Acts 10:22

10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, ¹  a righteous ²  and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, ³  was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message ⁴  from you.”

Acts 17:26

17:26 From one man ⁵  he made every nation of the human race ⁶  to inhabit the entire earth, ⁷  determining their set times ⁸  and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, ⁹ 

Acts 24:2

24:2 When Paul ¹⁰  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ¹¹  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ¹²  of peace through your rule, ¹³  and reforms ¹⁴  are being made in this nation ¹⁵  through your foresight. ¹⁶ 

Acts 24:10

Paul’s Defense Before Felix

24:10 When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know ¹⁷  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ¹⁸ 

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¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

² tn Or “just.”

³ tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.

sn The long introduction of Cornelius by his messengers is an attempt to commend this Gentile to his Jewish counterpart, which would normally be important to do in the culture of the time.

⁴ tn Grk “hear words.”

⁵ sn The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).

⁶ tn Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “every nation of humankind Ac 17:26.”

⁷ tn Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.

¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

¹² tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

¹³ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

¹⁴ 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).

¹⁵ tn Or “being made for this people.”

¹⁶ 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]).

¹⁷ tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

¹⁸ sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.