“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did 6 not open his mouth.
1 tn The referent of “this man” (Judas) was specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Traditionally, “with the reward of his wickedness.”
3 tn Traditionally, “falling headlong.”
4 tn Or “all his bowels.”
5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Grk “does.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the first line of the quotation (“he was led like a sheep to slaughter”), which has an aorist passive verb normally translated as a past tense in English.
7 tn Or “informed.”
8 tn The word “them” 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.
9 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.
10 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.
11 tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.
12 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).
13 tn Or “thought.”
14 tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 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.
16 sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).
map For location see JP1-C1; JP2-C1; JP3-C1; JP4-C1.
17 tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”
18 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.
19 tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.
20 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.
21 tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”
22 tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”
23 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.
24 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.
25 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 tn Or “and an inheritance.”