Acts 17:13-16

17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ¹  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ²  in Berea, ³  they came there too, inciting ⁴  and disturbing ⁵  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ⁶  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ⁷  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ⁸  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ⁹ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ¹⁰  his spirit was greatly upset ¹¹  because he saw ¹²  the city was full of idols.

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¹ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

² 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.

³ 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.

⁴ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

sn Inciting. Ironically, it was the Jews who were disturbing the peace, not the Christians.

⁵ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

⁶ 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).

⁷ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

⁹ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

¹⁰ map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

¹¹ 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.”

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.

¹² tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.