23:11 The following night the Lord 1 stood near 2 Paul 3 and said, “Have courage, 4 for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, 5 so you must also testify in Rome.” 6
1 sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.
2 tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
3 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Or “Do not be afraid.”
5 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
6 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).
map For location see JP4-A1.
7 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.
8 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).
9 sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.
10 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.