Acts 7:51

7:51 “You stubborn ¹  people, with uncircumcised ²  hearts and ears! ³  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ⁴  did!

Acts 23:35

23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ⁵  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ⁶  he ordered that Paul ⁷  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ⁸ 

Acts 26:24

26:24 As Paul ⁹  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ¹⁰  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ¹¹  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

---

¹ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

² tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

³ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

⁵ tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter – ‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”

⁶ tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.

⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.

⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

¹¹ tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”

sn The expression “You have lost your mind” would be said to someone who speaks incredible things, in the opinion of the hearer. Paul’s mention of the resurrection (v. 23) was probably what prompted Festus to say this.