4:27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against 1 your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 2
8:9 Now in that city was a man named Simon, who had been practicing magic 3 and amazing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great.
10:9 About noon 7 the next day, while they were on their way and approaching 8 the city, Peter went up on the roof 9 to pray.
14:19 But Jews came from Antioch 10 and Iconium, 11 and after winning 12 the crowds over, they stoned 13 Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead. 14:20 But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back 14 into the city. On 15 the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. 16
14:21 After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, 17 to Iconium, 18 and to Antioch. 19
17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, 24 his spirit was greatly upset 25 because he saw 26 the city was full of idols.
1 sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.
2 sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”
3 tn On the idiom προϋπῆρχεν μαγεύων (prouphrcen mageuwn) meaning “had been practicing magic” see BDAG 889 s.v. προϋπάρχω.
4 tn The words “against him” are implied, as suggested by L&N 30.71.
5 tn Or “guarding.” This is a negative term in Luke-Acts (Luke 6:7; 14:1; 20:20).
6 tn The word πύλη (pulh) may refer to a house door or gate, or to the large gates used in a palace, temple, or city wall. Here the context clearly indicates a reference to the latter, so the translation “city gates” is used.
7 tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”
8 tn The participles ὁδοιπορούντων (Jodoiporountwn, “while they were on their way”) and ἐγγιζόντων (engizontwn, “approaching”) have been translated as temporal participles.
9 sn Went up on the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
10 sn Antioch was a city in Pisidia about 90 mi (145 km) west northwest of Lystra.
map For location see JP1-E2; JP2-E2; JP3-E2; JP4-E2.
11 sn Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) north of Lystra. Note how Jews from other cities were chasing Paul (2 Cor 11:4-6; Gal 2:4-5; Acts 9:16).
12 tn The participle πείσαντες (peisante") is taken temporally (BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.c).
13 tn Grk “stoning Paul they dragged him.” The participle λιθάσαντες (liqasante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
14 tn Grk “and entered”; the word “back” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
15 tn Grk “And on.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
16 sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra. This was the easternmost point of the journey.
map For location see JP1-E2; JP2-E2; JP3-E2.
17 sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) northwest of Derbe.
map For location see JP1-E2; JP2-E2; JP3-E2.
18 sn Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) north of Lystra.
19 sn Antioch was a city in Pisidia about 90 mi (145 km) west northwest of Lystra.
map For location see JP1-E2; JP2-E2; JP3-E2; JP4-E2.
20 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
21 tn Grk “having brought them.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been taken temporally. It is also possible in English to translate this participle as a finite verb: “they brought them before the magistrates and said.”
22 tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἐκταράσσω has “agitate, cause trouble to, throw into confusion” for the meaning of this verb.
23 tn Grk “being Jews, and they are proclaiming.” The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
24 map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.
25 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.
26 tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.
27 tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 2 has “to set upon, attack, lay a hand on” here, but “assault” is a contemporary English equivalent very close to the meaning of the original.
28 tn Or “injure.”
29 tn Grk “whom.”
30 tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.
sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The note explains the cause of the charge and also notes that it was false.
31 tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.
32 tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”
33 tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.
34 tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.
35 tn Grk “said.”
36 tn Grk “a Jewish man.”
37 tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).
38 tn Grk “I beg you.”
39 tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”
40 tn BDAG 381 s.v. ἐπίστασις 2 has “ἐ. ποιεῖν ὄχλου to cause a crowd to gather Ac 24:12.” Roman authorities would not allow a mob to gather and threaten the peace, and anyone suspected of instigating a mob would certainly be arrested.
41 tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
42 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
43 sn A second part of Paul’s defense is that he did nothing while he was in Jerusalem to cause unrest, neither arguing nor stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city.