Acts 5:38

5:38 So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, ¹  it will come to nothing, ² 

Acts 13:17

13:17 The God of this people Israel ³  chose our ancestors ⁴  and made the people great ⁵  during their stay as foreigners ⁶  in the country ⁷  of Egypt, and with uplifted arm ⁸  he led them out of it.

Acts 16:15

16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, ⁹  “If ¹⁰  you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, ¹¹  come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded ¹²  us.

Acts 21:16

21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea ¹³  came along with us too, and brought us to the house ¹⁴  of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, ¹⁵  with whom we were to stay.

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¹ tn Here ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

² tn Or “it will be put to an end.”

³ tn Or “people of Israel.”

⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

sn Note how Paul identifies with his audience by referring to our ancestors. He speaks as a Jew. God’s design in history is the theme of the speech. The speech is like Stephen’s, only here the focus is on a promised Son of David.

⁵ tn That is, in both numbers and in power. The implication of greatness in both numbers and in power is found in BDAG 1046 s.v. ὑψόω 2.

⁶ tn Or “as resident aliens.”

⁷ tn Or “land.”

⁸ sn Here uplifted arm is a metaphor for God’s power by which he delivered the Israelites from Egypt. See Exod 6:1, 6; 32:11; Deut 3:24; 4:34; Ps 136:11-12.

⁹ tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

¹⁰ tn This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.

¹¹ tn Or “faithful to the Lord.” BDAG 821 s.v. πίστος 2 states concerning this verse, “Of one who confesses the Christian faith believing or a believer in the Lord, in Christ, in God πιστ. τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 16:15.” L&N 11.17 has “one who is included among the faithful followers of Christ – ‘believer, Christian, follower.’”

¹² tn Although BDAG 759 s.v. παραβιάζομαι has “urge strongly, prevail upon,” in contemporary English “persuade” is a more frequently used synonym for “prevail upon.”

¹³ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

map For location see Map2-C1; Map4-B3; Map5-F2; Map7-A1; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹⁴ tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

¹⁵ tn Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “ἀ. μαθητής a disciple of long standing (perh. original disc.) Ac 21:16.”