Discovery BoxActs 1:20 
Context1:20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his house become deserted, 1 and let there be no one to live in it,’ 2 and ‘Let another take his position of responsibility.’ 3
Acts 13:33
Context13:33 that this promise 4 God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising 5 Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; 6 today I have fathered you.’ 7
Acts 21:25
Context21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided 8 that they should avoid 9 meat that has been sacrificed to idols 10 and blood and what has been strangled 11 and sexual immorality.”
Acts 24:14
Context24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship 12 the God of our ancestors 13 according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law 14 and that is written in the prophets.
1 tn Or “uninhabited” or “empty.”
2 sn A quotation from Ps 69:25.
3 tn Or “Let another take his office.”
sn A quotation from Ps 109:8.
4 tn Grk “that this”; the referent (the promise mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn This promise refers to the promise of a Savior through the seed (descendants) of David that is proclaimed as fulfilled (Rom 1:1-7).
5 tn Or “by resurrecting.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") is taken as instrumental here.
sn By raising (i.e., by resurrection) tells how this promise came to be realized, though again the wordplay also points to his presence in history through this event (see the note on “raised up” in v. 22).
6 sn You are my Son. The key to how the quotation is used is the naming of Jesus as “Son” to the Father. The language is that of kingship, as Ps 2 indicates. Here is the promise about what the ultimate Davidic heir would be.
7 tn Grk “I have begotten you.” The traditional translation for γεγέννηκα (gegennhka, “begotten”) is misleading to the modern English reader because it is no longer in common use. Today one speaks of “fathering” a child in much the same way speakers of English formerly spoke of “begetting a child.”
sn A quotation from Ps 2:7.
8 tn L&N 13.154 has “‘having decided that they must keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from an animal that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality’ Ac 21:25.”
sn Having decided refers here to the decision of the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:6-21). Mention of this previous decision reminds the reader that the issue here is somewhat different: It is not whether Gentiles must first become Jews before they can become Christians (as in Acts 15), but whether Jews who become Christians should retain their Jewish practices. Sensitivity to this issue would suggest that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians might engage in different practices.
9 tn This is a different Greek word than the one used in Acts 15:20, 29. BDAG 1068 s.v. φυλάσσω 3 has “to be on one’s guard against, look out for, avoid…w. acc. of pers. or thing avoided…Ac 21:25.” The Greek word used in Acts 15:20, 29 is ἀπέχω (apecw). The difference in meaning, although slight, has been maintained in the translation.
10 tn There is no specific semantic component in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος that means “meat” (see BDAG 280 s.v. εἰδωλόθυτος; L&N 5.15). The stem –θυτος means “sacrifice” (referring to an animal sacrificially killed) and thereby implies meat.
11 sn What has been strangled. That is, to refrain from eating animals that had been killed without having the blood drained from them. According to the Mosaic law (Lev 17:13-14) Jews were forbidden to eat flesh with the blood still in it (note the preceding provision in this verse, and blood).
12 tn Or “serve.”
13 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
14 sn That is, the law of Moses. Paul was claiming that he legitimately worshiped the God of Israel. He was arguing that this amounted to a religious dispute rather than a political one, so that the Roman authorities need not concern themselves with it.
