Acts 11:16

11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, 1  as he used to say, 2  ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 3 

Acts 17:21

17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time 4  in nothing else than telling 5  or listening to something new.) 6 

1 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; here and in Luke 22:61, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 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.

2 tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) is taken as a customary imperfect.

3 sn John…Spirit. This remark repeats Acts 1:5.

4 tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

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

6 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.