Discovery BoxActs 1:3 
Context1:3 To the same apostles 1 also, after his suffering, 2 he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period 3 and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.
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 16:1
Context16:1 He also came to Derbe 8 and to Lystra. 9 A disciple 10 named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, 11 but whose father was a Greek. 12
Acts 19:21
Context19:21 Now after all these things had taken place, 13 Paul resolved 14 to go to Jerusalem, 15 passing through Macedonia 16 and Achaia. 17 He said, 18 “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 19
Acts 23:11
Context23:11 The following night the Lord 20 stood near 21 Paul 22 and said, “Have courage, 23 for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, 24 so you must also testify in Rome.” 25
Acts 24:26
Context24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, 26 and for this reason he sent for Paul 27 as often as possible 28 and talked 29 with him.
Acts 25:10
Context25:10 Paul replied, 30 “I am standing before Caesar’s 31 judgment seat, 32 where I should be tried. 33 I have done nothing wrong 34 to the Jews, as you also know very well. 35
Acts 26:29
Context26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time 36 not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” 37
1 tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn After his suffering is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and the abuse which preceded it.
3 tn Grk “during forty days.” The phrase “over a forty-day period” is used rather than “during forty days” because (as the other NT accounts of Jesus’ appearances make clear) Jesus was not continually visible to the apostles during the forty days, but appeared to them on various occasions.
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 sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 35 mi (60 km) southeast of Lystra. It was about 90 mi (145 km) from Tarsus.
map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.
9 sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 25 mi (40 km) south of Iconium.
map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.
10 tn Grk “And behold, a disciple.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.
11 tn L&N 31.103 translates this phrase “the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.”
12 sn His father was a Greek. Timothy was the offspring of a mixed marriage between a Jewish woman (see 2 Tim 1:5) and a Gentile man. On mixed marriages in Judaism, see Neh 13:23-27; Ezra 9:1-10:44; Mal 2:10-16; Jub. 30:7-17; m. Qiddushin 3.12; m. Yevamot 7.5.
13 tn Grk “all these things had been fulfilled.”
14 tn Grk “Paul purposed in [his] spirit” (an idiom). According to BDAG 1003 s.v. τίθημι 1.b.ε the entire idiom means “to resolve” (or “decide”): “ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι w. inf. foll. Paul resolved 19:21.”
15 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
16 sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
17 sn Achaia was the Roman province of Achaia located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. Its principal city was Corinth.
18 tn Grk “Achaia, saying.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the awkwardness in English of having two participial clauses following one another (“passing through…saying”), the participle εἰπών (eipwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation.
19 sn This is the first time Paul mentions Rome. He realized the message of Christianity could impact that society even at its heights.
map For location see JP4 A1.
20 sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.
21 tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
22 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 tn Or “Do not be afraid.”
24 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
25 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.
26 tn Grk “he was hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.” To simplify the translation, the passive construction has been converted to an active one.
sn Would give him money. That is, would offer him a bribe in exchange for his release. Such practices were fairly common among Roman officials of the period (Josephus, Ant. 2.12.3 [2.272-274]).
27 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 tn “As often as possible” reflects the comparative form of the adjective πυκνός (puknos); see BDAG 897 s.v. πυκνός, which has “Neut. of the comp. πυκνότερον as adv. more often, more frequently and in an elative sense very often, quite frequently…also as often as possible…Ac 24:26.”
29 tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.
30 tn Grk “said.”
31 tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
32 tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.
sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.
33 tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.
34 sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.
35 tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”
36 tn BDAG 703 s.v. ὀλίγος 2.b.β has “καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ whether in a short or a long time vs. 29 (cf. B-D-F §195; GWhitaker, The Words of Agrippa to St. Paul: JTS 15, 1914, 82f; AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 50; Field, Notes 141-43; s. Rob. 653).”
37 sn Except for these chains. The chains represented Paul’s unjust suffering for the sake of the message. His point was, in effect, “I do not care how long it takes. I only hope you and everyone else hearing this would become believers in Christ, but without my unjust suffering.”
