the Lord ⁹⁹²  stood near ⁹⁹³  Paul ⁹⁹⁴  and said, “Have courage, ⁹⁹⁵  for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, ⁹⁹⁶  so you must also testify in Rome.” ⁹⁹⁷ 

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ⁹⁹⁸  the Jews formed ⁹⁹⁹  a conspiracy ¹⁰⁰⁰  and bound themselves with an oath ¹⁰⁰¹  not to eat or drink anything ¹⁰⁰²  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ¹⁰⁰³  23:14 They ¹⁰⁰⁴  went ¹⁰⁰⁵  to the chief priests ¹⁰⁰⁶  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ¹⁰⁰⁷  not to partake ¹⁰⁰⁸  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ¹⁰⁰⁹  request the commanding officer ¹⁰¹⁰  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ¹⁰¹¹  his case ¹⁰¹²  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ¹⁰¹³  We are ready to kill him ¹⁰¹⁴  before he comes near this place.” ¹⁰¹⁵ 

23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, ¹⁰¹⁶  he came and entered ¹⁰¹⁷  the barracks ¹⁰¹⁸  and told Paul. 23:17 Paul called ¹⁰¹⁹  one of the centurions ¹⁰²⁰  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ¹⁰²¹  for he has something to report to him.” 23:18 So the centurion ¹⁰²²  took him and brought him to the commanding officer ¹⁰²³  and said, “The prisoner Paul called ¹⁰²⁴  me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 23:19 The commanding officer ¹⁰²⁵  took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want ¹⁰²⁶  to report to me?” 23:20 He replied, ¹⁰²⁷  “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council ¹⁰²⁸  tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ¹⁰²⁹  because more than forty of them ¹⁰³⁰  are lying in ambush ¹⁰³¹  for him. They ¹⁰³²  have bound themselves with an oath ¹⁰³³  not to eat or drink anything ¹⁰³⁴  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ¹⁰³⁵  23:22 Then the commanding officer ¹⁰³⁶  sent the young man away, directing him, ¹⁰³⁷  “Tell no one that you have reported ¹⁰³⁸  these things to me.” 23:23 Then ¹⁰³⁹  he summoned ¹⁰⁴⁰  two of the centurions ¹⁰⁴¹  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ¹⁰⁴²  along with seventy horsemen ¹⁰⁴³  and two hundred spearmen ¹⁰⁴⁴  by ¹⁰⁴⁵  nine o’clock tonight, ¹⁰⁴⁶  23:24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride ¹⁰⁴⁷  so that he may be brought safely to Felix ¹⁰⁴⁸  the governor.” ¹⁰⁴⁹  23:25 He wrote ¹⁰⁵⁰  a letter that went like this: ¹⁰⁵¹ 

23:26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor ¹⁰⁵²  Felix, ¹⁰⁵³  greetings. 23:27 This man was seized ¹⁰⁵⁴  by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ¹⁰⁵⁵  when I came up ¹⁰⁵⁶  with the detachment ¹⁰⁵⁷  and rescued him, because I had learned that he was ¹⁰⁵⁸  a Roman citizen. ¹⁰⁵⁹  23:28 Since I wanted to know ¹⁰⁶⁰  what charge they were accusing him of, ¹⁰⁶¹  I brought him down to their council. ¹⁰⁶²  23:29 I found he ¹⁰⁶³  was accused with reference to controversial questions ¹⁰⁶⁴  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ¹⁰⁶⁵  23:30 When I was informed ¹⁰⁶⁶  there would be a plot ¹⁰⁶⁷  against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges ¹⁰⁶⁸  against him before you.

23:31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, ¹⁰⁶⁹  took ¹⁰⁷⁰  Paul and brought him to Antipatris ¹⁰⁷¹  during the night. 23:32 The next day they let ¹⁰⁷²  the horsemen ¹⁰⁷³  go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ¹⁰⁷⁴  23:33 When the horsemen ¹⁰⁷⁵  came to Caesarea ¹⁰⁷⁶  and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented ¹⁰⁷⁷  Paul to him. 23:34 When the governor ¹⁰⁷⁸  had read ¹⁰⁷⁹  the letter, ¹⁰⁸⁰  he asked ¹⁰⁸¹  what province he was from. ¹⁰⁸²  When he learned ¹⁰⁸³  that he was from Cilicia, ¹⁰⁸⁴  23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ¹⁰⁸⁵  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ¹⁰⁸⁶  he ordered that Paul ¹⁰⁸⁷  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ¹⁰⁸⁸ 

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ¹⁰⁸⁹  came down with some elders and an attorney ¹⁰⁹⁰  named ¹⁰⁹¹  Tertullus, and they ¹⁰⁹²  brought formal charges ¹⁰⁹³  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ¹⁰⁹⁴  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ¹⁰⁹⁵  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ¹⁰⁹⁶  of peace through your rule, ¹⁰⁹⁷  and reforms ¹⁰⁹⁸  are being made in this nation ¹⁰⁹⁹  through your foresight. ¹¹⁰⁰  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ¹¹⁰¹  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ¹¹⁰²  with all gratitude. ¹¹⁰³  24:4 But so that I may not delay ¹¹⁰⁴  you any further, I beg ¹¹⁰⁵  you to hear us briefly ¹¹⁰⁶  with your customary graciousness. ¹¹⁰⁷  24:5 For we have found ¹¹⁰⁸  this man to be a troublemaker, ¹¹⁰⁹  one who stirs up riots ¹¹¹⁰  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ¹¹¹¹  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ¹¹¹²  24:6 He ¹¹¹³  even tried to desecrate ¹¹¹⁴  the temple, so we arrested ¹¹¹⁵  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ¹¹¹⁶  24:8 When you examine ¹¹¹⁷  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ¹¹¹⁸  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ¹¹¹⁹  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ¹¹²⁰  claiming ¹¹²¹  that these things were true.

Paul’s Defense Before Felix

24:10 When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know ¹¹²²  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ¹¹²³  24:11 As you can verify ¹¹²⁴  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ¹¹²⁵  I went up to Jerusalem ¹¹²⁶  to worship. 24:12 They did not find me arguing ¹¹²⁷  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ¹¹²⁸  in the temple courts ¹¹²⁹  or in the synagogues ¹¹³⁰  or throughout the city, ¹¹³¹  24:13 nor can they prove ¹¹³²  to you the things ¹¹³³  they are accusing me of doing. ¹¹³⁴  24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship ¹¹³⁵  the God of our ancestors ¹¹³⁶  according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law ¹¹³⁷  and that is written in the prophets. 24:15 I have ¹¹³⁸  a hope in God (a hope ¹¹³⁹  that ¹¹⁴⁰  these men ¹¹⁴¹  themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ¹¹⁴²  24:16 This is the reason ¹¹⁴³  I do my best to always ¹¹⁴⁴  have a clear ¹¹⁴⁵  conscience toward God and toward people. ¹¹⁴⁶  24:17 After several years ¹¹⁴⁷  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ¹¹⁴⁸  and to present offerings, ¹¹⁴⁹  24:18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, ¹¹⁵⁰  without a crowd or a disturbance. ¹¹⁵¹  24:19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia ¹¹⁵²  who should be here before you and bring charges, ¹¹⁵³  if they have anything against me. 24:20 Or these men here ¹¹⁵⁴  should tell what crime ¹¹⁵⁵  they found me guilty of ¹¹⁵⁶  when I stood before the council, ¹¹⁵⁷  24:21 other than ¹¹⁵⁸  this one thing ¹¹⁵⁹  I shouted out while I stood before ¹¹⁶⁰  them: ‘I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’” ¹¹⁶¹ 

24:22 Then Felix, ¹¹⁶²  who understood the facts ¹¹⁶³  concerning the Way ¹¹⁶⁴  more accurately, ¹¹⁶⁵  adjourned their hearing, ¹¹⁶⁶  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ¹¹⁶⁷  24:23 He ordered the centurion ¹¹⁶⁸  to guard Paul, ¹¹⁶⁹  but to let him have some freedom, ¹¹⁷⁰  and not to prevent any of his friends ¹¹⁷¹  from meeting his needs. ¹¹⁷² 

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ¹¹⁷³  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ¹¹⁷⁴  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ¹¹⁷⁵  about faith in Christ Jesus. ¹¹⁷⁶  24:25 While Paul ¹¹⁷⁷  was discussing ¹¹⁷⁸  righteousness, self-control, ¹¹⁷⁹  and the coming judgment, Felix ¹¹⁸⁰  became ¹¹⁸¹  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ¹¹⁸²  I will send for you.” 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ¹¹⁸³  and for this reason he sent for Paul ¹¹⁸⁴  as often as possible ¹¹⁸⁵  and talked ¹¹⁸⁶  with him. 24:27 After two years ¹¹⁸⁷  had passed, Porcius Festus ¹¹⁸⁸  succeeded Felix, ¹¹⁸⁹  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ¹¹⁹⁰ 

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25:1 Now ¹¹⁹¹  three days after Festus ¹¹⁹²  arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem ¹¹⁹³  from Caesarea. ¹¹⁹⁴  25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men ¹¹⁹⁵  of the Jews brought formal charges ¹¹⁹⁶  against Paul to him. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ¹¹⁹⁷  they urged Festus ¹¹⁹⁸  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ¹¹⁹⁹  to kill him along the way. 25:4 Then Festus ¹²⁰⁰  replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, ¹²⁰¹  and he himself intended to go there ¹²⁰²  shortly. 25:5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders ¹²⁰³  go down there ¹²⁰⁴  with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, ¹²⁰⁵  they may bring charges ¹²⁰⁶  against him.”

25:6 After Festus ¹²⁰⁷  had stayed ¹²⁰⁸  not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, ¹²⁰⁹  and the next day he sat ¹²¹⁰  on the judgment seat ¹²¹¹  and ordered Paul to be brought. 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, ¹²¹²  bringing many serious ¹²¹³  charges that they were not able to prove. ¹²¹⁴  25:8 Paul said in his defense, ¹²¹⁵  “I have committed no offense ¹²¹⁶  against the Jewish law ¹²¹⁷  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ¹²¹⁸  25:9 But Festus, ¹²¹⁹  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ¹²²⁰  before me there on these charges?” ¹²²¹  25:10 Paul replied, ¹²²²  “I am standing before Caesar’s ¹²²³  judgment seat, ¹²²⁴  where I should be tried. ¹²²⁵  I have done nothing wrong ¹²²⁶  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ¹²²⁷  25:11 If then I am in the wrong ¹²²⁸  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ¹²²⁹  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ¹²³⁰  no one can hand me over to them. ¹²³¹  I appeal to Caesar!” ¹²³²  25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ¹²³³  Festus ¹²³⁴  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ¹²³⁵  to Caesar ¹²³⁶  you will go!” ¹²³⁷ 

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ¹²³⁸  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ¹²³⁹  to pay their respects ¹²⁴⁰  to Festus. ¹²⁴¹  25:14 While ¹²⁴²  they were staying there many days, Festus ¹²⁴³  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ¹²⁴⁴  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 25:15 When I was in Jerusalem, ¹²⁴⁵  the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed ¹²⁴⁶  me about him, ¹²⁴⁷  asking for a sentence of condemnation ¹²⁴⁸  against him. 25:16 I answered them ¹²⁴⁹  that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone ¹²⁵⁰  before the accused had met his accusers face to face ¹²⁵¹  and had been given ¹²⁵²  an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. ¹²⁵³  25:17 So after they came back here with me, ¹²⁵⁴  I did not postpone the case, ¹²⁵⁵  but the next day I sat ¹²⁵⁶  on the judgment seat ¹²⁵⁷  and ordered the man to be brought. 25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge ¹²⁵⁸  him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. ¹²⁵⁹  25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement ¹²⁶⁰  with him about their own religion ¹²⁶¹  and about a man named Jesus ¹²⁶²  who was dead, whom Paul claimed ¹²⁶³  to be alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss ¹²⁶⁴  how I could investigate these matters, ¹²⁶⁵  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ¹²⁶⁶  there on these charges. ¹²⁶⁷  25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, ¹²⁶⁸  I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” ¹²⁶⁹  25:22 Agrippa ¹²⁷⁰  said to Festus, ¹²⁷¹  “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, ¹²⁷²  “you will hear him.”

Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice

25:23 So the next day Agrippa ¹²⁷³  and Bernice came with great pomp ¹²⁷⁴  and entered the audience hall, ¹²⁷⁵  along with the senior military officers ¹²⁷⁶  and the prominent men of the city. When Festus ¹²⁷⁷  gave the order, ¹²⁷⁸  Paul was brought in. 25:24 Then Festus ¹²⁷⁹  said, “King Agrippa, ¹²⁸⁰  and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace ¹²⁸¹  petitioned ¹²⁸²  me both in Jerusalem ¹²⁸³  and here, ¹²⁸⁴  shouting loudly ¹²⁸⁵  that he ought not to live any longer. 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, ¹²⁸⁶  and when he appealed ¹²⁸⁷  to His Majesty the Emperor, ¹²⁸⁸  I decided to send him. ¹²⁸⁹  25:26 But I have nothing definite ¹²⁹⁰  to write to my lord ¹²⁹¹  about him. ¹²⁹²  Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, ¹²⁹³  so that after this preliminary hearing ¹²⁹⁴  I may have something to write. 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating ¹²⁹⁵  the charges against him.”

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ¹²⁹⁶  said to Paul, “You have permission ¹²⁹⁷  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ¹²⁹⁸  and began his defense: ¹²⁹⁹ 

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ¹³⁰⁰  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 26:3 because you are especially ¹³⁰¹  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ¹³⁰²  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ¹³⁰³  you to listen to me patiently. 26:4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived ¹³⁰⁴  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ¹³⁰⁵  and in Jerusalem. ¹³⁰⁶  26:5 They know, ¹³⁰⁷  because they have known ¹³⁰⁸  me from time past, ¹³⁰⁹  if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party ¹³¹⁰  of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ¹³¹¹  26:6 And now I stand here on trial ¹³¹²  because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ¹³¹³  26:7 a promise ¹³¹⁴  that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God ¹³¹⁵  night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, ¹³¹⁶  Your Majesty! ¹³¹⁷  26:8 Why do you people ¹³¹⁸  think ¹³¹⁹  it is unbelievable ¹³²⁰  that ¹³²¹  God raises the dead? 26:9 Of course, ¹³²²  I myself was convinced ¹³²³  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 ¹³²⁴  from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote ¹³²⁵  against them when they were sentenced to death. ¹³²⁶  26:11 I punished ¹³²⁷  them often in all the synagogues ¹³²⁸  and tried to force ¹³²⁹  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ¹³³⁰  at them, I went to persecute ¹³³¹  them even in foreign cities.

26:12 “While doing this very thing, ¹³³²  as I was going ¹³³³  to Damascus with authority and complete power ¹³³⁴  from the chief priests, 26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, ¹³³⁵  I saw a light from heaven, ¹³³⁶  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around ¹³³⁷  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, ¹³³⁸  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself ¹³³⁹  by kicking against the goads.’ ¹³⁴⁰  26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ¹³⁴¹  ‘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 ¹³⁴²  as a servant and witness ¹³⁴³  to the things ¹³⁴⁴  you have seen ¹³⁴⁵  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ¹³⁴⁶  you from your own people ¹³⁴⁷  and from the Gentiles, to whom ¹³⁴⁸  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ¹³⁴⁹  from darkness to light and from the power ¹³⁵⁰  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ¹³⁵¹  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, ¹³⁵²  I was not disobedient ¹³⁵³  to the heavenly ¹³⁵⁴  vision, 26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ¹³⁵⁵  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ¹³⁵⁶  performing deeds consistent with ¹³⁵⁷  repentance. 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts ¹³⁵⁸  and were trying to kill me. 26:22 I have experienced ¹³⁵⁹  help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except ¹³⁶⁰  what the prophets and Moses said ¹³⁶¹  was going to happen: 26:23 that ¹³⁶²  the Christ ¹³⁶³  was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people ¹³⁶⁴  and to the Gentiles.” ¹³⁶⁵ 

26:24 As Paul ¹³⁶⁶  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ¹³⁶⁷  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ¹³⁶⁸  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ¹³⁶⁹  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ¹³⁷⁰  but am speaking ¹³⁷¹  true and rational ¹³⁷²  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ¹³⁷³  to him, ¹³⁷⁴  because I cannot believe ¹³⁷⁵  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ¹³⁷⁶  for this was not done in a corner. ¹³⁷⁷  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ¹³⁷⁸  King Agrippa? ¹³⁷⁹  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ¹³⁸⁰  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ¹³⁸¹  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ¹³⁸²  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ¹³⁸³ 

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, ¹³⁸⁴  “This man is not doing anything deserving ¹³⁸⁵  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ¹³⁸⁶  said to Festus, ¹³⁸⁷  “This man could have been released ¹³⁸⁸  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ¹³⁸⁹ 

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ¹³⁹⁰  would sail to Italy, ¹³⁹¹  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ¹³⁹²  of the Augustan Cohort ¹³⁹³  named Julius. 27:2 We went on board ¹³⁹⁴  a ship from Adramyttium ¹³⁹⁵  that was about to sail to various ports ¹³⁹⁶  along the coast of the province of Asia ¹³⁹⁷  and put out to sea, ¹³⁹⁸  accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian ¹³⁹⁹  from Thessalonica. ¹⁴⁰⁰  27:3 The next day we put in ¹⁴⁰¹  at Sidon, ¹⁴⁰²  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ¹⁴⁰³  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ¹⁴⁰⁴  27:4 From there we put out to sea ¹⁴⁰⁵  and sailed under the lee ¹⁴⁰⁶  of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea ¹⁴⁰⁷  off Cilicia and Pamphylia, ¹⁴⁰⁸  we put in ¹⁴⁰⁹  at Myra ¹⁴¹⁰  in Lycia. ¹⁴¹¹  27:6 There the centurion ¹⁴¹²  found ¹⁴¹³  a ship from Alexandria ¹⁴¹⁴  sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly ¹⁴¹⁵  for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. ¹⁴¹⁶  Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, ¹⁴¹⁷  we sailed under the lee ¹⁴¹⁸  of Crete off Salmone. ¹⁴¹⁹  27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast ¹⁴²⁰  of Crete ¹⁴²¹  and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. ¹⁴²² 

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous ¹⁴²³  because the fast ¹⁴²⁴  was already over, ¹⁴²⁵  Paul advised them, ¹⁴²⁶  27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end ¹⁴²⁷  in disaster ¹⁴²⁸  and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹⁴²⁹  27:11 But the centurion ¹⁴³⁰  was more convinced ¹⁴³¹  by the captain ¹⁴³²  and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. ¹⁴³³  27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided ¹⁴³⁴  to put out to sea ¹⁴³⁵  from there. They hoped that ¹⁴³⁶  somehow they could reach ¹⁴³⁷  Phoenix, ¹⁴³⁸  a harbor of Crete facing ¹⁴³⁹  southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought ¹⁴⁴⁰  they could carry out ¹⁴⁴¹  their purpose, so they weighed anchor ¹⁴⁴²  and sailed close along the coast ¹⁴⁴³  of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force ¹⁴⁴⁴  wind called the northeaster ¹⁴⁴⁵  blew down from the island. ¹⁴⁴⁶  27:15 When the ship was caught in it ¹⁴⁴⁷  and could not head into ¹⁴⁴⁸  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ¹⁴⁴⁹  along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of ¹⁴⁵⁰  a small island called Cauda, ¹⁴⁵¹  we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat ¹⁴⁵²  under control. 27:17 After the crew ¹⁴⁵³  had hoisted it aboard, ¹⁴⁵⁴  they used supports ¹⁴⁵⁵  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ¹⁴⁵⁶  on the Syrtis, ¹⁴⁵⁷  they lowered the sea anchor, ¹⁴⁵⁸  thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, ¹⁴⁵⁹  they began throwing the cargo overboard, ¹⁴⁶⁰  27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear ¹⁴⁶¹  overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ¹⁴⁶²  storm continued to batter us, ¹⁴⁶³  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ¹⁴⁶⁴ 

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, ¹⁴⁶⁵  Paul ¹⁴⁶⁶  stood up ¹⁴⁶⁷  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ¹⁴⁶⁸  and not put out to sea ¹⁴⁶⁹  from Crete, thus avoiding ¹⁴⁷⁰  this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise ¹⁴⁷¹  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ¹⁴⁷²  27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ¹⁴⁷³  and whom I serve ¹⁴⁷⁴  came to me ¹⁴⁷⁵  27:24 and said, ¹⁴⁷⁶  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ¹⁴⁷⁷  Caesar, ¹⁴⁷⁸  and God has graciously granted you the safety ¹⁴⁷⁹  of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ¹⁴⁸⁰  that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must ¹⁴⁸¹  run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven ¹⁴⁸²  across the Adriatic Sea, ¹⁴⁸³  about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. ¹⁴⁸⁴  27:28 They took soundings ¹⁴⁸⁵  and found the water was twenty fathoms ¹⁴⁸⁶  deep; when they had sailed a little farther ¹⁴⁸⁷  they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms ¹⁴⁸⁸  deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid ¹⁴⁸⁹  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ¹⁴⁹⁰  they threw out ¹⁴⁹¹  four anchors from the stern and wished ¹⁴⁹²  for day to appear. ¹⁴⁹³  27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending ¹⁴⁹⁴  that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion ¹⁴⁹⁵  and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you ¹⁴⁹⁶  cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes ¹⁴⁹⁷  of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. ¹⁴⁹⁸ 

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ¹⁴⁹⁹  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ¹⁵⁰⁰  and have gone ¹⁵⁰¹  without food; you have eaten nothing. ¹⁵⁰²  27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important ¹⁵⁰³  for your survival. ¹⁵⁰⁴  For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul ¹⁵⁰⁵  took bread ¹⁵⁰⁶  and gave thanks to God in front of them all, ¹⁵⁰⁷  broke ¹⁵⁰⁸  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 ¹⁵⁰⁹  persons on the ship.) ¹⁵¹⁰  27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, ¹⁵¹¹  they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat ¹⁵¹²  into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ¹⁵¹³  a bay ¹⁵¹⁴  with a beach, ¹⁵¹⁵  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped ¹⁵¹⁶  the anchors ¹⁵¹⁷  and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage ¹⁵¹⁸  that bound the steering oars ¹⁵¹⁹  together. Then they hoisted ¹⁵²⁰  the foresail ¹⁵²¹  to the wind and steered toward ¹⁵²²  the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ¹⁵²³  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ¹⁵²⁴  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ¹⁵²⁵  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ¹⁵²⁶  27:43 But the centurion, ¹⁵²⁷  wanting to save Paul’s life, ¹⁵²⁸  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ¹⁵²⁹  27:44 and the rest were to follow, ¹⁵³⁰  some on planks ¹⁵³¹  and some on pieces of the ship. ¹⁵³²  And in this way ¹⁵³³  all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ¹⁵³⁴  we learned that the island was called Malta. ¹⁵³⁵  28:2 The local inhabitants ¹⁵³⁶  showed us extraordinary ¹⁵³⁷  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ¹⁵³⁸  and was cold. 28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ¹⁵³⁹  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 ¹⁵⁴⁰  saw the creature hanging from Paul’s ¹⁵⁴¹  hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself ¹⁵⁴²  has not allowed him to live!” ¹⁵⁴³  28:5 However, ¹⁵⁴⁴  Paul ¹⁵⁴⁵  shook ¹⁵⁴⁶  the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up ¹⁵⁴⁷  or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited ¹⁵⁴⁸  a long time and had seen ¹⁵⁴⁹  nothing unusual happen ¹⁵⁵⁰  to him, they changed their minds ¹⁵⁵¹  and said he was a god. ¹⁵⁵² 

28:7 Now in the region around that place ¹⁵⁵³  were fields belonging to the chief official ¹⁵⁵⁴  of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 28:8 The father ¹⁵⁵⁵  of Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him ¹⁵⁵⁶  and after praying, placed ¹⁵⁵⁷  his hands on him and healed ¹⁵⁵⁸  him. 28:9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were sick ¹⁵⁵⁹  also came and were healed. ¹⁵⁶⁰  28:10 They also bestowed many honors, ¹⁵⁶¹  and when we were preparing to sail, ¹⁵⁶²  they gave ¹⁵⁶³  us all the supplies we needed. ¹⁵⁶⁴ 

Paul Finally Reaches Rome

28:11 After three months we put out to sea ¹⁵⁶⁵  in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” ¹⁵⁶⁶  as its figurehead. ¹⁵⁶⁷  28:12 We put in ¹⁵⁶⁸  at Syracuse ¹⁵⁶⁹  and stayed there three days. 28:13 From there we cast off ¹⁵⁷⁰  and arrived at Rhegium, ¹⁵⁷¹  and after one day a south wind sprang up ¹⁵⁷²  and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹⁵⁷³  28:14 There ¹⁵⁷⁴  we found ¹⁵⁷⁵  some brothers ¹⁵⁷⁶  and were invited to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. ¹⁵⁷⁷  28:15 The brothers from there, ¹⁵⁷⁸  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ¹⁵⁷⁹  and Three Taverns ¹⁵⁸⁰  to meet us. When he saw them, ¹⁵⁸¹  Paul thanked God and took courage. 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live ¹⁵⁸²  by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome

28:17 After three days ¹⁵⁸³  Paul ¹⁵⁸⁴  called the local Jewish leaders ¹⁵⁸⁵  together. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, ¹⁵⁸⁶  although I had done ¹⁵⁸⁷  nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, ¹⁵⁸⁸  from Jerusalem ¹⁵⁸⁹  I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. ¹⁵⁹⁰  28:18 When ¹⁵⁹¹  they had heard my case, ¹⁵⁹²  they wanted to release me, ¹⁵⁹³  because there was no basis for a death sentence ¹⁵⁹⁴  against me. 28:19 But when the Jews objected, ¹⁵⁹⁵  I was forced to appeal to Caesar ¹⁵⁹⁶  – not that I had some charge to bring ¹⁵⁹⁷  against my own people. ¹⁵⁹⁸  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.” ¹⁵⁹⁹  28:21 They replied, ¹⁶⁰⁰  “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the brothers come from there ¹⁶⁰¹  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 ¹⁶⁰²  that people ¹⁶⁰³  everywhere speak against ¹⁶⁰⁴  it.”

28:23 They set ¹⁶⁰⁵  a day to meet with him, ¹⁶⁰⁶  and they came to him where he was staying ¹⁶⁰⁷  in even greater numbers. ¹⁶⁰⁸  From morning until evening he explained things ¹⁶⁰⁹  to them, ¹⁶¹⁰  testifying ¹⁶¹¹  about the kingdom of God ¹⁶¹²  and trying to convince ¹⁶¹³  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced ¹⁶¹⁴  by what he said, ¹⁶¹⁵  but others refused ¹⁶¹⁶  to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, ¹⁶¹⁷  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ¹⁶¹⁸  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ¹⁶¹⁹  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ¹⁶²⁰  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ¹⁶²¹ 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ¹⁶²² 

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, ¹⁶²³  and I would heal them.”’ ¹⁶²⁴ 

28:28 “Therefore be advised ¹⁶²⁵  that this salvation from God ¹⁶²⁶  has been sent to the Gentiles; ¹⁶²⁷  they ¹⁶²⁸  will listen!”

28:29 [[EMPTY]] ¹⁶²⁹ 

28:30 Paul ¹⁶³⁰  lived ¹⁶³¹  there two whole years in his own rented quarters ¹⁶³²  and welcomed ¹⁶³³  all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ¹⁶³⁴  with complete boldness ¹⁶³⁵  and without restriction. ¹⁶³⁶ 

[16:1]  ¹ sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra. It was about 90 mi (145 km) from Tarsus.

[16:1]  map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.

[16:1]  ² sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

[16:1]  map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.

[16:1]  ³ tn Grk “And behold, a disciple.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[16:1]  ⁴ tn L&N 31.103 translates this phrase “the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.”

[16:1]  ⁵ sn His father was a Greek. Timothy was the offspring of a mixed marriage between a Jewish woman (see 2 Tim 1:5) and a Gentile man. On mixed marriages in Judaism, see Neh 13:23-27; Ezra 9:1-10:44; Mal 2:10-16; Jub. 30:7-17; m. Qiddushin 3.12; m. Yevamot 7.5.

[16:2]  ⁶ sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.

[16:2]  ⁷ sn Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 110 mi (175 km) east of Pisidian Antioch.

[16:2]  ⁸ tn For this sense of μαρτυρέω (marturew), see BDAG 618 s.v. 2.b.

[16:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who was a believer…who was well spoken of”) and the awkwardness of the passive verb (“was well spoken of”), the relative pronoun at the beginning of 16:2 (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“him”) and the construction converted from passive to active at the same time a new sentence was started in the translation.

[16:3]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (Timothy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:3]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and taking him he circumcised him.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Paul’s cultural sensitivity showed in his action here. He did not want Timothy’s lack of circumcision to become an issue (1 Cor 9:15-23).

[16:3]  ¹² tn The verb περιέτεμεν (perietemen) here may be understood as causative (cf. ExSyn 411-12) if Paul did not personally perform the circumcision.

[16:3]  ¹³ tn Or “who lived in the area.”

[16:3]  ¹⁴ tn The anarthrous predicate nominative has been translated as qualitative (“Greek”) rather than indefinite (“a Greek”).

[16:3]  sn His father was Greek. Under Jewish law at least as early as the 2nd century, a person was considered Jewish if his or her mother was Jewish. It is not certain whether such a law was in effect in the 1st century, but even if it was, Timothy would not have been accepted as fully Jewish because he was not circumcised.

[16:4]  ¹⁵ tn Or “cities.”

[16:4]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 762-63 s.v. παραδίδωμι 3 has “they handed down to them the decisions to observe Ac 16:4.”

[16:4]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[16:4]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “for them”; the referent (Gentile believers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:4]  ¹⁹ tn Or “observe” or “follow.”

[16:5]  ²⁰ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

[16:6]  ²¹ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia.

[16:6]  ²² sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor (North Galatia), or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch (South Galatia). The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.

[16:6]  ²³ tn Or “forbidden.”

[16:6]  ²⁴ tn Or “word.”

[16:6]  ²⁵ 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.

[16:7]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.b has “to Mysia” here.

[16:7]  ²⁷ sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

[16:7]  ²⁸ sn Bithynia was a province in northern Asia Minor northeast of Mysia.

[16:7]  ²⁹ tn Or “permit”; see BDAG 269 s.v. ἐάω 1.

[16:7]  ³⁰ tn The words “do this” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons, since English handles ellipses differently than Greek.

[16:8]  ³¹ tn Although the normal meaning for παρέρχομαι (parercomai) is “pass by, go by,” it would be difficult to get to Troas from where Paul and his companions were without going through rather than around Mysia. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 6 list some nonbiblical examples of the meaning “go through, pass through,” and give that meaning for the usage here.

[16:8]  ³² sn Mysia was a province in northwest Asia Minor.

[16:8]  ³³ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor, near ancient Troy.

[16:9]  ³⁴ tn Grk “And a.” 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.

[16:9]  ³⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:9]  ³⁶ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[16:9]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Coming over.” The participle διαβάς (diabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:9]  ³⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ³⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “sought.”

[16:10]  ⁴¹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:10]  ⁴² tn Or “summoned.”

[16:11]  ⁴³ 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.”

[16:11]  ⁴⁴ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. See v. 8.

[16:11]  ⁴⁵ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course” here; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[16:11]  ⁴⁶ sn Samothrace is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea.

[16:11]  ⁴⁷ sn Neapolis was a seaport on the southern coast of Macedonia. It was 10 mi (16 km) from Philippi.

[16:12]  ⁴⁸ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[16:12]  ⁴⁹ tc ‡ Or perhaps, “a city in the first district” (there are a number of textual variants). L&N 1.85 follow the text of UBS⁴ and NA²⁷ here: “In Ac 16:12…the Greek New Testament published by the United Bible Societies has adopted a conjectural emendation, since the more traditional text, πρώτη τῆς μερίδος, literally ‘first of the district,’ is not only misleading in meaning but does not reflect the historical fact that Philippi was a city in one of the four districts of Macedonia but was not a capital city.” The original text is probably πρώτη τῆς μερίδος (prwth th" merido", “first of that district”) as found in Ì⁷⁴ א A C Ψ 33^vid 36 81 323 945 1175 1891 pc. This has traditionally been translated to give the impression that Philippi was the capital city of the district, but it does not necessarily have to be translated this way. The translation of the article before μερίδος as “that” acknowledges that there were other districts in the province of Macedonia.

[16:12]  ⁵⁰ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[16:12]  ⁵¹ sn A Roman colony was a city whose residents were regarded as Roman citizens, since such cities were originally colonized by citizens of Rome. From Troas to Philippi was 130 mi (208 km).

[16:13]  ⁵² tn Grk “and sitting down we began to speak.” The participle καθίσαντες (kaqisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:13]  ⁵³ tn The imperfect verb ἐλαλοῦμεν (elaloumen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[16:13]  ⁵⁴ sn To the women. Apparently there were not enough Jews present in Philippi to have a synagogue (ten men would have been required to have one).

[16:13]  ⁵⁵ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[16:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “And a.” 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.

[16:14]  ⁵⁷ tn On the term translated “a dealer in purple cloth” see BDAG 855 s.v. πορφυρόπωλις.

[16:14]  ⁵⁸ sn Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia in Asia Minor.

[16:14]  ⁵⁹ tn The words “to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:14]  ⁶⁰ tn Although BDAG 880 s.v. προσέχω 2.b gives the meaning “pay attention to” here, this could be misunderstood by the modern English reader to mean merely listening intently. The following context, however, indicates that Lydia responded positively to Paul’s message, so the verb here was translated “to respond.”

[16:14]  sn Lydia is one of several significant women in Acts (see 17:4, 12, 34; 18:20).

[16:15]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[16:15]  ⁶² tn This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.

[16:15]  ⁶³ tn Or “faithful to the Lord.” BDAG 821 s.v. πίστος 2 states concerning this verse, “Of one who confesses the Christian faith believing or a believer in the Lord, in Christ, in God πιστ. τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 16:15.” L&N 11.17 has “one who is included among the faithful followers of Christ – ‘believer, Christian, follower.’”

[16:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Although BDAG 759 s.v. παραβιάζομαι has “urge strongly, prevail upon,” in contemporary English “persuade” is a more frequently used synonym for “prevail upon.”

[16:16]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “Now 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.

[16:16]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “who had a spirit of divination”; Grk “who had a spirit of Python.” According to BDAG 896-97 s.v. πύθων, originally Πύθων (Puqwn) was the name of the serpent or dragon that guarded the Delphic oracle. According to Greek mythology, it lived at the foot of Mount Parnassus and was killed by Apollo. From this, the word came to designate a person who was thought to have a spirit of divination. Pagan generals, for example, might consult someone like this. So her presence here suggests a supernatural encounter involving Paul and her “spirit.” W. Foerster, TDNT 6:920, connects the term with ventriloquism but states: “We must assume, however, that for this girl, as for those mentioned by Origen…, the art of ventriloquism was inseparably connected with a (supposed or authentic) gift of soothsaying.” It should also be noted that if the girl in question here were only a ventriloquist, the exorcism performed by Paul in v. 18 would not have been effective.

[16:16]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “who.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who had a spirit…who brought her owners a great profit”) the relative pronoun here (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“she”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[16:16]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “masters.”

[16:16]  ⁶⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 616 s.v. μαντεύομαι. It was used of those who gave oracles.

[16:17]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “crying out, saying”; the participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated. The imperfect verb ἔκραζεν (ekrazen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect.

[16:17]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “slaves.” See the note on the word “servants” in 2:18. The translation “servants” was used here because in this context there appears to be more emphasis on the activity of Paul and his companions (“proclaiming to you the way of salvation”) than on their status as “slaves of the Most High God.”

[16:17]  ⁷² tn Or “a way.” The grammar of this phrase is a bit ambiguous. The phrase in Greek is ὁδὸν σωτηρίας (Jodon swthria"). Neither the head noun nor the genitive noun has the article; this is in keeping with Apollonius’ Canon (see ExSyn 239-40). Since both nouns are anarthrous, this construction also fits Apollonius’ Corollary (see ExSyn 250-54); since the genitive noun is abstract it is most naturally qualitative, so the head noun could either be definite or indefinite without being unusual as far as the grammar is concerned. Luke’s usage of ὁδός elsewhere is indecisive as far as this passage is concerned. However, when one looks at the historical background it is clear that (1) the woman is shut up (via exorcism) not because her testimony is false but because of its source (analogous to Jesus’ treatment of demons perhaps), and (b) “the way” is a par excellence description of the new faith throughout Acts. It thus seems that at least in Luke’s presentation “the way of salvation” is the preferred translation.

[16:17]  ⁷³ sn Proclaiming to you the way of salvation. The remarks were an ironic recognition of Paul’s authority, but he did not desire such a witness, possibly for fear of confusion. Her expression the Most High God might have been understood as Zeus by the audience.

[16:18]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “becoming greatly annoyed.” The participle διαπονηθείς (diaponhqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The aorist has been translated as an ingressive aorist (entry into a state or condition). See BDAG 235 s.v. διαπονέομαι.

[16:18]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “and turning.” The participle ἐπιστρέψας (epistreya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:18]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[16:18]  ⁷⁷ tn BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c has “at that very time, at once, instantly” for the usage in this verse.

[16:19]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “masters.”

[16:19]  ⁷⁹ tn On this use of ἐργασία (ergasia), see BDAG 390 s.v. 4. It is often the case that destructive practices and commerce are closely tied together.

[16:19]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “was gone, seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:19]  ⁸¹ tn On the term ἕλκω ({elkw) see BDAG 318 s.v. 1.

[16:20]  ⁸² 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.

[16:20]  ⁸³ tn Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”

[16:20]  ⁸⁴ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.

[16:20]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:21]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “proclaiming,” but in relation to customs, “advocating” is a closer approximation to the meaning.

[16:21]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “acknowledge.”

[16:21]  ⁸⁸ sn Customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice. Ironically, the charges are similar to those made against Jesus in Luke 23:2, where Jews argued he was “twisting” their customs. The charge has three elements: (1) a racial element (Jewish); (2) a social element (unlawful); and (3) a traditional element (not their customs).

[16:21]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “we being Romans.” The participle οὖσιν (ousin) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[16:22]  ⁹⁰ tn L&N 39.50 has “the crowd joined the attack against them” for συνεπέστη (sunepesth) in this verse.

[16:22]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “tearing the clothes off them, the magistrates ordered.” The participle περιρήξαντες (perirhxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Although it may be possible to understand the aorist active participle περιρήξαντες in a causative sense (“the magistrates caused the clothes to be torn off Paul and Silas”) in the mob scene that was taking place, it is also possible that the magistrates themselves actively participated. This act was done to prepare them for a public flogging (2 Cor 11:25; 1 Thess 2:2).

[16:22]  ⁹² tn Grk “off them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:22]  ⁹³ tn The infinitive ῥαβδίζειν (rJabdizein) means “to beat with rods or sticks” (as opposed to fists or clubs, BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω).

[16:23]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “Having inflicted many blows on them.” The participle ἐπιθέντες (epiqente") has been taken temporally. BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 1.a.β has “inflict blows upon someone” for this expression, but in this context it is simpler to translate in English as “they had beaten them severely.”

[16:23]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “commanding.” The participle παραγγείλαντες (parangeilante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:24]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “prison.”

[16:24]  ⁹⁷ tn L&N 6.21 has “stocks” for εἰς τὸ ξύλον (ei" to xulon) here, as does BDAG 685 s.v. ξύλον 2.b. However, it is also possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied. Such a possibility is suggested by v. 26, where the “bonds” (“chains”?) of the prisoners loosened.

[16:25]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “praying, were singing.” The participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:25]  ⁹⁹ sn Praying and singing hymns to God. Tertullian said, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven” (To the Martyrs 2; cf. Rom 5:3; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 5:6). The presence of God means the potential to be free (cf. v. 26).

[16:25]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The words “the rest of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:26]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or perhaps, “chains.” The translation of τὰ δεσμά (ta desma) is to some extent affected by the understanding of ξύλον (xulon, “stocks”) in v. 24. It is possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied.

[16:27]  ¹⁰² tn L&N 23.75 has “had awakened” here. It is more in keeping with contemporary English style, however, to keep the two verbal ideas parallel in terms of tense (“when the jailer woke up and saw”) although logically the second action is subsequent to the first.

[16:27]  ¹⁰³ tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.

[16:27]  ¹⁰⁴ sn Was about to kill himself. The jailer’s penalty for failing to guard the prisoners would have been death, so he contemplated saving the leaders the trouble (see Acts 12:19; 27:42).

[16:27]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “thought.”

[16:28]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying.” The dative phrase μεγάλῃ φωνῇ (megalh fwnh) has been simplified as an English adverb (“loudly”), and the participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated since it is redundant in English.

[16:28]  ¹⁰⁷ sn Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.

[16:29]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:29]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “and prostrated himself.”

[16:29]  sn Fell down. The earthquake and the freeing of the prisoners showed that God’s power was present. Such power could only be recognized. The open doors opened the jailer’s heart.

[16:30]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “And bringing them outside, he asked.” The participle προαγαγών (proagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the conjunction “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:30]  ¹¹¹ tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

[16:31]  ¹¹² tn Grk “said.”

[16:31]  ¹¹³ sn Here the summary term of response is a call to believe. In this context it refers to trusting the sovereign God’s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer.

[16:31]  ¹¹⁴ tc The majority of mss add Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) here (C D E Ψ 1739 Ï sy sa), but the best and earliest witnesses read simply τὸν κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton kurion Ihsoun, “the Lord Jesus”; Ì^74vid א A B 33 81 pc bo). The addition of “Christ” to “Lord Jesus” is an obviously motivated reading. Thus on both external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

[16:32]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

[16:32]  ¹¹⁶ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[16:33]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “And at.” 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.

[16:33]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “taking them…he washed.” The participle παραλαβών (paralabwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:33]  ¹¹⁹ tn On this phrase BDAG 603 s.v. λούω 1 gives a literal translation as “by washing he freed them from the effects of the blows.”

[16:33]  ¹²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:33]  ¹²¹ sn All his family. It was often the case in the ancient world that conversion of the father led to the conversion of all those in the household.

[16:33]  ¹²² tn Or “immediately.”

[16:34]  ¹²³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:34]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “placed [food] on the table” (a figurative expression). Since the actual word for food is not specified, it would also be possible to translate “set a meal before them,” but since this is taking place in the middle of the night, the preparations necessary for a full meal would probably not have been made. More likely Paul and Silas were given whatever was on hand that needed little or no preparation.

[16:34]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “he was overjoyed.”

[16:34]  ¹²⁶ tn The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.

[16:34]  ¹²⁷ tn The phrase “together with his entire household” is placed at the end of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and the belief. A formal equivalence translation would have “and he rejoiced greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in God,” but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33 presumes that all in the household believed.

[16:35]  ¹²⁸ tn The translation “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse is given by BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a.

[16:35]  ¹²⁹ tn On the term translated “magistrates,” see BDAG 947-48 s.v. στρατηγός 1. These city leaders were properly called duoviri, but were popularly known as praetors (στρατηγοί, strathgoi). They were the chief officials of Philippi. The text leaves the impression that they came to the decision to release Paul and Silas independently. God was at work everywhere.

[16:35]  ¹³⁰ tn On the term ῥαβδοῦχος (rJabdouco") see BDAG 902 s.v. The term was used of the Roman lictor and roughly corresponds to contemporary English “constable, policeman.”

[16:36]  ¹³¹ tn The word “saying” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; it is necessary in English because the content of what the jailer said to Paul and Silas is not the exact message related to him by the police officers, but is a summary with his own additions.

[16:36]  ¹³² tn The word “orders” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:36]  ¹³³ tn Grk “So coming out now go in peace.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ¹³⁴ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ¹³⁷ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ¹³⁸ tn The word “us” 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.

[16:37]  ¹³⁹ tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ¹⁴¹ sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.

[16:38]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ¹⁴³ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

[16:39]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Grk “and coming, they apologized.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:39]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[16:39]  ¹⁴⁶ tn The verb ἐρώτων (erwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” brings out the iterative force in the translation.

[16:40]  ¹⁴⁷ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.

[17:1]  ¹⁴⁸ tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.

[17:1]  ¹⁴⁹ 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]  ¹⁵⁰ sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.

[17:1]  ¹⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁵² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:2]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ¹⁵⁴ 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]  ¹⁵⁵ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

[17:3]  ¹⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁷ 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]  ¹⁵⁸ 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]  ¹⁵⁹ 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]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “convinced.”

[17:4]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “a large crowd.”

[17:4]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ 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]  ¹⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁶⁶ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ¹⁶⁷ 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]  ¹⁶⁸ sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ¹⁷⁰ 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]  ¹⁷¹ 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]  ¹⁷² 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]  ¹⁷³ 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]  ¹⁷⁴ 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]  ¹⁷⁵ 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]  ¹⁷⁶ 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]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ¹⁷⁸ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ¹⁷⁹ 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]  ¹⁸⁰ 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]  ¹⁸¹ 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]  ¹⁸² 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]  ¹⁸³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ¹⁸⁴ 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]  ¹⁸⁵ 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]  ¹⁸⁶ 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]  ¹⁸⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁹ 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]  ¹⁹⁰ 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]  ¹⁹¹ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ¹⁹² 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]  ¹⁹³ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ¹⁹⁴ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ¹⁹⁵ 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]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Or “respected.”

[17:13]  ¹⁹⁷ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:13]  ¹⁹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹⁹ 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]  ²⁰⁰ 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]  ²⁰¹ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

[17:14]  ²⁰² 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]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ²⁰⁴ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:15]  ²⁰⁵ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

[17:16]  ²⁰⁶ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:16]  ²⁰⁷ 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]  ²⁰⁸ 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]  ²⁰⁹ 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]  ²¹⁰ 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]  ²¹¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ²¹² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:18]  ²¹³ 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]  ²¹⁴ 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]  ²¹⁵ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ²¹⁶ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ²¹⁷ 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]  ²¹⁸ 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]  ²¹⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:19]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:19]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

[17:20]  ²²³ 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]  ²²⁴ tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

[17:21]  ²²⁵ tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

[17:21]  ²²⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

[17:22]  ²²⁷ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ²²⁸ 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]  ²²⁹ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ²³⁰ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ²³¹ 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]  ²³² 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]  ²³³ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

[17:24]  ²³⁴ 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]  ²³⁵ 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]  ²³⁶ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:26]  ²³⁸ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

[17:26]  ²³⁹ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

[17:26]  ²⁴⁰ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

[17:26]  ²⁴¹ 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]  ²⁴² 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]  ²⁴³ tn See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω, which lists “touch, handle” and “to feel around for, grope for” as possible meanings.

[17:27]  ²⁴⁴ 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]  ²⁴⁵ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντα (Juparconta) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[17:28]  ²⁴⁶ 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]  ²⁴⁷ 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]  ²⁴⁸ tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.

[17:29]  ²⁴⁹ tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.

[17:29]  ²⁵⁰ tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[17:29]  ²⁵¹ tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).

[17:29]  ²⁵² 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]  ²⁵³ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ²⁵⁴ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ²⁵⁵ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ²⁵⁸ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ²⁵⁹ 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]  ²⁶⁰ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[17:32]  ²⁶¹ tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[17:32]  ²⁶² 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]  ²⁶³ tn Grk “left out of their midst”; the referent (the Areopagus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:34]  ²⁶⁴ 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]  ²⁶⁵ 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]  ²⁶⁶ 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]  ²⁶⁷ 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]  ²⁶⁸ 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]  ²⁶⁹ tn Grk “After these things.”

[18:1]  ²⁷⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ²⁷¹ tn Or “Paul left.”

[18:1]  ²⁷² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:1]  ²⁷³ 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]  ²⁷⁴ 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]  ²⁷⁵ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ²⁷⁶ 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]  ²⁷⁷ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ²⁷⁸ 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]  ²⁷⁹ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ²⁸⁰ map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ²⁸¹ tn Or “went to.”

[18:3]  ²⁸² tn The prepositional phrase “with them” occurs only once in the Greek text, but since it occurs between the two finite verbs (ἔμενεν, emenen, and ἠργάζετο, hrgazeto) it relates (by implication) to both of them.

[18:3]  ²⁸³ tn On the term translated “tentmakers,” see BDAG 928-29 s.v. σκνηοποιός. Paul apparently manufactured tents. In contrast to the Cynic philosophers, Paul at times labored to support himself (see also v. 5).

[18:3]  ²⁸⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:4]  ²⁸⁵ 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 18:4. 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.

[18:4]  ²⁸⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:4]  ²⁸⁷ tn Grk “Addressing in the synagogue every Sabbath, he was attempting to persuade both Jews and Greeks.” Because in English the verb “address” is not used absolutely but normally has an object specified, the direct objects of the verb ἔπειθεν (epeiqen) have been moved forward as the objects of the English verb “addressed,” and the pronoun “them” repeated in the translation as the object of ἔπειθεν. The verb ἔπειθεν has been translated as a conative imperfect.

[18:5]  ²⁸⁸ tn Grk “came down.”

[18:5]  ²⁸⁹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[18:5]  ²⁹⁰ tn BDAG 971 s.v. συνέχω 6 states, “συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ (Paul) was wholly absorbed in preaching Ac 18:5…in contrast to the activity cited in vs. 3.” The imperfect συνείχετο (suneiceto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“became wholly absorbed…”), stressing the change in Paul’s activity once Silas and Timothy arrived. At this point Paul apparently began to work less and preach more.

[18:5]  ²⁹¹ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “testify of, bear witness to solemnly (orig. under oath)…W. acc. and inf. foll. Ac 18:5.”

[18:5]  ²⁹² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[18:5]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[18:6]  ²⁹³ 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.

[18:6]  ²⁹⁴ tn The participle βλασφημούντων (blasfhmountwn) has been taken temporally. The direct object (“him”) is implied rather than expressed and could be impersonal (“it,” referring to what Paul was saying rather than Paul himself), but the verb occurs more often in contexts involving defamation or slander against personal beings (not always God). For a very similar context to this one, compare Acts 13:45. The translation “blaspheme” is not used because in contemporary English its meaning is more narrowly defined and normally refers to blasphemy against God (not what Paul’s opponents were doing here). What they were doing was more like slander or defamation of character.

[18:6]  ²⁹⁵ tn Grk “shaking out his clothes, he said to them.” L&N 16:8 translates Acts 18:6 “when they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes.” The addition of the verb “protested by” in the translation is necessary to clarify for the modern reader that this is a symbolic action. It is similar but not identical to the phrase in Acts 13:51, where the dust from the feet is shaken off. The participle ἐκτιναξάμενος (ektinaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:6]  sn He protested by shaking out his clothes. A symbolic action of protest, similar but not identical to the practice of shaking the dust off one’s feet (see Acts 13:51). The two symbolic actions are related, however, since what is shaken off here is the dust raised by the feet and settling in the clothes. The meaning is, “I am done with you! You are accountable to God.”

[18:6]  ²⁹⁶ sn Your blood be on your own heads! By invoking this epithet Paul declared himself not responsible for their actions in rejecting Jesus whom Paul preached (cf. Ezek 33:4; 3:6-21; Matt 23:35; 27:25).

[18:6]  ²⁹⁷ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

[18:7]  ²⁹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ²⁹⁹ tn Grk “Then leaving from there he went.” The participle μεταβάς (metabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:7]  ³⁰⁰ tn Grk “from there”; the referent (the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ³⁰¹ tn Grk “a worshiper of God.” The clarifying phrase “a Gentile” has been supplied for clarity, and is indicated by the context, since Paul had parted company with the Jews in the previous verse. The participle σεβομένου (sebomenou) 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.

[18:7]  sn Here yet another Gentile is presented as responsive to Paul’s message in Acts.

[18:8]  ³⁰² tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

[18:8]  ³⁰³ tn Or “who heard him,” or “who heard Paul.” The ambiguity here results from the tendency of Greek to omit direct objects, which must be supplied from the context. The problem is that no less than three different ones may be supplied here: (1) “him,” referring to Crispus, but this is not likely because there is no indication in the context that Crispus began to speak out about the Lord; this is certainly possible and even likely, but more than the text here affirms; (2) “Paul,” who had been speaking in the synagogue and presumably, now that he had moved to Titius Justus’ house, continued speaking to the Gentiles; or (3) “about it,” that is, the Corinthians who heard about Crispus’ conversion became believers. In the immediate context this last is most probable, since the two incidents are juxtaposed. Other, less obvious direct objects could also be supplied, such as “heard the word of God,” “heard the word of the Lord,” etc., but none of these are obvious in the immediate context.

[18:9]  ³⁰⁴ sn Frequently in Acts such a vision will tell the reader where events are headed. See Acts 10:9-16 and 16:9-10 for other accounts of visions.

[18:9]  ³⁰⁵ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ³⁰⁶ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[18:10]  ³⁰⁷ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 2 has “to set upon, attack, lay a hand on” here, but “assault” is a contemporary English equivalent very close to the meaning of the original.

[18:10]  ³⁰⁸ tn Or “injure.”

[18:11]  ³⁰⁹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[18:11]  ³¹⁰ tn See BDAG 326-27 s.v. ἐν 1.d. However, it is also possible that ἐν (en) followed by the dative here stands for the ordinary dative (“to them”).

[18:12]  ³¹¹ sn Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from a.d. 51-52. This date is one of the firmly established dates in Acts. Lucius Junius Gallio was the son of the rhetorician Seneca and the brother of Seneca the philosopher. The date of Gallio’s rule is established from an inscription (W. Dittenberger, ed., Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum 2.3 no. 8). Thus the event mentioned here is probably to be dated July-October a.d. 51.

[18:12]  ³¹² sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

[18:12]  ³¹³ sn Achaia was a Roman province created in 146 b.c. that included the most important parts of Greece (Attica, Boeotia, and the Peloponnesus).

[18:12]  ³¹⁴ tn Grk “with one accord.”

[18:12]  ³¹⁵ 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), there is no need for an alternative translation here since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time.

[18:12]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city. So this was a very public event.

[18:13]  ³¹⁶ tn Or “inciting.”

[18:13]  ³¹⁷ tn Grk “worship God contrary to.” BDAG 758 s.v. παρά C.6 has “against, contrary to” for Acts 18:13. The words “in a way” are not in the Greek text, but are a necessary clarification to prevent the misunderstanding in the English translation that worshiping God was in itself contrary to the law. What is under dispute is the manner in which God was being worshiped, that is, whether Gentiles were being required to follow all aspects of the Mosaic law, including male circumcision. There is a hint of creating public chaos or disturbing Jewish custom here since Jews were the ones making the complaint. Luke often portrays the dispute between Christians and Jews as within Judaism.

[18:14]  ³¹⁸ tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

[18:14]  ³¹⁹ tn BDAG 902 s.v. ῥᾳδιούργημα states, “From the sense ‘prank, knavery, roguish trick, slick deed’ it is but a short step to that of a serious misdeed, crime, villainy…a serious piece of villainy Ac 18:14 (w. ἀδίκημα).”

[18:14]  ³²⁰ tn According to BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνέχω 3 this is a legal technical term: “Legal t.t. κατὰ λόγον ἂν ἀνεσχόμην ὑμῶν I would have been justified in accepting your complaint Ac 18:14.”

[18:14]  ³²¹ tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

[18:15]  ³²² tn Or “dispute.”

[18:15]  ³²³ tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).

[18:15]  ³²⁴ tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.

[18:16]  ³²⁵ tn Grk “driven away,” but this could result in a misunderstanding in English (“driven” as in a cart or wagon?). “Forced away” conveys the idea; Gallio rejected their complaint. In contemporary English terminology the case was “thrown out of court.” The verb ἀπήλασεν (aphlasen) has been translated as a causative since Gallio probably did not perform this action in person, but ordered his aides or officers to remove the plaintiffs.

[18:16]  ³²⁶ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ³²⁷ tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

[18:17]  sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:17]  ³²⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἔτυπτον (etupton) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[18:17]  ³²⁹ sn See the note on the term judgment seat in 18:12.

[18:17]  ³³⁰ tn L&N 25.223 has “‘none of these things were of any concern to Gallio’ Ac 18:17.”

[18:17]  sn Rome was officially indifferent to such disputes. Gallio understood how sensitive some Jews would be about his meddling in their affairs. This is similar to the way Pilate dealt with Jesus. In the end, he let the Jewish leadership and people make the judgment against Jesus.

[18:18]  ³³¹ tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.

[18:18]  ³³² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[18:18]  ³³³ tn Or “Corinth, took leave of.” Grk “saying farewell to”; the participle ἀποταξάμενος (apotaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:18]  ³³⁴ tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”

[18:18]  ³³⁵ sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:18]  ³³⁶ tn Or “Aquila, who.” The relationship of the participle κειράμενος (keirameno") is difficult to determine. Traditionally it is taken to refer to Paul, meaning that Paul had his hair cut off because of the vow. However, due to the proximity of the noun ᾿Ακύλας (Akula") and the reversal of the normal order (Aquila and Priscilla, Acts 17:34), the participle is taken as adjectival referring to Aquila by H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, n. 11. The later references to Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:23) do not resolve the problem, because the cutting of Paul’s own hair, while it may be implied, is not specifically mentioned in connection with the completion of the vows made by the other four.

[18:18]  ³³⁷ tn The word “off” is supplied in the translation to indicate that this was not a normal haircut, but the shaving of the head connected with taking the vow (see Acts 21:24).

[18:18]  ³³⁸ tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”

[18:18]  sn Cenchrea was one of the seaports for the city of Corinth, on the eastern side of the Isthmus of Corinth, on the Aegean Sea. It was 7 mi (11 km) east of Corinth.

[18:18]  ³³⁹ sn He had made a vow. It is debated whether this vow is a private vow of thanksgiving or the Nazirite vow, because it is not clear whether the Nazirite vow could be taken outside Jerusalem. Some have cited the Mishnah (m. Nazir 3:6, 5:4) to argue that the shaving of the hair can occur outside Jerusalem, and Josephus, J. W. 2.15.1 (2.313) is sometimes suggested as a parallel, but these references are not clear. H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, is certain that this refers to the Nazirite vow. Regardless, it is clear that Paul reflected his pious dependence on God.

[18:19]  ³⁴⁰ sn Ephesus was an influential city in Asia Minor. It was the location of the famous temple of Artemis. In 334 b.c. control of the city had passed to Alexander the Great, who contributed a large sum to the building of a new and more elaborate temple of Artemis, which became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and lasted until destroyed by the Goths in a.d. 263. This major port city would be reached from Corinth by ship. It was 250 mi (400 km) east of Corinth by sea.

[18:19]  map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[18:19]  ³⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ³⁴² tn Grk “left them”; the referents (Priscilla and Aquila) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:19]  ³⁴³ tn Grk “going”; the participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:19]  ³⁴⁴ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:19]  ³⁴⁵ 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 18:19. 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.

[18:20]  ³⁴⁶ sn He would not consent. Paul probably refused because he wanted to reach Jerusalem for the festival season before the seas became impassable during the winter.

[18:21]  ³⁴⁷ tn Or “but took leave of.”

[18:21]  ³⁴⁸ tn Grk “and saying”; the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as “added” rather than “said” to avoid redundancy with the previous “said farewell.” The participle εἰπών has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:21]  ³⁴⁹ tn Or “will return.”

[18:21]  ³⁵⁰ tn The participle θέλοντος (qelontos), a genitive absolute construction, has been translated as a conditional adverbial participle. Again Paul acts in dependence on God.

[18:21]  ³⁵¹ tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation due to the length of the sentence in Greek and the requirements of contemporary English style, which generally uses shorter sentences.

[18:22]  ³⁵² tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…εἴς τι at someth. a harbor Ac 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[18:22]  ³⁵³ 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. This was a sea voyage of 620 mi (990 km).

[18:22]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[18:22]  ³⁵⁴ tn Grk “going up and greeting.” The participles ἀναβάς (anabas) and ἀσπασάμενος (aspasameno") are translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:22]  ³⁵⁵ tn The words “at Jerusalem” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the participle ἀναβάς (anabas). The expression “go up” refers almost exclusively to the direction of Jerusalem, while the corresponding “go down” (κατέβη, katebh) refers to directions away from Jerusalem. Both expressions are based on a Hebrew idiom. Assuming Jerusalem is meant, this is another indication of keeping that key church informed. If Jerusalem is not referred to here, then Caesarea is in view. Paul was trying to honor a vow, which also implies a visit to Jerusalem.

[18:22]  map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[18:22]  ³⁵⁶ sn Went down to Antioch. The city of Antioch in Syria lies due north of Jerusalem. In Western languages it is common to speak of north as “up” and south as “down,” but the NT maintains the Hebrew idiom which speaks of any direction away from Jerusalem as down (since Mount Zion was thought of in terms of altitude). This marks the end of the second missionary journey which began in Acts 15:36. From Caesarea to Antioch is a journey of 280 mi (450 km).

[18:22]  map For location see JP1 F2; JP2 F2; JP3 F2; JP4 F2.

[18:23]  ³⁵⁷ tn Grk “Having spent”; the participle ποιήσας (poihsas) is taken temporally.

[18:23]  ³⁵⁸ sn Galatia refers to either (1) the region of the old kingdom of Galatia in the central part of Asia Minor, or (2) the Roman province of Galatia, whose principal cities in the 1st century were Ancyra and Pisidian Antioch. The exact extent and meaning of this area has been a subject of considerable controversy in modern NT studies.

[18:23]  ³⁵⁹ sn Phrygia was a district in central Asia Minor west of Pisidia. See Acts 16:6.

[18:24]  ³⁶⁰ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[18:24]  ³⁶¹ tn Or “was a learned man.” In this verse λόγιος (logios) can refer to someone who was an attractive and convincing speaker, a rhetorician (L&N 33.32), or it can refer to the person who has acquired a large part of the intellectual heritage of a given culture (“learned” or “cultured,” L&N 27.20, see also BDAG 598 s.v. λόγιος which lists both meanings as possible here). The description of Apollos’ fervent speaking in the following verses, as well as implications from 1 Cor 1-4, where Paul apparently compares his style and speaking ability with that of Apollos, suggests that eloquent speaking ability or formal rhetorical skill are in view here. This clause has been moved from its order in the Greek text (Grk “a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus, who was powerful in the scriptures”) and paired with the last element (“powerful in the scriptures”) due to the demands of clarity and contemporary English style.

[18:24]  ³⁶² tn Grk “powerful.” BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b has “in the Scriptures = well-versed 18:24.”

[18:25]  ³⁶³ tn Or “had been taught.”

[18:25]  ³⁶⁴ tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).

[18:25]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “the things.”

[18:25]  ³⁶⁶ tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistameno") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[18:26]  ³⁶⁷ tn Or “boldly.” This is a frequent term in Acts (9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26).

[18:26]  ³⁶⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[18:26]  ³⁶⁹ sn Priscilla and Aquila. This key couple, of which Priscilla was an important enough figure to be mentioned by name, instructed Apollos about the most recent work of God. See also the note on Aquila in 18:2.

[18:26]  ³⁷⁰ tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσλαμβάνω 3 has “take aside, mid. τινά someone…So prob. also Ac 18:26: Priscilla and Aquila take Apollos aside to teach him undisturbed.”

[18:27]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Apollos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:27]  ³⁷² sn To cross over to Achaia. Achaia was organized by the Romans as a separate province in 27 b.c. and was located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. The city of Corinth was in Achaia.

[18:27]  ³⁷³ tn Grk “encouraging [him], the brothers wrote.” The participle προτρεψάμενοι (protreyamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This was the typical letter of commendation from the Ephesians to the Achaeans.

[18:27]  ³⁷⁴ 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.

[18:27]  ³⁷⁵ tn Grk “who, when he arrived.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced with the pronoun “he” and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[18:28]  ³⁷⁶ tn Or “vehemently.” BDAG 414 s.v. εὐτόνως has “vigorously, vehemently…εὐ. διακατελέγχεσθαί τινι refute someone vigorously Ac 18:28.”

[18:28]  ³⁷⁷ tn L&N 33.442 translates the phrase τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις διακατηλέγχετο δημοσίᾳ (toi" Ioudaioi" diakathlenceto dhmosia) as “he defeated the Jews in public debate.” On this use of the term δημόσιος (dhmosio") see BDAG 223 s.v. 2.

[18:28]  ³⁷⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Again the issue is identifying the Christ as Jesus (see 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 18:5).

[18:28]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[18:28]  ³⁷⁹ tn Although many English translations have here “that Jesus was the Christ,” in the case of two accusatives following a copulative infinitive, the first would normally be the subject and the second the predicate nominative. Additionally, the first accusative here (τὸν χριστόν, ton criston) has the article, a further indication that it should be regarded as subject of the infinitive.

[19:1]  ³⁸⁰ tn Grk “It happened that while.” 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.

[19:1]  ³⁸¹ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[19:1]  ³⁸² tn Or “interior.”

[19:1]  ³⁸³ tn BDAG 92 s.v. ἀνωτερικός has “upper τὰ ἀ. μέρη the upper (i.e. inland) country, the interior Ac 19:1.”

[19:1]  ³⁸⁴ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:1]  ³⁸⁵ tn Grk “and found.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[19:1]  ³⁸⁶ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[19:2]  ³⁸⁷ tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusante") is taken temporally.

[19:2]  ³⁸⁸ tn Grk “they [said] to him” (the word “said” is implied in the Greek text).

[19:2]  ³⁸⁹ tn This use of ἀλλά (alla) is ascensive and involves an ellipsis (BDAG 45 s.v. ἀλλά 3): “No, [not only did we not receive the Spirit,] but also we have not heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” However, this is lengthy and somewhat awkward in English, and the ascensive meaning can be much more easily represented by including the word “even” after the negation. Apparently these disciples were unaware of the provision of the Spirit that is represented in baptism. The language sounds like they did not know about a Holy Spirit, but this seems to be only linguistic shorthand for not knowing about the Spirit’s presence (Luke 3:15-18). The situation is parallel to that of Apollos. Apollos and these disciples represent those who “complete” their transition to messianic faith as Jews.

[19:3]  ³⁹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:3]  ³⁹¹ tn Grk “they said.”

[19:4]  ³⁹² sn These disciples may have had their contact with John early on in the Baptist’s ministry before Jesus had emerged. This is the fifth time Luke links John the Baptist and Jesus (Acts 1:5; 11:16; 13:25; 18:25).

[19:6]  ³⁹³ tn Or “laid.”

[19:6]  ³⁹⁴ sn The coming of the Holy Spirit here is another case where the Spirit comes and prophesy results in Acts (see Acts 2). Paul’s action parallels that of Peter (Acts 8) and not just with Gentiles.

[19:6]  ³⁹⁵ tn The imperfect verb ἐλάλουν (elaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:6]  ³⁹⁶ tn The imperfect verb ἐπροφήτευον (eprofhteuon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[19:7]  ³⁹⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:8]  ³⁹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:8]  ³⁹⁹ tn Grk “So entering the synagogue, he spoke out fearlessly.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:8]  ⁴⁰⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[19:8]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Or “boldly.”

[19:8]  ⁴⁰² 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 19:8. 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.

[19:8]  ⁴⁰³ tn Or “addressing them persuasively.” The two participles διαλεγόμενος and πείθων (dialegomeno" and peiqwn) can be understood as a hendiadys (so NIV, NRSV), thus, “addressing them persuasively.”

[19:8]  ⁴⁰⁴ sn To talk about Jesus as the Christ who has come is to talk about the kingdom of God. This is yet another summary of the message like that in 18:28.

[19:9]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b lists this use as a temporal conjunction.

[19:9]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Or “some became hardened.” See BDAG 930 s.v. σκληρύνω b and Acts 7:51-53.

[19:9]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Or “speaking evil of.” BDAG 500 s.v. κακολογέω has “speak evil of, revile, insult…τὶ someth. τὴν ὁδόν the Way (i.e. Christian way of life) Ac 19:9.”

[19:9]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity). Luke frequently refers to it as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).

[19:9]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Grk “leaving them, he took.” The participle ἀποστάς (apostas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:9]  ⁴¹⁰ tn The words “with him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:9]  ⁴¹¹ 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 19:9. 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.

[19:9]  ⁴¹² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[19:9]  ⁴¹³ tn The “lecture hall” was a place where teachers and pupils met. The term is a NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 982 s.v. σχολή). L&N 7.14 notes, “it is better to use a translation such as ‘lecture hall’ rather than ‘school,’ since one does not wish to give the impression of the typical classroom situation characteristic of present-day schools.”

[19:10]  ⁴¹⁴ 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.

[19:10]  sn The expression all who lived in the province of Asia is good Semitic hyperbole (see Col 1:7, “all the world”). The message was now available to the region.

[19:10]  ⁴¹⁵ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[19:11]  ⁴¹⁶ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11.”

[19:12]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Or “skin” (the outer surface of the body).

[19:12]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Or “were taken.” It might be that as word went out into the region that since the sick could not come to Paul, healing was brought to them this way. The “handkerchiefs” are probably face cloths for wiping perspiration (see BDAG 934 s.v. σουδάριον) while the “aprons” might be material worn by workmen (BDAG 923-24 s.v. σιμικίνθιον).

[19:12]  ⁴¹⁹ tn The words “of them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[19:13]  ⁴²⁰ tn Grk “some Jewish exorcists who traveled about.” The adjectival participle περιερχομένων (periercomenwn) has been translated as “itinerant.”

[19:13]  ⁴²¹ tn Grk “to name the name.”

[19:13]  ⁴²² tn Grk “who had.” Here ἔχω (ecw) is used of demon possession, a common usage according to BDAG 421 s.v. ἔχω 7.a.α.

[19:13]  ⁴²³ sn The expression I sternly warn you means “I charge you as under oath.”

[19:14]  ⁴²⁴ tn Grk “a certain Sceva.”

[19:14]  ⁴²⁵ sn Within the sequence of the narrative, this amounts to a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:15]  ⁴²⁶ tn Grk “answered and said to them.” The expression, redundant in English, has been simplified to “replied.”

[19:15]  ⁴²⁷ tn Grk “Jesus I know about.” Here ᾿Ιησοῦν (Ihsoun) is in emphatic position in Greek, but placing the object first is not normal in contemporary English style.

[19:15]  ⁴²⁸ tn BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπίσταμαι 2 has “know, be acquainted with τινά…τὸν Παῦλον Ac 19:15.” Here the translation “be acquainted with” was used to differentiate from the previous phrase which has γινώσκω (ginwskw).

[19:15]  ⁴²⁹ sn But who are you? This account shows how the power of Paul was so distinct that parallel claims to access that power were denied. In fact, such manipulation, by those who did not know Jesus, was judged (v. 16). The indirect way in which the exorcists made the appeal shows their distance from Jesus.

[19:16]  ⁴³⁰ tn Grk “in whom the evil spirit was.”

[19:16]  ⁴³¹ tn Grk “the man in whom the evil spirit was, jumping on them.” The participle ἐφαλόμενος (efalomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 15.239 has “ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς ‘the man jumped on them’ Ac 19:16.”

[19:16]  ⁴³² tn Grk “and beating them all into submission.” The participle κατακυριεύσας (katakurieusa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. According to W. Foerster, TDNT 3:1098, the word means “the exercise of dominion against someone, i.e., to one’s own advantage.” These exorcists were shown to be powerless in comparison to Jesus who was working through Paul.

[19:16]  ⁴³³ tn BDAG 484 s.v. ἰσχύω 3 has “win out, prevail…κατά τινος over, against someone Ac 19:16.”

[19:17]  ⁴³⁴ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:17]  ⁴³⁵ tn Grk “fell on.” BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 2 has “φόβος ἐ. ἐπί τινα fear came upon someone…Ac 19:17.”

[19:17]  ⁴³⁶ tn Or “exalted.”

[19:18]  ⁴³⁷ tn Grk “came”; the word “forward” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning and to conform to the contemporary English idiom.

[19:18]  ⁴³⁸ tn Or “confessing and disclosing their deeds.” BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναγγέλλω 2 has “W. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι: ἀ. τὰς πράξεις αὐτο'ν make their deeds known Ac 19:18.”

[19:18]  sn Making their deeds known. Ephesus was a major pagan religious center with much syncretistic “magical” practice. Coming to Jesus changed the lives and attitudes of these believers, creating a social impact.

[19:19]  ⁴³⁹ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 4.a has “many, quite a few” for ἱκανοί (Jikanoi) in this verse.

[19:19]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 800 s.v. περίεργος 2.

[19:19]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Or “scrolls.”

[19:19]  ⁴⁴² tn Or “burned them up publicly.” L&N 14.66 has “‘they brought their books together and burned them up in the presence of everyone’ Ac 19:19.”

[19:19]  ⁴⁴³ tn Grk “and when.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[19:19]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Or “fifty thousand silver drachmas” (about $10,000 US dollars). BDAG 128 s.v. ἀργύριον 2.c states, “ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε 50,000 (Attic silver) drachmas Ac 19:19.” Another way to express the value would be in sheep: One drachma could buy one sheep. So this many drachmas could purchase a huge flock of sheep. A drachma also equals a denarius, or a day’s wage for the average worker. So this amount would be equal to 50,000 work days or in excess of 8,300 weeks of labor (the weeks are calculated at six working days because of the Jewish cultural context). The impact of Christianity on the Ephesian economy was considerable (note in regard to this the concerns expressed in 19:26-27).

[19:20]  ⁴⁴⁵ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[19:20]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn The imperfect verb ηὔξανεν (huxanen) has been translated as a progressive imperfect, as has the following verb ἴσχυεν (iscuen).

[19:20]  ⁴⁴⁷ sn The word of the Lord…to prevail. Luke portrays the impact of Christianity in terms of the Lord’s transforming power in the lives of individuals.

[19:21]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”

[19:21]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”

[19:21]  ⁴⁵⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:21]  ⁴⁵¹ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:21]  ⁴⁵² sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.

[19:21]  ⁴⁵³ tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[19:21]  ⁴⁵⁴ sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.

[19:21]  map For location see JP4 A1.

[19:22]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn The aorist participle ἀποστείλας (aposteila") has been taken temporally reflecting action antecedent to that of the main verb (ἐπέσχεν, epescen).

[19:22]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn Grk “two of those who ministered to him.”

[19:22]  ⁴⁵⁷ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[19:22]  ⁴⁵⁸ 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.

[19:23]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Grk “There happened at that time.” 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. Instead the verb “took place” has been supplied in the translation.

[19:23]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.2.a, “in definite indications of time…Of the past: κ. ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρόν at that time, then…Ac 12:1; 19:23.”

[19:23]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Grk “no little disturbance” (an idiom; see BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 2).

[19:23]  ⁴⁶² sn The Way refers to the Christian movement (Christianity).

[19:24]  ⁴⁶³ tn BDAG 665 s.v. ναός 1.a states, “Specif. of temples: of replicas of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus 19:24…but here, near ἱερόν vs. 27…ναός can be understood in the more restricted sense shrine, where the image of the goddess stood.”

[19:24]  ⁴⁶⁴ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:24]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn Grk “brought not a little business” (an idiom).

[19:24]  ⁴⁶⁶ sn A great deal of business. The charge that Christianity brought economic and/or social upheaval was made a number of times in Acts: 16:20-21; 17:6-7; 18:13.

[19:25]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Grk “gathering.” The participle συναθροίσας (sunaqroisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:25]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn Grk “whom”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a pronoun (“these”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[19:25]  ⁴⁶⁹ sn Workmen in similar trades. In effect, Demetrius gathered the Ephesian chamber of commerce together to hear about the threat to their prosperity.

[19:25]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn Another possible meaning is “that this business is an easy way for us to earn a living.”

[19:26]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:26]  ⁴⁷² tn Or “misled.”

[19:26]  ⁴⁷³ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”

[19:26]  ⁴⁷⁴ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[19:26]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:26]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.

[19:26]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[19:26]  sn Gods made by hands are not gods at all. Paul preached against paganism’s idolatry. Here is a one-line summary of a speech like that in Acts 17:22-31.

[19:27]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn Or “come under public criticism.” BDAG 101 s.v. ἀπελεγμός has “come into disrepute Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ⁴⁷⁹ sn Artemis was the name of a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:27]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn BDAG 597 s.v. λογίζομαι 1.b has “εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing…Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.

[19:27]  ⁴⁸² tn Or “her magnificence.” BDAG 488 s.v. καθαιρέω 2.b has “καθαιρεῖσθαι τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτῆς suffer the loss of her magnificence Ac 19:27”; L&N 13.38 has “‘and to have her greatness done away with’ Ac 19:27.”

[19:27]  sn Suffer the loss of her greatness. It is important to appreciate that money alone was not the issue, even for the pagan Ephesians. The issue was ultimately the dishonor of their goddess to whom they were devoted in worship. The battle was a “cosmic” one between deities.

[19:28]  ⁴⁸³ 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.

[19:28]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Grk “And hearing.” The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[19:28]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Grk “they became filled with rage” (an idiom). The reaction of the Ephesians here is like that of the Jews earlier, though Luke referred to “zeal” or “jealousy” in the former case (Acts 7:54).

[19:28]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn Grk “and began shouting, saying.” The imperfect verb ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[19:28]  ⁴⁸⁷ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:29]  ⁴⁸⁸ 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.

[19:29]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn L&N 39.43 has “‘the uproar spread throughout the whole city’ (literally ‘the city was filled with uproar’) Ac 19:29.” BDAG 954 s.v. σύγχυσις has “confusion, tumult.”

[19:29]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:29]  ⁴⁹¹ sn To the theater. This location made the event a public spectacle. The Grand Theater in Ephesus (still standing today) stood facing down the main thoroughfare of the city toward the docks. It had a seating capacity of 25,000.

[19:29]  ⁴⁹² tn Grk “to the theater with one accord.”

[19:30]  ⁴⁹³ tn Or “enter the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν δ. go into the assembly 19:30.”

[19:31]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Grk “Asiarchs” (high-ranking officials of the province of Asia).

[19:31]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn Grk “sending”; the participle πέμψαντες (pemyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:31]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn The words “a message” 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.

[19:31]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn BDAG 242-43 s.v. δίδωμι 11 has “to cause (oneself) to go, go, venture somewhere (cp. our older ‘betake oneself’)…Ac 19:31.” The desire of these sympathetic authorities was surely to protect Paul’s life. The detail indicates how dangerous things had become.

[19:32]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Or “had assembled.”

[19:33]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Or “Some of the crowd gave instructions to.”

[19:33]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn The words “it was about” are not in the Greek text but are implied; ᾿Αλέξανδρον (Alexandron) is taken to be an accusative of general reference.

[19:33]  ⁵⁰¹ tn BDAG 865 s.v. προβάλλω 1 has “to cause to come forward, put forward…τινά someone…push someone forward to speak in the theater…Ac 19:33.”

[19:33]  ⁵⁰² tn Or “motioning.”

[19:33]  ⁵⁰³ sn The nature of Alexander’s defense is not clear. It appears he was going to explain, as a Jew, that the problem was not caused by Jews, but by those of “the Way.” However, he never got a chance to speak.

[19:33]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Or “before the crowd.” According to BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2, “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly…ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ δ. make a defense before the assembly vs. 33.”

[19:34]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Grk “But recognizing.” The participle ἐπιγνόντες (epignonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:34]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Grk “[they shouted] with one voice from all of them” (an idiom).

[19:34]  ⁵⁰⁷ sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus, 1.25 mi (2 km) northeast of the Grand Theater. Dimensions were 418 ft by 239 ft (125 m by 72 m) for the platform; the temple proper was 377 ft by 180 ft (113 m by 54 m). The roof was supported by 117 columns, each 60 ft (18 m) high by 6 ft (1.8 m) in diameter. The Emperor Justinian of Byzantium later took these columns for use in construction of the Hagia Sophia, where they still exist (in modern day Istanbul).

[19:34]  ⁵⁰⁸ sn They all shouted…for about two hours. The extent of the tumult shows the racial and social tensions of a cosmopolitan city like Ephesus, indicating what the Christians in such locations had to face.

[19:35]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn Or “clerk.” The “scribe” (γραμματεύς, grammateu") was the keeper of the city’s records.

[19:35]  ⁵¹⁰ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[19:35]  ⁵¹¹ tn See BDAG 670 s.v. νεωκόρος. The city is described as the “warden” or “guardian” of the goddess and her temple.

[19:35]  ⁵¹² sn Artemis was a Greek goddess worshiped particularly in Asia Minor, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located just outside the city of Ephesus.

[19:35]  ⁵¹³ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[19:35]  sn The expression fell from heaven adds a note of apologetic about the heavenly origin of the goddess. The city’s identity and well-being was wrapped up with this connection, in their view. Many interpreters view her image that fell from heaven as a stone meteorite regarded as a sacred object.

[19:36]  ⁵¹⁴ tn Grk “these things.”

[19:36]  ⁵¹⁵ tn The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὄντων (ontwn) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. On the term translated “indisputable” see BDAG 68-69 s.v. ἀναντίρρητος which has “not to be contradicted, undeniable.”

[19:36]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Grk “it is necessary that you be quiet.”

[19:36]  ⁵¹⁷ tn L&N 88.98 has “pertaining to impetuous and reckless behavior – ‘reckless, impetuous.’…‘so then, you must calm down and not do anything reckless’ Ac 19:36.” The city secretary was asking that order be restored.

[19:37]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Or perhaps, “desecrators of temples.”

[19:37]  ⁵¹⁹ sn Nor blasphemers of our goddess. There was no formal crime with which Paul could be charged. He had the right to his religion as long as he did not act physically against the temple. Since no overt act had taken place, the official wanted the community to maintain the status quo on these religious matters. The remarks suggest Paul was innocent of any civil crime.

[19:38]  ⁵²⁰ tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”

[19:38]  ⁵²¹ tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”

[19:38]  ⁵²² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.

[19:39]  ⁵²³ tn Or “anything more than this.”

[19:39]  ⁵²⁴ tn Or “resolved.”

[19:39]  ⁵²⁵ tn Or “in a legal meeting of the citizens.” L&N 30.81 has “ἐν τῇ ἐννόμῳ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπιλυθήσεται ‘it will have to be settled in a legal meeting of the citizens’ Ac 19:39.” This meeting took place three times a year.

[19:40]  ⁵²⁶ tn Grk “For indeed.” The ascensive force of καί (kai) would be awkward to translate here.

[19:40]  ⁵²⁷ tn The term translated “rioting” refers to a revolt or uprising (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 2, 3). This would threaten Roman rule and invite Roman intervention.

[19:40]  ⁵²⁸ tn Or “to account for.” Grk “since there is no cause concerning which we can give account concerning this disorderly gathering.” The complexity of the Greek relative clause (“which”) and the multiple prepositions (“concerning”) have been simplified in the translation consistent with contemporary English style.

[19:40]  ⁵²⁹ tn Or “commotion.” BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 gives the meaning “a tumultuous gathering of people, disorderly/seditious gathering or commotion…Ac 19:40.”

[19:41]  ⁵³⁰ 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.

[19:41]  ⁵³¹ tn Grk “And saying.” The participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[19:41]  ⁵³² tn Grk “these things.”

[19:41]  ⁵³³ sn Verse 41 in the English text is included as part of verse 40 in the standard critical editions of the Greek NT.

[20:1]  ⁵³⁴ tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ⁵³⁵ tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ⁵³⁶ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:2]  ⁵³⁷ tn BDAG 633 s.v. μέρος 1.b.γ gives the meanings “the parts (of a geographical area), region, district,” but the use of “district” in this context probably implies too much specificity.

[20:2]  ⁵³⁸ tn Grk “and encouraging them with many words.” The participle παρακαλέσας (parakalesa", “encouraging”) has been translated by the phrase “spoken…words of encouragement” because the formal equivalent is awkward in contemporary English.

[20:2]  ⁵³⁹ tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ⁵⁴⁰ tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).

[20:3]  ⁵⁴¹ tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁴² tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁴³ sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).

[20:3]  ⁵⁴⁴ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.

[20:3]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁴⁷ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:4]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:4]  ⁵⁴⁹ 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.

[20:4]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:4]  ⁵⁵⁰ tn Grk “of the Thessalonians.”

[20:4]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:4]  ⁵⁵¹ tn Grk “and Gaius,” 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.

[20:4]  ⁵⁵² sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 30 mi (50 km) southeast of Lystra.

[20:4]  map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.

[20:4]  ⁵⁵³ tn Grk “the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.” In the NT “Asia” 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.

[20:5]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn Grk “These, having gone on ahead, were waiting.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:5]  ⁵⁵⁵ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor.

[20:6]  ⁵⁵⁶ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[20:6]  ⁵⁵⁷ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6]  ⁵⁵⁸ sn The days of Unleavened Bread refer to the week following Passover. Originally an agricultural festival commemorating the beginning of harvest, it was celebrated for seven days beginning on the fifteenth day of the month Nisan (March-April). It was later combined with Passover (Exod 12:1-20; Ezek 45:21-24; Matt 26:17; Luke 22:1).

[20:6]  ⁵⁵⁹ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6]  ⁵⁶⁰ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6]  ⁵⁶¹ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. From Philippi to Troas was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:7]  ⁵⁶² sn On the first day. This is the first mention of a Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:2).

[20:7]  ⁵⁶³ tn Or “assembled.”

[20:7]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn The verb διαλέγομαι (dialegomai) is frequently used of Paul addressing Jews in the synagogue. 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. In the context of a Christian gathering, it is preferable to translate διελέγετο (dielegeto) simply as “speak” here. The imperfect verb διελέγετο has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[20:7]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:7]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn Or “prolonged.”

[20:8]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn More commonly λαμπάς (lampa") means “torch,” but here according to BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπάς 2, “lamp…w. a wick and space for oil.”

[20:8]  ⁵⁶⁸ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9]  ⁵⁶⁹ tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9]  ⁵⁷⁰ tn Grk “sinking into a deep sleep.” BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “ὕπνῳ βαθεῖ sink into a deep sleep…Ac 20:9a.” The participle καταφερόμενος (kataferomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:9]  ⁵⁷¹ tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9]  ⁵⁷² tn BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “κατενεχθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὔπνου overwhelmed by sleep vs. 9b,” but this expression is less common in contemporary English than phrases like “fast asleep” or “sound asleep.”

[20:10]  ⁵⁷³ tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10]  ⁵⁷⁴ tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10]  ⁵⁷⁵ tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10]  ⁵⁷⁶ tn BDAG 959 s.v. συμπεριλαμβάνω has “to throw one’s arms around, embrace w. acc. to be supplied Ac 20:10.” However, “embraced the young man” might be taken (out of context) to have erotic implications, while “threw his arms around him” would be somewhat redundant since “threw” has been used in the previous phrase.

[20:10]  ⁵⁷⁷ tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

[20:11]  ⁵⁷⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:11]  ⁵⁷⁹ tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:11]  ⁵⁸⁰ tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:12]  ⁵⁸¹ tn Grk “were not to a moderate degree” (an idiom). L&N 78.11 states: “μετρίως: a moderate degree of some activity or state – ‘moderately, to a moderate extent.’ ἤγαγον δὲ τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα, καὶ παρεκλήθησαν οὐ μετρίωθς ‘they took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted’ Ac 20:12. In Ac 20:12 the phrase οὐ μετρίως, literally ‘not to a moderate degree,’ is equivalent to a strong positive statement, namely, ‘greatly’ or ‘to a great extent.’”

[20:13]  ⁵⁸² tn Grk “going on ahead.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:13]  ⁵⁸³ 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.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁸⁴ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:13]  ⁵⁸⁵ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁸⁶ tn Or “for he told us to do this.” Grk “for having arranged it this way, he.” The participle διατεταγμένος (diatetagmeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 237 s.v. διατάσσω 1 has “οὕτως διατεταγμένος ἦν he had arranged it so Ac 20:13.” L&N 15.224 has “‘he told us to do this.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence; in Greek this is part of the preceding sentence beginning “We went on ahead.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁸⁸ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn Or “there on foot.”

[20:14]  ⁵⁹⁰ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:14]  ⁵⁹¹ tn Grk “taking him aboard, we.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:14]  ⁵⁹² sn Mitylene was the most important city on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. It was about 44 mi (70 km) from Assos.

[20:15]  ⁵⁹³ tn Grk “setting sail from there.” The participle ἀποπλεύσαντες (apopleusante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:15]  ⁵⁹⁴ tn Or “offshore from Chios.”

[20:15]  sn Chios was an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor with a city of the same name.

[20:15]  ⁵⁹⁵ tn Or “crossed over to,” “arrived at.” L&N 54.12 has “παραβάλλω: (a technical, nautical term) to sail up to or near – ‘to approach, to arrive at, to sail to.’ παρεβάλομεν εἰς Σάμον ‘we approached Samos’ or ‘we arrived at Samos’ Ac 20:15.”

[20:15]  ⁵⁹⁶ sn Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor.

[20:15]  ⁵⁹⁷ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 40 mi (70 km) south of Ephesus. From Mitylene to Miletus was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:16]  ⁵⁹⁸ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16]  ⁵⁹⁹ tn Grk “so that he might not have to spend time.” L&N 67.79 has “ὅπως μὴ γένηται αὐτῷ χρονοτριβῆσαι ἐν τῇ ᾿Ασίᾳ ‘so as not to spend any time in the province of Asia’ Ac 20:16.”

[20:16]  ⁶⁰⁰ 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.

[20:16]  ⁶⁰¹ tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16]  ⁶⁰² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16]  ⁶⁰³ tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17]  ⁶⁰⁴ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn The words “a message” 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.

[20:17]  ⁶⁰⁶ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. L&N 33.311 has for the verb μετακαλέομαι (metakaleomai) “to summon someone, with considerable insistence and authority – ‘to summon, to tell to come.’”

[20:18]  ⁶⁰⁷ tn Grk “You yourselves know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time.” This could be understood to mean “how I stayed with you the whole time,” but the following verses make it clear that Paul’s lifestyle while with the Ephesians is in view here. Thus the translation “how I lived the whole time I was with you” makes this clear.

[20:18]  ⁶⁰⁸ tn Or “I arrived.” BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω 2, “set foot in…εἰς τ. ᾿Ασίαν set foot in Asia Ac 20:18.” However, L&N 15.83 removes the idiom: “you know that since the first day that I came to Asia.”

[20:18]  ⁶⁰⁹ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19]  ⁶¹⁰ sn On humility see 2 Cor 10:1; 11:7; 1 Thess 2:6; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3-11.

[20:19]  ⁶¹¹ sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20]  ⁶¹² tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20]  ⁶¹³ tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20,” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.

[20:20]  ⁶¹⁴ tn Or “openly.”

[20:21]  ⁶¹⁵ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”

[20:21]  ⁶¹⁶ tc Several mss, including some of the more important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.

[20:21]  sn Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. Note the twofold description of the message. It is a turning to God involving faith in Jesus Christ.

[20:22]  ⁶¹⁷ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:22]  ⁶¹⁸ tn Grk “bound.”

[20:22]  ⁶¹⁹ sn This journey to Jerusalem suggests a parallel between Paul and Jesus, since the “Jerusalem journey” motif figures so prominently in Luke’s Gospel (9:51-19:44).

[20:22]  ⁶²⁰ tn BDAG 965 s.v. συναντάω 2 has τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ συναντήσοντα ἐμοὶ μὴ εἰδώς without knowing what will happen to me there Ac 20:22.”

[20:23]  ⁶²¹ tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23]  ⁶²² tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).

[20:23]  ⁶²³ tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23]  ⁶²⁴ tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23]  ⁶²⁵ tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23]  ⁶²⁶ tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[20:24]  ⁶²⁷ tn Grk “soul.”

[20:24]  ⁶²⁸ tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”

[20:24]  ⁶²⁹ tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”

[20:24]  ⁶³⁰ tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation – ‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.

[20:24]  ⁶³¹ tn Or “to the gospel.”

[20:25]  ⁶³² tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25]  ⁶³³ tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25]  ⁶³⁴ sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.

[20:25]  ⁶³⁵ tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:26]  ⁶³⁶ tn Or “testify.”

[20:26]  ⁶³⁷ tn Grk “clean, pure,” thus “guiltless” (BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a).

[20:26]  sn I am innocent. Paul had a clear conscience, since he had faithfully carried out his responsibility of announcing to (the Ephesians) the whole purpose of God.

[20:26]  ⁶³⁸ tn That is, “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible” (an idiom). According to L&N 33.223, the meaning of the phrase “that I am innocent of the blood of all of you” is “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.” However, due to the length of this phrase and its familiarity to many modern English readers, the translation was kept closer to formal equivalence in this case. The word “you” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; Paul is addressing the Ephesian congregation (in the person of its elders) in both v. 25 and 27.

[20:27]  ⁶³⁹ tn Or “did not avoid.” BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 2.b has “shrink from, avoid implying fear…οὐ γὰρ ὑπεστειλάμην τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι I did not shrink from proclaiming Ac 20:27”; L&N 13.160 has “to hold oneself back from doing something, with the implication of some fearful concern – ‘to hold back from, to shrink from, to avoid’…‘for I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God’ Ac 20:27.”

[20:27]  ⁶⁴⁰ tn Or “proclaiming,” “declaring.”

[20:27]  ⁶⁴¹ tn Or “plan.”

[20:28]  ⁶⁴² tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.

[20:28]  ⁶⁴³ tn Grk “in which.”

[20:28]  ⁶⁴⁴ tn Or “guardians.” BDAG 379-80 s.v. ἐπίσκοπος 2 states, “The term was taken over in Christian communities in ref. to one who served as overseer or supervisor, with special interest in guarding the apostolic tradition…Ac 20:28.” This functional term describes the role of the elders (see v. 17). They were to guard and shepherd the congregation.

[20:28]  ⁶⁴⁵ tc The reading “of God” (τοῦ θεοῦ, tou qeou) is found in א B 614 1175 1505 al vg sy; other witnesses have “of the Lord” (τοῦ κυρίου, tou kuriou) here (so Ì⁷⁴ A C* D E Ψ 33 1739 al co), while the majority of the later minuscule mss conflate these two into “of the Lord and God” (τοῦ κυρίου καὶ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, tou kuriou kai [tou] qeou). Although the evidence is evenly balanced between the first two readings, τοῦ θεοῦ is decidedly superior on internal grounds. The final prepositional phrase of this verse, διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου (dia tou {aimato" tou idiou), could be rendered “through his own blood” or “through the blood of his own.” In the latter translation, the object that “own” modifies must be supplied (see tn below for discussion). But this would not be entirely clear to scribes; those who supposed that ἰδίου modified αἵματος would be prone to alter “God” to “Lord” to avoid the inference that God had blood. In a similar way, later scribes would be prone to conflate the two titles, thereby affirming the deity (with the construction τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ following the Granville Sharp rule and referring to a single person [see ExSyn 272, 276-77, 290]) and substitutionary atonement of Christ. For these reasons, τοῦ θεοῦ best explains the rise of the other readings and should be considered authentic.

[20:28]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn Or “acquired.”

[20:28]  ⁶⁴⁷ tn Or “with his own blood”; Grk “with the blood of his own.” The genitive construction could be taken in two ways: (1) as an attributive genitive (second attributive position) meaning “his own blood”; or (2) as a possessive genitive, “with the blood of his own.” In this case the referent is the Son, and the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. See further C. F. DeVine, “The Blood of God,” CBQ 9 (1947): 381-408.

[20:28]  sn That he obtained with the blood of his own Son. This is one of only two explicit statements in Luke-Acts highlighting the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death (the other is in Luke 22:19).

[20:29]  ⁶⁴⁸ tn Grk “after my departure.”

[20:29]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn That is, people like fierce wolves. See BDAG 167-68 s.v. βαρύς 4 on the term translated “fierce.” The battle that will follow would be a savage one.

[20:30]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn Grk “from among yourselves.”

[20:30]  ⁶⁵¹ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only rarely is used in a generic sense to refer to both males and females. Since Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders at this point and there is nothing in the context to suggest women were included in that group (“from among your own group”), it is most likely Paul was not predicting that these false teachers would include women.

[20:30]  ⁶⁵² tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”

[20:30]  sn These perversions of the truth refer to the kinds of threats that would undermine repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. v. 21). Instead these false teachers would arise from within the Ephesian congregation (cf. 1 John 2:18-19) and would seek to draw the disciples away after them.

[20:31]  ⁶⁵³ tn Or “be watchful.”

[20:31]  ⁶⁵⁴ tn Or “admonishing.”

[20:32]  ⁶⁵⁵ tn Or “commend.” BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 3.b has “τινά τινι entrust someone to the care or protection of someone…Of divine protection παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 14:23; cp. 20:32.”

[20:32]  ⁶⁵⁶ tn Grk “word.”

[20:32]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn Grk “the message of his grace, which.” The phrase τῷ δυναμένῳ οἰκοδομῆσαι… (tw dunamenw oikodomhsai…) refers to τῷ λόγω (tw logw), not τῆς χάριτος (ths caritos); in English it could refer to either “the message” or “grace,” but in Greek, because of agreement in gender, the referent can only be “the message.” To make this clear, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the referent “the message” was repeated at the beginning of this new sentence.

[20:33]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn Traditionally, “coveted.” BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιθυμέω 1 has “to have a strong desire to do or secure someth., desire, long for w. gen. of the thing desired…silver, gold, clothing Ac 20:33.” The traditional term “covet” is not in common usage and difficult for many modern English readers to understand. The statement affirms Paul’s integrity. He was not doing this for personal financial gain.

[20:34]  ⁶⁵⁹ tn The words “of mine” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify whose hands Paul is referring to.

[20:35]  ⁶⁶⁰ sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”

[20:35]  ⁶⁶¹ tn Or “must assist.”

[20:35]  ⁶⁶² tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.

[20:35]  ⁶⁶³ sn The saying is similar to Matt 10:8. Service and generosity should be abundant. Interestingly, these exact words are not found in the gospels. Paul must have known of this saying from some other source.

[20:36]  ⁶⁶⁴ 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.

[20:36]  ⁶⁶⁵ tn Grk “kneeling down…he prayed.” The participle θείς (qeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:37]  ⁶⁶⁶ tn Grk “weeping a great deal,” thus “loudly” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός and BDAG 546 s.v. κλαυθμός).

[20:37]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn Grk “fell on Paul’s neck” (an idiom, see BDAG 1014 s.v. τράχηλος).

[20:37]  ⁶⁶⁸ sn The Ephesians elders kissed Paul as a sign of both affection and farewell. The entire scene shows how much interrelationship Paul had in his ministry and how much he and the Ephesians meant to each other.

[20:38]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn Or “pained.”

[20:38]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn Grk “by the word that he had said.”

[20:38]  ⁶⁷¹ tn Grk “to see his face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).

[20:38]  ⁶⁷² tn BDAG 873 s.v. προπέμπω 1 has “they accompanied him to the ship Ac 20:38.”

[21:1]  ⁶⁷³ tn Grk “It happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Since the action described by the participle ἀποσπασθέντας (apospasqenta", “tearing ourselves away”) is prior to the departure of the ship, it has been translated as antecedent action (“after”).

[21:1]  ⁶⁷⁴ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[21:1]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποσπάω 2.b has “pass. in mid. sense ἀ. ἀπό τινος tear oneself away Ac 21:1”; LSJ 218 gives several illustrations of this verb meaning “to tear or drag away from.”

[21:1]  ⁶⁷⁶ 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.”

[21:1]  ⁶⁷⁷ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course”; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[21:1]  ⁶⁷⁸ sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1]  ⁶⁷⁹ sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1]  ⁶⁸⁰ sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).

[21:2]  ⁶⁸¹ tn Grk “and finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.

[21:2]  ⁶⁸² sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2]  ⁶⁸³ tn Grk “going aboard, we put out to sea.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:2]  ⁶⁸⁴ 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.”

[21:3]  ⁶⁸⁵ sn Cyprus is a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[21:3]  ⁶⁸⁶ sn The expression left it behind on our port side here means “sailed past to the south of it” since the ship was sailing east.

[21:3]  ⁶⁸⁷ tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “arrive, put in, nautical t.t. of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[21:3]  ⁶⁸⁸ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia. From Patara to Tyre was about 400 mi (640 km). It required a large cargo ship over 100 ft (30 m) long, and was a four to five day voyage.

[21:3]  map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[21:4]  ⁶⁸⁹ tn BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνευρίσκω has “look/search for (w. finding presupposed) τινά…τοὺς μαθητάς Ac 21:4.” The English verb “locate,” when used in reference to persons, has the implication of both looking for and finding someone. The participle ἀνευρόντες (aneuronte") has been taken temporally.

[21:4]  ⁶⁹⁰ tn BDAG 154 s.v. αὐτοῦ states, “deictic adv. designating a position relatively near or far…there…Ac 21:4.”

[21:4]  ⁶⁹¹ tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγον (elegon) has been taken iteratively.

[21:4]  ⁶⁹² sn Although they told this to Paul through the Spirit, it appears Paul had a choice here (see v. 14). Therefore this amounted to a warning: There was risk in going to Jerusalem, so he was urged not to go.

[21:4]  ⁶⁹³ tn BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω places Ac 21:4 under 1, “go up/upon, mount, board…πλοίῳ…Ac 27:2…Abs. go on board, embark…21:1 D, 2. – So perh. also ἐ. εἰς ᾿Ιεροσόλυμα embark for Jerusalem (i.e. to the seaport of Caesarea) vs. 4.” BDAG notes, however, “But this pass. may also belong to 2. to move to an area and be there, set foot in.” Because the message from the disciples to Paul through the Holy Spirit has the character of a warning, the latter meaning has been adopted for this translation.

[21:4]  ⁶⁹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:5]  ⁶⁹⁵ tn Grk “It happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[21:5]  ⁶⁹⁶ tn Grk “When our days were over.” L&N 67.71 has “ὅτε δὲ ἐγένετο ἡμᾶς ἐξαρτίσαι τὰς ἡμέρας ‘when we brought that time to an end’ or ‘when our time with them was over’ Ac 21:5.”

[21:5]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn Grk “accompanying.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the participle προπεμπόντων (propempontwn) translated as a finite verb.

[21:5]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn Grk “city, and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[21:5]  ⁶⁹⁹ sn On praying in Acts, see 1:14, 24; 2:47; 4:23; 6:6; 10:2; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 16:25.

[21:6]  ⁷⁰⁰ tn BDAG 98 s.v. ἀπασπάζομαι has “take leave of, say farewell to τινά someone…ἀπησπασάμεθα ἀλλήλους we said farewell to one another Ac 21:6.”

[21:6]  ⁷⁰¹ sn These words are part of v. 5 in the standard critical Greek text.

[21:6]  ⁷⁰² tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:6]  ⁷⁰³ tn Grk “to their own”; the word “homes” is implied.

[21:7]  ⁷⁰⁴ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[21:7]  ⁷⁰⁵ sn Ptolemais was a seaport on the coast of Palestine about 30 mi (48 km) south of Tyre.

[21:8]  ⁷⁰⁶ tn Grk “On the next day leaving, we came.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8]  ⁷⁰⁷ 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. This was another 40 mi (65 km).

[21:8]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:8]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn Grk “and entering…we stayed.” The participle εἰσελθόντες (eiselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:8]  ⁷⁰⁹ sn Philip was one of the seven deacons appointed in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1-7).

[21:9]  ⁷¹⁰ tn Grk “virgin.” While the term παρθένος (parqeno") can refer to a woman who has never had sexual relations, the emphasis in this context seems to be on the fact that Philip’s daughters were not married (L&N 9.39).

[21:9]  ⁷¹¹ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Luke again noted women who were gifted in the early church (see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.31; 3.39).

[21:10]  ⁷¹² tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.α has “ἐπὶ ἡμέρας πλείους for a (large) number of days, for many days…Ac 13:31. – 21:10…24:17; 25:14; 27:20.”

[21:10]  ⁷¹³ sn Agabus also appeared in Acts 11:28. He was from Jerusalem, so the two churches were still in contact with one another.

[21:11]  ⁷¹⁴ tn Grk “And coming.” 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 participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁷¹⁵ tn Grk “and taking.” 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. The participle ἄρας (aras) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁷¹⁶ sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).

[21:11]  ⁷¹⁷ tn The participle δήσας (dhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:11]  ⁷¹⁸ tn The words “with it” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[21:11]  ⁷¹⁹ tn Grk “and will deliver him over into the hands of” (a Semitic idiom).

[21:11]  sn The Jews…will tie up…and will hand him over. As later events will show, the Jews in Jerusalem did not personally tie Paul up and hand him over to the Gentiles, but their reaction to him was the cause of his arrest (Acts 21:27-36).

[21:12]  ⁷²⁰ tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13]  ⁷²¹ tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).

[21:13]  ⁷²² tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.

[21:14]  ⁷²³ tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14]  ⁷²⁴ tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14]  ⁷²⁵ sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.

[21:15]  ⁷²⁶ tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15]  ⁷²⁷ tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:15]  sn In colloquial speech Jerusalem was always said to be “up” from any other location in Palestine. The group probably covered the 65 mi (105 km) in two days using horses. Their arrival in Jerusalem marked the end of Paul’s third missionary journey.

[21:16]  ⁷²⁸ 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.

[21:16]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:16]  ⁷²⁹ tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

[21:16]  ⁷³⁰ tn Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “ἀ. μαθητής a disciple of long standing (perh. original disc.) Ac 21:16.”

[21:17]  ⁷³¹ tn Or “warmly” (see BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσμένως).

[21:18]  ⁷³² tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:18]  sn All the elders were there. This meeting shows how the Jerusalem church still regarded Paul and his mission with favor, but also with some concerns because of the rumors circulating about his actions.

[21:19]  ⁷³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ⁷³⁴ tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ⁷³⁵ tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”

[21:19]  ⁷³⁶ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ⁷³⁷ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁷³⁸ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  sn How many thousands of Jews. See Acts 2-5 for the accounts of their conversion, esp. 2:41 and 4:4. Estimates of the total number of Jews living in Jerusalem at the time range from 20,000 to 50,000.

[21:20]  ⁷³⁹ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

[21:20]  ⁷⁴⁰ sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

[21:21]  ⁷⁴¹ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.

[21:21]  ⁷⁴² tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”

[21:21]  sn The charge that Paul was teaching Jews in the Diaspora to abandon Moses was different from the issue faced in Acts 15, where the question was whether Gentiles needed to become like Jews first in order to become Christians. The issue also appears in Acts 24:5-6, 13-21; 25:8.

[21:21]  ⁷⁴³ sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ⁷⁴⁴ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ⁷⁴⁵ tn L&N 71.16 has “pertaining to being in every respect certain – ‘certainly, really, doubtless, no doubt.’…‘they will no doubt hear that you have come’ Ac 21:22.”

[21:23]  ⁷⁴⁶ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ⁷⁴⁷ tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ⁷⁴⁸ tn L&N 33.469 has “‘there are four men here who have taken a vow’ or ‘we have four men who…’ Ac 21:23.”

[21:23]  ⁷⁴⁹ tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ⁷⁵⁰ sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).

[21:24]  ⁷⁵¹ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ⁷⁵² tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shaved…τὴν κεφαλήν have one’s head shaved…Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  sn Having their heads shaved probably involved ending a voluntary Nazirite vow (Num 6:14-15).

[21:24]  ⁷⁵³ tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:24]  ⁷⁵⁴ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ⁷⁵⁵ tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs – ‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”

[21:24]  ⁷⁵⁶ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn L&N 13.154 has “‘having decided that they must keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from an animal that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality’ Ac 21:25.”

[21:25]  sn Having decided refers here to the decision of the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:6-21). Mention of this previous decision reminds the reader that the issue here is somewhat different: It is not whether Gentiles must first become Jews before they can become Christians (as in Acts 15), but whether Jews who become Christians should retain their Jewish practices. Sensitivity to this issue would suggest that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians might engage in different practices.

[21:25]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn This is a different Greek word than the one used in Acts 15:20, 29. BDAG 1068 s.v. φυλάσσω 3 has “to be on one’s guard against, look out for, avoid…w. acc. of pers. or thing avoided…Ac 21:25.” The Greek word used in Acts 15:20, 29 is ἀπέχω (apecw). The difference in meaning, although slight, has been maintained in the translation.

[21:25]  ⁷⁵⁹ tn There is no specific semantic component in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος that means “meat” (see BDAG 280 s.v. εἰδωλόθυτος; L&N 5.15). The stem –θυτος means “sacrifice” (referring to an animal sacrificially killed) and thereby implies meat.

[21:25]  ⁷⁶⁰ sn What has been strangled. That is, to refrain from eating animals that had been killed without having the blood drained from them. According to the Mosaic law (Lev 17:13-14) Jews were forbidden to eat flesh with the blood still in it (note the preceding provision in this verse, and blood).

[21:26]  ⁷⁶¹ tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 11.b.β has “temporal, to be next, immediately following…τῇ ἐχομένῃ…on the next day Lk 13:33…Ac 20:15; w. ἡμέρᾳ added…21:26.”

[21:26]  ⁷⁶² tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ⁷⁶³ tn Grk “entered the temple, giving notice.” The participle διαγγέλλων (diangellwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:26]  ⁷⁶⁴ sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ⁷⁶⁵ tn Grk “until” (BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.β.א), but since in English it is somewhat awkward to say “the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice would be offered,” the temporal clause was translated “when the sacrifice would be offered.” The point is that the sacrifice would be offered when the days were completed. Paul honored the request of the Jewish Christian leadership completely. As the following verse makes clear, the vow was made for seven days.

[21:26]  ⁷⁶⁶ tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27]  ⁷⁶⁷ tn BDAG 975 s.v. συντελέω 4 has “to come to an end of a duration, come to an end, be over…Ac 21:27.”

[21:27]  ⁷⁶⁸ 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.

[21:27]  sn Note how there is a sense of Paul being pursued from a distance. These Jews may well have been from Ephesus, since they recognized Trophimus the Ephesian (v. 29).

[21:27]  ⁷⁶⁹ tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27]  ⁷⁷⁰ tn Or “threw the whole crowd into consternation.” L&N 25.221 has “συνέχεον πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ‘they threw the whole crowd into consternation’ Ac 21:27. It is also possible to render the expression in Ac 21:27 as ‘they stirred up the whole crowd.’”

[21:27]  ⁷⁷¹ tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28]  ⁷⁷² tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[21:28]  ⁷⁷³ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  sn This sanctuary refers to the temple. The charges were not new, but were similar to those made against Stephen (Acts 6:14) and Jesus (Luke 23:2).

[21:28]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:28]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.

[21:28]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:28]  sn Has brought Greeks…unclean. Note how the issue is both religious and ethnic, showing a different attitude by the Jews. A Gentile was not permitted to enter the inner temple precincts (contrast Eph 2:11-22). According to Josephus (Ant. 15.11.5 [15.417]; J. W. 5.5.2 [5.193], cf. 5.5.6 [5.227]), the inner temple courts (the Court of the Women, the Court of the Sons of Israel, and the Court of the Priests) were raised slightly above the level of the Court of the Gentiles and were surrounded by a wall about 5 ft (1.5 m) high. Notices in both Greek and Latin (two of which have been discovered) warned that any Gentiles who ventured into the inner courts would be responsible for their own deaths. See also Philo, Embassy 31 (212). In m. Middot 2:3 this wall was called “soreq” and according to m. Sanhedrin 9:6 the stranger who trespassed beyond the soreq would die by the hand of God.

[21:29]  ⁷⁷⁸ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ⁷⁷⁹ tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:29]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The note explains the cause of the charge and also notes that it was false.

[21:30]  ⁷⁸⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ⁷⁸¹ tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”

[21:30]  ⁷⁸² tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[21:30]  ⁷⁸³ tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ⁷⁸⁴ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ⁷⁸⁶ tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  ⁷⁸⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[21:31]  ⁷⁸⁸ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:32]  ⁷⁹¹ tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32]  ⁷⁹² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ⁷⁹³ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ⁷⁹⁴ tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ⁷⁹⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ⁷⁹⁶ sn The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.

[21:33]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33]  ⁷⁹⁹ tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33]  ⁸⁰⁰ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.

[21:33]  ⁸⁰¹ tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34]  ⁸⁰² tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”

[21:34]  ⁸⁰³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ⁸⁰⁴ tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”

[21:34]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34]  ⁸⁰⁶ tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34]  ⁸⁰⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ⁸⁰⁸ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:35]  ⁸⁰⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35]  ⁸¹⁰ sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.

[21:35]  ⁸¹¹ tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36]  ⁸¹² tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plhqo") is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.

[21:36]  ⁸¹³ tn The word “them” 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.

[21:37]  ⁸¹⁴ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:37]  ⁸¹⁵ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ⁸¹⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ⁸¹⁷ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ⁸¹⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ⁸¹⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ⁸²⁰ sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.

[21:38]  ⁸²¹ tn L&N 39.41 has “οὐκ ἄρα σὺ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστατώσας ‘then you are not that Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion’ Ac 21:38.”

[21:38]  ⁸²² tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38]  sn The term ‘Assassins’ is found several times in the writings of Josephus (J. W. 2.13.3 [2.254-257]; Ant. 20.8.10 [20.186]). It was the name of the most fanatical group among the Jewish nationalists, very hostile to Rome, who did not hesitate to assassinate their political opponents. They were named Sicarii in Latin after their weapon of choice, the short dagger or sicarius which could be easily hidden under one’s clothing. In effect, the officer who arrested Paul had thought he was dealing with a terrorist.

[21:38]  ⁸²³ tn Or “desert.”

[21:38]  ⁸²⁴ tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39]  ⁸²⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[21:39]  ⁸²⁶ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39]  ⁸²⁷ tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).

[21:39]  ⁸²⁸ tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40]  ⁸²⁹ tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40]  ⁸³⁰ tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ⁸³¹ tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ⁸³² tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40]  ⁸³³ tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ⁸³⁴ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ⁸³⁵ tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[22:1]  ⁸³⁶ sn Listen to my defense. This is the first of several speeches Paul would make in his own defense: Acts 24:10ff.; 25:8, 16; and 26:1ff. For the use of such a speech (“apologia”) in Greek, see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.15 [2.147]; Wis 6:10.

[22:1]  ⁸³⁷ tn The adverb νυνί (nuni, “now”) is connected with the phrase τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας (th" pro" Juma" nuni apologia") rather than the verb ἀκούσατε (akousate), and the entire construction (prepositional phrase plus adverb) is in first attributive position and thus translated into English by a relative clause.

[22:2]  ⁸³⁸ tn ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[22:2]  ⁸³⁹ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[22:2]  ⁸⁴⁰ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.

[22:2]  ⁸⁴¹ tn BDAG 613-14 s.v. μᾶλλον 1 “Abs. μ. can mean to a greater degree (than before), even more, now more than ever Lk 5:15; Jn 5:18; 19:8; Ac 5:14; 22:2; 2 Cor 7:7.”

[22:2]  ⁸⁴² tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”

[22:2]  sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[22:2]  ⁸⁴³ tn Grk “and.” Since this represents a continuation of the speech begun in v. 1, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:3]  ⁸⁴⁴ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3]  ⁸⁴⁵ tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”

[22:3]  ⁸⁴⁶ tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”

[22:3]  ⁸⁴⁷ tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3]  ⁸⁴⁸ tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tou" poda" Gamalihl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tauth), has been followed in the translation.

[22:3]  sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here and in Acts 5:34. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.

[22:3]  ⁸⁴⁹ tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3]  ⁸⁵⁰ tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3]  ⁸⁵¹ tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers. …ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”

[22:4]  ⁸⁵² tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:4]  ⁸⁵³ sn That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).

[22:4]  ⁸⁵⁴ tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4]  ⁸⁵⁵ tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4]  ⁸⁵⁶ tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς…εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”

[22:5]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders – a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”

[22:5]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:5]  ⁸⁵⁹ tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5]  ⁸⁶⁰ tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.

[22:5]  ⁸⁶¹ tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.

[22:5]  ⁸⁶² tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5]  ⁸⁶³ tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:5]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[22:6]  ⁸⁶⁴ tn Grk “It happened that as.” 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.

[22:6]  ⁸⁶⁵ tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6]  sn En route and near Damascus. This is the first retelling of Paul’s Damascus Road experience in Acts (cf. Acts 9:1-9; the second retelling is in Acts 26:9-20).

[22:6]  ⁸⁶⁶ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6]  ⁸⁶⁷ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6]  ⁸⁶⁸ tn Or “shone.”

[22:7]  ⁸⁶⁹ tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”

[22:9]  ⁸⁷⁰ tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.

[22:10]  ⁸⁷¹ tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10]  ⁸⁷² tn Grk “Getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:10]  ⁸⁷³ tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10]  ⁸⁷⁴ tn Or “assigned,” “ordered.” BDAG 991 s.v. τάσσω 2.a has “act. and pass., foll. by acc. w. inf.…περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι concerning everything that you have been ordered to do 22:10.” There is an allusion to a divine call and commission here.

[22:11]  ⁸⁷⁵ tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”

[22:11]  ⁸⁷⁶ tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12]  ⁸⁷⁸ tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12]  ⁸⁷⁹ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12]  ⁸⁸⁰ tn BDAG 534 s.v. κατοικέω 1.a translates this present participle “ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν (sc. ἐκεῖ) κατοικούντων ᾿Ιουδαίων by all the Jews who live there Ac 22:12.”

[22:13]  ⁸⁸¹ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ⁸⁸² tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ⁸⁸³ tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).

[22:13]  ⁸⁸⁴ tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (Jwra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38, 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.

[22:13]  ⁸⁸⁵ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14]  ⁸⁸⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14]  sn The expression God of our ancestors is a description of the God of Israel. The God of promise was at work again.

[22:14]  ⁸⁸⁷ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”

[22:14]  ⁸⁸⁸ tn Grk “and to see.” 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.

[22:14]  ⁸⁸⁹ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ⁸⁹⁰ tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (… = order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”

[22:15]  ⁸⁹¹ tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15]  sn You will be his witness. See Acts 1:8; 13:31. The following reference to all people stresses all nationalities (Eph 3:7-9; Acts 9:15). Note also v. 21.

[22:15]  ⁸⁹² tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16]  ⁸⁹³ tn L&N 67.121 has “to extend time unduly, with the implication of lack of decision – ‘to wait, to delay.’ νῦν τί μέλλεις… ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι ‘what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized’ Ac 22:16.”

[22:16]  ⁸⁹⁴ tn Grk “getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:16]  ⁸⁹⁵ sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16]  ⁸⁹⁶ sn The expression calling on his name describes the confession of the believer: Acts 2:17-38, esp. v. 38; Rom 10:12-13; 1 Cor 1:2.

[22:17]  ⁸⁹⁷ tn Grk “It happened to me 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.

[22:17]  ⁸⁹⁸ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18]  ⁸⁹⁹ tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19]  ⁹⁰⁰ tn Grk “And I said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai, in καγώ [kagw]) has not been translated here.

[22:19]  ⁹⁰¹ tn For the distributive sense of the expression κατὰ τὰς συναγωγάς (kata ta" sunagwga") BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.1.d has “of places viewed serially, distributive use w. acc.…κατ᾿ οἶκαν from house to house…Ac 2:46b; 5:42…Likew. the pl.…κ. τὰς συναγωγάς 22:19.” See also L&N 37.114.

[22:19]  sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[22:20]  ⁹⁰² sn Now Paul referred to Stephen as your witness, and he himself had also become a witness. The reversal was now complete; the opponent had now become a proponent.

[22:20]  ⁹⁰³ sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20]  ⁹⁰⁴ tn Grk “and approving.” 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.

[22:20]  ⁹⁰⁵ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20]  sn The cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (in this case for throwing stones).

[22:20]  ⁹⁰⁶ tn Or “who were putting him to death.” For the translation of ἀναιρούντων (anairountwn) as “putting to death” see BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2.

[22:21]  ⁹⁰⁷ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:22]  ⁹⁰⁸ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ⁹⁰⁹ tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  sn Until he said this. Note it is the mention of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles with its implication of ethnic openness that is so disturbing to the audience.

[22:22]  ⁹¹⁰ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ⁹¹¹ tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ⁹¹² tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ⁹¹³ tn BDAG 491 s.v. καθήκω has “to be appropriate, come/reach to, be proper/fitting…Usu. impers. καθήκει it comes (to someone)…foll. by acc. and inf….οὐ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν he should not be allowed to live Ac 22:22.”

[22:23]  ⁹¹⁴ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ⁹¹⁵ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  sn Their cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (perhaps in this case as preparation for throwing stones).

[22:23]  ⁹¹⁶ sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[22:24]  ⁹¹⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[22:24]  ⁹¹⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ⁹¹⁹ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[22:24]  ⁹²⁰ tn Grk “into the barracks, saying.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the participle εἴπας (eipas), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. The direct object “them” has been supplied; it is understood in Greek.

[22:24]  ⁹²¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ⁹²² sn To interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash. Under the Roman legal system it was customary to use physical torture to extract confessions or other information from prisoners who were not Roman citizens and who were charged with various crimes, especially treason or sedition. The lashing would be done with a whip of leather thongs with pieces of metal or bone attached to the ends.

[22:24]  ⁹²³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ⁹²⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ⁹²⁵ tn Grk “for the thongs” (of which the lash was made). Although often translated as a dative of means (“with thongs”), referring to thongs used to tie the victim to the whipping post, BDAG 474-75 s.v. ἱμάς states that it “is better taken as a dat. of purpose for the thongs, in which case οἱ ἱμάντες = whips (Posidonius: 87 fgm. 5 Jac.; POxy. 1186, 2 τὴν διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων αἰκείαν. – Antiphanes 74, 8, Demosth. 19, 197 and Artem. 1, 70 use the sing. in this way).”

[22:25]  ⁹²⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ⁹²⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ⁹²⁸ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:25]  sn The fact that Paul was a Roman citizen protected him from being tortured to extract information; such protections were guaranteed by the Porcian and Julian law codes. In addition, the fact Paul had not been tried exempted him from punishment.

[22:26]  ⁹²⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ⁹³⁰ tn The word “this” 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.

[22:26]  ⁹³¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ⁹³² tn The word “it” 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.

[22:26]  ⁹³³ tn Or perhaps, “What do you intend to do?” Although BDAG 627 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.α lists this phrase under the category “be about to, be on the point of,” it is possible it belongs under 1.c.γ, “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; what do you intend to do?”

[22:26]  ⁹³⁴ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ⁹³⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ⁹³⁶ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ⁹³⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ⁹³⁸ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ⁹³⁹ tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28]  ⁹⁴⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ⁹⁴¹ sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.

[22:28]  ⁹⁴² tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ⁹⁴³ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  sn Paul’s reference to being born a citizen suggests he inherited his Roman citizenship from his family.

[22:28]  ⁹⁴⁴ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29]  ⁹⁴⁵ tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.

[22:29]  ⁹⁴⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ⁹⁴⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ⁹⁴⁸ tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ⁹⁵⁰ sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.

[22:30]  ⁹⁵¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ⁹⁵² tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”

[22:30]  ⁹⁵³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ⁹⁵⁴ tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30]  ⁹⁵⁵ tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.

[23:1]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:1]  ⁹⁵⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:1]  ⁹⁵⁸ tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”

[23:2]  ⁹⁵⁹ tn Grk “and” (δέ, de); the phrase “at that” has been used in the translation to clarify the cause and effect relationship.

[23:2]  ⁹⁶⁰ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.b.α has “οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ those standing near him Ac 23:2.”

[23:2]  ⁹⁶¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:2]  ⁹⁶² tn Or “hit” (‘strike’ maintains the wordplay with the following verse). The action was probably designed to indicate a rejection of Paul’s claim to a clear conscience in the previous verse.

[23:3]  ⁹⁶³ sn You whitewashed wall. This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (L&N 88.234; see also BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). Paul was claiming that the man’s response was two-faced (Ezek 13:10-16; Matt 23:27-28). See also Deut 28:22.

[23:3]  ⁹⁶⁴ tn Grk “And do.” 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.

[23:3]  ⁹⁶⁵ tn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[23:3]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn BDAG 769 s.v. παρανομέω has “παρανομῶν κελεύεις in violation of the law you order Ac 23:3.”

[23:3]  sn In violation of the law. Paul was claiming that punishment was given before the examination was complete (m. Sanhedrin 3:6-8). Luke’s noting of this detail shows how quickly the leadership moved to react against Paul.

[23:4]  ⁹⁶⁷ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[23:4]  ⁹⁶⁸ tn L&N 33.393 has for λοιδορέω (loidorew) “to speak in a highly insulting manner – ‘to slander, to insult strongly, slander, insult.’”

[23:4]  sn Insult God’s high priest. Paul was close to violation of the Mosaic law with his response, as the citation from Exod 22:28 in v. 5 makes clear.

[23:5]  ⁹⁶⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[23:5]  ⁹⁷⁰ tn Or “know.”

[23:5]  ⁹⁷¹ sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.

[23:6]  ⁹⁷² tn BDAG 200 s.v. γινώσκω 4 has “to be aware of someth., perceive, notice, realize”; this is further clarified by section 4.c: “w. ὅτι foll….Ac 23:6.”

[23:6]  ⁹⁷³ sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

[23:6]  ⁹⁷⁴ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[23:6]  ⁹⁷⁵ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:6]  ⁹⁷⁶ tn That is, concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected. Grk “concerning the hope and resurrection.” BDAG 320 s.v. ἐλπίς 1.b.α states, “Of Israel’s messianic hope Ac 23:6 (ἐ. καὶ ἀνάστασις for ἐ. τῆς ἀν. [obj. gen] as 2 Macc 3:29 ἐ. καὶ σωτηρία).” With an objective genitive construction, the resurrection of the dead would be the “object” of the hope.

[23:7]  ⁹⁷⁷ tn The participle εἰπόντος (eiponto") has been translated temporally.

[23:7]  ⁹⁷⁸ tn Or “a dispute” (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3).

[23:7]  ⁹⁷⁹ tn Grk “there came about an argument.” This has been simplified to “an argument began”

[23:8]  ⁹⁸⁰ tn BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφότεροι 2 has “all, even when more than two are involved…Φαρισαῖοι ὁμολογοῦσιν τὰ ἀ. believe in them all 23:8.” On this belief see Josephus, J. W. 2.8.14 (2.163); Ant. 18.1.3 (18.14).

[23:8]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:9]  ⁹⁸¹ tn Or “clamor” (cf. BDAG 565 s.v. κραυγή 1.a, which has “there arose a loud outcry” here, and Exod 12:30).

[23:9]  ⁹⁸² tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[23:9]  ⁹⁸³ tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:9]  ⁹⁸⁴ tn Grk “protested strongly, saying.” L&N 39.27 has “διαμάχομαι: to fight or contend with, involving severity and thoroughness – ‘to protest strongly, to contend with.’…‘some scribes from the party of the Pharisees protested strongly’ Ac 23:9.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

[23:9]  ⁹⁸⁵ sn “We find nothing wrong with this man.” Here is another declaration of innocence. These leaders recognized the possibility that Paul might have the right to make his claim.

[23:10]  ⁹⁸⁶ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ⁹⁸⁷ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[23:10]  ⁹⁸⁸ tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.

[23:10]  ⁹⁸⁹ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:10]  ⁹⁹⁰ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ⁹⁹¹ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:11]  ⁹⁹² sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.

[23:11]  ⁹⁹³ tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:11]  ⁹⁹⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:11]  ⁹⁹⁵ tn Or “Do not be afraid.”

[23:11]  ⁹⁹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:11]  ⁹⁹⁷ sn Like Jesus went to Jerusalem, Paul would now go to Rome. This trip forms the concluding backdrop to Acts. This is the second notice about going to Rome (see Acts 19:21 for the first).

[23:11]  map For location see JP4 A1.

[23:12]  ⁹⁹⁸ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ⁹⁹⁹ tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poihsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:12]  ¹⁰⁰⁰ tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean – 2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).

[23:12]  ¹⁰⁰¹ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[23:12]  ¹⁰⁰² tn The word “anything” 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.

[23:13]  ¹⁰⁰³ tn L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunwmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some institution, with the implication of an oath binding the conspirators – ‘conspiracy, plot.’ …‘there were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy’ Ac 23:13.”

[23:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁴ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁵ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁶ sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.

[23:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁷ tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.

[23:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁸ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ¹⁰⁰⁹ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ¹⁰¹⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ¹⁰¹¹ tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”

[23:15]  ¹⁰¹² tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ¹⁰¹³ tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ¹⁰¹⁴ sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.

[23:15]  ¹⁰¹⁵ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[23:16]  ¹⁰¹⁶ tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).

[23:16]  ¹⁰¹⁷ tn Grk “coming and entering…, he told.” The participles παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") and εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:16]  ¹⁰¹⁸ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:17]  ¹⁰¹⁹ tn Grk “calling…Paul said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:17]  ¹⁰²⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ¹⁰²¹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ¹⁰²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ¹⁰²³ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ¹⁰²⁴ tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:19]  ¹⁰²⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:19]  ¹⁰²⁶ tn Grk “you have,” but the expression “have to report” in English could be understood to mean “must report” rather than “possess to report.” For this reason the nearly equivalent expression “want to report,” which is not subject to misunderstanding, was used in the translation.

[23:20]  ¹⁰²⁷ tn Grk “He said.”

[23:20]  ¹⁰²⁸ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:21]  ¹⁰²⁹ tn Grk “do not be persuaded by them.” The passive construction μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς (mh peisqh" autoi") has been converted to an active construction in the translation, and the phrase “to do this” supplied to indicate more clearly the object of their persuasion.

[23:21]  ¹⁰³⁰ tn Grk “forty men of them.” In the expression ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες (ex autwn andre") “men” is somewhat redundant and has not been included in the English translation.

[23:21]  ¹⁰³¹ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ¹⁰³² tn Grk “for him, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:21]  ¹⁰³³ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone… ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.”

[23:21]  ¹⁰³⁴ tn The word “anything” 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.

[23:21]  ¹⁰³⁵ tn Grk “waiting for your approval,” “waiting for your agreement.” Since it would be possible to misunderstand the literal translation “waiting for your approval” to mean that the Jews were waiting for the commander’s approval to carry out their plot or to kill Paul (as if he were to be an accomplice to their plot), the object of the commander’s approval (their request to bring Paul to the council) has been specified in the translation as “their request.”

[23:22]  ¹⁰³⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:22]  ¹⁰³⁷ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγγέλλω has “to make an announcement about someth. that must be done, give orders, command, instruct, direct of all kinds of persons in authority, worldly rulers, Jesus, the apostles…παραγγέλλειν w. an inf. and μή comes to mean forbid to do someth.: π. τινί w. aor. inf. Lk 5:14; 8:56; without the dat., which is easily supplied fr. the context Ac 23:22.” However, if the direct discourse which follows is to be retained in the translation, a different translation must be used since it is awkward to introduce direct discourse with the verb to forbid. Thus the alternative to direct was used.

[23:22]  ¹⁰³⁸ tn On this verb, see BDAG 325-26 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 2. The term was frequently used of an official report to authorities. In modern terms, this was a police tip.

[23:23]  ¹⁰³⁹ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to the reported ambush, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[23:23]  ¹⁰⁴⁰ tn Grk “summoning…he said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:23]  ¹⁰⁴¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23]  ¹⁰⁴² 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. This was a journey of about 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[23:23]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:23]  ¹⁰⁴³ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23]  ¹⁰⁴⁴ tn A military technical term of uncertain meaning. BDAG 217 s.v. δεξιολάβος states, “a word of uncertain mng., military t.t., acc. to Joannes Lydus…and Theophyl. Sim., Hist. 4, 1 a light-armed soldier, perh. bowman, slinger; acc. to a scholion in CMatthaei p. 342 body-guard….Spearman Goodspd., NRSV; ‘security officer’, GDKilpatrick, JTS 14, ’63, 393f.”

[23:23]  sn Two hundred soldiers…along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen. The resulting force assembled to guard Paul was almost a full cohort. The Roman commander was taking no chances, but was sending the issue up the chain of command to the procurator to decide.

[23:23]  ¹⁰⁴⁵ tn Grk “from.”

[23:23]  ¹⁰⁴⁶ tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[23:24]  ¹⁰⁴⁷ tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”

[23:24]  sn Mounts for Paul to ride. The fact they were riding horses indicates they wanted everyone to move as quickly as possible.

[23:24]  ¹⁰⁴⁸ sn Felix the governor was Antonius Felix, a freedman of Antonia, mother of the Emperor Claudius. He was the brother of Pallas and became procurator of Palestine in a.d. 52/53. His administration was notorious for its corruption, cynicism, and cruelty. According to the historian Tacitus (History 5.9) Felix “reveled in cruelty and lust, and wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave.”

[23:24]  ¹⁰⁴⁹ tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:25]  ¹⁰⁵⁰ tn Grk “writing.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation, supplying “he” (referring to the commanding officer, Claudius Lysias) as subject. The participle γράψας (grayas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:25]  ¹⁰⁵¹ tn Grk “having this form,” “having this content.” L&N 33.48 has “γράψσς ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὸν τύπον τοῦτον ‘then he wrote a letter that went like this’ Ac 23:25. It is also possible to understand ἐπιστολή in Ac 23:25 not as a content or message, but as an object (see 6.63).”

[23:26]  ¹⁰⁵² tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:26]  ¹⁰⁵³ sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.

[23:27]  ¹⁰⁵⁴ tn The participle συλλημφθέντα (sullhmfqenta) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The remark reviews events of Acts 21:27-40.

[23:27]  ¹⁰⁵⁵ tn Grk “and was about to be killed by them.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:27]  ¹⁰⁵⁶ tn Or “approached.”

[23:27]  ¹⁰⁵⁷ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:27]  ¹⁰⁵⁸ tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.

[23:27]  ¹⁰⁵⁹ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[23:27]  sn The letter written by the Roman commander Claudius Lysias was somewhat self-serving. He made it sound as if the rescue of a Roman citizen had been a conscious act on his part. In fact, he had made the discovery of Paul’s Roman citizenship somewhat later. See Acts 21:37-39 and 22:24-29.

[23:28]  ¹⁰⁶⁰ tn Or “determine.”

[23:28]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn Grk “to know the charge on account of which they were accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the prepositional phrase and relative pronoun δι᾿ ἣν (di’ }hn) similar to L&N 27.8 which has “‘I wanted to find out what they were accusing him of, so I took him down to their Council’ Ac 23:28.”

[23:28]  ¹⁰⁶² tn Grk “their Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:29]  ¹⁰⁶³ tn Grk “whom I found.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been changed to a personal pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.

[23:29]  ¹⁰⁶⁴ tn 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. – In 23:29, since περί had already been used, the subj. of the discussion is added in the gen. ζ. τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν.”

[23:29]  sn With reference to controversial questions. Note how the “neutral” Roman authorities saw the issue. This was a religious rather than a civil dispute. See Acts 18:15.

[23:29]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ tn Grk “but having no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.” BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 has “legal t.t.…ἔ. ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν a charge deserving death or imprisonment 23:29.”

[23:29]  sn Despite the official assessment that no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment, there was no effort to release Paul.

[23:30]  ¹⁰⁶⁶ tn Grk “It being revealed to me.” The participle μηνυθείσης (mhnuqeish") has been taken temporally.

[23:30]  ¹⁰⁶⁷ tn The term translated “plot” here is a different one than the one in Acts 23:16 (see BDAG 368 s.v. ἐπιβουλή).

[23:30]  ¹⁰⁶⁸ tn Grk “the things against him.” This could be rendered as “accusations,” “grievances,” or “charges,” but since “ordered his accusers to state their accusations” sounds redundant in English, “charges” was used instead.

[23:31]  ¹⁰⁶⁹ tn BDAG 237-38 s.v. διατάσσω 2 has “κατὰ τὸ δ. αὐτοῖς in accordance w. their orders…Ac 23:31.”

[23:31]  ¹⁰⁷⁰ tn Grk “taking.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:31]  ¹⁰⁷¹ sn Antipatris was a city in Judea about 35 mi (55 km) northwest of Jerusalem (about halfway to Caesarea). It was mentioned several times by Josephus (Ant. 13.15.1 [13.390]; J. W. 1.4.7 [1.99]).

[23:32]  ¹⁰⁷² tn Grk “letting.” The participle ἐάσαντες (easante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:32]  ¹⁰⁷³ tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:32]  ¹⁰⁷⁴ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:33]  ¹⁰⁷⁵ tn Grk “who, coming to Caesarea.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was begun here in the translation. The relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced with the referent (the horsemen) in the translation for clarity.

[23:33]  ¹⁰⁷⁶ 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. It was about 30 mi (50 km) from Antipatris.

[23:33]  ¹⁰⁷⁷ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.b has “present, represent – α. lit. τινά τινι someone to someone παρέστησαν τὸν Παῦλον αὐτῷ Ac 23:33.”

[23:34]  ¹⁰⁷⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:34]  ¹⁰⁷⁹ tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnou") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ¹⁰⁸⁰ tn The words “the letter” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:34]  ¹⁰⁸¹ tn Grk “and asking.” The participle ἐπερωτήσας (eperwthsa") has been translated as a finite verb and καί (kai) left untranslated due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ¹⁰⁸² sn Governor Felix asked what province he was from to determine whether he had legal jurisdiction over Paul. He could have sent him to his home province for trial, but decided to hear the case himself.

[23:34]  ¹⁰⁸³ tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puqomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ¹⁰⁸⁴ sn Cilicia was a province in northeastern Asia Minor.

[23:35]  ¹⁰⁸⁵ tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter – ‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”

[23:35]  ¹⁰⁸⁶ tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.

[23:35]  ¹⁰⁸⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ¹⁰⁸⁸ sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.

[24:1]  ¹⁰⁸⁹ sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

[24:1]  ¹⁰⁹⁰ tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

[24:1]  ¹⁰⁹¹ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

[24:1]  ¹⁰⁹² tn Grk “who” (plural). Because in English the relative pronoun “who” could be understood to refer only to the attorney Tertullus and not to the entire group, it has been replaced with the third person plural pronoun “they.” “And” has been supplied to provide the connection to the preceding clause.

[24:1]  ¹⁰⁹³ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁵ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁶ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁷ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁸ tn This term is used only once in the NT (a hapax legomenon). It refers to improvements in internal administration (BDAG 251 s.v. διόρθωμα).

[24:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁹ tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ¹¹⁰⁰ sn References to peaceful rule, reforms, and the governor’s foresight in the opening address by Tertullus represent an attempt to praise the governor and thus make him favorable to the case. Actual descriptions of his rule portray him as inept (Tacitus, Annals 12.54; Josephus, J. W. 2.13.2-7 [2.253-270]).

[24:3]  ¹¹⁰¹ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ¹¹⁰² tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ¹¹⁰³ tn Or “with complete thankfulness.” BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχαριστία 1 has “μετὰ πάσης εὐ.…with all gratitude Ac 24:3.” L&N 31.26 has “‘we acknowledge this anywhere and everywhere with complete thankfulness’ Ac 24:3.”

[24:4]  ¹¹⁰⁴ tn Or “may not weary.” BDAG 274 s.v. ἐγκόπτω states, “ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖόν σε ἐγκόπτω Ac 24:4 is understood by Syr. and Armen. versions to mean in order not to weary you any further; cp. ἔγκοπος weary Diog. L. 4, 50; LXX; and ἔγκοπον ποιεῖν to weary Job 19:2; Is 43:23. But impose on is also prob.; detain NRSV.”

[24:4]  ¹¹⁰⁵ tn Or “request.”

[24:4]  ¹¹⁰⁶ tn This term is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 976 s.v. συντόμως 2). Tertullus was asking for a brief hearing, and implying to the governor that he would speak briefly and to the point.

[24:4]  ¹¹⁰⁷ tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

[24:5]  ¹¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “For having found.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:5]  ¹¹⁰⁹ tn L&N 22.6 has “(a figurative extension of meaning of λοιμός ‘plague,’ 23.158) one who causes all sorts of trouble – ‘troublemaker, pest.’ … ‘for we have found this man to be a troublemaker” Ac 24:5.”

[24:5]  ¹¹¹⁰ tn Or “dissensions.” While BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3 translates this phrase “κινεῖν στάσεις (v.l. στάσιν) τισί create dissension among certain people Ac 24:5,” it is better on the basis of the actual results of Paul’s ministry to categorize this usage under section 2, “uprising, riot, revolt, rebellion” (cf. the use in Acts 19:40).

[24:5]  ¹¹¹¹ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  sn A ringleader. Tertullus’ basic argument was that Paul was a major disturber of the public peace. To ignore this the governor would be shunning his duty to preserve the peace and going against the pattern of his rule. In effect, Tertullus claimed that Paul was seditious (a claim the governor could not afford to ignore).

[24:5]  ¹¹¹² sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[24:6]  ¹¹¹³ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[24:6]  ¹¹¹⁴ tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

[24:6]  ¹¹¹⁵ tn Or “seized.” Grk “whom also we arrested.” Because of the awkwardness of a relative clause in English at this point, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the pronoun “him” as object of the verb.

[24:7]  ¹¹¹⁶ tc Some later mss include some material at the end of v. 6, all of 24:7, and some material at the beginning of v. 8: “and we wanted to judge him according to our law. 24:7 But Lysias the commanding officer came and took him out of our hands with a great deal of violence, 24:8 ordering those who accused him to come before you.” Acts 24:6b, 7, and 8a are lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B H L P 049 81 1175 1241 pm and a few versional witnesses. They are included (with a few minor variations) in E Ψ 33 323 614 945 1505 1739 pm and a few versional witnesses. This verse (and parts of verses) is most likely not a part of the original text of Acts, for not only is it lacking from the better witnesses, there is no easy explanation as to how such could be missing from them. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[24:8]  ¹¹¹⁷ tn Or “question.”

[24:8]  ¹¹¹⁸ tn Grk “From whom when you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.

[24:8]  ¹¹¹⁹ tn Grk “about all these things of which we are accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“of which”) in the translation.

[24:9]  ¹¹²⁰ tn Grk “joined in the attack,” but the adjective “verbal” has been supplied to clarify that this was not another physical assault on Paul. The verb is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 969 s.v. συνεπιτίθημι).

[24:9]  ¹¹²¹ tn Or “asserting” (BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσκω).

[24:10]  ¹¹²² tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[24:10]  ¹¹²³ sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.

[24:11]  ¹¹²⁴ tn BDAG 369 s.v. ἐπιγινώσκω 2.c has “notice, perceive, learn of, ascertain…Also as legal t.t. ascertain (2 Macc 14:9) τὶ Ac 23:28; cp. 24:8. W. ὅτι foll. Ac 24:11.” “Verify” is an English synonym for “ascertain.”

[24:11]  ¹¹²⁵ tn Grk “it is not more than twelve days from when.” This has been simplified to “not more than twelve days ago.”

[24:11]  sn Part of Paul’s defense is that he would not have had time to organize a revolt, since he had arrived in Jerusalem not more than twelve days ago.

[24:11]  ¹¹²⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:12]  ¹¹²⁷ tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”

[24:12]  ¹¹²⁸ tn BDAG 381 s.v. ἐπίστασις 2 has “ἐ. ποιεῖν ὄχλου to cause a crowd to gather Ac 24:12.” Roman authorities would not allow a mob to gather and threaten the peace, and anyone suspected of instigating a mob would certainly be arrested.

[24:12]  ¹¹²⁹ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[24:12]  ¹¹³⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[24:12]  ¹¹³¹ sn A second part of Paul’s defense is that he did nothing while he was in Jerusalem to cause unrest, neither arguing nor stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city.

[24:13]  ¹¹³² tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.f has “οὐδὲ παραστῆσαι δύνανταί σοι περὶ ὧν νυνὶ κατηγοροῦσίν μου nor can they prove to you the accusations they are now making against me Ac 24:13.”

[24:13]  sn Nor can they prove. This is a formal legal claim that Paul’s opponents lacked proof of any wrongdoing. They had no witness who could justify the arrest at the temple.

[24:13]  ¹¹³³ tn The words “the things” 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.

[24:13]  ¹¹³⁴ tn Grk “nor can they prove to you [the things] about which they are now accusing me.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“which”) in the translation.

[24:14]  ¹¹³⁵ tn Or “serve.”

[24:14]  ¹¹³⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[24:14]  ¹¹³⁷ sn That is, the law of Moses. Paul was claiming that he legitimately worshiped the God of Israel. He was arguing that this amounted to a religious dispute rather than a political one, so that the Roman authorities need not concern themselves with it.

[24:15]  ¹¹³⁸ tn Grk “having.” The participle ἔχων (ecwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.

[24:15]  ¹¹³⁹ sn This mention of Paul’s hope sets up his appeal to the resurrection of the dead. At this point Paul was ignoring the internal Jewish dispute between the Pharisees (to which he had belonged) and the Sadducees (who denied there would be a resurrection of the dead).

[24:15]  ¹¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “a hope in God (which these [men] themselves accept too).” Because the antecedent of the relative pronoun “which” is somewhat unclear in English, the words “a hope” have been repeated at the beginning of the parenthesis for clarity.

[24:15]  ¹¹⁴¹ tn Grk “that they”; the referent (these men, Paul’s accusers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:15]  ¹¹⁴² tn Or “the unjust.”

[24:15]  sn This is the only mention of the resurrection of the unrighteous in Acts. The idea parallels the idea of Jesus as the judge of both the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:31).

[24:16]  ¹¹⁴³ tn BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 9.a, “ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν this is the reason why we believe Jn 16:30; cp. Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ¹¹⁴⁴ tn BDAG 224 s.v. διά 2.a, “διὰ παντός…always, continually, constantly…Ac 2:25 (Ps 15:8); 10:2; 24:16.” However, the positioning of the adverb “always” in the English translation is difficult; the position used is one of the least awkward.

[24:16]  ¹¹⁴⁵ tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “ἀ. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ¹¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).

[24:17]  ¹¹⁴⁷ tn BDAG 401 s.v. ἔτος has “δι᾿ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”

[24:17]  ¹¹⁴⁸ tn Grk “to bring alms,” but the term “alms” is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “gifts for the poor,” is used instead.

[24:17]  ¹¹⁴⁹ tn Or “sacrifices.” BDAG 887 s.v. προσφορά 1 has “προσφοράς ποιεῖν have sacrifices made Ac 24:17,” but this may be overly specific. It is not clear from the immediate context whether the offering of sacrificial animals (so BDAG assumes) or offerings of some other sort (such as financial gifts) are in view. The combination with ἐλεημοσύνας (elehmosuna") in the preceding clause may suggest monetary offerings. Some have suggested this is an allusion to the payments made by Paul on behalf of the four other men mentioned in Acts 21:23-26, but the text here seems to suggest something Paul had planned to do before he came, while the decision to pay for the expenses of the men in 21:23ff. was made at the suggestion of the Jerusalem leadership after he arrived. In either case, Paul was portraying himself as a pious worshiper of his God.

[24:18]  ¹¹⁵⁰ sn Ritually purified. Paul’s claim here is that he was honoring the holiness of God by being sensitive to issues of ritual purity. Not only was he not guilty of the charges against him, but he was thoroughly devout.

[24:18]  ¹¹⁵¹ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος 3.b has “μετὰ θορύβου…with a disturbance Ac 24:18.”

[24:19]  ¹¹⁵² 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.

[24:19]  ¹¹⁵³ 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 (kathgorew), “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.’”

[24:19]  sn Who should be here…and bring charges. Paul was asking, where were those who brought about his arrest and claimed he broke the law? His accusers were not really present. This subtle point raised the issue of injustice.

[24:20]  ¹¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “these [men] themselves.”

[24:20]  ¹¹⁵⁵ tn Or “unrighteous act.”

[24:20]  ¹¹⁵⁶ tn The words “me guilty of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. L&N 88.23 has “αὐτοὶ οὗτοι εἰπάτωσαν τί εὗρον ἀδίκημα στάντος μου ‘let these men themselves tell what unrighteous act they found me guilty of’ Ac 24:20.”

[24:20]  ¹¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[24:21]  ¹¹⁵⁸ tn BDAG 433 s.v. ἤ 2.c has “οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἤ nothing else than…Ac 17:21. τί…ἤ what other…than…24:21.”

[24:21]  ¹¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “one utterance.”

[24:21]  ¹¹⁶⁰ tn Cf. BDAG 327 s.v. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”

[24:21]  ¹¹⁶¹ sn The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?

[24:22]  ¹¹⁶² sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ¹¹⁶³ tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ¹¹⁶⁴ tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ¹¹⁶⁵ tn BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκριβῶς has “Comp. ἀκριβέστερον more exactly…ἀ. ἐκτίθεσθαι explain more exactly Ac 18:26, cp. 23:15, 20; also more accurately…24:22.” Felix knew more about the Christian movement than what the Jewish leaders had told him.

[24:22]  ¹¹⁶⁶ tn L&N 56.18 s.v. ἀναβάλλω has “to adjourn a court proceeding until a later time – ‘to adjourn a hearing, to stop a hearing and put it off until later.’…‘then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned their hearing’ Ac 24:22.”

[24:22]  ¹¹⁶⁷ tn BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω 2 states, “to make a judicial decision, decide/hear (a case)…τὰ καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς decide your case Ac 24:22.”

[24:23]  ¹¹⁶⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[24:23]  ¹¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “that he was to be guarded.” The passive construction (τηρεῖσθαι, threisqai) has been converted to an active one in parallel with the following clauses, and the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:23]  ¹¹⁷⁰ tn BDAG 77 s.v. ἄνεσις 1 states, “lit. relaxation of custodial control, some liberty, ἀ. ἔχειν have some freedom Ac 24:23.”

[24:23]  ¹¹⁷¹ tn Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).

[24:23]  ¹¹⁷² tn Grk “from serving him.”

[24:24]  ¹¹⁷³ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ¹¹⁷⁴ sn It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, Ant. 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141-144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.

[24:24]  ¹¹⁷⁵ tn The word “speak” is implied; BDAG 32 s.v. ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς…πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”

[24:24]  ¹¹⁷⁶ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ¹¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ¹¹⁷⁸ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ¹¹⁷⁹ tn Grk “and self-control.” 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.

[24:25]  sn The topic of self-control was appropriate in view of the personal history of both Felix and Drusilla (see the note on “Drusilla” in the previous verse), and might well account for Felix’s anxiety.

[24:25]  ¹¹⁸⁰ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ¹¹⁸¹ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ¹¹⁸² tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”

[24:26]  ¹¹⁸³ tn Grk “he was hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.” To simplify the translation, the passive construction has been converted to an active one.

[24:26]  sn Would give him money. That is, would offer him a bribe in exchange for his release. Such practices were fairly common among Roman officials of the period (Josephus, Ant. 2.12.3 [2.272-274]).

[24:26]  ¹¹⁸⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:26]  ¹¹⁸⁵ tn “As often as possible” reflects the comparative form of the adjective πυκνός (puknos); see BDAG 897 s.v. πυκνός, which has “Neut. of the comp. πυκνότερον as adv. more often, more frequently and in an elative sense very often, quite frequently…also as often as possible…Ac 24:26.”

[24:26]  ¹¹⁸⁶ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

[24:27]  ¹¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ¹¹⁸⁸ sn Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in a.d. 57 or 58, and Festus was appointed to his vacant office in a.d. 57, 58, or 59. According to Josephus (Ant. 20.8.9-10 [20.182-188]; J. W. 2.14.1 [2.271-272]), his administration was better than that of his predecessor Felix or his successor Albinus, but Luke in Acts portrays him in a less favorable light: He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (v. 9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence. The one characteristic for which Festus was noted is that he dealt harshly with those who disturbed the peace.

[24:27]  ¹¹⁸⁹ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:27]  ¹¹⁹⁰ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[24:27]  sn Felix left Paul in prison. Luke makes the point that politics got in the way of justice here; keeping Paul in prison was a political favor to the Jews.

[25:1]  ¹¹⁹¹ tn BDAG 736-37 s.v. οὖν 2.b states, “οὖν serves to indicate a transition to someth. new…now, then, well…Ac 25:1.”

[25:1]  ¹¹⁹² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:1]  ¹¹⁹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:1]  ¹¹⁹⁴ 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. This was a journey of 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[25:1]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:2]  ¹¹⁹⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁹⁶ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[25:2]  sn Note how quickly the Jewish leadership went after Paul: They brought formal charges against him within three days of Festus’ arrival in the province.

[25:3]  ¹¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “Requesting a favor against him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation, the understood direct object of “requesting” has been supplied, and the phrase “to do them” supplied for clarity.

[25:3]  ¹¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The words “they urged him” are in v. 2 in the Greek text.

[25:3]  ¹¹⁹⁹ sn Planning an ambush. The Jewish leadership had not forgotten the original plan of several years ago (see 23:16). They did not trust the Roman legal process, but preferred to take matters into their own hands.

[25:4]  ¹²⁰⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:4]  ¹²⁰¹ 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.

[25:4]  ¹²⁰² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[25:5]  ¹²⁰³ tn Grk “let those who are influential among you” (i.e., the powerful).

[25:5]  ¹²⁰⁴ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[25:5]  ¹²⁰⁵ tn Grk “and if there is anything wrong with this man,” but this could be misunderstood in English to mean a moral or physical defect, while the issue in context is the commission of some crime, something legally improper (BDAG 149 s.v. ἄτοπος 2).

[25:5]  ¹²⁰⁶ 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.”

[25:6]  ¹²⁰⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:6]  ¹²⁰⁸ tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.

[25:6]  ¹²⁰⁹ 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.

[25:6]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:6]  ¹²¹⁰ tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:6]  ¹²¹¹ 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 bhma was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:6]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:7]  ¹²¹² tn BDAG 801 s.v. περιίστημι 1.a has “περιέστησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι the Judeans stood around him 25:7.”

[25:7]  ¹²¹³ tn Grk “many and serious.” The term βαρύς (barus) refers to weighty or serious charges (BDAG 167 s.v. 1).

[25:7]  ¹²¹⁴ tn The term ἀποδείκνυμι (apodeiknumi) in a legal context refers to legal proof (4 Macc 1:8; BDAG 108 s.v. 3).

[25:8]  ¹²¹⁵ tn Grk “Paul saying in his defense”; the participle ἀπολογουμένου (apologoumenou) could be taken temporally (“when Paul said…”), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle was translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation. BDAG 116-17 s.v. ἀπολογέομαι has “W. ὅτι foll. τοῦ Παύλου ἀπολογουμένου, ὅτι when Paul said in his defense (direct quot. foll.) Ac 25:8.”

[25:8]  ¹²¹⁶ tn Grk “I have sinned…in nothing.”

[25:8]  ¹²¹⁷ tn Grk “against the law of the Jews.” Here τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[25:8]  sn The Jewish law refers to the law of Moses.

[25:8]  ¹²¹⁸ tn Or “against the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:8]  sn Paul’s threefold claim to be innocent with respect to the law…the temple and Caesar argues that he has not disturbed the peace at any level. This was the standard charge made against early Christians (Luke 23:2; Acts 17:6-7). The charges here are emphatically denied, with the Greek conjunction oute repeated before each charge.

[25:9]  ¹²¹⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ¹²²⁰ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ¹²²¹ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:10]  ¹²²² tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ¹²²³ tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ¹²²⁴ 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. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.

[25:10]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:10]  ¹²²⁵ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ¹²²⁶ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ¹²²⁷ tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”

[25:11]  ¹²²⁸ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ¹²²⁹ tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11]  ¹²³⁰ tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11]  ¹²³¹ sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11]  ¹²³² tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:11]  sn The appeal to Caesar was known as the provocatio ad Caesarem. It was a Roman citizen’s right to ask for a direct judgment by the emperor (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96). It was one of the oldest rights of Roman citizens.

[25:12]  ¹²³³ tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12]  ¹²³⁴ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12]  ¹²³⁵ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ¹²³⁶ tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12]  ¹²³⁷ sn “To Caesar you will go!” In all probability Festus was pleased to send Paul on to Rome and get this political problem out of his court.

[25:13]  ¹²³⁸ 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]  ¹²³⁹ 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]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:13]  ¹²⁴⁰ tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

[25:13]  ¹²⁴¹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ¹²⁴² tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b states, “w. pres. or impf. while, when, as long as…Ac 1:10; 7:23; 9:23; 10:17; 13:25; 19:9; 21:27; 25:14.”

[25:14]  ¹²⁴³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ¹²⁴⁴ tn Grk “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king for consideration.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατίθημι 2 states, “otherw. only mid. to lay someth. before someone for consideration, declare, communicate, refer w. the added idea that the pers. to whom a thing is ref. is asked for his opinion lay someth. before someone for consideration…Ac 25:14.”

[25:15]  ¹²⁴⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:15]  ¹²⁴⁶ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “to convey a formal report about a judicial matter, present evidence, bring charges…ἐ. περί τινος concerning someone 25:15.”

[25:15]  ¹²⁴⁷ tn Grk “about whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 15 (where the phrase περὶ οὗ [peri Jou] occurs in the Greek text).

[25:15]  ¹²⁴⁸ tn BDAG 516 s.v. καταδίκη states, “condemnation, sentence of condemnation, conviction, guilty verdict…αἰτεῖσθαι κατά τινος κ. ask for a conviction of someone Ac 25:15.”

[25:16]  ¹²⁴⁹ tn Grk “to whom I answered.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 16.

[25:16]  sn “I answered them.” In the answer that follows, Festus is portrayed in a more positive light, being sensitive to justice and Roman law.

[25:16]  ¹²⁵⁰ tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).

[25:16]  ¹²⁵¹ tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”

[25:16]  ¹²⁵² tn Grk “and receives.”

[25:16]  ¹²⁵³ tn Or “indictment” (a legal technical term). BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 states, “legal t.t.…ἀπολογία περὶ τοῦ ἐ. defense against the accusation Ac 25:16.” L&N 56.6 defines ἔγκλημα (enklhma) as “(a technical, legal term) a formal indictment or accusation brought against someone – ‘indictment, accusation, case.’ …‘and might receive an opportunity for a defense against the indictment’ Ac 25:16.”

[25:17]  ¹²⁵⁴ 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]  ¹²⁵⁵ 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]  ¹²⁵⁶ 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]  ¹²⁵⁷ 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.

[25:17]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:18]  ¹²⁵⁸ tn Grk “they brought no charge of any of the evil deeds.” BDAG 31 s.v. αἰτία 3.b has “αἰτίαν φέρειν…bring an accusation Ac 25:18.” Since κατήγοροι (kathgoroi, “accusers”) in the previous clause is somewhat redundant with this, “charge” was used instead.

[25:18]  ¹²⁵⁹ tn Or “I was expecting.”

[25:19]  ¹²⁶⁰ 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.”

[25:19]  ¹²⁶¹ tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.

[25:19]  sn About their own religion. Festus made it clear that in his view as a neutral figure (and as one Luke had noted was disposed to help the Jews), he saw no guilt in Paul. The issue was a simple religious dispute.

[25:19]  ¹²⁶² tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”

[25:19]  ¹²⁶³ tn Or “asserted.”

[25:20]  ¹²⁶⁴ tn Or “Because I was undecided.” Grk “Being at a loss.” The participle ἀπορούμενος (aporoumeno") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[25:20]  ¹²⁶⁵ tn L&N 27.34 states, “ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτων ζήτησιν ‘I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters’ Ac 25:20. The clause ‘about how I could get information on these matters’ may also be rendered as ‘about how I should try to find out about these matters’ or ‘about how I could learn about these matters.’”

[25:20]  ¹²⁶⁶ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:20]  ¹²⁶⁷ tn Grk “on these things.”

[25:21]  ¹²⁶⁸ tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).” It was a translation into Greek of the Latin “Augustus.”

[25:21]  ¹²⁶⁹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:22]  ¹²⁷⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:22]  ¹²⁷¹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ¹²⁷² tn Grk “said.”

[25:23]  ¹²⁷³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:23]  ¹²⁷⁴ tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

[25:23]  sn Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp. The “royals” were getting their look at Paul. Everyone who was anyone would have been there.

[25:23]  ¹²⁷⁵ tn Or “auditorium.” “Auditorium” may suggest to the modern English reader a theater where performances are held. Here it is the large hall where a king or governor would hold audiences. Paul once spoke of himself as a “spectacle” to the world (1 Cor 4:8-13).

[25:23]  ¹²⁷⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarchs” (officers in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[25:23]  ¹²⁷⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:23]  ¹²⁷⁸ tn Grk “and Festus ordering, Paul was brought in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated. The participle κελεύσαντος (keleusanto") has been taken temporally.

[25:24]  ¹²⁷⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:24]  ¹²⁸⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:24]  ¹²⁸¹ tn Probably best understood as rhetorical hyperbole. BDAG 825 s.v. πλῆθος 2.b.γ states, “people, populace, population…τὸ πλῆθος the populace…ἅπαν τὸ πλ. τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων Ac 25:24.” However, the actions of the leadership are seen by Luke as representing the actions of the entire nation, so the remark is not inaccurate.

[25:24]  ¹²⁸² tn Or “appealed to” (BDAG 341 s.v. ἐντυγχάνω 1.a).

[25:24]  ¹²⁸³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:24]  ¹²⁸⁴ sn Here means “here in Caesarea.”

[25:24]  ¹²⁸⁵ tn Or “screaming.”

[25:25]  ¹²⁸⁶ sn He had done nothing that deserved death. Festus’ opinion of Paul’s guilt is like Pilate’s of Jesus (Luke 23:4, 14, 22).

[25:25]  ¹²⁸⁷ tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”

[25:25]  ¹²⁸⁸ tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).”

[25:25]  ¹²⁸⁹ 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.

[25:26]  ¹²⁹⁰ sn There is irony here. How can Festus write anything definite about Paul, if he is guilty of nothing.

[25:26]  ¹²⁹¹ sn To my lord means “to His Majesty the Emperor.”

[25:26]  ¹²⁹² tn Grk “about whom I have nothing definite…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 26.

[25:26]  ¹²⁹³ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:26]  ¹²⁹⁴ tn Or “investigation.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνάκρισις has “a judicial hearing, investigation, hearing, esp. preliminary hearing…τῆς ἀ. γενομένης Ac 25:26.” This is technical legal language.

[25:27]  ¹²⁹⁵ tn L&N 33.153 s.v. σημαίνω, “to cause something to be both specific and clear – ‘to indicate clearly, to make clear’… ‘for it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him’ Ac 25:27.”

[25:27]  sn Without clearly indicating the charges against him. Again the point is made by Festus himself that there is difficulty even in articulating a charge against Paul.

[26:1]  ¹²⁹⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ¹²⁹⁷ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ¹²⁹⁸ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ¹²⁹⁹ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[26:2]  ¹³⁰⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:3]  ¹³⁰¹ tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ¹³⁰² 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]  ¹³⁰³ 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]  ¹³⁰⁴ tn Grk “my manner of life.”

[26:4]  ¹³⁰⁵ tn Or “nation.”

[26:4]  ¹³⁰⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:5]  ¹³⁰⁷ 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]  ¹³⁰⁸ tn Grk “having known me from time past.” The participle προγινώσκοντες (proginwskonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[26:5]  ¹³⁰⁹ 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]  ¹³¹⁰ 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]  ¹³¹¹ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[26:6]  ¹³¹² 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]  ¹³¹³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[26:7]  ¹³¹⁴ 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]  ¹³¹⁵ 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]  ¹³¹⁶ 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]  ¹³¹⁷ tn Grk “O King!”

[26:8]  ¹³¹⁸ 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]  ¹³¹⁹ 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]  ¹³²⁰ 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]  ¹³²¹ tn Grk “if.” The first-class conditional construction, which assumes reality for the sake of argument, has been translated as indirect discourse.

[26:9]  ¹³²² 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]  ¹³²³ 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]  ¹³²⁴ tn Grk “by receiving authority.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been taken instrumentally.

[26:10]  ¹³²⁵ 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]  ¹³²⁶ 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]  ¹³²⁷ 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]  ¹³²⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ¹³²⁹ 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]  ¹³³⁰ 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]  ¹³³¹ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”

[26:12]  ¹³³² 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]  ¹³³³ tn Grk “going.” The participle πορευόμενος (poreuomenos) has been taken temporally.

[26:12]  ¹³³⁴ 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]  ¹³³⁵ tn Grk “O King.”

[26:13]  ¹³³⁶ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[26:13]  ¹³³⁷ 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]  ¹³³⁸ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

[26:14]  ¹³³⁹ tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

[26:14]  ¹³⁴⁰ tn “Goads” are pointed sticks used to direct a draft animal (an idiom for stubborn resistance). See BDAG 539-40 s.v. κέντρον 2.

[26:14]  sn Sayings which contain the imagery used here (kicking against the goads) were also found in Greek writings; see Pindar, Pythians 2.94-96; Euripides, Bacchae 795.

[26:15]  ¹³⁴¹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:16]  ¹³⁴² tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

[26:16]  ¹³⁴³ 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]  ¹³⁴⁴ 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]  ¹³⁴⁵ 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]  ¹³⁴⁶ 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]  ¹³⁴⁷ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ¹³⁴⁸ 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]  ¹³⁴⁹ 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]  ¹³⁵⁰ 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]  ¹³⁵¹ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[26:19]  ¹³⁵² sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:19]  ¹³⁵³ 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]  ¹³⁵⁴ 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]  ¹³⁵⁵ 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]  ¹³⁵⁶ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ¹³⁵⁷ 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]  ¹³⁵⁸ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[26:22]  ¹³⁵⁹ 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]  ¹³⁶⁰ 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]  ¹³⁶¹ sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.

[26:23]  ¹³⁶² 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]  ¹³⁶³ tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:23]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[26:23]  ¹³⁶⁴ tn That is, to the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the word “our” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:23]  ¹³⁶⁵ 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]  ¹³⁶⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ¹³⁶⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ¹³⁶⁸ 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.”

[26:24]  sn The expression “You have lost your mind” would be said to someone who speaks incredible things, in the opinion of the hearer. Paul’s mention of the resurrection (v. 23) was probably what prompted Festus to say this.

[26:25]  ¹³⁶⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ¹³⁷⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ¹³⁷¹ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ¹³⁷² 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]  ¹³⁷³ 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]  ¹³⁷⁴ 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]  ¹³⁷⁵ 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]  ¹³⁷⁶ 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]  ¹³⁷⁷ 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]  ¹³⁷⁸ 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]  ¹³⁷⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ¹³⁸⁰ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ¹³⁸¹ 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.

[26:28]  sn The question “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” was probably a ploy on Agrippa’s part to deflect Paul from his call for a decision. Note also how the tables have turned: Agrippa was brought in to hear Paul’s defense, and now ends up defending himself. The questioner is now being questioned.

[26:29]  ¹³⁸² 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]  ¹³⁸³ 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]  ¹³⁸⁴ tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ¹³⁸⁵ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:31]  sn Not doing anything deserving death… Here is yet another declaration of Paul’s innocence, but still no release. The portrayal shows how unjust Paul’s confinement was.

[26:32]  ¹³⁸⁶ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ¹³⁸⁷ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ¹³⁸⁸ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ¹³⁸⁹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[26:32]  sn If he had not appealed to Caesar. Ultimately Agrippa and Festus blamed what Paul himself had done in appealing to Caesar for his own continued custody. In terms of Luke’s narrative, this still appears unjust and a denial of responsibility.

[27:1]  ¹³⁹⁰ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ¹³⁹¹ 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]  ¹³⁹² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ¹³⁹³ 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.

[27:1]  sn The Augustan Cohort. A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion. There is considerable debate over the identification of this particular cohort and the meaning of the title Augustan mentioned here. These may well have been auxiliary (provincial) troops given the honorary title.

[27:2]  ¹³⁹⁴ 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]  ¹³⁹⁵ sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2]  ¹³⁹⁶ tn Grk “places.”

[27:2]  ¹³⁹⁷ 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]  ¹³⁹⁸ 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]  sn Although not explicitly stated, the ship put out to sea from the port of Caesarea (where the previous events had taken place (cf. 25:13) and then sailed along the Asiatic coast (the first stop was Sidon, v. 3).

[27:2]  ¹³⁹⁹ sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2]  ¹⁴⁰⁰ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3]  ¹⁴⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁴⁰² sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[27:3]  ¹⁴⁰³ tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  sn Treating Paul kindly. Paul’s treatment followed the pattern of the earlier imprisonment (cf. Acts 24:23).

[27:3]  ¹⁴⁰⁴ tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4]  ¹⁴⁰⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁰⁶ 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]  ¹⁴⁰⁷ 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]  ¹⁴⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁴⁰⁹ 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]  ¹⁴¹⁰ 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]  ¹⁴¹¹ sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6]  ¹⁴¹² sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6]  ¹⁴¹³ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6]  ¹⁴¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁴¹⁵ tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7]  ¹⁴¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁴¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁴¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁴¹⁹ 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]  ¹⁴²⁰ 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]  ¹⁴²¹ tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8]  ¹⁴²² sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9]  ¹⁴²³ tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9]  ¹⁴²⁴ 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]  ¹⁴²⁵ 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]  ¹⁴²⁶ 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.

[27:9]  sn Paul advised them. A literary theme surfaces here: Though Paul is under arrest, he will be the one to guide them all through the dangers of the storm and shipwreck, showing clearly God’s presence and protection of him. The story is told in great detail. This literary effect of slowing down the passage of time and narrating with many details serves to add a sense of drama to the events described.

[27:10]  ¹⁴²⁷ tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10]  ¹⁴²⁸ 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]  ¹⁴²⁹ tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11]  ¹⁴³⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11]  ¹⁴³¹ tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11]  ¹⁴³² 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]  ¹⁴³³ tn Grk “than by what was said by Paul.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[27:11]  sn More convinced by the captain and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. The position taken by the centurion was logical, since he was following “professional” advice. But this was not a normal voyage.

[27:12]  ¹⁴³⁴ 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]  ¹⁴³⁵ 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]  ¹⁴³⁶ 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]  ¹⁴³⁷ 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]  ¹⁴³⁸ 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]  ¹⁴³⁹ tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13]  ¹⁴⁴⁰ tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13]  ¹⁴⁴¹ 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]  ¹⁴⁴² tn Or “departed.”

[27:13]  ¹⁴⁴³ 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]  ¹⁴⁴⁴ 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]  ¹⁴⁴⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁴⁶ tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15]  ¹⁴⁴⁷ 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]  ¹⁴⁴⁸ 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]  ¹⁴⁴⁹ 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]  ¹⁴⁵⁰ 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]  ¹⁴⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁴⁵² 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]  ¹⁴⁵³ tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ¹⁴⁵⁴ tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ¹⁴⁵⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁴⁵⁷ tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  sn On the Syrtis. The Syrtis was the name of two gulfs on the North African coast (modern Libya), feared greatly by sailors because of their shifting sandbars and treacherous shallows. The Syrtis here is the so-called Great Syrtis, toward Cyrenaica. It had a horrible reputation as a sailors’ graveyard (Pliny, Natural History 5.26). Josephus (J. W. 2.16.4 [2.381]) says the name alone struck terror in those who heard it. It was near the famous Scylla and Charybdis mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey.

[27:17]  ¹⁴⁵⁸ 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]  ¹⁴⁵⁹ tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18]  ¹⁴⁶⁰ 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.

[27:18]  sn The desperation of the sailors in throwing the cargo overboard is reminiscent of Jonah 1:5. At this point they were only concerned with saving themselves.

[27:19]  ¹⁴⁶¹ 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]  ¹⁴⁶² tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ¹⁴⁶³ 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]  ¹⁴⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁴⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁶⁶ tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21]  ¹⁴⁶⁷ 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]  ¹⁴⁶⁸ 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]  sn By saying “you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete” Paul was not “rubbing it in,” but was reasserting his credibility before giving his next recommendation.

[27:21]  ¹⁴⁶⁹ 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]  ¹⁴⁷⁰ tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22]  ¹⁴⁷¹ tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22]  ¹⁴⁷² 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.

[27:22]  sn The “prophecy” about the ship serves to underscore Paul’s credibility as an agent of God. Paul addressed his audience carefully and drew attention to the sovereign knowledge of God.

[27:23]  ¹⁴⁷³ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ¹⁴⁷⁴ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ¹⁴⁷⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁷⁶ 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]  ¹⁴⁷⁷ 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]  ¹⁴⁷⁸ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ¹⁴⁷⁹ 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.

[27:24]  sn The safety of all who are sailing with you. In a sense, Paul’s presence protects them all. For Luke, it serves as a picture of what the gospel does through Christ and through the one who brings the message.

[27:25]  ¹⁴⁸⁰ 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]  ¹⁴⁸¹ 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]  ¹⁴⁸² 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]  ¹⁴⁸³ sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27]  ¹⁴⁸⁴ 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]  ¹⁴⁸⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁸⁶ 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]  ¹⁴⁸⁷ tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28]  ¹⁴⁸⁸ sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).

[27:29]  ¹⁴⁸⁹ tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ¹⁴⁹⁰ 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]  ¹⁴⁹¹ 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]  ¹⁴⁹² 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]  ¹⁴⁹³ tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[27:29]  sn And wished for day to appear. The sailors were hoping to hold the ship in place until morning, when they could see what was happening and where they were.

[27:30]  ¹⁴⁹⁴ 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]  ¹⁴⁹⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:31]  ¹⁴⁹⁶ sn The pronoun you is plural in Greek.

[27:32]  ¹⁴⁹⁷ 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]  ¹⁴⁹⁸ 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]  ¹⁴⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁵⁰⁰ 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]  ¹⁵⁰¹ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ¹⁵⁰² 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]  ¹⁵⁰³ 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]  ¹⁵⁰⁴ tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).

[27:35]  ¹⁵⁰⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ¹⁵⁰⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁰⁷ tn Or “before them all,” but here this could be misunderstood to indicate a temporal sequence.

[27:35]  ¹⁵⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁵⁰⁹ 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]  ¹⁵¹⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[27:38]  ¹⁵¹¹ tn Or “When they had eaten their fill.”

[27:38]  ¹⁵¹² tn Or “grain.”

[27:39]  ¹⁵¹³ tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ¹⁵¹⁴ tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ¹⁵¹⁵ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.

[27:40]  ¹⁵¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁵¹⁷ tn The term is used of a ship’s anchor. (BDAG 12 s.v. ἄγκυρα a).

[27:40]  ¹⁵¹⁸ tn Grk “bands”; possibly “ropes.”

[27:40]  ¹⁵¹⁹ tn Or “rudders.”

[27:40]  ¹⁵²⁰ tn Grk “hoisting…they.” The participle ἐπάραντες (eparante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ¹⁵²¹ tn Grk “sail”; probably a reference to the foresail.

[27:40]  ¹⁵²² 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]  ¹⁵²³ 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]  ¹⁵²⁴ tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ¹⁵²⁵ 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]  ¹⁵²⁶ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ¹⁵²⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ¹⁵²⁸ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  sn Thanks to the centurion who wanted to save Paul’s life, Paul was once more rescued from a potential human threat.

[27:43]  ¹⁵²⁹ tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[27:44]  ¹⁵³⁰ 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]  ¹⁵³¹ tn Or “boards” according to BDAG 913 s.v. σανίς.

[27:44]  ¹⁵³² tn Grk “on pieces from the ship”; that is, pieces of wreckage from the ship.

[27:44]  sn Both the planks and pieces of the ship were for the weak or nonswimmers. The whole scene is a historical metaphor representing how listening to Paul and his message could save people.

[27:44]  ¹⁵³³ 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]  ¹⁵³⁴ 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]  ¹⁵³⁵ 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.

[28:1]  map For location see JP4 A3.

[28:2]  ¹⁵³⁶ 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]  ¹⁵³⁷ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ¹⁵³⁸ 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]  ¹⁵³⁹ tn Or “sticks.”

[28:4]  ¹⁵⁴⁰ 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]  ¹⁵⁴¹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ¹⁵⁴² 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]  ¹⁵⁴³ 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]  ¹⁵⁴⁴ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 4 indicates the particle has an adversative sense here: “but, however.”

[28:5]  ¹⁵⁴⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:5]  ¹⁵⁴⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁴⁷ 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]  ¹⁵⁴⁸ tn The participle προσδοκώντων (prosdokwntwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ¹⁵⁴⁹ tn The participle θεωρούντων (qewrountwn) has been taken temporally.

[28:6]  ¹⁵⁵⁰ tn Grk “happening.” The participle γινόμενον (ginomenon) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:6]  ¹⁵⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁵⁵² 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]  ¹⁵⁵³ 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]  ¹⁵⁵⁴ 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]  ¹⁵⁵⁵ 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]  ¹⁵⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁵⁷ tn The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:8]  ¹⁵⁵⁸ sn And healed him. Here are healings like Luke 9:40; 10:30; 13:13; Acts 16:23.

[28:9]  ¹⁵⁵⁹ tn BDAG 142 s.v. ἀσθένεια 1 states, “ἔχειν ἀ. be ill Ac 28:9.”

[28:9]  ¹⁵⁶⁰ sn Many…also came and were healed. Again, here is irony. Paul, though imprisoned, “frees” others of their diseases.

[28:10]  ¹⁵⁶¹ tn Or “they also honored us greatly”; Grk “they also honored us with many honors” (an idiom).

[28:10]  ¹⁵⁶² 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]  ¹⁵⁶³ 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]  ¹⁵⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁵⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁵⁶⁶ tn Or “the ‘Twin Gods’”; Grk “the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the pagan deities Castor and Pollux).

[28:11]  sn That had the ‘Heavenly Twins’ as its figurehead. The twin brothers Castor and Pollux, known collectively as the Dioscuri or ‘Heavenly Twins,’ were the twin sons of Zeus and Leda according to Greek mythology. The Alexandrian ship on which Paul and his companions sailed from Malta had a carved emblem or figurehead of these figures, and they would have been the patron deities of the vessel. Castor and Pollux were the “gods of navigation.” To see their stars was considered a good omen (Epictetus, Discourses 2.18.29; Lucian of Samosata, The Ship 9).

[28:11]  ¹⁵⁶⁷ tn Or “as its emblem.”

[28:12]  ¹⁵⁶⁸ 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]  ¹⁵⁶⁹ sn Syracuse was a city on the eastern coast of the island of Sicily. It was 75 mi (120 km) from Malta.

[28:13]  ¹⁵⁷⁰ 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]  ¹⁵⁷¹ sn Rhegium was a city on the southern tip of Italy. It was 80 mi (130 km) from Syracuse.

[28:13]  ¹⁵⁷² 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]  ¹⁵⁷³ 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]  ¹⁵⁷⁴ 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]  ¹⁵⁷⁵ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:14]  ¹⁵⁷⁶ sn That is, some fellow Christians.

[28:14]  ¹⁵⁷⁷ map For location see JP4 A1.

[28:15]  ¹⁵⁷⁸ 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]  ¹⁵⁷⁹ 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]  ¹⁵⁸⁰ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

[28:15]  ¹⁵⁸¹ 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]  ¹⁵⁸² tn Or “to stay.”

[28:16]  sn Allowed to live by himself. Paul continued to have a generous prison arrangement (cf. Acts 27:3).

[28:17]  ¹⁵⁸³ 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]  ¹⁵⁸⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:17]  ¹⁵⁸⁵ tn L&N 33.309 has “‘after three days, he called the local Jewish leaders together’ Ac 28:17.”

[28:17]  ¹⁵⁸⁶ tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.

[28:17]  ¹⁵⁸⁷ tn The participle ποιήσας (poihsas) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[28:17]  ¹⁵⁸⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:17]  sn I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. Once again Paul claimed to be faithful to the Jewish people and to the God of Israel.

[28:17]  ¹⁵⁸⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[28:17]  ¹⁵⁹⁰ tn Grk “into the hands of the Romans,” but this is redundant when παρεδόθην (paredoqhn) has been translated “handed over.”

[28:18]  ¹⁵⁹¹ 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]  ¹⁵⁹² 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]  ¹⁵⁹³ sn They wanted to release me. See Acts 25:23-27.

[28:18]  ¹⁵⁹⁴ tn Grk “no basis for death,” but in this context a sentence of death is clearly indicated.

[28:19]  ¹⁵⁹⁵ tn That is, objected to my release.

[28:19]  ¹⁵⁹⁶ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[28:19]  ¹⁵⁹⁷ 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]  ¹⁵⁹⁸ tn Or “my own nation.”

[28:20]  ¹⁵⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁶⁰⁰ tn Grk “they said to him.”

[28:21]  ¹⁶⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁶⁰² 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]  ¹⁶⁰³ 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]  ¹⁶⁰⁴ tn On the term translated “speak against,” see BDAG 89 s.v. ἀντιλέγω 1.

[28:23]  ¹⁶⁰⁵ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ¹⁶⁰⁶ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ¹⁶⁰⁷ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ¹⁶⁰⁸ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ¹⁶⁰⁹ 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]  ¹⁶¹⁰ 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]  ¹⁶¹¹ 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]  ¹⁶¹² 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]  ¹⁶¹³ tn Or “persuade.”

[28:24]  ¹⁶¹⁴ tn Or “persuaded.”

[28:24]  ¹⁶¹⁵ tn Grk “by the things spoken.”

[28:24]  ¹⁶¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁶¹⁷ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ¹⁶¹⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ¹⁶¹⁹ tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ¹⁶²⁰ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ¹⁶²¹ tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  sn The heart of this people has become dull. The charge from Isaiah is like Stephen’s against the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 7:51-53). They were a hard-hearted and disobedient people.

[28:27]  ¹⁶²² tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ¹⁶²³ sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ¹⁶²⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.

[28:28]  ¹⁶²⁵ tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”

[28:28]  ¹⁶²⁶ tn Or “of God.”

[28:28]  ¹⁶²⁷ 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]  ¹⁶²⁸ tn Grk “they also.”

[28:29]  ¹⁶²⁹ 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]  ¹⁶³⁰ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:30]  ¹⁶³¹ tn Or “stayed.”

[28:30]  ¹⁶³² 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]  ¹⁶³³ tn Or “and received.”

[28:31]  ¹⁶³⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[28:31]  ¹⁶³⁵ tn Or “openness.”

[28:31]  ¹⁶³⁶ 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.